CITY OF HELENA, MT

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)

TO HIRE A CONSULTANT TO/FOR

RAILROAD DISTRICT NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN

I. Project overview

The City of Helena is requesting proposals from experienced planning consultants with a demonstrated track record of innovative and inclusive public engagement as well as providing data-based methodologies for a neighborhood level planning initiative. The project is to create a neighborhood level plan for the city's historic 6th Ward Railroad District that will generally follow the area outlined by the URD as well as some adjacent blocks. The neighborhood plan is to be adopted as addendum to the 2019 Growth Policy. The aim of the project is to create a vibrant, dynamic neighborhood center within the context of a larger residential neighborhood and to eliminate impediments to development while still ensuring quality developments.

The 6th Ward Railroad District and surrounding areas feature a mix of dense commercial, residential, and industrial uses. The area has been the subject of several planning efforts over the years so an emphasis on implementation and potential funding sources is needed. This effort will be overseen by the City's Community Development Department staff and adopted by both the City/County Planning Board and the City Commission.

II. AGREEMENT FOR SERVICES AND COMPENSATION

One respondent will be selected as the finalist and offered an opportunity to negotiate an agreement with the City. If an appropriate agreement cannot be reached with the highest-ranked respondent, the second-ranked respondent may be invited to negotiate an agreement with the City, and so on.

A sample agreement is provided as Attachment "A" hereto, however, the City reserves the right to change any terms prior to entering into an agreement with the successful respondent.

☒ Evaluation criteria will NOT include consideration of the proposed compensation schedule. As part of the responses a potential budget should be submitted indicating the ability of the firm to complete the requested work within the proposed budget.

Proposed Budget: $50,000

III. scope of work, Deliverables, and Timeline

Neighborhood Plan Contents

The final, adopted Neighborhood Plan must follow the guidance outlined in the City of Helena Growth Policy and must include those elements that have been determined through a robust public engagement process. How the selected consultant team structure documents and covers topic areas can be discussed in both the interview process and during the drafting process itself but should consider the unique aspects of the 6th Ward Railroad District, its residents, and the city at large.

This plan should focus on creating a vibrant neighborhood center while also supporting strong residential neighborhoods. The City of Helena recognizes that for any neighborhood planning effort to be successful it must be grounded in the knowledge and experience of its residents. The engagement process should seek to be inclusive and inviting for all residents, visitors and other stakeholders in the area.

The finished document should seek to reinforce the qualitative input gathered through the public engagement process with available and gathered quantitative data.

This plan is an implementation step for the City's Growth Policy and should address the Goals, Objectives, and Action Items located in Chapter 9 and Appendix A.

Other topics that should be included are:

• Financing tools
• Affordable and attainable housing strategies
• Potential zoning ordinance changes/creation
• Incorporation of existing city master plans
• Gateways and connectivity
• Infill and adaptive re-use strategies
• Other topics identified by the public engagement program

Consultant Responsibilities

• Neighborhood plan document creation
• Qualitative and quantitative analysis
• Implementation procedures/policies
• Integrate with existing city plans
• Outreach strategy (number of engagements TBD)

Anticipated Meetings

There will be meetings with city staff, elected or appointed officials, stakeholders, and the general public that the selected consultant will be required to attend and, in most cases, facilitate. In some cases, two (2) or more of these meetings may be combined into a single day to save on travel costs. A list of required meetings is below, though the final number is determined once a consultant is selected, and engagement strategy finalized.

1. Initial meeting with city staff to discuss project methodology
2. Introductory meeting with Planning Board to discuss goals and process
3. Public engagement meetings
   1. Neighborhood/community meetings – 3 (minimum)
   2. Work sessions:
      1. TIF Board – 1 (maximum)
      2. Helena Citizens Council 2 (maximum)
      3. Planning Board – 2 (maximum)
      4. City Commission – 2 (maximum)

Project Milestones

As the project team progress through the neighborhood planning process there will be progress checks which will generally correspond with a project deliverable. These deliverables and the data used are due to the assigned city staff member as laid out in the negotiated project schedule.

• Data gathering summary
• Public engagement summary
• Synopsis of identified key findings
• Milestone & schedule review
• 1st draft neighborhood plan document
• Mapping resources first draft
• Milestone & schedule review
• 2nd draft neighborhood plan document
• Project review

Project Schedule & Timeline

Once a consultant has been selected and a contract negotiated, the anticipated project timeline is 8-10 months to create a draft ready to be presented at public hearing. Changes are anticipated based on the public hearings required for this document and the consultant will be responsible for incorporating those changes into the final document.

RFP Process Schedule

Publication of RFP — June 27, 2022

Last day to Submit Proposal — July 29, 2022

Evaluation Start — August 3, 2022

Notify Consultant of Interviews — August 8, 2022

Interview of Top Consultant(s) — August 22 – 26, 2022

Evaluation End–Notification of Selected Consultant — August 30, 2022

Negotiation of Contract — September 1 – 9, 2022

RFP Begin Date — September 12, 2022

IV. attachments

The following information is provided for informational purposes only:

Attachment "A"— City of Helena Agreement for Services

V. Proposal submission REQUIREMENTS

A. Proposal submission must be:

• no more than 13 one-sided bound pages, inclusive of a cover page and back page;
• no smaller than 12-point font;
• must contain the information required by this RFP and address all required topics;
• acknowledgment that responder has reviewed any addenda issued for this RFP; and
• signed by an authorized agent.

B. Proposal submission must include all of the following:

1. Respondent's legal name, address, and contact information.
2. Brief description of the respondent firm, including but not limited to, identification of the principals, the approximate number of employees, how long the firm has been in business, and how long the respondent has been engaged in relevant types of work. Include information that demonstrates the respondent's experience in completing projects similar to that which is required by this RFP.
3. Identify individuals who will be assigned to this project, their role on the project team, a brief resume, and their experience and qualifications on similar projects.
4. Description of how the respondent will accomplish the tasks, goals, and objectives identified in section III of this RFP.
5. Provide anticipated project schedule including a description of how this project will fit with the firm's current workload.
6. If this project includes a public participation requirement, describe proposed public participation process.

C. References

List 3 recent professional references who can provide information regarding the respondent's ability to perform the services described herein. References must include the name of the person to be contacted, phone number, email, and the type of project the respondent completed for the reference. Links should be provided to relevant work that the responding firm has completed.

VI. evaluation criteria

Proposals will be evaluated by a selection committee, based on the following criteria:

Personnel Qualifications —25 maximum

Organizational Capacity — 15 maximum

Related Experience — 20 maximum

Quality of Proposal — 20 maximum

Local Knowledge — 15 maximum

Present and Projected Workload — 5 maximum

Proposal Total Score —100 Points maximum

The selection committee may select one or more respondents submitting proposals as finalists. Finalists may be interviewed to further establish qualifications. If the selection committee determines that interviews are appropriate, the finalists will be contacted to schedule the interviews.

VII. Solicitation schedule

Request for Proposals Released — June 27, 2022

Proposal Packets Due – Close date July 29, 2022

Service Provider Selection and Negotiation — August 3–September 9, 2022

Agreement Approval — September 9, 2022

Work to Begin — September 12, 2022

VIII. contact:

The city contact for the purposes of this RFP is:

Michael McConnell
Planner II
316 N. Park Ave. Rm: 402
406-447-8492
mmcconnell@helenamt.gov

IX. Questions and INQUIRIES

All inquiries, questions, or requests for interpretation, correction, or clarification must be submitted in writing to the city contact listed above. Whenever responses to inquiries would constitute a modification or addition to the original RFP, the reply will be made in the form of an addendum to this RFP, a copy of which will be posted on the city's website.

x. SUBMITTAL INSTRUCTIONS

Proposals must be submitted in a sealed envelope clearly marked on the outside with the RFP number and project name.

3 hard copies and one electronic copy (PDF format on thumb drive) of the proposal must be submitted to:

City of Helena
Attn: Michael McConnell
316 N. Park Avenue, Rm 402
Helena, MT 59623

PROPOSALS MUST BE RECEIVED NO LATER THAN: July 29, 2022, at 5:00 p.m. (MST)

Proposals may be withdrawn either personally or by written request at any time prior to the due date stated above for receiving proposals. No proposal may be withdrawn or modified after the due date and time, unless and until the award of the agreement is delayed for a period exceeding ninety (90) days.

The City is not responsible for costs associated with preparing proposals in response to this RFP.

XI. Reservation of rights by the City

The City reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, readvertise, to waive any irregularities in the proposals, and to accept the proposal that best benefits the City. The City reserves the right to reject any and all responses deemed unqualified, unsatisfactory, or inappropriate.

XII. public records disclosure

All proposals become the property of the City of Helena and may be subject to release to the public pursuant to Mont. Const. art. II, § 9 and Mont. Code Ann.§ 2-6-1001 et. seq.

XIII. LOBBYING

Respondents are prohibited from lobbying the City Commission, the Mayor, or members of the selection committee relative to the respondent's proposal or response to this RFP.