Introduction

The purpose of this project is to explore existing economic conditions and create an updated EDSP with economic development goals, strategies, implementation steps (tactics), and indicators of success (metrics) that reflect the vast differences in the economic environment as well as the City itself since the creation of the EDSP in 2014.

1.1 The Successful Applicant

The City seeks an economic development firm that has specific experience in the preparation and implementation of EDSPs.

1.2 Project Background

The City of Orem is the fifth-largest municipality in Utah with a 2020 population projection of 100,275 residents. Orem is located in the heart of Utah County, approximately 45 miles south of Salt Lake City. Utah County is projected to have the largest numeric increase in population in the State of Utah, adding over one million new residents to reach 1.6 million by 2065.

The City is well-known and highly respected in the State and nationally as a great place to live and do business, as the retail hub of Utah County, as a desirable place to raise a family (Orem boasts a new Library Hall and Fitness Center), for its safety, and its entrepreneurship and start-ups, especially in technology-oriented companies. The Orem-Provo metro area was recently ranked number one for economic performance among large cities, according to the 2021 Milken Institute Best-Performing Cities Index. In addition, Orem continues to hold its place as the regional retail hub of Utah County.

In December of 2014, the City of Orem adopted its Economic Development Strategic Plan. The main purpose of this document was to identify the City's strengths and weaknesses, create goals, objectives, and craft development configurations that would enhance the tax base and quality of life in the City.

2.1 Scope of Work

The Consultant will be responsible for conducting research and analysis to provide a comprehensive in-depth update of the existing EDSP to create 5, 7, and 10-year plans, strategies and goals; with the inclusion of new sections as outlined. The Plan should contain a list of achievable and measurable goals with the necessary steps clearly outlined for implementing the activities for achieving the goals. The Scope of Work will include the following tasks:

2.2 Kick-off Meeting and Document Review

The purpose of the kick-off meeting with the City of Orem EDSP Steering Committee is the following:

• Provide the Consultant with introductions and contact information;
• Review project schedule and set meeting/stakeholder group dates;
• Review City staff level of participation in the study;
• Conduct a visioning session that qualitatively identifies strengths, weaknesses, and obstacles to development;
• Review the City of Orem's expectations for the project and any specific issues; and
• Ensure the Consultant Team is familiar with all pertinent economic development documents to prepare a comprehensive update to the existing EDSP which utilizes and/or includes information from the following:
  • City of Orem General Plan
  • 2014 EDSP
  • 2019 EDSP Update
  • The 2020 City of Orem Redevelopment Agency Annual Report
  • Five State Street Districts
  • Imagine Orem Graphics and Marketing
  • University Place CDA, Project Area Budget, and Project Area Plan
  • RCLCo City Center Market Analysis / Feasibility Study
  • Wedge Brownfield Study / Geneva Road Districts
  • Central Corridor Transit Study
  • University Parkway Land-Use Market Analysis Study (Currently underway)

Meeting

Attend kick-off meeting with EDSP Steering Committee

Deliverable

Memorandum on approach for incorporating the major documents.

2.3 Stakeholder Focus Group Meetings

The purpose of the stakeholder focus group meetings is to provide additional insight as to what the business community views are key growth areas and what they consider to be the important economic development drivers and opportunities. The Consultant will facilitate multiple focus group meetings to be held with key stakeholders from important business sectors, including major manufacturing, hospitality, healthcare, retail, commercial, and retail real estate brokers, major property owners, developers, and other key industries as identified by the EDSP Steering Committee and the Consultant Team.

Meetings

Attend, plan, and conduct multiple stakeholder meetings utilizing an outline provided by the EDSP Steering Committee

Deliverables

Summary of stakeholder views on the key areas of growth and the economic development drivers and opportunities in the City

2.4 Draft of the EDSP and Implementation Plan

The Consultant Team will analyze and provide a comprehensive update to the following sections of the current EDSP:

• Orem Overview and Economic Base — (all sections) with particular emphasis on housing and its effects on economic growth (e.g. mixed-use "density" along transit corridors)
• Market Conditions (all sections) — Sales, Revenue, and Area Opportunities (Sales Leakage and Capture Rates were updated in 2018)
• Transit - (all sections) Current, Future, and Creating Beneficial Design
• Business Recruitment & Retention Strategies (Formerly known as "Branding" - all sections. Tie in the Imagine Orem Master Plan graphics and theme to the EDSP)
• Economic Development Nodes — (all sections) including the University Place CDA, Five State Street Districts, the SW Agricultural Area, Canyon Park Tech Center (RDA District Project Area 85-02), and the Geneva Road Districts
• Implementation and Action Plan with clearly outlined steps for implementing the steps necessary for achieving the objectives and goals in the Plan

In addition, the following needs to be addressed and included in the appropriate or new sections:

• Five State Street Districts
• University Place CDA
• RCLCO City Center District Market Analysis / Feasibility Study
• UVX Bus Rapid Transit Line
• Future Central Corridor Bus Rapid Transit Project
• SW Agricultural Area as a development area
• Business recruitment strategy, utilizing Imagine Orem concepts and graphics, to define the business recruitment target market for the five state street districts, University Place Class A office buildings, SW agricultural area, the Orem Tech Center, and other areas as needed
• New goals and objectives
• The Wedge Brownfield Study / Geneva Road Districts
• The Effects of the COVID-19 on economic development locally, regionally, and globally
• The 8.6 million revitalization of the 85-acre, 13 building Canyon Park Tech Center low-rise office campus in RDA District Project Area 85-02.
• The Orem Tech Center
• The new City of Orem Library Hall
• The City of Orem Fitness Center (both the Orem Library Hall and Fitness Center provide residents with a high quality of life and are resources for businesses to show employees options for positive work/life balance.)

Meetings

Regular meetings as needed

Attend separate meetings of the EDSP Steering Committee to present and/or review changes to the Administrative Draft of the EDSP

Digital slide presentation of the EDSP Draft to the following at the City of Orem:

• Planning Commission — work session
• Planning Commission — regular meeting agenda item with a recommendation to the City Council
• City Council — work session
• City Council meeting — formal agenda item for adoption into the general plan
• More meetings as needed for approval and adoption of the plan

Deliverables

Draft of EDSP and Implementation Plan

Overall Estimated Hours

The Consultant will provide time estimates along with the total task cost in their proposal. Proposals may include supplementary tasks if the Consultant feels there are additional creative ways to address the updating of the EDSP.

City Resources and Studies for Consultant Use

City staff will provide the Consultant with information to assist in the completion of the study, including, but not limited to the latest Orem City retail gap analysis completed in 2019.

3.0 Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated by a selection committee made up of key City staff members and others as approved by the EDSP Steering Committee. Each section of the proposal will be scored from 0 (not responsive) to 10 (fully meets the requirements) based upon a weighted scale as indicated below. Short-listed firms will be invited to participate in an interview. Section 4.0 will outline the submittal requirements in detail.

Cost of Services (40%)

Project Understanding and Approach (30%)

Staff Qualifications (30%)

4.0 Proposal Submittal Requirements

4.1 Content of Proposal

The proposal must include the following sections:

Proposal Section 1. Signed Cover Letter and Title Page

This letter will briefly summarize the firm's interest in performing the work and the commitment of key personnel identified in the proposal. It should also provide a summary of the key elements of the qualifications of the firm and its sub-consultants. The title page should provide the name of the applicant and other team member firm(s) listed in the proposal (if any), including their address, primary contact person, and the date of submission.

Proposal Section 2. Project Understanding

Provide a brief narrative statement that demonstrates the applicant's understanding of, and agreement to, providing the necessary services to achieve the objectives outlined in this RFP.

Proposal Section 3. Statement of Experience

Provide an overview of the applicant's pertinent experience, demonstrating recent experience with public outreach of a significant scale. All experience referenced MUST have been gained by staff members who currently work with the firm and will be assigned to this project. Failure to meet this requirement will disqualify the proposal.

Proposal Section 4. Proposed Scope of Work

Provide a proposed scope of work that demonstrates in detail how the applicant will successfully complete the tasks outlined in section 2.0 of this RFP. While the City has provided an outline of tasks, a list of deliverables, and estimated hours, it will be the responsibility of the Consultant in the project proposal to detail how each task will be completed and how many hours are expected to be billed. The number of hours the Consultant provides for each task will be viewed as a "not to exceed" amount.

Proposal Section 5. Project Timeline

Provide a detailed schedule for the tasks to be completed.

Proposal Section 6. Cost Proposal

Provide a project budget in a line-item format that provides a breakdown of costs per task. Payment will be based on the number of hours billed monthly and the associated billing rate. All costs must be included in the proposal including travel, etc.

Proposal Section 7. Project Team Description

Introduce the proposed project team (including sub-contractors, if any) and their roles in performing the scope of services proposed. Provide an organization chart that identifies key project team members and their roles. Resumes of key staff may be included but limited to one (1) page each.

Proposal Section 8. Proof of Insurance:

The Applicant must provide proof of the required insurance coverage as per section 5.0 of this RFP.

Proposal Section 9. Examples of Past Work and References:

Each proposal should include two examples of recently completed projects related in scope to this proposal (examples should be limited to two, regardless of the number of sub-contractors). These two examples should be presented in the appendix of the proposal or attached to the proposal submission. Each example should be preceded by a cover page describing what the actual outcomes of the study have been. Include on the cover page the client's contact information.

4.2 Inquiries Concerning the RFP

Questions relating to this RFP shall be directed to the City's project manager. Questions are required to be asked via email. Questions will not be answered after the submittal deadline.

Project Manager:

Kathi Lewis
Economic Development Division Manager
City of Orem
Email: kmlewis@orem.org

4.3 Format, Submission, and Deadline of Proposal Submittal

Proposals must be formatted as 8 ½" x 11" pages in the portrait orientation (11" x 17" sheets permitted for charts, graphs, or maps that require a larger surface). Proposal documents will be available online starting 1:00 PM, MST, May 11, 2021 on the State of Utah's e-procurement website at purchasing.utah.gov: select For Vendors > select Current Bids > in the Keyword search box enter "Orem" > select search. Sealed proposals will then be accepted online through the State's purchasing portal or by the Office of Purchasing, City of Orem located at 56 North State Street, Orem, Utah 84057 until 3:00 pm, MST, Tuesday, June 2, 2021. Proposals submitted after this deadline will be rejected.

Electronic (e-mail) versions are acceptable and can be sent to Trevor Bell, Purchasing Agent, at tbell@orem.org . Proposals submitted electronically via email should be in PDF file format. If the proposal is too large for an email, a download link can be sent via email. Proposals can be submitted through the State's purchasing portal, to the following email, or physical address.

Email Address:

Trevor Bell
Purchasing Agent
tbell@orem.org

Physical Address:

Attention: Trevor Bell
Purchasing Agent
56 N State Street
Orem, Utah 84057

4.4 RFP Timeline

The following dates are estimates and are subject to change:

May 18, 2021 — Deadline for Questions

May 20, 2021 — Response to Questions

June 2, 2021 — Proposal Submission Deadline

June 7, 2021 — Finalists Notified

June 15-17, 2021 — Presentations / Interviews to Selection Committee

June 21, 2021 — Successful Applicant Notified

July 12, 2021 — Project Start Date