REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL ("RFP")

COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING SERVICES

Date of publication of this RFP - March 6, 2024

COMMUNITY PROFILE

Converse is a diverse, thriving community of over 29,000 residents in eastern Bexar County, Texas. The city is in the San Antonio Metropolitan Area, which is a regional economic hub. Converse has a diverse population with 46.1% Hispanic, 28.8% White, 19.7% Black, 17.3% Two or More Races, 2.6% Asian and .6% Native American, and .4% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander. 9,653 families reside in Converse, with 2.89 persons per household. The median household income is $77,237 (in 22 dollars).

SCOPE OF COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING SERVICES

The City seeks an agreement with qualified individuals, firms or corporations to provide Comprehensive Planning Services Respondents must provide a detailed scope of work, a project timeline, and a total Budget. The anticipated budget for the Comprehensive Plan is $300,000, which includes $150,000 in the first year with the anticipation of budget approval for an additional $150,000 in the subsequent 12 months allotted for the project. The consultant shall initiate the overall study and shall include but not be limited to the following:

1. The Comprehensive Plan shall require extensive community outreach to generate a Community Vision, Goals, and Objectives for these areas of the City to address the desired balance of land uses, locations, design character and densities as applied to undeveloped and potential re-development areas. The planning process must emphasize a community outreach process that incorporates high-tech, web-based platforms (such as web-hosted interactive map applications that will gather community input), with complimentary low-tech approaches.
2. The Plan must also address the interconnection of land use, the built environment, the socioeconomic environment, and the natural environment. The consultants shall initiate the overall study, examine existing conditions, identify needs and opportunities, and prepare implementation strategies for the City of Converse.
3. The planning analyses must identify emerging trends and the suitability of existing land use regulations, public/private facilities, and services to meet the growing and changing needs of the population in the city. The Plans shall also explore where public and/or private initiatives shall be necessary to maintain and improve services and facilities.
4. The Plan shall outline development and/or redevelopment strategies that consider preferred future land use patterns and the infrastructure improvements required to support such land use patterns. Build-out scenarios shall be presented to allow the City Council, City Staff, and the public to evaluate the cost-benefit analysis and return on investment (ROI) of varying development scenarios. Economic, social, and environmental impacts shall be addressed as well. The implementation strategies shall identify capital improvement projects, programs, and code amendments that should be pursued to implement the goals of the Plans.
5. Plan components should include but may not be limited to: community engagement, analysis of background information and current conditions; evaluation of the planning district boundaries; current land uses; future land uses; residential and business opportunities; transportation network; economic development; public facilities, services, and infrastructure; resiliency and sustainability. Provide multiple public involvement opportunities to seek input on the project.
6. Provide PowerPoint and exhibits for public involvement and presentation to elected/appointed officials.
7. Provide a timeline for the project.
8. Digitize new maps, input data and create new GIS layers, and incorporate selected maps from existing work products to produce a GIS.
9. Produce all materials for public presentations.
10. Provide digital, web ready drafts of the Plan for posting on the City's website. Produce final copies for approval by the City.
11. Provide the City with a reproducible hard and digital copy of the Comprehensive Plan. Digital documents and maps shall be easily editable and provided in the following file formats: Plan text and maps must be provided in Adobe PDF. Plan text must also be provided in Microsoft Word format. All final maps and layers must be delivered in a geodatabase and project file compatible with the City's GIS application. All final maps and source data files must be provided to the City.

QUALIFICATIONS

Respondents must

1. Be a firm, corporation, individual or partnership normally engaged in provision of professional services described herein;
2. Demonstrate that they have a project member that is licensed to practice architecture in the State of Texas or is certified with the American Institute of Certified Planners;
3. Have at least 5 years of experience in the requested tasks.
4. Be specific in describing Respondent's expertise as it relates to this RFP.

Deadline for submission of Responses to this RFP: 10:00 AM, April 15, 2024

https://www.conversetx.net/277/Requests-for-Bids

Responses received after the Deadline will be rejected.

Information relating to this RFP may be found on the City's website, www.conversetx.net under the Request for Bids tab, or by contacting the Nina Nixon-Mendez, FAICP, CFM, Assistant City Manager via Electronic Mail at nnmendez@conversetx.net

Voice: (210) 658-5356 ext. 108