Tri-County Regional Planning Commission requests statements of qualifications from qualified firms to provide professional planning services for the development of a Smart Region Strategic Plan for Greater Peoria, Illinois, with communities in Peoria, Tazewell, and Woodford Counties.

Statements of Qualifications will be accepted until 4:00 pm, February 8, 2019.  Statements of qualifications received after that date and time will not be considered.

Background

Tri-County Regional Planning Commission (TCRPC) of Peoria, Illinois provides staffing for the Peoria-Pekin Urbanized Area Transportation Study (PPUATS), which is recognized as the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the Peoria-Pekin urbanized area.

The MPO receives federal funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation. A portion of the FY 2019 allocation has been set aside for this project. The proposed compensation for the project is $20,000.  Due to the federal funding source, all work related to the project must be completed by December 31, 2019.

Project

TCRPC and Peoria County wish to create a Smart Region Strategic Plan—branded “Smarter, Greater Peoria” for the Greater Peoria region. The strategic plan will help ensure all segments of the region’s population benefit from smart mobility and innovation, drive economic development, and reduce disparities. Such a plan should also help local agencies secure grants aimed at creating redevelopment opportunities. Furthermore, the plan will:

• Identify existing physical and technological infrastructure;
• Identify current and proposed road infrastructure projects that may align with new and emerging technologies;
• Expand on current trends in community technology access and usage;
• Recommend strategies for widespread access to and adoption of new technologies, especially related to road infrastructure and the movement of people and goods; and
• Demonstrate how new technologies like 5G and Smart City applications could be used to facilitate inclusion with road infrastructure and initiate economic development.

Scope of Services

Scope of Services will be negotiated upon consultant selection.

Deliverables

This contract will result in the following deliverable:

• A completed Smart Region Strategic Plan for Greater Peoria, Illinois.

Submittal Contents

TCRPC will only consider submissions limited to 15 pages (not including resumes) and containing the following:

• Name, address, telephone number, email, and website of firm;
• A Statement of Qualifications of:
  • The firm and any subcontractors (if any);
  • The lead team member; and
  • The individuals to be assigned to the project;
• At least three (3) examples of similar plans the firm has completed in the last 5 years;
• Business references from these projects, including client’s name and telephone number shall be included; and
• Identification of any potential subcontracted services as necessary.

Please submit three (3) physical copies and one (1) digital PDF with all submittals.

All submittals shall be sealed and identified as GREATER PEORIA SMART REGION STRATEGIC PLAN RFQ RESPONSE and addressed to:

Ryan Harms, Planner
Tri-County Regional Planning Commission
456 Fulton Street, Suite 401
Peoria, IL 61602

Contract Development

Tri-County Regional Planning Commission will enter into a contract for professional consulting services based on a fixed-price to the selected consultant for a Scope of Services to be negotiated and finalized once the consultant is chosen. Incremental payments to the consultant will be made at the completion of major tasks with a “not to exceed” contract amount. Ten (10) percent of the contract price will be held as final payment upon delivery of the final products. The exact payment schedule will be negotiated and determined as part of the contract.

TCRPC is not liable for any costs incurred by a consultant in responding to this Request for Qualifications or for any costs associated with discussions required for clarification of items related to this RFQ.

The contract shall not be considered executed unless signed by the authorizing representative of TCRPC.

Selection Process

TCRPC reserves the right to accept or reject any or all statements of qualifications. All submittals become the property of TCRPC upon receipt. TCRPC will evaluate each statement of qualifications according to the following factors and 100-point scale:

1. (25 points) Experience and Technical Competency
   The consultant’s response should reflect qualifications and experience necessary to successfully develop and execute a Scope of Services. Reviewers will also assess the applicability and relevance of the consultant’s experience and previous projects.
2. (25 points) Familiarity with Project Type
   The consultant’s response must demonstrate a level of familiarity with the proposed project and an understanding of the planning challenges posed by the project.
3. (20 points) Record of Success
   The consultant’s response should demonstrate success on similar projects and provide examples of similar work.
4. (20 points) Knowledge of the locality of the project
   The consultant’s response should demonstrate familiarity with Greater Peoria and/or the Greater Peoria area.
5. (10 points) References
   The consultant’s response should include at least 3 references, with contact information.

All submittals will be reviewed by a committee made up of representatives from TCRPC and Peoria County. All statements of qualifications will be scored and ranked, however the committee IS NOT bound to select the highest-scoring submittal. TCRPC reserves the sole right to invite one firm to the contract development stage or to reject all candidates that submit.

Project Schedule

• January 25, 2019 – Request for Qualifications is announced
• February 8, 2019 – Deadline for submittal of statement of qualifications
• Week of February 11, 2019 – TCRPC and City evaluate responses and select consultant
• Week of February 18, 2019 – TCRPC approves contract with consultant; work begins
• December 31, 2019 – All project work is completed

Compliance with Laws

The selected firm agrees to be bound by all applicable Federal, State and Local laws, regulations and directives as they pertain to the performance of the contract.

Questions

TCRPC staff will answer all questions related to this RFQ until 4:00 pm, February 6, 2019. All questions and answers will be posted publicly on TCRPC’s website. Questions should be addressed to:

Ryan Harms, Planner
rharms@tricountyrpc.org