Department of Planning & Zoning

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

Issued: 5/5/2020

Submission Deadline: 6/30/2020

OVERVIEW

• INTRODUCTION

St. Charles Parish, Louisiana [county] is soliciting qualified organizations for a mid-horizon update to the St. Charles Parish 2030 Comprehensive Plan (Plan 2030), adopted July 2011.

• OBJECTIVE

The Parish would like to assess how the stated goals of a plan have been met thus far, and provide an update directing the Parish over the plan’s final 10 years.

• BACKGROUND

Plan 2030 was preceded by two other comprehensive plans, the first being the St. Charles Parish Planning Report 1980-2000 prepared by Dawson Engineers Inc. with the goal of developing “a future land use, transportation, and zoning program that reflects the existing parish landscape and the growth directives of the parish citizenry” that would “assist in coordinating development in the parish while maintaining the natural integrity of the sensitive parish ecosystem” (page 2). The plan justified the creation of the St. Charles Parish Zoning Ordinance (Appendix A) and Subdivision Regulations (Appendix C) of 1981, documents which continue to inform planning and land use in the Parish.

The second is the St. Charles Parish Comprehensive Land Use Plan, fall 1990, Land Use Policies and Growth Management, a “Growth Management Plan” prepared by G.C.R. & Associates, Inc. Funding was provided by the Federal Aviation Administration and New Orleans International Airport to mitigate airport expansion into the St. Rose community, with remaining funds provided by the State Department of Transportation and Development and St. Charles Parish.  The plan was developed and adopted during a period of growth, but sought to “balance growth and development with the conservation and enhancement of the parish’s wetlands, its historical heritage and its rural character” (page 161), a theme carried over from the 1980 plan.

The St. Charles Parish Planning Commission and Council adopted Plan 2030, a “Smart Growth Plan” funded in large part by a Louisiana Community Planning Seed Fund Award (administered by the Center for Planning Excellence; available through Housing and Urban Development). The plan was adopted in the context of significant events affecting the Parish specifically and region as a whole, including Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the 2008 economic downturn, and Deepwater Horizon oil spill. It was also the first comprehensive plan prepared with the Parish facing tempered growth expectations. Similar to the previous iterations, the vision presented by this comprehensive plan was that of a Parish maintaining its “small-town way of life, scenic natural beauty, and unique heritage and community identity” and “exceptional livability, strong sense of community and distinctive character” (page vii). The plan can be downloaded here:

https://www.stcharlesparish-la.gov/departments/planning-and-zoning/land-use-planning-and-zoning

PROJECT DETAILS

• QUALIFICATIONS

Consultants should demonstrate experience and capacity in the following areas:

1. Comprehensive Plans that support Smart Growth principles and coastal resiliency.
2. Long-term visioning through public participation in preference surveys.
3. Consensus building, particularly working with diverse interest groups.
4. Experience in integrating land use, transportation, floodplains, levee placement, environmental conservation, affordable housing, economic development, and implementation strategies.
5. Experience with implementing Comprehensive Plans in both local and regional contexts.
6. Develop long-term implementation systems with measurable benchmarks.
7. Background in the creation and/or revision of subdivision regulations, landscaping, signage, land use and zoning ordinances.

• DELIVERABLES

The final project deliverables should include, but are not limited to:

1. 10-year population/growth assessment.
2. Analysis of existing land uses and infrastructure capacity.
3. Progress report on each recommendation in the implementation matrix.
4. A Capital Projects Plan based upon the implementation matrix.
5. Public outreach and participation plan.
6. Evaluation of the vision statement and re-write based on findings.
7. Updated Future Land Use Map, in .shp format, based on analysis of recent zoning decisions and community input.
8. Simplified implementation matrix with measurable benchmarks.
9. Recommendations for amendments to Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations.

• EXPECTED PROJECT TIMELINE
  • September 2020 – December 2020: Review all proposals, first with planning staff, then with administration.  Create ordinance for consideration by council, have ordinance reviewed by legal department, planning commission and council committee (if necessary).  Adoption by council.
  • January 2021 – April 2021: Conduct public outreach.  Propose 2 rounds community forums (each round to have 1 East Bank and 1 West Bank venue) and 1 Business Forum.  Attend HOA meetings, business association meetings, updates at council meetings.
  • July 2021 – August 2021: Draft Update, public review.
  • September 2021 – October 2021: Production of Final Proposed Document
  • November 2021: Presentation to Council for Adoption.

SUBMISSION DETAILS

• POINT OF CONTACT

All inquiries related to this RFQ are to be directed in writing, by email, to Michael Albert, A.I.C.P., Director of Planning and Zoning at malbert@stcharlesgov.net

Information obtained from any other source is not official and should not be relied upon.

• CLOSING DATE

Submissions must be received no later than 4 P.M. CDT, June 30, 2020.

Packages must be sent to the attention of the point of contact and may be provided by mail to P.O. Box 302, Hahnville, LA 70057 or hand delivered to the St. Charles Parish Department of Planning & Zoning Office. Email submissions must be sent to the email address provided for the point of contact.

Late submissions will be returned to the respondent. The Parish reserves the right to accept or reject proposals that do not contain all elements and information requested in this document.

• PACKAGE INFORMATION

The respondent must provide 7 hard copies and one electronic copy of their submission package. Hard copies should be submitted in an envelope clearly marked with the name and address of the respondent and the project or program title.

Packages should include the following information:

1. Statement of Interest: The statement letter, written on the firm's letterhead, shall cite who will be the primary point of contact for the Parish for matters relating to the proposal and shall be signed by an individual with the authority to commit the firm to the project. The letter shall include a narrative description of the strengths brought by each team component. The letter should also include full contact information (name, address, telephone, email).
2. Experience and Expertise: Include qualifications and experience of those team members who will be assigned to the project. Provide resumes giving the experience and expertise of the principals and key professional members of the consultant team that will be involved in the project. Highlight their experience with similar projects and specific planning issues relevant to this project. Highlight Louisiana-based team members or members with experience in Louisiana-based planning initiatives. Provide the number of years members have worked with the prime firm and/or other years of experience. The consultant team shall include a Louisiana-based firm component.
3. Project Team: Provide an organizational chart showing the roles of the prime firm and each consultant firm or individual. Describe the proposed project assignments and structure of authority and communication for principals and key professional members of the lead firm and sub-consultant(s). Indicate the estimated percent of time these individuals will be involved in the project.
4. Representative Projects: List a maximum of five (5) projects performed by the prime firm that are most similar and relevant to this project completed within the last seven (7) years. List the projects in priority order, beginning with the most related project. Include at least three projects that have been or are being implemented. Provide the following information for each project listed:
   1. Summary of the proposed project start dates and end dates, actual start and end dates, with reasons for extensions if any.
   2. Summary of the proposed project budget, actual project budget, with reasons for increases if any.
   3. Current stage of implementation.
   4. Enclosure of a comparable Comprehensive Plan created by the prime applicant firm(s) that has been implemented is encouraged, but not required. The sample Comprehensive Plan may be submitted electronically.
5. References: Provide references for any three (3) of the projects listed in response to the Representative Projects section. At least one reference should be in the implementation stage or beyond. The references shall include:
   1. Owner's name, owner's representative who served as the day-to-day liaison during planning, design, and construction of the project, and that representative's current telephone number.
6. Management Plan: Include a scope of work that provides a methodology for deliverable content.
7. Proposed Timeline: Include a timeline. Additionally, state the firm's and/or team's present workload.
8. Budget: Include a budget proposal that is sufficient for the level of work.

SELECTION PROCESS

• SELECTION COMMITTEE

A five-member Selection Committee will be established by the Parish Administration with input by the Parish Council. The committee will review and discuss the content of the qualification submissions, short-list to three firms (which will be invited to submit a detailed Request for Proposal), and finally submit a recommendation to the Parish Council. This committee will dissolve upon the selection of a consultant team.

• SELECTION PROCESS AND EVALUATION

The Selection Committee will evaluate submissions based on Consultant Qualifications and the required Submission Requirements detailed in this document.

Professional services are procured in accordance with Louisiana Law. Selection of the most highly qualified respondent will be made on the basis of demonstrated competence and qualifications as determined by the Parish based upon the proposal submitted in response to this RFQ, any supplement requested by the Parish, and any subsequent meetings with finalists. The Parish reserves the right to accept or deny specific team members and may require the prime firm to re-select team members based on the Selection Committee recommendation.

St. Charles Parish reserves the right to reject any and all submissions, to waive any and all formalities outlined in the RFQ and in the selection process and generally to make the award that, in its judgment, will best meet the objectives stated in this RFQ. The Parish reserves the right to request additional information and/or clarifications from any or all respondents to assist in its evaluation process. The Parish reserves the right to request changes to consultant team composition. All dates in the RFQ are subject to change at the discretion of St. Charles Parish, and notice of any changes will be provided to all respondents.

Conflicts of interest should be disclosed, in writing, to the Selection Committee who will consider the nature of the respondent’s responsibilities and the degree of potential or apparent conflict in deciding the course of action that the respondent needs to take to remedy the conflict of interest.

Expenses incurred by the respondents in replying to the RFQ or in making any appearance before the Selection Committee are the respondents' alone. There will be no compensation for these expenses provided by St. Charles Parish.

• SELECTION TIMELINE

The following dates are intended to provide a guideline for this process, and are subject to change:

1. RFQ available (May 5)
2. A pre-response meeting will be held beginning at June 10th, 10 AM CDT, via conference call. The purpose of the meeting will be to respond to consultants' questions about the project and the procurement process. Meeting minutes will not be issued and this meeting is not required. To participate in the conference call, e-mail malbert@stcharlesgov.net for details and phone number.
3. Deadline for Qualifications (June 30th, 2020 at 11:00 PM)
4. Notification of short list (top 3 teams) (July 15th, 2020)
5. Deadline for Proposal Submittal (if selected) (August 30th, 2020)
6. Consultant interviews (September 15th, 2020)
7. Selection announced (Late September, 2020)

Published: St Charles Parish Herald Guide [publication dates]