SECTION 1: SOLICITATION & PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The City of Bentonville is requesting Statements of Qualifications from properly qualified, experienced and applicably licensed entities for services to provide a detailed land use analysis and recommendations to update Chapter 4 Land Use and Strategic Growth of the 2018 Bentonville Community Plan for a 20-year planning horizon. This chapter includes the comprehensive Future Land Use Map (FLUM), and the City is seeking to refine this strategic growth plan following a similar approach as Plano, TX. The City is seeking a consultant team that is experienced and skilled in partnering and collaborating with City staff on developing a cutting-edge comprehensive Land Use Plan that is geared toward proactive implementation and clear policy reference. The consultant team would be expected to provide the experience, skills, tools and leadership in effectively employing a data-driven, scenario-based approach to exploring, evaluating, and communicating a viable vision for future sustainable growth and recommending clear actions to proactively advance this vision in measurable ways. The consultant team would also be expected to add value in terms of skills, tools and techniques to enhance the City's community engagement and communication throughout the process.

SECTION 2: EVALUATION & AWARD

See full RFQ at http://www.bentonvillear.com/211/Purchasing.

SECTION 3: SOLICITATION SCHEDULE

July 24, 2022 — Request for Qualifications Issued

August 16, 2022 — Deadline for Submission of Questions – 4:30PM

August 22, 2022 — Deadline for Submissions – 4:00PM

SECTION 4: KEY PRINCIPLES & ELEMENTS

The following are key principles and elements of the Future Land Use Plan and Map Update

• Public Education and Engagement. As the process begins, educational materials are prepared and distributed to the public to better inform discussions and decision making.
• Housing Availability and Affordability. Ensuring land use categories adequately describe housing types and density to provide a mix of affordability and variety in housing types, including the missing middle. The Map should include these land use classifications throughout the City and avoid concentration in any single area.
• Future Land Use Subareas. The focus of the 2018 Community Plan was infill and redevelopment in the core and edge areas of Downtown. Little effort went into planning for the now quickly developing area south SW Regional Airport Boulevard and west toward the Northwest Arkansas National Airport. The revised Plan needs to place an emphasis on planning for this area in addition to five subareas as determined by the City.
• Infrastructure Assessment. The development of a Land Use Plan needs to include various land use scenarios that include an analysis of the impact of those scenarios on transportation, utility system, and public safety services.
• Graphics and Visual Aids. The consulting team should use visualization techniques that graphically and accurately depict pertinent information. Easy to read and informative charts, graphics and maps. Graphics and coloring schemes shall be used as tools to distinguish important items as themes or goals.
• Environmental protection and resiliency. Special emphasis on floodplains and tree preservation.
• Equity. The Future Land Use Plan will use an equity lens specific to the needs, communities and populations of Bentonville.
• Alignment with 2018 Community Plan. Reflects and supports the Vision and Guiding Principles of the Community Plan.
• Implementation Strategies. The updated FLUM should include strategies and recommendations on how best to achieve the land use and development patterns shown on the final map.
• Timeliness. Development in Bentonville is occurring quickly. The process should be streamlined and be implemented according to mutually agreeable schedules and deadlines.

SECTION 5: SCOPE OF SERVICES

The following Scope of Services is intended to convey the City's estimated Scope and is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every element in the Scope of the final Contract with the awarded firm.

1. Background Research and Analysis. Undertake data collection and analysis of key socioeconomic and geographic data, including population, housing, commercial and industrial development, land use, natural resources, transportation, utilities, public (including recreation) facilities and historic assets. Review and assess all previous long range plans (prepared by the City and other agencies) and prepare a summary document detailing relevance and applicability of the previous plans. The services provided by the selected consultant may include, but are not necessarily limited to:
   • Evaluating the existing Community Plan approved in 2018;
   • Analyze current land uses and zoning districts to establish a baseline for analysis;
   • Assessing the City's current condition including demographics, land use, transportation, design and community character;
   • Evaluating the study conducted by Urban3;
   • Update projections for future population and employment growth in the City;
   • Gathering public input on the goals and concerns of residents, businesses and other stakeholders;
   • Incorporating current planning documents into the land use policy analysis including the Zoning Ordinance, Water Management Plan, Solid Waste Management Plan and other adopted plans and ordinances.
2. Creative and Collaborative Public Engagement: Innovative ideas and technologies to educate the public on land use and development patterns as well as gather public input. Production of high quality documents and graphics that are user friendly and engaging. Methods allow participants to see how tier input is connected to the outputs of the project.
3. Strategic and Tactical Communications: Establishing an engagement framework that lays out expectations for frequency and types of communications to the public (via project website, , educational videos and podcasts, messages from the Mayor, print materials, paid advertising, social media campaigns, etc). The consulting team will provide regular and ongoing support for project communications by creating and adhering to a visual identity or brand for the project, developing a project website, contributing and adhering to a project communications plan, and regularly providing content for project communications. Project communications will focus on:
   • Project branding and providing engaging project communication content;
   • Educating the community about local land use efforts and impacts;
   • Generating awareness about opportunities to get involved in the FLUM refinement process and attracting participation that statistically represents the City's demographics and involves people from all segments and geographic areas within the community;
   • Providing multiple and different types of input opportunities;
   • Ensuring public input is thoughtfully considered throughout the planning and decision-making process;
   • Providing a mechanism for showing community members how their input was utilized and synthesized;
   • Keeping the community updated on the project's progress.
4. Alternative Scenarios Prep, Testing and Analysis. The consulting team will be responsible for developing land use scenarios with special attention to the subareas identified by the City. The land use scenarios should be presented visually, provide corresponding market analysis information, and help stakeholders evaluate development options analytically by understanding how prioritizing different strategic policy goals result in different outcomes in the built environment. The consultant will provide engagement tools to allow the community to react to land use scenarios through open community meetings, stakeholder focus groups, and targeted outreach to communities traditionally underrepresented in community meetings, and through online tools. With logistical support from the project team, the consulting team will establish expectations for, design, and facilitate a three-day blitz of interactive community meetings for scenario testing. In addition to evaluating scenarios at community meetings, we seek use of online engagement activities that allow users to better understand the tradeoffs necessary when evaluating land use options. In their proposal, the consulting team will describe how they will successfully manage interactive meetings for different populations, approaches for online scenario testing, what questions are asked during scenario testing, how responses are captured, how feedback will be used to build content for the draft FLUM review phase, etc. Engagement tools will facilitate community input and the consultant will be able to demonstrate how input was used in developing the draft FLUM.
5. Draft Future Land Use Map. The consulting team will synthesize feedback from scenario testing into a FLUM draft for further stakeholder and community consideration. The consulting team will be able to demonstrate how input from the scenario testing informed the draft. The consulting team will present options at community meetings and offer mechanisms for online feedback. The Draft and feedback will be presented to boards and commissions and to the City Council.
6. Refine Future Land Use Map and Prepare Implementation Guide. The consulting team will use feedback gathered about the FLUM draft to create a final FLUM to present to the Planning Commission and City Council for consideration. The consulting team will synthesize feedback from the FLUM draft input and be able to demonstrate how input informed the final Future Land Use Map. Describe how best to use the FLUM in decision making. Creative technological tools to assist in using the FLUM to analyze for development decision making.

SECTION 6: GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

1. Written Requests for Information or Clarification: No oral interpretations will be made to any firms as to the meaning of specifications or any other contract documents. All questions pertaining to this solicitation must be sent in writing via e-mail to the Purchasing Department using the information provided in this solicitation. Responses to questions may be handled as an Addendum or Clarification. Any such Addenda shall become part of the contract documents. The City will not be responsible for any other explanation or interpretation of the proposed RFQ made or given prior to the award of the contract.

See full RFQ online at: http://www.bentonvillear.com/211/Purchasing

SECTION 7: REQUIRED RESPONSES

The response to this Request for Qualifications (RFQ) should be brief and concise, but comprehensive, based on this RFQ documentation, and shall include all required response information. Partial submissions may be rejected. Firms are encouraged to utilize creative content to provide the Selection Committee members with the best understanding possible of the firm's capability to perform the Scope of Work.

The responding firm is required to include the following information in their preferred format.

1. A letter of intent/interest in the work, including a brief summary or narrative of the firm's ability to achieve the City's Scope of Services and Key Principles and Elements of the Project.
2. Relevant experience providing Future Land Use Plans and Maps.
3. The following information for the firm:
   • Name
   • Headquarter Address
   • Phone Number
   • Email
   • Website Address
   • Indicate whether the firm is a partnership, corporation, or sole proprietorship.
   • Where the company is organized
   • Names of principals, officers, and directors of the firm
   • Overview of the firm.
   • Indicate which office(s) will handle the City's project and the location of the office(s).
4. Key Personnel:
   1. Describe the manner in which you would organize your firm's resources to provide the requested resources to the City.
      1. List the names, title, and qualifications of each of the key personnel who will be assigned to complete the Scope of Work, and briefly explain what role in the process each person will have if there are defined roles.
      2. Identify any other individuals who will be assigned to work with the City for these services, their roles and responsibilities.
   2. Include the following information for key personnel:
      1. Name(s)
      2. Respective titles
      3. Periods of service with the firm
   3. The contact information for the primary contact personnel, including:
      1. Name
      2. Address
      3. Phone Number
      4. Email
5. Provide a copy of a Future Land Use Plan completed by the consultant within the last four (4) years.
6. Provide a brief summary of your understanding of the proposed project.
7. Outline how your firm would achieve the goals of the project as outlined in the Scope of Services. Particular attention should be given to describing your proposal for Public Engagement.
8. Identify all sub-consultants to be used for the proposed Scope of Work. For each sub-consultant listed, the firm shall indicate: (1) what products and/or services are to be supplied by that sub-consultant and; (2) what percentage of the overall scope of work that sub-consultant will perform. Information regarding any sub-consultant's qualifications to provide the services they have been identified for is also encouraged to be submitted.
9. Statement of Qualifications: A narrative or other statement by the firm of its qualifications for the services outlined in this RFQ, including its capability to provide the services.
10. A brief summary of the firm's capacity and the key personnel's capacity to provide the services outlined in this RFQ.
11. List at least three (3) client references, including public and private organizations, of a similar size and for whom the firm has provided services in the past two (2) years. Provide telephone numbers and contact names for references. The City reserves the right to contact these references and use any information gained in the evaluation of the firm for these services.