Request for Proposals For Planning Services For an update of the Comprehensive Plan and Long Range Transportation Plan.

The City of Fremont, Nebraska (City) is seeking qualified consulting firms to submit proposals to update the City's Comprehensive Plan and Long-Range Transportation Plan. The selected firm or team of firms will have demonstrated experience in areas, including but not limited to, comprehensive planning; transportation planning; land use planning; implementation strategies; zoning and subdivision policies and regulations, and; community visioning and public outreach techniques. The consultants will prepare and provide documents and associated services for the comprehensive plan and long-range transportation plan in accordance with the requirements described within this request for proposal and accompanying documentation.

Sealed Proposals are due by 1:00 p.m. August 21, 2020. Late proposals will not be accepted.

Sealed proposals shall be hand carried or delivered by traceable means to:

Tyler Ficken, City Clerk
City of Fremont
400 East Military Avenue
Fremont, Nebraska 68025

All proposals shall be clearly marked Request for Proposal for Planning Services, Comprehensive Plan & Long Range Transportation Plan Update. RFP # PL-001

PURPOSE & OVERVIEW

OBJECTIVE

The City of Fremont, Nebraska (City) is soliciting proposals from qualified consultants (Respondents) to provide an update to the City's 2012 "Blueprint for Tomorrow" Comprehensive Plan (Plan) and Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP.) The RFP response ("Proposal") should serve as a complete approach to providing the Plan Update as set forth in the Scope of Services ("Services") of this RFP. Respondent(s) should submit sufficient information to allow the City to select one or more Respondent(s) to provide the Services on a non-exclusive basis and to provide the Plan Update within approximately twelve to eighteen months. The City is updating its Unified Development Code (UDC) at the same time. It is expected that the selected team(s) will work closely together to ensure that the Comprehensive Plan implementation strategies are reflected in the UDC update.

The City will work closely with the consultant team to ensure these objectives stay in the forefront of the project for the duration:

1. Create a robust community engagement process that is innovative, transparent, and inclusive to represent the full community.
2. Support Fremont's residents, business owners, institutional and regional partners, and the development community through the Comprehensive Plan, Long Range Transportation Plan and the Unified Development Code (UDC)
3. Update the 2012 Comprehensive Plan and Long-Range Transportation Plan with a strong implementation action plan that is implementable by the revised UDC derived from community consensus.
4. Achieve alignment between the Comprehensive Plan and the revised UDC to support stated goals and policies.

The purpose of the project is to produce an updated Comprehensive Plan derived from input from elected and appointed officials, citizens and stakeholders' input that provides a clear direction for development policy decisions, City services, and City projects for the next twenty years. It is the City's desire that there be meaningful community participation in the preparation of the plan and that the consulting team includes substantial opportunities for citizen participation in the planning process

FORM OF GOVERNMENT

The City of Fremont has a Mayor-Council form of government. A City Administrator is appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the City Council. The City Administrator oversees the day to day activities of the City.

The Planning Commission is an appointed body consisting of nine members. Eight of the members reside within the city limits and one represents the City's two mile extra territorial jurisdiction. The Planning Commission is a recommending body to the City Council.

COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AND OTHER STUDIES:

The Comprehensive Plan and Long-Range Transportation Plan were last updated in 2012. The plans can be found on the City's website at Fremontne.gov. Here are links to the existing plans.

Blueprint for Tomorrow

2018 Future Land Use Map

Long Range Transportation Plan

Greenprint for Tomorrow

A county-wide housing study was completed in 2017 by the Greater Fremont Development Council and is currently in the process of being updated. The 2017 study can be found on the City's website Fremontne.gov at the following link:

DODGE-COUNTY COMMUNITIES NEBRASKA COUNTY WIDE HOUSING-STUDY WITH STRATEGIES FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING-2022

SCOPE OF WORK

The final work program will be developed in conjunction with City staff but the scope of work should include the following:

• Coordination with the UDC update. The consultant will coordinate with the consulting firm leading the concurrent effort to update the UDC to ensure the consistency with the identified goals, objectives and recommendations between the UDC, Comprehensive Plan and Long-Range Transportation Plan.
• The Plan will address the elements required by Nebraska statutes that will include but not be limited to: demographic and economic profile; land use and character; community facilities, utilities and services; the transportation plan; an energy element; Sanitary Improvement Districts and other tracts appropriate for annexation and the standards for annexation. The Plan will provide a high-level overview of flooding and drainage issues and will provide strategies to reduce flooding and drainage concerns for the future. Available data shall be used before additional research is performed.
• The Long-Range Transportation Plan will address multi-modal means of transportation (auto, bicycle, pedestrian, air, rail) to address the City's needs for the future. The existing conditions and forecasts for future conditions will be made using a travel demand model. Goals, objectives and implementation strategies will be developed.
• Public Outreach. Weekly update meetings with staff will be conducted via telephone and/or electronic means. Monthly meetings will be held with the staff and Steering Committee. Quarterly progress updates will be held with the Planning Commission and City Council. A minimum of four (4) community engagement meetings will be held as well as two (2) public open houses. Additionally, two (2) community engagement meetings and an open house will be held for the LRTP. The meetings and open houses will be conducted in English and Spanish. The consultant will design a community outreach strategy that will inform community stakeholders and the general public on the benefits of the update, as well as material for web/social media interactions throughout the process. Community meetings should include a visual approach such as a visioning charrette, visual preference surveys, or other methods to help with understanding of the intent and outcomes or proposed options. The methods, number and type of meetings should be detailed in the response.
• Drafting the Document. The consultant will prepare drafts of the Comprehensive and Long-range Transportation Plans, including graphics, for review by staff, Steering Committee, and Planning Commission. The proposed number of meetings, number of revisions based on feedback, and timeline shall be specified. A final version will be reviewed by the Planning Commission for recommendation to the City Council for final action.
• Presentation of Final Draft. The consultant will present the initial draft at the two public open houses, and at a Planning Commission and City Council meeting. The consultant should provide costs to present to additional meetings or make revisions, should they be necessary.
• User-Friendly Format. The consultant will work with City staff to create a user-friendly, interactive format that the public can access.
• Deliverables. The consultant will be expected to provide all graphics and illustrations to be included in the ordinance, the synopsis and any hand-outs used in public meetings in both "hard copy" and electronic form. In addition, all text produced through this assignment will be provided in "hard copy" and electronic form.

PROPOSAL CONTENTS

The RFP proposal will include:

• A cover letter signed by the consultant or a member of the consulting firm empowered to commit the firm to a contractual arrangement with the City. The cover letter should also identify the consultant and/or firm submitting the proposal and any sub-consultants that may be proposed. It should generally outline your understanding of the assignment.
• A detailed discussion of your work approach to fulfill the requirements of this request for proposal. For each task, describe the activity, the intended results, any work or activity you assume will be conducted by the City.
• A project schedule outlining the timeline and estimated completion date of each major task identified in your scope of work.
• The name, qualifications, experience and availability of the project manager and all other members of the project team that will work with on the Comprehensive Plan and LRTP, their roles in the project and their related experience.
• Resumes of key staff proposed for the project. Resumes included should be limited to those key personnel who will be committed to this project. A resumes shall be no more than two (2) pages for each person.
• A completed DR Form 498 not to exceed six (6) pages for the prime consultant and six (6) pages for each subconsultant. A separate DR Form 498 must be submitted for each subconsultant to be used. The latest DR Form 498 is available here: https://dot.nebraska.gov/business-center/consultant/manuals-forms/
• A Drug-Free Workplace Policy for the prime consultant and any subconsultant. An example of a Drug-Free Workplace Policy is available here: https://dot.nebraska.gov/business-center/consultant/certification/
• A completed Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form for the prime consultant and any subconsultant. The latest Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form for consultants is available here: https://dot.nebraska.gov/business-center/lpa/projects/downloads/
• Proof of Insurance for the prime consultant and any subconsultant.
• Interested consultants must have a current NDOT Form 497, "Architect, Engineer, and Related Services Certification Form" on file with NDOT prior to the deadline identified in the RFP Schedule section of this Request for Proposals. If necessary, a completed NDOT Form 497 should be submitted to: NDOT.PDAnnualCertification@nebraska.gov.
• Past experience that the team has recently completed providing planning services for at least three (3) similar projects. Include reference names and contact information and design fees for the referenced projects.
• Project fees. Provide your fees for performing the services required as detailed in your proposal. Describe any modifications you would recommend to the general work scope described in this request for proposal and the impact of those modifications on your fee proposal. Fees shall be stated as a total not-to-exceed fee for the services outlined, based on the hourly billing rates of the staff that would serve the City together with any added reimbursable costs for such expenses as printing, mileage, data or sub-consultants.

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION.

A total of 10 copies of the proposal must be received no later than 1:00 p.m. on August 21, 2020. Proposals received after this deadline will not be considered. Submitted proposals shall remain in effect for 120 days from the due date. All costs incurred for proposal preparation, presentation or contract negotiations are the responsibility of the consultant. The City of Fremont reserves the right to reject any or all proposals submitted in response to this request for proposal and/or to select the proposal that it determines, in its sole judgement, to best meet the needs of the City. To be considered, proposals should include the information set forth above and must be received by the due date at the following address:

Tyler Ficken, City Clerk
City of Fremont
400 E. Military Ave.
Fremont, NE 68025

EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS.

The City will evaluate all submitted proposals based on the responsiveness of the work approach proposed, the qualifications of the staff that will work with the City, the overall qualifications of the firm and the fees proposed. Specifically, the City is seeking consultants with the following capabilities and experience:

• Experience in preparing Comprehensive Plans and Long-Range Transportation Plans in Nebraska and other Midwestern, agricultural communities.
• Experience in building community consensus to support future growth and development.
• Strong graphics and written and oral communication skills.
• Experience in developing Plans consistent with the character and culture of the community.

The City may schedule oral interviews with some or all of the firms responding and, in that event, the outcome of such interviews may influence the evaluation of proposals.

TIMING.

It is expected that a contract will be executed with the selected firm within 90 days of the due date for proposals.