1. Introduction

The Southeast Metropolitan Planning Organization (SEMPO) invites qualified consulting firms to submit proposals to conduct a Transit Planning Study for the Cape Girardeau County Transit Authority (CGCTA). The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of extending fixed- route transit services to two priority employment areas not currently served:

1. Nash Road Corridor – a growing industrial and employment hub in Cape Girardeau County.
2. City of Jackson, Missouri – a regional employment center and residential community.

The study will identify mobility needs, assess demand, develop service alternatives, analyze costs, and provide actionable recommendations to guide service expansion. This project is funded in part through federal transportation planning funds and is subject to all applicable federal requirements.

2. Scope of Work
The consultant shall complete the following tasks:

Task 1: Project Initiation and Coordination

• Kickoff meeting with SEMPO, CGCTA, and stakeholders.
• Develop a project management plan, detailed schedule, and communication protocol.

Task 2: Data Collection and Analysis

• Review demographic, employment, and land use data for Nash Road and Jackson.
• Assess existing CGCTA services, ridership, and resources.
• Conduct employer outreach, workforce surveys, and stakeholder interviews.

Task 3: Market Analysis and Ridership Forecasting

• Identify travel demand patterns for target corridors.
• Estimate potential transit demand using demographic and commuter data.
• Prepare ridership forecasts under multiple service scenarios.

Task 4: Service Alternatives Development

• Propose service options (fixed-route extensions, commuter shuttles, or flex-routes).
• Define route alignments, stop locations, span of service, frequency, and vehicle needs.
• Evaluate performance using ridership, cost, and accessibility metrics.

Task 5: Financial and Operational Analysis

• Prepare capital and operating cost estimates.
• Identify potential federal, state, local, and employer funding sources.
• Evaluate organizational and operational requirements for service expansion.

Task 6: Public and Stakeholder Engagement

• Facilitate workshops and public meetings in Cape Girardeau and Jackson.
• Distribute surveys to residents, employers, and workers.
• Summarize community feedback and integrate into recommendations.

Task 7: Draft and Final Reports

• Prepare a draft report summarizing findings, alternatives, and recommendations.
• Present the draft to SEMPO committees, CGCTA board, and stakeholders.
• Revise and submit a final report including a phased implementation roadmap.

3. Deliverables

• Project Management Plan and Schedule
• Data Collection and Analysis Report
• Ridership Demand Analysis
• Service Alternatives Report (with cost/ridership evaluation)
• Public Engagement Summary
• Draft Transit Planning Study
• Final Transit Planning Study (digital copy and 7 print copies)

4. Project Schedule

The study must be completed within 9–12 months of Notice to Proceed. Proposers shall include a proposed timeline with milestones and deliverables.

5. Proposal Requirements

All proposals must include the following information:

1. Proposal Length: Proposals shall not exceed 30 pages, including the cover sheet.
2. Cover Sheet: The cover sheet shall list the name of the Consultant with names, email addresses and phone numbers of persons who may be contacted to answer questions. In addition, the cover sheet shall state who prepared the submittal and how they can be reached including phone number and email address.
3. Project Understanding: Provide a brief narrative explaining the team's understanding of the project goals and scope. Highlight the perceived unique opportunities, challenges, and priorities of this project and how the team will address them.
4. Project Team and Qualifications: The Consultant qualification information shall include:
   1. Firm Information: Provide information on firm size, years in business, locations, and primary services. Include the same information for any subcontractors on this project.
   2. Project Team: Provide a project organizational chart showing the proposed team structure for this contract. Identify the project manager, key personnel, and their roles and responsibilities on the project. Include short bios addressing knowledge and experience related to these roles and responsibilities. Clearly identify the roles of any subcontractors.
   3. Representative Projects: Describe specific experience of both individuals and firms with projects of a similar type that demonstrate the knowledge and experience of the personnel proposed in the areas identified in the scope of work. Describe the client/community, project, location, common issues, and links to electronic versions of work products, if possible.
   4. References: Identify at least three references for similar projects completed by the personnel proposed for this project. Include the client, contact person, mailing address, email address, and telephone number for each reference.
   5. Resume: Provide professional resumes for all personnel proposed for work on this project in an appendix.
5. Project Approach: Describe the team's approach to the project's scope of work. Include information on methods, meetings, deliverables, and other project related information for the tasks. Include any project approaches or ideas not included in the scope of work that would be applied to this project to enhance the quality of the team's services. The Consultant is encouraged to offer additional insights and may propose modifications to the scope of work identified above.
6. Project Management: Describe the team's project management approach including coordination across disciplines and managing the work of subcontractors, if applicable. Describe the methods and timeline of communication the team will use with SEMPO staff and other parties. Describe the team's expectations and requirements of SEMPO and its partners in order to effectively perform the services outlined in the RFQ.
7. Schedule: Provide a project schedule identifying milestones and completion dates. Provide a summary of personnel workload and availability to complete this project within the desired schedule.
8. Project Budget: In FY 2026 (from July 1 to June 30), SEMPO has designated $90,000 for the completion of this study. Proposals should be based on this budgetary allocation, and submissions should refrain from proposing any study that cannot be executed within this specified amount.

6. Evaluation Criteria

The proposal evaluation process will be managed by the Steering Committee, comprised of SEMPO members, staff, and other representatives as determined. The Steering Committee will employ a standardized scoring system to evaluate each consultant proposal. The scoring system's criteria and weighting for initial reviews and potential interviews are as follows:

Point Range Legend

30 – 21 = excellent 20-11 = adequate 10 – 1 = fair 0 = inadequate

1. Experience and Technical Competence (30 points max): Rate the qualifications of employees designated to this specific job, for example, assigning between 30 and 21 points for the most qualified personnel. Those rated between 20 and 11 points are considered good but lack extensive experience in the particular type of service desired. A value of 10 or less points is assigned to firms with well-qualified personnel who have no experience in the proposed area of work.
2. Capacity and Capability (30 points max): Evaluate the consulting firm for experience on similar and related types of work it has performed. For example, assigning between 30 and 21points is for many years of established practice in the proposed type of work and related studies. A value of between 20 and 11 points may be assigned for above average experience, while 10 or less points may be given for experience adequate to perform the contract. The points for a firm with little operating experience in the selected field may be reduced further. Reduce the rating for a level of personnel inadequate to handle the firm's indicated workload. The submitted schedule will also be evaluated as part of this portion of the rankings.
3. Past Record and Performance (30 points max): Rate the adequacy of firms that have previously performed work under contract in related fields, assigning a maximum and reducing the points for less experience.

SEMPO expects to complete an initial assessment of the proposals by Wednesday, October 15, 2025. Following this initial review, a short list of firms may be invited to engage in scheduled interviews for further evaluation.

The Consultant with the highest total score will be asked to enter into negotiations for a contract based on their proposal. If a contract cannot be successfully negotiated with the first selected Consultant, then negotiations with that Consultant will be terminated and SEMPO will ask the Consultant with the next highest score to enter into negotiations. This process will continue until a contract is successfully negotiated or said process is suspended by SEMPO.

The City of Cape Girardeau, Missouri (City) provides staffing and administrative services for SEMPO. By submitting a proposal, Consultants acknowledge and agree that if they are selected to enter into contract negotiations, such contract will be between that Consultant and the City, and all financial transactions will be conducted by the City on behalf of SEMPO.

SEMPO reserves the right to follow any of the below listed courses of action if an acceptable contract cannot be negotiated:

• To reject any and all proposals;
• To consider alternatives;
• To waive irregularities;
• To re-solicit proposals;
• To accept any proposals deemed most advantageous to SEMPO;
• To obtain information concerning any and all Consultants from any source;
• To request additional information and/or clarification from any and all proposers to this RFQ;
• To approve any substitute personnel or terminate services at SEMPO's sole discretion if the selected Consultant undergoes a change of key personnel; and
• To seek new submissions when such a procedure is reasonable and in the best interests of SEMPO.

SEMPO operates its programs and services without regard to race, sex, religion, age, national origin, or disability, in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended. The successful Consultant shall provide written assurance that no person shall be denied employment or fair treatment, or in any way discriminated against, on the basis of race, sex, religion, age, national origin, or disability. In addition, since federal funds will be used to finance this project, the successful Consultant shall comply with all civil rights and federal contracting requirements applicable to transportation-related projects. For more information, refer to the attached Federally
Required Contract Terms.

The City and SEMPO are not liable for any cost incurred by any person or firm responding to this RFQ or for any other cost incurred prior to the negotiation of the contract and the issuance of a Notice to Proceed.

The submission of a proposal shall be prima facie evidence that the consultant has full knowledge of the scope, nature, quantity, and quality of work to be performed.

After the selection process, the SEMPO staff shall negotiate on behalf of SEMPO and the City, a contract based on the fees and fee structure as submitted in the proposal. SEMPO reserves the right to delete elements or expand the scope of the contract based on the negotiated fees at the time of contract letting.

Consultants submitting proposals are advised to include any information that is relevant to this project given the aforementioned criteria.

7. Federal Compliance Requirements

This procurement is subject to all applicable federal laws, regulations, and guidelines, including but not limited to:

• FTA Circular 4220.1F – Third Party Contracting Guidance.
• Buy America (49 U.S.C. § 5323(j), 49 CFR Part 661) – compliance required if applicable.
• Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. § 2000d) – no person shall be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or otherwise subjected to discrimination under this program.
• DBE Participation (49 CFR Part 26) – Disadvantaged Business Enterprises are strongly encouraged to participate.
• Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) – compliance with Executive Order 11246 and related requirements.
• Debarment and Suspension (Executive Orders 12549 and 12689, 2 CFR Part 180) – contractors must certify they are not suspended or debarred.
• Lobbying Restrictions (31 U.S.C. § 1352) – contractors must certify compliance.
• Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988 – compliance required.

The selected consultant will be required to sign all applicable federal certifications and assurances prior to contract execution.

8. Contract Terms

• The selected consultant will enter into a professional services agreement with SEMPO.
• All deliverables shall become the property of SEMPO.
• Invoices must comply with federal cost principles and documentation requirements.
• The consultant shall maintain all records for a minimum of three years following final payment.

9. Submission Instructions

• Proposals must be received no later than Wednesday, October 15, 2025
• Submit proposals electronically in PDF format to: amcelroy@cityofcapegirardeau.org
• Questions must be submitted in writing to: amcelroy@cityofcapegirardeau.org