The City of Liberty, Missouri, seeks consulting services to prepare a comprehensive land use plan by utilizing the city’s existing plan as the beginning point.  The new, updated plan will provide a vision, goals, objectives, and policies to guide the city’s development and redevelopment for the next 20 years.  The plan will guide the City Council, various advisory boards, Planning & Zoning Commission, staff, developers, property owners, and residents on the appropriate growth and redevelopment for Liberty.

The updated plan will integrate all aspects of development including demographics, land use recommendations, parks, public facilities, infrastructure, transportation, environment, and economic trends.  A critical component of the plan will be setting the vision for the city’s development and redevelopment. 

The planning process will be guided by a Task Force appointed by the Mayor.  The Comprehensive Plan Task Force will work directly with the consulting firm selected to undertake the Project.

Liberty’s most recent comprehensive plan is the Blueprint for Liberty.  It was a community effort to gain citizen input in charting Liberty’s course for the future and won the American Planning Association Outstanding Planning Award for a Plan in 2000.  The Blueprint for Liberty is the current land use plan which was created with a 20 year planning horizon.  While it has been updated a number of times, the plan is in need of extensive revision to create a new land use comprehensive plan.  In addition to the current comprehensive plan, Liberty has adopted a number of smaller area plans that have been incorporated into the comprehensive plan.

The project will create a comprehensive plan that will guide the development and redevelopment of Liberty for the next 20 years.  Because of this, it is imperative the update process engages the community and gives the citizens the opportunity to provide input and feedback regarding the plan’s creation.  A key aspect to this will be establishing the community’s vision for Liberty’s future.  The result of the comprehensive plan update process will be a comprehensive plan that provides guidance to the community regarding how to reach that vision.

The consultant firm selected for the project is expected to provide a wide range of services related to the plan update.  Those services include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. A thorough evaluation of the City’s existing comprehensive and area plans as well as any other city plans that guide and/or impact development
2. Provide innovative ideas to address the future trends in land use and community development.
3. Evaluate existing land use map and categories and provide recommendations for a revised/new map and categories.
4. Analyze population, economic, and land use trends and integrate them into the comprehensive plan.
5. Identify opportunities for development and redevelopment that will strengthen the city’s housing, industry, and commercial land uses.
6. Analyze and provide specific recommendations for, the city’s various “sub areas”; including Historic Downtown including Mill Street, MO 291 Commercial Corridor, Northeast Liberty, and other residential and commercial areas.
7. Recommend an updated/new comprehensive land use plan that will guide the community’s vision for the city’s development over the next 20 years.
8. Create a robust public outreach program that is multifaceted, unique, and reaches out to residents as well as property and business owners.
9. Coordinate public participation and plan creation with the Comprehensive Plan Task Force, City Council, Planning & Zoning Commission, and city staff.
10. Attend and coordinate public meetings including outreach and informational meetings with the public, City Council, and Planning & Zoning Commission meetings.
11. Prepare final comprehensive plan and document.

Community Involvement/Engagement

Involving and engaging the community’s residents, leaders, workforce, businesses, etc. is a critical component to the success of the Project.  The city expects the selected consulting firm to design and implement a robust public outreach program that insures the public is given the opportunity to participate in the process and provide feedback and direction on the project.

Project Schedule

The city anticipates the Project to occur in 2020 and 2021.  The Project will begin the spring of 2020 and be completed by the end of February 2021.  Project completion is defined as the production of the final comprehensive plan draft to be considered by the City Council.

Firms responding to this RFP should include an anticipated Project schedule.

Deliverables

The objective of this Project is the creation of a comprehensive plan that provides goals, objectives, and a vision to guide Liberty’s next 20 years of development and redevelopment. 

In order to accomplish this, the following quantitative deliverables must be included in the proposal:

1. Public outreach program and implementation;
2. Planning & Zoning Commission presentations;
3. City Council presentations;
4. Detailed plan to Facilitate Task Force meetings;
5. A complete comprehensive land use plan ready for adoption by the city.  The plan must include, at a minimum, the following components:
   1. Vision for the community’s development;
   2. Existing conditions;
   3. Trend analysis;
   4. Transportation recommendations;
   5. Housing recommendations;
   6. Land use plan;
   7. Parks, Open space, and Environmental recommendations as they relate to land use planning;
   8. Analysis and recommendations for the city’s various sub-areas: Historic Downtown including Mill Street, MO 291 Commercial Corridor, and Northeast Liberty; and
   9. Goals, objectives, and strategies for implementing the comprehensive plan.
6. Electronic copy of the plan in pdf and Word format;
7. Data, analysis and all sources used to create the comprehensive plan, including but not limited to, spreadsheets, mapping (ESRI format), etc.

Proposal requirements

To be eligible for consideration, one electronic and five hard copies (maximum of 30 pages) of the response to the RFP must be received and date stamped by the City of Liberty no later than 2:00PM (CST), March 6, 2020. Late submittals will not be considered and will be returned to the submitter unopened. The RFP package should be marked Liberty Comprehensive Plan Update.

City of Liberty
101 E. Kansas Street
Liberty, MO 64068
Attn: Katherine Sharp, Planning & Development Director

Questions should be directed to Katherine Sharp at ksharp@libertymo.gov; 816-439-4538.

Proposal submission requirements

The proposal should be complete and concise (maximum of 30 pages) and must contain the following information:

1. Title page:  Provide the subject of the proposal; the firm’s name, address, and telephone number; proposal’s contact name, address, telephone number, and email.
2. Transmittal letter:  Provide a statement regarding the firm’s interest in and understanding of the Project.  The letter should include a statement that the firm has read and understands the RFP and agrees to all conditions, requirements, and terms stated in the RFP.  The transmittal letter shall be signed by a duly authorized officer or agent empowered with the right to bind the firm submitting a proposal for consideration.
3. Statement of qualifications:  Provide information on the size, location, available resources, and a brief discussion on past experiences related to updating and creating comprehensive plans.  Submitted materials should demonstrate the firm’s, and any sub-consultant’s qualifications, and those of the particular staff to be assigned to the Project.  Firms should demonstrate experience as the lead firm on at least three (3) similar projects, preferably within the past five (5) years.
4. Project team:  Identify the project team (including sub-consultants and associates) and provide a statement of qualifications for each individual, including: education, professional registrations, area(s) of expertise and years of service in their respective fields.  The following information should be included:
   1. Identify the project manager who will lead the Project;
   2. Identify any sub-consultants that will be part of the Project team;
   3. Names and proposed roles of other individual team members;
   4. Education, experience, and biographies of all team members addressing the qualifications and considerations of the RFP;
   5. Describe the qualifications of the firm and any sub-consultants to perform the work requested including information regarding pertinent prior experience;
   6. Outline of the proposed functions of the individuals and their back-up(s) as well as their experience in the specific assigned functions.
5. Understanding of the Project and the City of Liberty:  Include a summary of the firm’s understanding of the Project as described in this RFP, the City of Liberty, and the unique issues facing the city.  Identify the city’s background and issues that will impact the firm’s methodology and approach to the project.
6. Methodology and approach:  Provide a description of the method and approach your firm intends to utilize in order to complete the project.  Discuss and clearly explain the methodology proposed to satisfactorily achieve the required services for the project.  The respondent must document a clear understanding of the RFP’s entire scope of work and project intent including: data requirements, public participation process, all aspects of technical analysis, projections, advanced technology, and software.  Firms should provide suggested innovative approaches the city should consider when implementing the new comprehensive plan.
7. Project timeline:  Provide a proposed schedule from the start to the completion of the project.  The schedule should include phasing, milestones, and approximate completion dates. Provide a Gantt Chart that illustrates the project schedule.
8. Work samples:  List and provide in electronic format only (web link or pdf) at least three examples of comprehensive plans completed within the last five years in which the consulting firm was the project’s lead agency.  The work samples are not included in the 30-page submission limit.
9. References:  Provide a list of municipal clients for which the firm was the lead agency in providing services similar to the ones described in this RFP.  Provide contact information (name, position, address, telephone number, and email) of persons the city may contact to verify work completed and performance.
10. Verify firm capacity:  Provide a statement of the firm’s ability to begin and complete the project within the timeframe identified in this RFP and in the manner described in the RFP response. Provide information regarding any other issues or projects that the firm has already committed to that may prevent this project from being completed on time.
11. Cost breakdown:  Submit a not-to-exceed cost for the project, including travel and material expenses.  The costs should be broken out to correspond with the completion of major tasks as described in the project timeline. Provide a comprehensive project budget as well as a payment schedule.
12. Supporting information (optional):  Provide other supporting information that the firm feels may assist the city in reviewing the firm’s qualifications and RFP response.

Tentative schedule

• Release of RFP — February 28, 2020
• Proposal submission deadline — March 30, 2020 at 2:00PM
• Selection group review complete — April 3, 2020
• Firm interviews — April 20- 24, 2020
• Award recommendation to City Council — May 11, 2020
• Contract awarded —May 12, 2020

Questions

Questions should be directed to Katherine Sharp at ksharp@libertymo.gov.  Any addenda to this RFP will be posted on the city’s website at www.libertymo.gov/compplanupdate.

Communications 

Following the Release of RFP date all questions and communications related to the RFP must be directed to Ms. Sharp.  Firms are not to discuss the RFP with any other city staff member.  All communications concerning this RFP are to be in written form via email to Ms. Sharp.  City staff will not communicate with firms (or their agents) to entertain any communications related to marketing or regarding the status of the selection process.

Selection process

The city will convene a Firm Selection Group that will review and score the RFP responses.  The RFP scores will be used to identify a “short list” of firms that the Selection Group will interview.  Based on the RFP responses and interviews, the Selection Group will recommend a firm to the City Council.  The City Council will review the Selection Group’s recommendation and, if approved, award a contract for services to the firm for the project.

Evaluation criteria

Selection will be based on a comparative evaluation of firm’s professional qualifications including:

1. Past performance on similar projects;
2. Understanding of Project scope;
3. Approach in completing the objectives of the Project;
4. Qualifications, relevant experience, and availability of key personnel;
5. Knowledge of and experience in creating comprehensive plans;
6. Knowledge of Liberty and the Kansas City Metropolitan area;
7. Ability to bring unique ideas and perspectives to the Project;
8. Firm’s ability to meet schedules.

Additional information

Contract form

The firm selected for the project will be required to execute a contract for services with the city.  The firm’s response to this RFP must be attached to the contract.  An example of the city’s standard contract for services is attached to the full RFP on the City's website.

Required documentation 

The firm selected for the project will be required to provide the following documents:

• Fully executed contract (see attached example)
• Completed W-9 Form
• Proof of insurance per contract with the city named as additional insured
• City Occupational License (fee waived)

Project funding

The total budget will not exceed $80,000.

Reference information

The planning documents can be accessed via the city’s website.  https://www.libertymissouri.gov/898/Master-Plans