The purpose of this RFP is to obtain competitive proposals from qualified individuals or firms, interested in carrying out the development of individual County-wide Comprehensive Plans for Ellsworth and/or Lincoln County, Kansas. Proposals can include both counties or one (1) specifically.

The North Central Regional Planning Commission, Beloit, Kansas, will serve as the project administrator. With input from the Counties, the NCRPC intends to select a Consultant to assist in the preparation and adoption of a new County Comprehensive Plan. The Consultant must have experience in developing Comprehensive plans for communities with characteristics and demographics similar to Ellsworth County and Lincoln County. The successful Consultant shall demonstrate the ability to assist in the development of a community vision and establish goals for the growth and development of the County, as well as implementation strategies to achieve those goals.

ABOUT ELLSWORTH COUNTY AND LINCOLN COUNTY:

Ellsworth County and Lincoln County are rural, widely agricultural communities located in North Central Kansas. Both counties have a rich history which they display proudly in the architecture, museums, events and more.

Ellsworth County includes the cities of Ellsworth, Holyrood, Kanopolis, Lorraine, and Wilson. The County seat is Ellsworth City. Ellsworth County is home to the Kanopolis Reservoir and State Park, the Ellsworth Correctional Facility, USDs 112/307/327/400/444, the Smoky Hills Wind Farm and more. Interstate 70 runs to the north of Ellsworth County with KS State HWY 14 and 156 dissecting the County. As of 2010, the population of Ellsworth County was 6,483. Ellsworth County covers approximately 717 square miles. Additional information about Ellsworth County can be found here.

Lincoln County is adjacent north of Ellsworth County in North Central Kansas. Lincoln County includes the cities of Barnard, Beverly, Lincoln Center, and Sylvan Grove. Lincoln Center City is the County seat. With a rich history of post rock limestone architecture, Lincoln County is known as the "post rock" capital of Kansas. The County is home to the Wilson Lake State Park, USDs 298/299, the Smoky Hills Wind Farm and more. Interstate 70 runs to the south of Lincoln County with KS State HWY 14 and 18 dissecting the County. As of 2010, the population of Lincoln County was 3,241. Lincoln County covers approximately 720 square miles. Additional information about Lincoln County can be found here.

SCHEDULE:

The Counties intend to select a consultant by April 15, 2021. All plans must be completed and adopted by October 30, 2021.

TASKS:

The opportunities for economic development, commercial development and overall quality of life should be fully evaluated. Ultimately, the chosen Consultant will work with the County to determine priorities for the Comprehensive Plan in order to stay within the budget. The consultant should consider the following when developing the comprehensive plan:

1. Public Outreach, Participation and Intergovernmental Coordination: The public participation process should involve a wide cross‐section of residents, organizations and businesses, appropriate meeting and discussion formats, and information dissemination. Public engagement will be absolutely essential during Plan development. The NCRPC is willing to assist in all public outreach activities as neede
2. Demographics and Socio-economics: The Plan should reflect current and projected demographic and socioeconomic trends and their implications on land use patterns and public services planning. The consultant should endeavor to obtain current and accurate demographic and socioeconomic data upon which policy recommendations will be based. The NCRPC is willing to assist in the research and development of this information as needed.
3. Current and Future Land Use: A current land use plan shall be developed which reflects agricultural, residential, industrial, technological, and commercial development in each County. The Future Land Use Plan shall provide an outlook projection based on recent development and economic trends. The Plan shall address the relationship between the environment and human activities. A general inventory of the County's natural resources shall be established and measured against current development policies and practices. This element shall address the interconnectedness of the built and natural environments, and provide policy recommendations that will improve the state of balance.
4. Housing: The housing element provides an opportunity to set recommendations and policy direction, if appropriate, relative to the range of housing products offered in Ellsworth County and Lincoln County to include diversity and density. These should be conducted on a comparative analysis of housing products offered in Ellsworth County and Lincoln County to the same in the neighboring counties such as Barton, Mitchell, Osborne, Ottawa and Rice.
5. Transportation: The Plan should evaluate the County's existing transportation infrastructure and project where improvements are needed now and in the future. The possibility of future growth should indicate roadway improvements and expansion.
6. Public facilities Infrastructure: The plan shall evaluate the County's existing infrastructure and indicate where improvements are needed and expansion is likely.
7. Economic Development: The Plan shall address a range of policies that preserve and strengthen business and commerce in the County. This element shall characterize the attributes of existing business types and locations and provide an evaluation of underutilized commercial areas and other opportunities within the County. Projected employment and ratios of employment to housing units should be discussed.
8. Recreational Opportunities: Outdoor recreation and agritourism are important drivers for both the economy and quality of life in both Ellsworth County and Lincoln County. An evaluation of existing and future recreational opportunities and goals shall be included within the Comprehensive Plan.
9. Public Services: Evaluation of Schools, Public Safety and Emergency Services current and future needs.
10. Include Recommendations provided for land use policy and planning as it relates to the Fort Riley to Smoky Hill Ranges Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Route Phoenix Corridor (This report is available upon request): Per a Fort Riley to Smoky Hill UAS Corridor Study completed in 2019, it is planned to pursue most if not all of the committee recommendations for both Ellsworth County and Lincoln County. Plans are for each jurisdiction to adopt into an existing or into a new Comprehensive Plan and/or Land Use Regulations various terminology that establishes coordination procedures between the Installation and the communities when development is proposed within the UAS corridor. This language shall include the adoption of an overlay district of the Corridor to be shown on both Future Land Use and Zoning Maps. The overlay will provide for the identification of the Corridor on local maps. This identification will provide notice to property owners and aid in coordination between the counties and Fort Riley. To ensure consistency in standards across the UAS corridor, similar language for each municipality is expected to be used. Furthermore, education for local pilots should be developed in order to prevent accidents involving aircraft and drones.
11. Incorporation of Existing State and County Plans: All existing master planning efforts in each County must be taken into consideration and incorporated into the County comprehensive plan. Additionally, frameworks provided by the State of Kansas should also be reviewed and taken into consideration.

BUDGET:

This project is being funded by an Office of Economic Adjustment, U.S. Department of Defense grant. Each County has approximately $20,000 to spend on their comprehensive plan. We are interested in seeing proposals which reflect a total cost not to exceed $20,000 per County. The chosen consultant will contract directly with the North Central Regional Planning Commission, which is acting as the project manager and fiscal agent for the grant funds.

DELIVERABLE PRODUCTS:

The consultant shall provide 3 copies of the final Comprehensive Plan and implementation/action steps, including color maps to the County upon adoption of the Plan.

All data and information that has been collected through the process shall be provided in digital and hard copies. All documents must be available in electronic format: text should be in Microsoft Word and Adobe PDF. A future land use map shall be provided in PDF and GIS format.

PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS:

Proposals should include:

1. Cover Letter: Cover letter shall be provided that succinctly explains the Consultant's interest in the project. The letter shall contain the name, address, and phone number of the person who will serve as the firm's principal contact person with the County and shall identify individual(s) who will be authorized to make presentations on behalf of the firm. The statement shall bear the signature of the person having proper authority to make formal commitments on behalf of the firm.
2. Statement of Project Understanding: Provide a one‐page statement outlining the philosophy of the team in approaching this project and the team's grasp of issues and goals to address in this study.
3. Qualifications of Firm/Project Team: Provide names, titles, and responsibilities of key personnel who will be responsible for the management and completion of this project. Include qualifications, experience of each, and the length of time with the company.
4. Strategy and Implementation Plan: Describe your (the consultant's) interpretation of the County's objectives with regard to this RFP. Describe the proposed strategy and/or plan for achieving the objectives of this RFP. Proposer may utilize a written narrative or any other printed technique to demonstrate his/her ability to satisfy the Scope of Services. Acknowledgement of each County's $20,000 budget is expected.
5. Services: Describe services to be provided and any that may be specifically excluded. Describe what, if anything, the North Central Regional Planning Commission or County is expected to provide.
6. Organization and Staffing Plan: List any outside consultants or firms who might perform services for this project. Describe personnel organization; identify the people doing the work and whether they are employees or subcontractors.
7. Timeline: Provide a time‐line for completing milestones for each step and adoption of the Plan by the deadline of October 30, 2021.
8. References: Give at least three (3) references for projects of similar size and scope, including at least two (2) references for projects completed during the past two years. References of staff that will be assigned to the project are also required. Staff references shall include, but are not limited to years of experience, education, and previous projects.

PROPOSAL DEADLINE:

Proposals are due by Friday, April 2, 2021 to:

Emily Benedick, Executive Director
North Central Regional Planning Commission
109 N Mill St, PO Box 565
Beloit, KS 67420

(785) 738-2218 -or- executivedirector@ncrpc.org

The North Central Regional Planning Commission, Ellsworth County, and Lincoln County reserve the right to reject any and all proposals. All costs including travel and expenses incurred in the preparation of this proposal shall be borne by the proposing firm. All work product, whether electronic or in hard copy, will remain the property of the County and will be provided to the County upon completion of the contract or upon request. The NCRPC does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, age, or marital status. The selected vendor must be able to demonstrate Equal Opportunity Employer compliance.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Firm selected will be chosen on the basis of their apparent ability to best meet the overall expectations of the County. The County reserves the right to reject any and all submittals. The following parameters will be used to evaluate the submittals (in no particular order of priority):

1. Responsiveness of submittal to the RFP
2. Basic Knowledge of the community
3. Understanding of the project and the objectives
4. Experience in integrating land use, transportation, environmental conservation, affordable housing, economic development, and implementation strategies
5. Consensus building experience working with diverse communities
6. Required skills and demonstrated capability

CONFIDENTIAL MATERIAL:

All materials submitted in response to this RFP shall ultimately become public record and shall be subject to inspection after contract award. "Proprietary or Confidential Information" is defined as any information that is not generally known to competitors and which provides a competitive advantage. Unrestricted disclosure of proprietary information places it in the public domain. Only submittal information clearly identified with the words "Confidential Disclosure" and placed in a separate envelope shall establish a confidential, proprietary relationship. Neither cost nor pricing information nor the total proposal shall be considered confidential or proprietary.

DISCLAIMER:

The comprehensive plan development is being overseen by the NCRPC. The NCRPC is under contract with the Flint Hills Regional Council to complete the proposed project, with financial support from the Office of Economic Adjustment, Department of Defense. The content reflects the views of the North Central Regional Planning Commission and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Office of Economic Adjustment or the U.S. Department of Defense.

Published on the www.NCRPC.org website beginning March 2, 2021 and sent directly to vendors experienced with the tasks expressed above.