PROPOSAL DUE: February 17, 2022
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
for
SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL PROGRAM
RFP #2221
January 2022
City of Culver City
Public Works Department
9770 Culver Boulevard
Culver City, CA 90232-0507
CITY OF CULVER CITY 1 RFP NO. 2221
SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL PROGRAM
RFP #2221
I. REQUEST SUMMARY
The City of Culver City is seeking proposals from firms to provide S afe Routes to School education, encouragement, and evaluation services. In partnership with the Culver City Unified School District (CCUSD), the City administers a safe routes to school program known as Culver City Walk & Rollers. Initially started with a federal Safe Routes to School grant in 2013 , the program has grown to reach CCUSD elementary, middle, and high school students. Since 2017, the City and CCUSD have continued the program with local funding. The selected firm will be responsible for providing services in accordance with the scope of services outlined in the proposal.
II. INTRODUCTION
A. Community Profile
The City of Culver City (City) is a charter city incorporated in 1917. The City is governed by a five-member City Council whose members are elected at large and operates under a Council/City Manager form of government.
Culver City is a full-service city located in the western area of Los Angeles County, generally situated north of Los Angeles International Airport, southeast of Santa Monica, south of Beverly Hills and southwest of West Hollywood. The City is approximately five square miles with a residential population of approximatel y 40,000. The total adopted budget for FY 20 21-22 is approximately $239 million, of which $124 million is General Fund.
Culver City is a compact community with relatively high rates of walking and biking.
The City has three major off -street multi-use paths that form the backbone of our bicycle network: Ballona Creek, Culver Blvd., and Expo. Since the adoption of the Bicycle & Pedestrian Master Plan in 2010, and its updated Bicycle and Pedestrian Action Plan in 2020, the City has worked to connect these bike paths with on-street bikeways to form a more cohesive network and plans to add approximately 23 miles of new bikeways in the next few years, to the existing nearly 15 miles of existing bike facilities. Biking to work has doubled from 1.0% to 2.0% (ACS 5-Year Estimates) and biking to school has also doubled from 3% to 6% (Parent Survey).
Approximately one-third of our students walk or bike to school. Both our pedestrian and bicycle collision rates are significantly higher than comparable jurisdictions , and to address this, the City Council adopted in November 2021, a Local Roads Safety Plan, containing specific projects to reduce crashes , which the City will endeavor to fund primarily through grants, and construct in the next few years. The City has a strong partnership with the Culver City Unified School District (CCUSD)
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to jointly administer the Culver City Walk & Rollers safe routes to school program.
B. Background
In 2011, in partnership with CCUSD, the City applied for a federal Safe Routes to School (SRTS) non- infrastructure grant from Caltrans in order to develop a new program to promote walking and biking to school at all elementary schools and Culver City Middle School. The City was awarded $500,000 in 20 12 and Culver City Walk & Rollers launched the following year.
The four-year SRTS grant expired at the end of the fiscal year in June 2017. In just a few years, the program has been integrated into the culture of each campus, CCUSD and the City have built a strong partnership, and thousands of students have participated in events and activities. Parent surveys show that the program is making an impact: biking to school has doubled.
The City and CCUSD, since 2017, have continued the program with local funding.
City and CCUSD staff have worked together to develop this scope of work to continue the most important elements of the program with shared financial support from both the City and CCUSD.
C. General RFP Submittal Information
The City’s designated staff w ill evaluate proposals received. During the review process, the City reserves the right, where it may serve the City’s best interest, to request additional information or clarification from those that submit proposals, or allow clarifications, corrections of errors, or omissions. Any and all changes in the RFP will be made by written addendum, which shall be issued by the City to all prospective proposers who have registered for the RFP via the City’s electronic procurement system, Culver City PlanetBids
.
The City reserves the right to retain all proposals submitted. Submission of a proposal indicates the Proposer’s acceptance of the conditions contained in this RFP, unless clearly and specifically noted in the proposal submitted and confirmed in the contract between the City and the Proposer selected.
The preparation of the proposal will be at the total expense of the Proposer. There is no expressed or implied obligation for the City to reimburse responding Proposers for any expense incurred in the preparation of proposals in response to this request. All proposals submitted to the City shall become properties of the City and will not be returned. If any information in y our proposal is confidential and/or proprietary, please further submit a separate, redacted copy for servicing public records requests.
The proposer may submit an alternative proposal (or proposals) that it believes will also meet the City's project object ives but in a different way. In this case, the
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proposer must provide an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of each of the alternatives and discuss under what circumstances the City would prefer one alternative to the other(s). If an alternative proposal is submitted, the maximum length of the proposal may be expanded proportionately by the number of alternatives submitted.
The City reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, in whole or part, to waive any informality in any proposal, and to accept the proposal which, in its discretion, is in the best interest of the City. Any proposer may withdraw his proposal, without obligation, at any time prior to the scheduled closing time for receipt of proposals.
A withdrawal will not be effective unless made personally or by telephonic notification received prior to the closing date. Proposals may later be referred to the City Council for appropriate action.
Proposals must be submitted electronically through Culver City PlanetBids , by or before 3:00 p.m. (PST) on Thursday, February 17, 2022 (“Proposal Deadline”).
The electronic procurement system will not accept any Proposals after the Proposal Deadline. Only a Proposal submitted electronically through Culver City’s PlanetBids will be considered for evaluation. No separate hardcopy materials will be accepted by the City.
For a complete list of the City’s RFP submittal terms and conditions, legal statements, and insurance requirements, please refer to the exhibits attached hereto.
D. RFP Questions
Questions with regards to this RFP should be submitted through Culver City PlanetBids by Thursday, February 3, 2022. All firms registered for the RFP will receive responses to all questions and any other addenda that may be released, electronically by Thursday, February 10, 2022.
E. Schedule
The City reserves the right to make changes to the below schedule, but plans to adhere to the implementation of this RFP process as follows:
RFP released: January 21, 2022
Deadline for receiving questions: February 3, 2022
Response to questions: February 10, 2022
Proposals due: February 17, 2022, at 3:00pm (PST) Finalists selected: February 11, 2022
Presentations/Interviews (if necessary): Week of February 21, 2022 Vendor selected: March 13, 2022
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III. SCOPE OF SERVICES
The City of Culver City intends to obtain the services of a qualified firm to provide the services as outlined below. Best industry practices and/or best management practices may require additional services not explicitly enumerated. The proposer should identify any additional services required, price them, and explain them in their response.
The total budget for this program is $70,000 per year. The selected firm will enter into a five-year contract.
The City and CCUSD have identified the following core program functions to be performed by the selected firm:
1. Create and maintain an up to date project website with all pr oject activities and materials on a public -facing side, as well as a staff -only side with all project activities and their report narrative and quantification of participation, photos, and any other report materials, including meeting agendas, meeting minutes, attendee rosters and contact information, and any other project materials (including native files as well as their PDFs and any other applicable formats) and documentation.
2. Conduct an annual survey involving every classroom at every CCUSD school, evaluating trips to/from schools by all modalities (and the use of helmets for those who bike), and maintaining records of all data, summaries, and changes through project timeline, with the goal of measuring increases in active transportation and public transit, and using the data to focus project efforts, as approved by the City.
Provide latest data for use in grant applications and for other purposes of the City and CCUSD.
3. Assist school -based volunteer SRTS Committees at all CCUSD schools, to support volunt eer participation in the programmed activities of this project, and furthering the goals and objectives of this project.
4. Assist PE instructors at all CCUSD schools, in delivery of bicycle and pedestrian safety curriculum, as well as the development of new materials, and the revision of existing material.
5. Coordinate Walking School Bus Program at all elementary and middle schools.
6. Participate in traffic safety fairs and community events with the objective of reaching individuals to educate in the SRTS safe behaviors.
7. Participate in and coordinate events, outreach, and education on National Walk to School Day, National Bicycle Safety Month, California's Pedestrian Safety Month and National Pedestrian Safety Month, among others.
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8. Conduct pedestrian and bicycle s afety presentations, hold courses and workshops, and provide safety materials and safety equipment (when provided by the City), do helmet fittings, at community events, groups with objective of reaching RSTS audiences.
9. Conduct community-engaged bicycle and walk audits at locations identified in the adopted Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP) and subsequent revisions, to have a high incidence of pedestrian and bicycle fatal or serious injury traffic crashes or injuries and "near misses".
10. Create, revise, and updat e recommended safe routes to school maps, including meetup times for walking school buses, and coordination of volunteers and parent champions.
11. Collaborate with M&TE staff to educate students and parents on active transportation infrastructure improvements deployed by the City, including through the development of hand-outs, social media, in-school training and discussions.
12. This project is intended to serve all CCUSD schools, including development of a student leadership program to further the goals and objectives of this project.
13. Develop, coordinate, and promote citywide SRTS activities, including Walk to School and Bike to School Days/Months, and safety campaigns in favor of pedestrians and bicyclists. When available, use and adapt material developed by National, State, and County agencies for uniformity of messaging.
14. Coordinate adult and family bicycle safety classes, rides, and repair clinics, open to all community members.
15. Coordinate annual citywide Walk & Roll Festival (bike safety rodeo).
16. Conduct annual pedestrian and bike counts, and other data collection as needed and/or as directed by M&TE, and submit report to the City and CCUSD.
17. Serve as primary point of contact on the topic of serving students and parents in the SRTS project, for parents, teachers, community members, City and CCUSD staff, as well as on any SRTS issues.
18. Maintain communications presence with strong visual identity, including social media, website, flyers, brochures, banners, etc., always keeping consistently fiduciary responsibilities as a representative of the City and CCUSD.
19. Attend Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee meetings, as needed.
20. Attend City Council-School Board Liaison Committee meetings, as needed.
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21. Coordinate and attend monthly meetings with City and CCU SD staff, provide an agenda prior to the meeting, and maintain summaries of discussions to track action items and responsible parties.
22. Attend, coordinate, advertise, walking and bicycling audits, in assistance to M&TE.
23. Program administration, including keeping to budget, ensuring accomplishment of events, development of materials, and overall accomplishment of project goals and objectives, with supportive record-keeping and photos.
24. Provide detail invoicing with attachments containing supporting narratives, quantification of hours, involved staff names, positions, and hourly rates, event dates, names, tally of participants, summary of outcomes, and tally and quantity of safety and educational materials and equipment distributed.
25. Develop and submit for review and approval by M&TE, a work program that will meet all the goals and objectives of the project, including tentative dates, venues, and target audiences. Participate in special events approved by the City that align with the project, such as the Arts District Walk and Roll Festival, Fiesta La Ballona, etc.
26. When safety equipment and materials are distributed on behalf of M&TE or any other City Department (as approved by M&TE), records of distribution shall be maintained and provided to M&TE.
27. Photos shall be taken of all program activities and provided to M&TE for use in marketing to encourage further project participation, for grant applications, grant reporting, and any other purposes that further the goals and objectives of this project.
28. Brand all program materials, digital and non- digital, with CCPW/M&TE, CCUSD, and the selected firm’s logos, and no others, without express written approval by M&TE. All project materials and event marketing shall indicate that they are funded as a joint project of the City and CCUSD. Similarly, at all project events, it shall be verbally indicated that the event is funded as a joint project of the City and CCUSD.
29. Create marketing for all events and project campaigns via social media and handouts to be strategically distributed. Also, utilize all means available to the City and CCUSD to conduct outreach, marketing, and advertising of all project events.
Obtain advanced approval from M&TE for all publicly-posted/distributed material.
30. The selected firm will be given the opportunity for additional scope of work under an OTS Safety Education Grant for grant year 10/01/21- 09/30/22, in an amount not to exceed $25,000. This potential additional scope will require a separate agreement.
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Proposals should describe in detail how the proposer intends to approach the above- listed program elements within the available program budget. Proposers should include materials, incentives, and other program -related costs. Proposers are encouraged to draw on experience conducting similar work in other cities and make recommendations for how to approach similar tasks in Culver City.
IV. PROPOSAL OUTLINE TO BE SUBMITTED
The proposal shall be organized and submitted with the following elements:
A. Cover Page
B. Table of Contents
C. Executive Summary
Provide a brief summary describing the proposer’s ability to perform the work requested, a history of the proposer’s background and experience providing services, the qualifications of the proposer’s personnel to be assigned to this project, any subcontractor, sub consultants, and/or suppliers and a brief history of their background and experience, and any other information called for by this request for proposal which the proposer deems relevant, including restating any exceptions to this request for proposal. This summary should be brief and concise to apprise the reader of the basic services offered, experience and qualifications of the proposer, staff, subcontractors, and/or suppliers.
D. Questionnaire/Response to Scope of Services
Proposer shall provide responses and information to fully satisfy each item in the Questionnair e. Each question item should be presented before the proposer’s response.
E. Attachments
V. QUESTIONNAIRE
A. Company and General Information
1. Company name and address.
2. Letter of transmittal signed by an individual authorized to bind the respondent, stating that the respondent has read and will comply with all terms and conditions of the RFP.
3. General information about the primary contact who would be able to answer questions about the proposal. Include name, title, telephone number and email address of the individual.
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B. Qualifications and Experience of the Firm
1. Describe your firm’s history and organizational structure. Include the size of the firm, location of offices, years in business, organizational chart, name(s) of owner(s) and principal parties, and number and position titles of staff.
2. What is the primary business of the parent company and/or affiliates?
3. Which office(s) of your organization will have primary responsibility for managing this account? List the members of your tea m who will be responsible for providing the services and for ongoing support.
4. What is your firm’s experience conducting the services requested? Describe comparable projects performed by your firm in the last five years, including the number of projects, scope of service, and status of projects.
5. Comment on other areas that may make your firm different from your competitors.
C. Qualifications and Experience of Proposed Project Team
1. Describe the qualifications of staff proposed for the assignment (including subcontractors), position(s) in the firm(s), and types and amount of equivalent experience. Include a description of how overall supervision will be provided.
2. Describe in detail the project team’s experience with coordinating safe routes to school events, activities, and campaigns, including event logistics, marketing/promotion, volunteer recruitment & coordination, securing sponsorships/partnerships with local businesses, etc.
3. Describe in detail the project team’s experience with managing programs in a school environment, including supporting PE teachers in delivery of bicycle & pedestrian safety curriculum, coordinating with school principals and other district staff, etc.
4. Describe in detail the project team’s experience with safe routes to school data collection (i.e. surveys, travel tallies) and analysis/reporting.
5. Identify and provide the resume(s) of the personnel who will be assigned to this project.
D. Questions/Response to Scope of Services
1. Describe the methods by which your firm will fulfill the services requested in the Scope of Services and subsequent sections.
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2. Provide a statement of the service(s) that differentiate your firm from other respondents.
E. Fees
1. Provide your fees for the proposed services. Fee quotes should be detailed by service.
2. Outline billing and payment expectations, including timing and method of payment.
3. Describe any remaining fees not previously detailed in the above.
F. References
List the name, address, e- mail address and telephone number of references from at least three (3) recent similar projects. Include a brief description of the work provided for each reference. California municipal or county projects are preferred. You may off er more than three recent similar projects if desired.
The references should include the start date of the project and the date of completion for each project.
G. Implementation Schedule
Include a detailed implementation schedule with an estimated project start date of March 14, 2022 and note key project milestones and timelines for deliverables. Identify any assumptions used in developing the schedule.
H. Certificate(s) of Insurance
The City will require the successful Respondent (or P roposer) to provide Certificates of Insurance evidencing required coverage types and the minimum limits. See the attached City Draft Standard Agreement for more information on the City’s insurance requirements.
I. Business Tax Certificate
The proposing organization does not require a
Culver City Business Tax
Certificate to respond to this RFP. However, the successful proposer will be required to acquire a Culver City Business tax certificate during the contracting process and maintain an active certificate throughout the contracted period.
J. Standard City Professional Services Agreement
The City will require the successful company to execute a professional services agreement with the City. Please review the attached draft agreement and
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identify any questions, changes, or areas of concern in your proposal to the City. Any/all requests for changes to the agreement must be included with the responsive proposal. A company’s failure to respond with proposed changes to the draft agreement indicates their concurrence with its terms and conditions.
K. COVID-19 Vaccination Policy
As per the City Manger’s 38
th Supplemental to the Public Order , all members
of the public age 18 and older are required to show City Staff proof of vaccination from the COVID-19 virus. Contractors selected in this RFP that will perform work indoors at City facilities will need to s ubmit proof of vaccination to City Staff for verification. If a Contractor is not able to provide this information for verification, they will not be allowed to enter the facility.
VI. EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS
Proposals will be judged on the Proposer’s ability to provide services that meet the requirements set forth in this document. The City reserves the right to make such investigations as it deems necessary to determine the ability of the Proposer to provide services meeting a satisfactory level of performance in accordance with the City’s requirements. Interviews and presentations by one, several, or all of the Proposers may be requested by evaluators if deemed necessary to fully understand and compare the Proposer’s capabilities and qualifications. The adequacy, depth, and clarity of the proposal will influence, to a c onsiderable degree, its evaluation.
Proposals will be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria, in no particular order:
1. Qualifications & Experience Section IV, B & C
2. Questions/Response to Scope of Services Section IV, D
3. Fees Section IV, E
4. References, Schedule & Required Forms Section IV, F – I
As reflected above, contract award will not be based solely on price, but on a combination of factors as determined to be in the best interest of the City. After evaluating the proposals and discussing them further with the finalists or the tentatively selected Advisor, the City reserves the right to further negotiate the proposed work and/or method and amount of compensation.
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SUPPLEMENTAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND LEGAL STATEMENTS
SUPPLEMENTAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS
I. Submission of a proposal shall be deemed a binding offer to enter into a contract with the City. Any proposed modifications to the agreement shall be signed by the successful Proposer and returned, together with the c ertificate of insurance required pursuant to said Section of the Agreement within ten (10) days after the Notice of Award.
II. All Proposers shall be presumed to understand all of the terms, conditions and requirements of the agreement as stated in the specifications and to be thoroughly familiar with the project.
III. The selected Proposer shall be required to obtain all applicable Culver City permits and business tax certificate. The Business Support Center (HdL) may be reached at (310) 594-7847. The cost of these items shall be included in the total proposal price.
IV. Any proposal may be withdrawn prior to the RFP opening time provided that the request is in writing and signed by the authorized representative. The withdrawal of a proposal shall not prejudice the right of the Proposer to file a new proposal to the time and date set for the opening of proposals. No proposal received after the time fixed for the RFP opening will be considered.
V. Subsequent to the RFP opening, a Proposer shall be relieved of a proposal due to mistakes only if the Proposer can establish to the satisfaction of the City that all of the following circumstances exist:
a. A mistake was made;
b. The Proposer gave the City written notice within five (5) days after the opening of the proposals of the mistake; specifying in the notice, in detail, how the mistake occurred;
c. The mistake made the proposal materially different than the Proposer intended it to be;
d. The mistake was made filling out the proposal and not due to error in judgment or to carelessness in reviewing the scope of service or specifications as stated in the RFP.
VI. The City reserves the right to seek supplemental information from any proposer at any time between the dates of proposal submission and the RFP award. Such information will be limited to clarification or amplification of questions asked in the
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original proposal. Any proposer may be subject to personal interview and inspection of their business premises prior to award.
VII. The City reserves the right to reject any or all proposals and to waive informalities and minor irregularities in proposals received and to accept any portion of proposal or all items of proposal if deemed in the best interest of the City. In addition, the City reserves the right to do any, or all, of the following:
a. Reject any or all proposals or make no award;
b. Issue subsequent RFP;
c. Cancel the RFP;
d. Remedy technical errors in the request for proposals; e. Modify any requirements contained within the RFP and request revised submittals from Proposers determined to be within the competitive range; f. Award a contract to one or more Proposers;
g. Accept the written proposal as an offer, without negotiation and issue a notice to proceed, if applicable.
VIII. The City reserves the right to contract with any of the organizations responding to this RFP based solely upon its judgment of the qualifications and capabilities of that organization.
IX. All materials submitted regarding this RFP become the property of the City.
Responses may be reviewed by any person at RFP opening time and thereafter.
The City has the right to use any or all information presented in reply to this request, subject to the limitations outlined in Propri etary Information below.
Disqualification of a proposer does not eliminate this right. a. Proprietary Information – Any restrictions on the use of data contained within a proposal must be clearly stated in the proposal itself. Proprietary information submit ted in response to this RFP will be handled in accordance with applicable City Procurement Regulations and the California Public Records Act.
X. The City is not liable for any cost incurred by proposer prior to issuance of an agreement, contract, or purchase order.
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LEGAL STATEMENTS
All proposers must meet the following contractual and legal requirements in order to enter into a contractual agreement with the City:
I. PROHIBITED INTERESTS
a. Contractor warrants that it has not employed or retained any comp any or person, other than a bonafide employee working solely for Contractor, to solicit or secure this contract and that it has not paid or agreed to pay any company or person, other than a bonafide employee working solely for Contractor, any fee, percenta ge, brokerage fee, gifts or any other consideration, contingent upon or resulting from the award or making of this contract. For violation of this warranty, the City shall have the right to annul this contract without liability;
b. Contractor agrees that, for the term of this Contract no member, officer, or employee of the City, or of a local public body during his/her employment for one (1) year thereafter, shall have any interest, direct or indirect, in this contract, or to any benefit arising thereof ;
c. The employment by Contractor of personnel on the City’s payroll will not be permitted in the execution of this contract, even though such employment may be outside of the employee's regular working hours or on Saturdays, holidays, or vacation time; further, the employment by the Contractor of personnel who have been on the City’s payroll within one (1) year prior to the date of contract award, where such employment is caused by and/or dependent upon Contractor securing this or related contract with the City, is also prohibited.
II. ANTI-LOBBYING PROVISION
a. During the period between proposal submission date and the contract award, proposers, including their agents and representatives, shall not directly discuss or promote their proposal with any member of the City of Culver City City Council or City staff except in the course of City-Sponsored inquiries, briefings, interviews, or presentations, unless requested by the City;
b. This provision is not meant to preclude offerors from discussing other matters with City Council members or City staff. This policy is intended to create a level playing field for all potential offerors, assure that contract
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decisions are made in public, and to protect the integrity of the RFP / Bid Evaluation process. Violation of this provision may result in rejection of the offeror’s proposal.
III. NON-DISCRIMINATION PROVISION: The City of Culver City encourages the participation of Small Business Enterpri ses (SBEs) and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs) in its procurement and contracting activities. The City reaffirms its commitment to award its contracts and purchase orders in a non- discriminatory manner regardless of the individual’s or entity’s ancestry, age, color, physical and/or mental disability, genetic information, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, medical condition, military and/or veteran status, national origin, race, religion, sex/gender, or sexual orientation.
IV. PROTECTION OF RESIDENT WORKERS: Protection of Resident Workers: The City of Culver City actively supports the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) which includes provisions addressing employment eligibility, employment verification, and nondiscrimination. Under the INA, employers may hire only persons who may legally work in the United States (i.e., citizens and nationals of the U.S.) and aliens authorized to work in the U.S. The employer must verify the identity and employment eligibility of anyone to be hired, which includes completing the Employment Eligibility Verification Form (I -9). The Contractor shall establish appropriate procedures and controls so no services or products under the Contract Documents will be performed or manufactured by any worker who is not legally eligible to perform such services or employment.