1 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)
To Provide Contract Planning Services
Fiscal Year (FY) 2017-2018
(July 1, 2017 – June 30, 2018)
Important Dates
Proposal Due: September 13, 2017
Award of Contract: September 20, 2017
City of Salinas
Community Development Department
65 West Alisal Street (Second Floor), Salinas, CA 93901
Project Manager: Megan Hunter
Phone: (831) 758-7387
Email: [email protected]
2 GENERAL INFORMATION
The City of Salinas is located on California’s Central Coast 12 miles from the Pacific Ocean and Monterey Bay. In addition to being the county seat, Salinas is the largest city in Monterey County (population: 156,000, 2010 Census). The City is a compact, urban commu nity surrounded by agriculture on all sides. Agriculture in Monterey County is a $2.2 billion-dollar industry, and the surrounding Salinas Valley is known as the "Salad Bowl of the World."
SUMMARY OF REQUEST
The City of Salinas (City) invites qualified professional planning consultant firms to respond to a Request for Proposal (RFP) to provide as needed planning services. The consultant will support senior staff in conducting review and analysis of draft plans, environmental documents and technical studies, development of educational materials and training, drafting of policy and ordinances, and assistance in preparation of letters in response to development projects and staff reports for the Planning Commission.
Because the selected planning firm will assist in the review of draft plans and Environmental Impact Reports prepared for the City by other planning consultants, primary preparers of these specific documents: the Future Growth Area EIRs and Specific Plans, Salinas Travel Center EIR and Specific Plan, the EDE EIR, the Alisal Vibrancy Plan, and Chinatown Revitalization Plan are ineligible to apply for this contract.
Eligible firms must be available to provide planning services on an, as needed, on call basis and will primarily provide technical assistance to the Community Development Director and the relevant project manager.
The allocated budget for this contract planning service RFP is $50,000 for fiscal year (FY) 2017- 2018 (July 1, 2017 – June 30, 2018) – not to exceed allocated budget.
METHOD OF PAYMENT the Contractor shall submit a monthly invoice to the City for the services rendered in that month. The invoice shall include a detailed breakdown of the services and units of each level of service. City shall have 45 days in which to pay each monthly invoice without penalty.
Scope of Work
1. Provide assistance to designated staff in review and comment to administrative drafts of Environmental Impact Reports (EIR). If necessary, provide additional technical analysis to facilitate environmental review.
2. Assist in the review and revision of plan documents related to the Chinatown Revitalization and Alisal Vibrancy Plans.
3 3. Assist the Community Development Director in developing a draft Adaptive Reuse Ordinance for the downtown and determine the appropriate environmental clearance.
4. Provide assistance to Current Planning staff in reviewing development applications and preparing response letters or applicable Staff Reports to the Planning Commission.
5. Assist staff in review and comment to drafts of the Future Growth Area and Salinas Travel Center Specific Plans.
6. Create educational brochures related to changes in regulations to facilitate the public’s understanding beginning with the new Accessory Dwelling Unit ordinance.
7. Assist staff in writing grants related to planning efforts in Chinatown, Downtown, and the Alisal.
8. Assist in the development of procedures and training of planning staff.
9. Assist in the development of basic planning 101 training for community groups and volunteers.
10. Conduct additional research or planning technical assistance as assigned by the Community Development Director.
PROPOSAL FORMAT
In order to expedite and maintain consistency in the evaluation process, each proposal to this RFP shall be organized in accordance with this section. Proposal submissions shall contain the following information in the order presented below:
1. Cover letter and introduction including the name of the firm and telephone numbers of the person(s) authorized to represent the company regarding all matters related to the proposal;
2. Prospective providers should indicate how they envision being able to provide services to the City of Salinas, and how those services will fit within the goals and policies of the City.
3. Experience working with other communities with similar geographic profiles and demographics.
4. Representative list of current clients with references contacts of three clients.
5. Resumes of key personnel to be performing the planning functions for the City, including education and professional certifications.
4 6. Provide any additional information that you feel is pertinent in the City’s decision on selecting a planning consultant.
7. Provide the following information: A fee schedule identifying specific rates for services and meeting attendance including sample invoice detail, billing schedule and mileage charges.
8. General Contract Requirements
a. Proof of Insurability . A brief statement or certificate of insurance from an acceptable insurance company setting forth that insurance coverage as required in the attached sample contract, at a minimum, will be available at the time of commencement of the project. The City reserve s the right to request additional insurance coverages and amounts through the final Agreement negotiated between the City and consultant selected.
b. Concurrence with contract provisions. A brief statement that the proposer concurs with the provisions of th e City’s standard contract as attached to the RFP. Under certain circumstances, and subject to the discretion of the City, some provisions of the contract may be modified upon final contract negotiations with the selected consultant.
EVALUATION CRITERIA
It is the City’s sole desire to contract with a qualified, professional consultant that has the proven experience, resources, and professional expertise to deliver the requested document (s). A committee comprised of City staff members will conduct evalua tion of the proposals. The initial screening will be based on an objective review of the proposal received based on the criteria set forth in this RFP.
Proposals will be evaluated according to qualifications, experience, capabilities, references, resources, scope, schedule, cost, and demonstrated competence in performing the work required (not necessarily in that order). The proposal needs to fully respo nd to items listed in this RFP; needs to constitute a team that is experienced and qualified to meet the requirements of this project based on relevant experience; and needs to demonstrate the ability to identify and plan specific tasks to complete the pro ject in a professional manner on schedule and within budget. The City will select the contractor that best meets the requirements put forth in the RFP. The following standards will be considered in evaluation of proposals:
a) demonstrated understanding of the scope of work;
b) past experience, performance, and ability of Consultant to deliver high quality, innovative work for relevant projects of similar complexity in diverse, rural/urban communities including: individuals assigned to do the work; quality of w ork; cost control; track record for meeting scheduled milestone dates; and quality of performance in previous contracts;
5 c) demonstrated ability to deliver excellent writing quality and communicate in ways that are engaging and accessible to the general public.
d) adequate technical, financial, and staffing resources for completion of the scope of work within the proposed time schedule;
e) demonstrated qualification of the project leader and assurance of his or her principal involvement in the project through completion; and
f) costs which are competitive with other submitted proposals.
PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL
The Proposal shall consist only of the materials outlined above and be sent via email to:
Megan Hunter, Community Development Director
City of Salinas
Community Development Department
[email protected]
All submittals shall be received at the City of Salinas Community Development Department no later than September 13, 2017 at 5:00 pm.
Upon receipt, all material submitted in response to this request become the property of the City of Salinas, and may be considered public information pursuant to applicable law.
INQUIRIES
There will be no pre-bid meeting for this proposal. Proponents are strongly encouraged to visit the site on their own as part of proposal preparation. Any questions regarding this RFP may be emailed to Megan Hunter . All submitted questions and responses will be posted on the City website http://www.ci.salinas.ca.us after the close of the question period. No questions regarding this RFP will be answered over the phone. Proposers that contact City personnel or City Council members after the City releases the RF P shall be disqualified. All addenda shall become part of this RFP. A signed copy of any addendum shall be included in the proposal.
CITY PROCESS
City staff and key stakeholders will review and evaluate the submitted proposals based on the stated evaluation criteria. Staff will contact other agencies for feedback concerning previous work.
It is expected that one or more firms wil l be invited for an interview, however it is t he quality of the proposals received that will determine who will be invited to take part in an interview process.
The City reserves the right to forgo the interview process and proceed directly to selection of the preferred firm in the event that a proposal is deemed superior in content.
6 The City retains the right to select the qualified finalists. The staff recommendation will be based upon the quality of the proposal, including the experience of the proposed project team, project manager, and experience conducting similar type of work. The City anticipates entering into an agreement with the selected firm based on a negotiated fee and a negotiated scope of work. If an agreement on the fee cannot be reached, the City reserves the right to end negotiations and enter into negotiations with the next highest ranked consultant. The City Manager will consider the staff recommendation and award the contract for the negotiated final scope of work pursuant to the Municipal Code, which may also include consideration by the City Council.
CONDITIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF REQUEST
1. General Conditions . The City of Salinas reserves the right to (1) reject any or all responses, (2) postpone award of the contract for a period not to exceed sixty (60) days from the date replies are due, (3) waive informalities in the responses, and (4) take whatever action or make whatever decision it determines to be in the best interest of the City. All proposals will remain in effect and legally binding for at least sixty (60) days from the date of submission. A contract agreement shall not be binding or valid with the City unless and until it is executed by authorized representatives of the City and of the Selected Consultant.
The City reserves the right to request additional information from any and all prospective firms as deemed necessary by the City in order to evaluate the proposals. This process may not be used, however, as an opportunity to submit missing documentation or to make substantive revisions to the original proposal.
A prospective firm may withdraw their proposal at any time prior to the date and the time which is set forth herein as the deadline for submittal of proposals.
2. Liability of Costs and Responsibility . Each prospective firm submitting a proposal in response to this Request for Proposals agrees that the preparation of all materials and presentation for submittal to the City is at the prospective firm’s sole cost and expense, and the City will not, under any circumstances, be responsible for any costs or expenses incurred by a prospective firm.
Prospective firms are responsible for making necessary investigations and examination of records. Failure to do so will not act to relieve any condition of the proposed agreement or the requirements set out in this RFP. It is mutually understood and agreed that the submission of a proposal shall be considered conclusive evidence that the prospective firm has made such examinations and investigations. No request for modification of a proposal shall be considered after its submission on the grounds that the prosp ective firm was not fully informed as to any fact or condition.
The selected consultant shall be required to assume responsibility for all services offered in the proposal whether or not they possess them within their organization. The selected consultant will be the sole point of contact with regard to contractual mat ters, including payment of any and all charges resulting from the contract.
7 3. Standard Agreement . A sample professional services agreement is attached for the proponent’s reference. It is the responsibility of the prospective consultant to be familiar with and accept the terms of this standard contract. In some instances, contract provisions can be modified after review and approval of the City during final contract negotiations.
Overall, however, the provisions in this contract are those preferred by the City for the engagement of consulting services relating to this RFP. If any of the terms and conditions contained in the standard agreement are not agreeable, these should be ident ified specifically, otherwise it will be assumed that the Consultant is willing to enter into the agreement as it is written. Failure to identify contractual issues can be a basis for City to disqualify a consultant.
4. Insurance. Consultant shall, throughout the duration of project, maintain comprehensive general liability and property insurance covering all operations of Consultant, its agents and employees, performed in connection with the project in the amounts and in the types of coverages shown in the sample professional services agreement.
5. Non-Discrimination/Non-Preferential Treatment. The successful Consultant shall not discriminate, in any way, against any person on the basis of race, sex, color, age, religion, sexual orientation, actual or perceive d gender identity, disability, ethnicity, or national origin, in connection with or related to the performance of City contracts.
6. Rights to Submitted Materials. All proposals and related correspondence, reports, charges, schedules, exhibits and other docu mentation submitted with the proposal will become the property of the City and a matter of public record. All documents submitted in response to this RFP will be subject to disclosure if requested by a member of the public.
There are a very limited number of narrow exceptions to these disclosure requirements.
Any information that a prospective consultant considers confidential, the disclosure of which would be an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy, should be submitted in a sealed envelope marked "CONF IDENTIAL; NOT PUBLIC RECORDS." During the selection process, the City will keep such information confidential and will not disclose it except as may be required under applicable law, including the California Public Records Act. This means that, depending on the nature or timing of the request, or future court decisions, that information may not remain private and may be publicly disclosed. Once the selection process is completed, the City will return this information to the Consultant if not selected. Budgets and cost proposals submitted by proposers shall not be considered confidential or proprietary and may be subject to disclosure.
Prohibition of Gifts. City staff and officials are subject to several legal and policy limitations regarding receipt of gifts from persons, firms, or corporations either engaged in business with the Agency, or proposing to do business with the City. The offering of any illegal gift shall be grounds to disqualify a Consultant. To avoid even the appearance of impropriety, Proponents and Selected Consultant should not offer any gifts or souvenirs, even of minimal value, to City officers or employees.
8 RESOURCE DOCUMENT LINKS
2002 Salinas General Plan
https://www.cityofsalinas.org/our-government/information-center/general-plan-info 2006 Salinas Zoning Code
https://www.municode.com/library/ca/salinas/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIITHCO_C H37ZO
DETAILED TIMELINE
Proposal Due: September 13, 2017
Award of Contract: September 20, 2017
Project Initiation: September 25, 2017