Long-Range Public Transportation Plan
Greater Portland Council of Governments
Portland, ME
Long-Range Public Transportation Plan for Southern Maine
Request for Proposals (RFP)
January 17 2019
I. General Information
The Greater Portland Council of Governments (GPCOG), on behalf of Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation System (PACTS) is conducting a national search for proposals to complete a long-range public transportation plan for Southern Maine. This planning process will center around creating a 30-year pathway for investments to maintain and improve the public transportation network, increasing ridership and connections between housing and employment opportunities. Public transportation will be addressed broadly, recognizing multimodal travel, mobility as a service, microtransit, and off-road trails as important components of the public transportation network. The growing role of autonomous vehicles and other emerging technologies, as well as private ridesharing services such as Uber and Lyft will also play a significant role in the future of our public transportation network, and this is a key opportunity to ensure that these changes advance our shared goals and priorities for the region. While not tied to a firm implementation budget, the goals and recommendations will be based on realistic trade-offs between benefits and costs.
The planning process will be guided by an ad hoc Project Advisory Committee (PAC) composed of transit agencies, municipal staff, elected officials, and other stakeholders. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Section 5303 planning funds will be used for this project. We anticipate the budget for the project to be in the range of $150,000 - $200,000, over two biennia of the PACTS Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP).
II. Background
The PACTS region is a challenging environment for public transportation, with seven different transit agencies serving a population of just 275,000. As a predominantly rural state with an aging population, fixed-route transit outside of urban centers is difficult to operate in a cost-efficient manner. However, Southern Maine is experiencing population growth and development which provides an opportunity for public transportation to better serve the region. For example, several new public transportation network investments have been made such as Metro's new Husky Line with service between the University of Southern Maine's campuses in Gorham and Portland, renovations to the Casco Bay Lines Terminal, and the expansion of the Amtrak Downeaster to Brunswick.
III. Purpose and Goals
The goals of this plan are to:
- Develop a Vision.
- Identify Priority Investments.
- Identify Priority Growth Areas.
- Leverage Emerging Technology.
- Improve Mobility Management.
IV. SCOPE OF Work
While these tasks are specific, we invite consultants to propose alternative approaches and methodologies they believe will more efficiently or effectively accomplish the desired goals. This scope of work outlines the minimum requirements which must be fulfilled to be awarded the contract.
Task 1: Existing Conditions
The purpose of this task is to provide an overview of the current state of the public transportation network and identify case studies and best practices from other systems that are transferable to our region. The selected Consultant will review recent PACTS planning studies that will inform this plan, including Moving Southern Maine Forward and the PACTS long range transportation plan, Destination 2040. A list of plans and reports to help inform the Consultant is included on the GPCOG website. The Consultant is also responsible for interviewing any appropriate stakeholders for additional background information.
Deliverables:
- A summary report on the current state of transit in the region, including national case studies and best practices from comparable public transportation networks.
- A presentation to the PAC on the findings of the summary report.
- Presentation and other materials to be used in the civic engagement process.
Task 2: Vision and Goals
The purpose of this task is to establish an achievable and representative vision for public transportation in the region, along with a set of concrete goals. GPCOG will lead a robust civic engagement effort to collect meaningful input from diverse stakeholders to inform this process. The Consultant will support this effort by providing background information and material for civic engagement, and by synthesizing the input received into a coherent, comprehensive vision and set of goals. The Consultant will use the results of this effort to design alternative scenarios that evaluate the impacts of different land use growth patterns and fiscal constraints on the public transportation network.
Deliverables:
- Lead a workshop with the PAC on the plan's vision and goals.
- Presentation materials and digital content to be used by GPCOG staff as a part of civic engagement.
- A final vision and set of recommendations and strategies based on feedback from the civic engagement, PAC, and GPCOG staff.
Task 3: Scenario Planning
The purpose of this task is to help stakeholders better understand how different land use scenarios and varying levels of financial investment in the transit network impact public transportation as a whole. Using scenario planning modeling software, the Consultant will develop a business-as-usual growth scenario and several alternative land use scenarios based on a continuum of defined priority growth and conservation areas across the region. Modeling will also demonstrate what is achievable with each land use scenario based on different levels of financial investment in the transit network. This scenario planning will be used to inform the civic engagement process and allow stakeholders to more accurately understand and measure the impacts of each scenario on the public transportation network. The Consultant will also identify specific indicators and model outputs to measure the effectiveness of the public transportation network, such as passenger vehicle miles traveled, transit ridership, farebox recovery, reliability of service, acres preserved, and greenhouse gas emissions.
Deliverables:
- A detailed report describing the business-as-usual and alternative land use scenarios presented, and the model outputs for each identified indicator. This report will also include an analysis of the impact of different levels of financial investment for each land use scenario.
- A presentation to the PAC outlining the scenario planning process and findings.
- Presentation materials and digital content to be used as a part of the civic engagement process.
Task 4: Recommendations and Strategies
The Consultant will develop a suite of prioritized medium- and long-term recommendations and strategies to strengthen the public transportation network over the next 30 years. The recommendations and strategies will align with the plan's vision, reflect the findings from the civic engagement process, and be grounded in realistic revenue and resource constraints. The Consultant will work closely with the PAC and GPCOG staff to finalize a set of actionable recommendations for PACTS, transit agencies, state and local governments, and the private sector.
Deliverables:
- A workshop with the PAC outlining the proposed recommendations.
- A draft set of prioritized recommendations and strategies for review.
- A report outlining the final comprehensive set of prioritized recommendations and strategies.
Task 5: Draft and Final Plans
The Consultant will prepare a draft and final plan that summarizes all deliverables and a final vision, goals, recommendations, and strategies on how to improve the public transportation network over the next 30 years. The document will outline the public outreach and stakeholder engagement process and the preferred land use scenario based on several scenarios for funding resources. The implementation section will clearly prioritize recommendations tied to selected indicators, identify responsible and supporting entities for each task, and recommend possible funding sources. The final report will be easy-to-read and professionally designed. The Consultant will also develop an Executive Summary as a stand-alone document, website content, and digital presentation to accompany the document.
Deliverables:
- A professionally formatted draft plan, including all the elements listed above, for review and comment.
- A presentation to the PAC on the draft report.
- Digital presentation and website content.
- A final plan including all the elements listed above.
- A draft and final Executive Summary.
Task 6: Project Advisory Committee (PAC)
The purpose of this task is to ensure coordination with the PAC throughout the project. The PAC is a temporary committee established to support the development of this plan. The group will include representatives from transit agencies, municipal government, developers, community organizations, Transportation Demand Management professionals, and bike/ped professionals. The PAC will be primarily staffed by GPCOG staff, but it is expected that the Consultant will support GPCOG staff with presentations, project updates and deliverables to the Committee, and attend most PAC meetings, which will be held every other month.
Deliverable:
- Technical expertise and presentation of deliverables and project updates as outlined in the preceding tasks.
- Additional Committee support as needed throughout the project.
Task 7: Civic Engagement Strategy
The purpose of this task is to develop an effective strategy to enable GPCOG staff to conduct a comprehensive and inclusive civic engagement process. While GPCOG staff will lead this effort, the Consultant will support GPCOG's work with the PAC and outline an Engagement Strategy for GPCOG staff to follow, and coordinate with GPCOG's Public Information Officer to develop a robust messaging and digital engagement effort. The Consultant will create an adaptable engagement toolkit for GPCOG staff to use for stakeholder focus groups, public forums, and board/council meetings. Additional outreach techniques to effectively involve these stakeholders should be defined and may include: surveys of riders and potential riders, online and printed promotional materials, accessible web content, and social media.
Deliverables:
- An Engagement Strategy for GPCOG staff to execute, as outlined above.
- Supporting materials for the adaptable engagement toolkit, including but not limited to presentations, printed posters and pamphlets, and interactive games/activities/questionnaires.
- Website content and other digital materials necessary to support our online messaging and digital engagement efforts.
Task 8: Project Management
The purpose of this task is to ensure a coordinated and efficient planning process that results in timely and thorough deliverables within the project budget. The Consultant will hold a kickoff meeting with GPCOG staff to refine the scope of services and set expectations for the schedule, communication protocols, product deliverables, and project coordination. The Consultant will use the input from the kickoff meeting to develop a project management overview that establishes a foundation for success, and clarifies the project's process, schedule, and desired outcomes. At a minimum, the project management overview will:
- Identify the roles and responsibilities of agencies and organizations involved throughout the planning process.
- Suggest preliminary dates for key task milestones and decision points.
- Identify target deadlines for each prescribed task including deadlines for review and response periods.
- Develop a protocol for communicating, distributing data and documents, and drafting and finalizing materials for review by the GPCOG Project Manager.
- Develop a regular meeting schedule with the Consultant and GPCOG staff throughout the project.
- Develop a schedule for meetings with Stakeholders, public engagement activities, and any other meetings deemed necessary and agreed upon by the Consultant and GPCOG.
Deliverables:
- A kickoff meeting with GPCOG staff.
- A detailed project management overview as described above.
- Regular project management meetings with GPCOG Staff.
For the full RFP visit: https://www.gpcog.org/news/https-www-gpcog-org-wp-content-uploads-2019-01-final-rfp-1_17_19-pdf/