This Request for Proposals (RFP) is issued by the Great Falls Business Improvement District (BID) in cooperation with the Downtown Development Partnership (DDP) and the City of Great Falls (City), for the purpose of engaging a contractor to develop a Wayfinding Plan for Downtown Great Falls and the City, as a whole.

The DDP wishes to pursue a Montana Main Street Program grant for development of a Wayfinding Plan. The City will provide grant administration and the BID will provide oversight of the project activities identified in this RFP. Grant and local match funds would then be used to fund a contract executed under this RFP. It is the intent of the BID to select a qualified consultant that will achieve the goals of this RFP through an open and competitive process.

The selected firm will be expected to implement a scope of work that satisfies the wayfinding project goals outlined in this RFP and results in a Wayfinding Plan that can be used by the BID, the DDP and City for final design, fabrication and installation of wayfinding components.

The schedule is indicated below. It may be modified at the discretion of the BID, DDP or City. The BID reserves the right to refine the project, not select anyone and re-bid. Addendum(s) will be issued in the event of any scheduling changes.

Project Milestone Date/Time

Issue RFP — October 18, 2019

1^st advertisement published — October 21, 2019

2^nd advertisement published — October 28, 2019

Requests for Information Due — November 1, 2019 @ 12:30 pm MST

Proposals Due — November 8, 2019 @ 12:30 pm MST

Evaluation of Proposals — November 11–15, 2019

Interviews, if necessary — December 2–6, 2019

Selection Finalized — December 10, 2019

Contract Award — December 2019

Anticipated Start — January 3, 2020

Anticipated Completion — June 2020

The need for a wayfinding plan stems from the challenges we face with connecting pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles with downtown Great Falls and adjacent destinations including the River's Edge Trail. We intend to develop signage oriented to pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles.

In downtown Great Falls there are a number of attractions for visitors and residents alike, including the History Museum, public library, the jewel of our park system Gibson Park, Children's Museum of Montana and access to the River's Edge Trail. However, for the downtown Great Falls visitor there is little indication that these destinations lie within a short walk. Our hope is that wayfinding will enable visitors and residents to better explore Great Falls, enticing them to stay longer and return to Great Falls on future visits. Additionally, our hope is that wayfinding will have the added benefit of encouraging Great Falls residents to walk and bike for short trips within the City.

Each year hundreds of local and visiting cyclists travel the 60 miles of the River's Edge Trail. However, the River's Edge Trail is not well defined through Great Falls, especially through downtown Great Falls. The intent with wayfinding is to divert cyclists onto designated bike routes which provide a safer and more comfortable riding experience and bring cyclists into downtown.

Vehicles typically enter Great Falls from the east or west on 10^th Ave South – a six-lane state highway. As they travel 10^th Ave South there are few visual indicators that there is a vibrant, historic downtown a few blocks away. The intent is to utilize wayfinding to develop clear and attractive signage that orients passing vehicles to downtown and other points of interest in our community. Additionally, the BID intends to use wayfinding signage to direct vehicles to off-street parking in downtown. During the course of a normal business day on-street parking in downtown Great Falls can be hard to come by. While the City has two parking garages and multiple street lots located downtown, this often goes unused as visitors tend to not know where it is or that it even exists at all. With strategically placed wayfinding signage the intent is to steer downtown customers to available parking.

In 2019, Downtown Great Falls adopted Visit Great Falls Montana Tourism's branding. Within the Downtown Master Plan boundaries, the downtown logo will be utilized, following Tourism's branding guidelines. Outside of the Downtown Master Plan boundaries, Great Falls Tourism's logo and branding guidelines will be utilized. Brand guide is attached as Exhibit A. Downtown Logo is attached as Exhibit B; Great Falls Tourism Logo is attached as Exhibit C. The Downtown Master Plan boundaries are River Dr N to 15th Street North; 5th Ave N to 5th Ave South. A map of Downtown Master Plan boundaries is attached as Exhibit D.

The primary goals of Great Falls wayfinding project are to:

1. Establish clear and consistent signage geared towards pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles that connects residents and visitors with downtown Great Falls and the areas cultural, natural, and recreational amenities.
2. Incorporate elements from Tourism's logo/branding efforts into the Wayfinding Plan.
3. Incorporate a variety of different types of signs (pole signs, wall signs, murals, freestanding signs banners, kiosks, maps, etc.) that reinforce Great Falls' sense of place and identity and give people an understanding of the layout of Great Falls.
4. Develop signs that add to Great Falls aesthetic while not contribute to visual discord for vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists.
5. Ensure signs comply with all applicable local, state, and federal regulations pertaining to signs.

Proposals shall be organized as follows:

1. Cover Letter

The cover letter must be addressed to Joan Redeen, Community Director of the Great Falls Business Improvement District and signed by a legally authorized representative of the respondent. Cover letter must summarize key provisions of the submittal and must include name, address, phone, and email of the respondent contact.

2. Table of Contents

3. Firm Information and Experience

A description of the firm's organization, location(s), and fields of expertise, as well as knowledge of and experience with developing a wayfinding plan. Include information on the size of the firm and resources available for this project, primary and secondary contacts, and the office(s) that would provide the primary services on the project.

4. Project Approach

Describe the firm's approach to working with the BID, the DDP and the City and developing the wayfinding plan. Include discussion about steps to ensure that the project milestones are met.

5. Previous Experience

Provide detailed information on at least three relevant past projects, including references, relating to developing a wayfinding plan.

6. Project Team

Identification of the proposed project team, including names, brief experience summaries, roles for each team member, anticipated level of involvement, and office locations. Full resumes limited to two pages per person may be included in an appendix.

7. Scope of Work

Provide a proposed scope of work that addresses the goals of Great Falls wayfinding project identified above. Include a description of the public outreach process and outline the project schedule. Describe key tasks that will be performed by the consultant and indicate the level of support required by BID, DDP & City staff.

8. Capability to Meet Time and Project Budget Requirements

Identify deliverables, budget, and preliminary timeline for completion of the project. Provide detailed information on present and projected workload for project team. Describe ability to meet project goals while staying within the project budget, to include travel, printing and other (specify), and subcontractor costs.

Proposals shall be emailed to the Community Director of the Great Falls Business Improvement District at info@greatfallsbid.com by the proposal due date, or submit at least one (1) USB flash drive with electronic files to the following address:

Great Falls Business Improvement District
Wayfinding Plan RFP
318 Central Avenue
Great Falls MT 59404

Proposals must be received in the BID's office no later than November 8, 2019 @ 12:30 pm MST. Proposals received after this time will not be opened. Proposals will not be considered for award unless submitted in the format described herein. It is the responsibility of the respondent to ensure that the submittal is received in a timely manner. Fax proposals will not be accepted. Receipt of submittals may be confirmed with the BID by emailing info@greatfallsbid.com or calling (406) 727-5430.

The Great Falls Business Improvement District evaluation committee will evaluate proposals according to the evaluation criteria presented below. The BID may elect to conduct interviews with selected respondents to ask questions or obtain more detail on each respondent's proposal. Points will be awarded based on the relative merit of the information provided in the response to this solicitation and in interviews, if necessary. Selection will be based on the total number of points awarded by the evaluation committee.

1. Related experiences on similar projects — 35 Points
2. Proposed scope of wok — 25 Points
3. Qualifications of proposed project team — 15 Points
4. Proposed approach to working with the BID & meeting project schedule & budget — 15 Points
5. Current and projected workloads — 5 points
6. References — 5 points

The Great Falls Business Improvement District reserves the right to seek supplemental information from any respondent at any time after official proposal opening and before award. This will be limited to clarification or more detail on information included in the original proposal. Upon acceptance of a proposal and intent to award, the successful respondent will be required to execute and return all required project documents and certificates of insurance within 15 days from the Notice of Award. Should the selected firm fail or refuse to execute the project documents, the Great Falls Business Improvement District reserves the right to accept the proposal of the firm with next highest score from the selection committee in light of the above criteria. The Great Falls Business Improvement District reserves the right to refine the project and issue addendums if a need arises. The Great Falls Business Improvement reserves the right to not select anyone and re-bid the project in whole or part.

Terms and Conditions

1. Each respondent is responsible for reviewing and understanding all terms of this RFP. Failure to thoroughly examine or request clarification on RFP terms may result in disqualification.
2. Any proposal may be withdrawn at any time prior to the due date with a written request signed by the authorized respondent representative. Revised proposals may be submitted up to the original due date/time.
3. Issuance of this RFP and receipt of proposals does not commit the Great Falls Business Improvement District, the Downtown Development Partnership or the City of Great Falls to move forward with an award or complete the project described. The BID, DDP and the City reserve the right to postpone the RFP award process, to accept or reject any or all proposals received in response to this RFP, and to modify the scope of the project at any time.
4. Successful respondent will be required to enter into a formal Professional Services Agreement with the Great Falls Business Improvement District.