To review the full RFP, please go to the following link: Comprehensive-Plan-Update---051324 (bridgetonmo.com)

I. PURPOSE

The City of Bridgeton, Missouri, is seeking proposals from qualified consulting firms to assist the City in updating the Comprehensive Plan ("Plan"). The updated Plan will provide a vision, goals, objectives, and policies to guide the city's development and redevelopment for the next 15 years. The Plan will guide the City Council, Planning Commission, various advisory boards, staff, developers, property owners, and residents on the appropriate growth and redevelopment for Bridgeton.

The selected firm will be working with the Planning and Zoning Officer, the Planning Commission, and other city staff as necessary. It is anticipated that work will begin in mid-2024 and the finished product will be adopted by the City in mid to late 2025.

II. GOALS

The Comprehensive Plan Update project goals are as follows:

1. Update the 2013 Comprehensive Plan Update content to reflect changes that have occurred in the past 10 years.
2. Collect demographic and economic data to gain insight about the population and market trends and how Bridgeton compares to surrounding communities and the region.
3. Create a plan that is user-friendly with clearly articulated goals and objectives with an organized document; Create a plan that is useful and accessible for the community in a concise, yet cohesive document.
4. Include implementation recommendations with prioritized action items.
5. Incorporate community input to determine plan priorities.
6. Provide analysis and recommendations for potential development and/or redevelopment in targeted areas.
7. Provide analysis and recommendations related to Zoning Ordinance revisions to meet goals and objectives.
8. Provide recommendations for economic development trends and strategies.
9. Identify potential funding mechanisms for plan implementation.

III. BACKGROUND

The City of Bridgeton is a suburb in northwestern St. Louis County, Missouri. It is approximately 15 miles from downtown St. Louis. The population of Bridgeton is 11,445 according to the 2020 Census. Most locations in Bridgeton are within a ten-minute drive or less to St. Louis Lambert International Airport. Two major interstate highways traverse the City, Interstate 70 and Interstate 270.

Bridgeton is a city with a mix of residential land uses ranging from large lot single-family developments to multi-family apartment developments, a thriving retail corridor with a high daytime population, and a robust industrial and manufacturing area with access to both rail and river transportation.

IV. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

The City will review the responses and may interview one or more respondents. Selected consultants may be invited to provide a more detailed scope of work following the interview. Any inquiries, requests for interpretation, technical questions, clarifications, or additional information shall be directed to Zach Greatens, Planning and Zoning Officer, by emailing zgreatens@bridgetonmo.gov.

Information submitted in response to this Request for Proposals (RFP) should be complete and concise and include the following information:

1. Contact Information: Name, address, email address, and phone number of the consulting firm.
2. Type of Organization: Partnership, corporation, sole proprietorship; primary location of firm; names and experience of principals or directors.
3. Firm Staffing: Names, titles, experience, and length of service of key personnel. List same for any subconsultants or subcontractors.
4. Statement of Qualifications: Narrative or other statement by the firm of its qualifications to update the Comprehensive Plan.
5. Availability: Statement of the availability of key personnel of the firm to undertake this project.
6. Scope of Time: Estimation of overall scope of work/time involved with your team's proposal. A timeline to completion with steps along the way including plan crafting, vetting, public meetings, public engagement, approval process, etc.
7. Fees and Cost: Provide a listing of fees or hourly rates for members of the consulting team that will be involved in this project, including support personnel.
8. Project list: List of similar projects completed or currently underway by the firm and/or key personnel referenced under availability.
9. References: List at least three client references, including the project's name, brief description, and primary contact information.

To be eligible for consideration, one electronic and ten hard copies of the proposal must be received and date stamped by the City of Bridgeton no later than 3:00 p.m. (CDT), June 10, 2024. Late submittals will not be considered and will be returned to the submitter unopened. The RFP package should be marked "Bridgeton Comprehensive Plan."

V. SCOPE OF SERVICES

1. Data Collection: Collect demographic and economic data to gain insight and observe local population and market trends and how Bridgeton compares to its neighbors and the region.
2. Alignment with other plans: Review the 2013 Comprehensive Plan, other City plans, and any applicable Regional Plans to ensure the update is consistent and cross-references appropriate elements.
3. Evaluate existing and emerging opportunities and issues: The Plan should address the impact of land use on existing and emerging opportunities such as housing, economic development, and transportation. Examples of potential existing and emerging issues include, but are not limited to:
   1. Infill and redevelopment strategies for established neighborhoods, aging commercial centers, and major redevelopment sites
   2. Strategies for a coordinated approach to housing (both affordability and a mix of housing types)
   3. Environmental sustainability and the impact of land use decisions
   4. Planning for future trends in mobility and transportation mode shifts
   5. Infill of vacant and/or underutilized commercial buildings and strip centers
   6. Targeted sub-area plans, such as the area around City Hall
4. SWOT Analysis: The Plan should facilitate a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis with the stakeholders through workshops, surveys, etc.
5. Vision and Goal Setting: The firm should develop a vision, goals, and measurable objectives to guide and support the long-term development and redevelopment of Bridgeton. Projects should be identified, evaluated, and prioritized to support these goals.
6. Public Engagement: Include public engagement efforts to determine the community's needs, issues, and opportunities. The City expects the consulting firm to design and implement a public engagement program involving members of the public, community stakeholders, neighborhood groups, City staff, Planning Commissioners, and elected officials. The consulting firm shall have experience conducting public engagement among a diverse population and incorporating its findings, culminating in the public hearing process with a public hearing at the Planning Commission for plan adoption. Public engagement activities should include but not be limited to marketing materials, mailings, interactive workshops, branding creation, and print/web materials.
7. Implementation Strategy: Provide an implementation strategy that weaves the plan into the daily activities of the City. The implementation strategy should be tied to capital improvements and land development decisions. Outline ways that capital improvements complement the Comprehensive Plan and ensure infrastructure can be provided to meet the goals, with a clear definition of priorities to assist in annual budget development. This should involve coordination with the City's Public Works Department and other departments to explore opportunities to combine and coordinate capital improvements into City initiatives and long-term projects.
8. Project Website: The firm must maintain a project website related to the Comprehensive Plan update effort. The website will, at minimum, provide project-specific information and an interface for the public to solicit and gain knowledge regarding the public process associated with the creation of the Comprehensive Plan update.
9. Readability and Usability: The Comprehensive Plan shall be presented in a format and language that is user-friendly and easily comprehended, and accessible to the public. The consultant should minimize the use of technical planning language. The extensive use of maps, graphics, and other devices that will enhance the Plan's readability and ease of use is crucial. At the completion of the process, the consultant shall provide a complete Comprehensive Plan with all maps, graphs, and tables.

VI. DELIVERABLES

The objective of this project is to update the 2013 Comprehensive Plan that includes goals, objectives, and a vision to guide Bridgeton's next 15 years of development and redevelopment. The Consultant will be required to deliver a variety of plan products at various stages of the project. Examples of final plan deliverables can include, but are not limited to:

1. A complete comprehensive land use plan ready for adoption by the City that includes the following components:
   1. Vision for the future development of the community.
   2. Existing conditions
   3. Analysis of growth and development trends
   4. Transportation recommendations
   5. Housing recommendations
   6. Land use plan
   7. Parks, open space, and environmental recommendations as they relate to land use
   8. Analysis and recommendations for one or more sub-areas
   9. Goals, objectives, and strategies for implementing the Comprehensive Plan
2. A web-based version of the Comprehensive Plan
3. Data, analysis and all sources used to create the Comprehensive Plan
4. Any presentations to the Planning Commission and/or City Council
5. Database of final plan recommendations
6. One digital file of the Comprehensive Plan
7. One set of Comprehensive Plan maps (Future Land Use, etc.) in digital format that is compatible with the City's GIS system
8. Any GIS and map layers used in the Plan

VII. METHOD OF EVALUATION

Consultant/Firm selection will be based upon evaluation of the proposals submitted. During the review process, city staff may request additional clarifying information from any Consultant/Firm that submits a proposal. Staff will evaluate the responses to this RFP, may interview the top-rated Consultants/Firms, and will make a recommendation to the City Council as to the selection of the Consultant/Firm determined to be the most qualified for the project. It is anticipated that the City of Bridgeton and the selected Consultant/Firm will enter into a professional services contract for the period beginning August 2024 through project completion. City staff will review the submitted proposals using the following criteria:

1. Firm experience / reputation / workload: Experience of the firm in similar work and record of successful results. Also considered will be the firm's ability to take on additional work, demonstrated understanding of the City's goals and purposes of the project, specific management approach, how well the firm's organization structure shows sufficient depth of its present workload, and the firm's ability to offer the extent and quality of services required for this project.
2. Qualifications of the personnel assigned to this project team: The city will give considerable weight to the individual qualifications of the project team members who will do most of the work on the project. Consideration will include qualifications of key personnel, project team member's individual experience and other qualifications, project manager's experience, and sub-consultant's (if applicable) individual experience and qualifications.
3. Schedule: Consideration will be given to the firm's availability to complete the plan update within a reasonable timeframe (12 to 18 months).
4. Work Performed Locally: The firm's ability to work locally will be considered as well as knowledge of Bridgeton and the St. Louis Metropolitan area.

VIII. SUBMITTAL REVIEW TENTATIVE SCHEDULE

RFP is Released: May 13, 2024

Responses Submitted to the City by: June 10, 2024

Initial Evaluation of Responses by: June 24, 2024

Consultant(s) Notified for Interview by: July 1, 2024

Interviews and Final Selection of Consultant by: July 10, 2024

Scope of Services and Engagement Documents Approved and Signed by: August 7, 2024

City staff will determine if interviews are needed to finalize the selection of top candidates. Upon selection, the consultant will be contacted to finalize the contract, fee structure, and project timeframe.

IX. DISCLAIMERS

City Obligation: There is no expressed or implied obligation for the City to reimburse firms for any expenses incurred in preparing proposals in response to this request.

Late Submissions: Any proposals received after the deadline will not be accepted or considered.

Withdrawal of Proposals: Respondents may withdraw all or any portion of a proposal at any time during and after the review and award process, up to the approval of an agreement between the City and the designated firm.

Withdrawal of Request for Proposals: The City retains at all times the right to cancel or withdraw this RFP, to refuse to accept a proposal from any respondent and to modify or amend any portion of this RFP. Notification will be provided to all consultants involved in the RFP process.

Applicable laws shall apply: The contract awarded shall be governed in all respects by the laws of Missouri, and the consultant awarded the contract shall comply with applicable Federal, State, and local laws and regulations.

Equal Opportunity: The City seeks to ensure that all segments of the business community have access to supply the services needed. The City provides equal opportunity for all businesses and does not discriminate against any provider regardless of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, or disability. The City encourages minority and women owned business participation in the contracting process.

Confidentiality: RFP responses will become public record and, therefore, are subject to public disclosure once a contract is awarded.

Contract: The contract will be awarded to a single firm. The contract for services is anticipated to begin August 2024. The contract will be reviewed by the City Attorney.

Visit https://www.bridgetonmo.com/423/Planning-Zoning for more information.