Project Description

The Town of Apex, North Carolina, is seeking the services of a qualified firm, or team of firms, to provide professional land use, transportation planning, landscape architecture, and engineering services for the development of a new comprehensive plan. The comprehensive plan will holistically address both land use and multi-modal transportation for the Town of Apex planning area over the next 30 years (2055).

General Background

See the complete RFQ listing for the project background: www.apexnc.org/bids.aspx

Expectations

The Town's expectations for the new comprehensive plan can be summarized as follows:

Engagement-based

The planning process must include a robust stakeholder engagement approach to ensure all stakeholders have the opportunity to participate. Creative approaches for broad and equitable outreach should be proposed. The planning process should include substantial engagement of stakeholders to establish the Town's vision and goals and to identify and review needs, opportunities, recommendations, and priorities. Use of the Town's engagement tools including publicinput.com license, website, and social media platforms can be assumed.

Action-oriented and Attainable

The plan should include recommended processes and policies for ongoing decision-making as well as specific, achievable actions and strategies for both immediate and long-term solutions to transportation needs. The plan must address constraints such as natural features and assets, historic properties, railroads, major utilities, special populations, and structures in development of recommendations that are reasonably attainable. While the plan is not financially-constrained, recommendations should be reasonable in terms of what can be accomplished in the near- and mid-term.

User-friendly

Plan presentation and language should be understandable to encourage use by a broad audience. A combination of maps, illustrations, tables, and succinct writing should be used to convey the plan's message. Background information and planning process documentation should be limited while maps and recommendations take the forefront.

Multi-modal

The plan must address multiple modes of transportation, including automobile, transit, bicycle, and pedestrian and will update the Town's Thoroughfare and Collector Street Plan map, Bicycle and Pedestrian System Plan map, and Transit Plan map. In addition, some of the specific anticipated needs to be addressed with the comprehensive plan update include:

• Closely reviewing the Town's street sections and standards and recommending revisions, as needed, to support the Town's Vision Zero Action Plan, multi-modal travel, varying land use context, and travel demand projections.
• Identifying future mobility and/or community hub locations as both a public amenity and place for connecting people and transportation modes across the planning area.
• Gathering input and making both land use and transportation recommendations along the NC 55 corridor as a likely area of future change.
• Identifying reasonable and feasible locations to consider grade-separated bicycle and pedestrian crossings.

Varied

The plan must address a wide variety of land development patterns and preferences across the Apex planning area, ranging from rural to transit-oriented development. An updated Affordable Housing Plan is underway that will identify the Town's projected housing needs. It is anticipated that the land use recommendations will be informed by these needs. This includes considering how existing mobile home development in Apex should be shown on the Land Use map.

Strategic and Innovative

The plan should align with the Town's strategic plan, Game Plan Apex, to address the goals described as: A Welcoming Community, High Performing Government, Environmental Leadership, Responsible Development, and Economic Vitality (www.apexnc.org/1321/Strategic-Plan). In particular, the plan should address the Town's goal to encourage equitable and sustainable development that provides accessibility and connectivity throughout the community. It must also integrate the Wake County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan and consider whether additional transportation and land use recommendations or policies are needed to help make Apex resilient to environmental change and hazards.

Services

The purpose of this effort is to prepare a complete update to the Town's comprehensive plan. The lead and subconsultant firm(s) shall provide monthly reporting and documentation of effort and will be in regular coordination with Town staff. Interested firms are encouraged to propose a planning process that addresses the expectations outlined. Major tasks in the study process are anticipated to include the following:

• Project administration
• Data collection
• Base mapping and summary of existing conditions
• Scenario modeling
• Recommendations including:
  • Updates to the Land Use Map; Thoroughfare and Collector Street Plan map; Bicycle, Pedestrian and Equestrian Plan map; and Transit Plan map
  • Street Classification Matrix that outlines standards for parameters for traffic, laneage, speed, bicycle and pedestrian accommodations, parking, driveways, striping, etc.
  • Updated typical sections for roadway typologies, including new sections for main street, mixed-use, and shared streets.
  • Corridor plan recommendations for NC 55.
  • Policies, initiatives, and organizational changes.
• Project prioritization and funding plan
• Stakeholder engagement
• Plan documentation

Deliverables

Interested firms are encouraged to identify and describe recommended project deliverables to address the expectations set forth. At a minimum, deliverables are anticipated to include:

• Plan document – in print (10 bound copies) and digital (PDF and editable) formats. Other formats may be proposed and considered by the Town.
• Web content that the Town can use to update the Town of Apex website.
• ArcGIS file geodatabase and GIS packages for all maps.
• Updated street typical sections, included in the plan document and provided as CAD files for use in proposing possible amendments to the Apex Standard Details and Specifications.

Schedule

The study process should be completed and approved within eighteen (18) months of the date of the notice to proceed. Interested firms should propose a schedule for the services and deliverables to be provided that addresses milestones and review periods. At a minimum, milestones should include:

• Project kick-off
• Summary of existing conditions
• Summary of recommendations
• Stakeholder engagement
• Draft, revised, and final submittal of deliverables

Eligibility

Firms responding to this request must be properly registered with the Office of the Secretary of State and the North Carolina Board of Registration for Engineers and Land Surveyors (NCBELS) as applicable. The engineers performing and in responsible charge of engineering work must be registered Professional Engineers in the State of North Carolina, in good ethical and professional standing. Additionally, any corporate subsidiaries, subconsultants, or subcontractors that may participate in the project must also be properly registered. It is the responsibility of the selected private firm to verify the registration of any corporate subsidiary or subcontractor prior to submitting a proposal.

The lead firm must have the financial resources and ability to undertake the work in its entirety and must have adequate accounting systems to identify costs chargeable to the project. The lead firm shall furnish proof of valid general liability insurance in the minimum amount of $1,000,000, commercial automobile liability insurance in the minimum amount of $2,000,000, and provide certificates of such insurance naming the Town of Apex as an additional insured by endorsement to the policies. If the policy has a blanket additional insured provision, the lead firm's insurance shall be primary and non-contributory to other insurance. Additionally, the lead firm shall maintain professional liability insurance in the minimum amount of $1,000,000 and maintain and show proof of workers' compensation insurance, and employer's liability insurance in the minimum amount of $1,000,000. The lead firm shall also be required to indemnify and hold-harmless the Town, its officials, and employees as designated in the contract. All proposals received are subject to review by the Town of Apex.

Selection Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated and a consultant will be selected based on the following criteria:

• 50% - Qualifications and experience of the firm, assigned project personnel, and subconsultants to perform the type of work required.
• 40% - Project approach that clearly and thoroughly demonstrates a familiarity with the project and process required.
• 10% - Performance of the firm, assigned project personnel and its subconsultants on similar and/or previous projects with the Town of Apex. If no experience with Apex, then highlighting similar experience with other municipalities is relevant.

North Carolina firms qualified to do the work will be given priority consideration. A North Carolina firm is a firm that maintains an office in North Carolina staffed with an adequate number of employees judged by the Town to be capable of performing a majority of the work required.

Proposal Content and Format

Proposals are limited to 20 pages, excluding the cover page, if provided. No other pages may be excluded from the page count. Proposals must be submitted in electronic (pdf) format. Proposals must be formatted on 8 ½" x 11" paper. Interested firms are encouraged to use succinct writing and supporting tables or graphics in the proposal submittal. The proposal shall include the following, which are all included in the 20-page count limit:

• Introductory letter expressing interest in providing the requested professional services, an acknowledgment of the firm's eligibility to perform such services (including all subconsultants), a statement citing any potential conflicts of interest, and contact information including an email address for the primary point of contact.
• Identification of project personnel and their role in the proposed project, including an organizational chart, demonstration that assigned staff have availability to undertake the work required, and tailored resumes or bios of key staff members. Describe relevant work experience, capabilities, and expertise which qualify the personnel assigned to this project to undertake the project. Please include the credentials of the GIS staff who will be assigned to the project in the proposal.
• Understanding of the project and a description of the proposed approach, deliverables, and schedule of tasks and milestones.
• Identification of similar work performed within the past seven years including points of contact (name, email, phone number) for references.

Note that, once submitted to the Town, the proposal is a matter of public record.

Document Transmittal and Selection Procedures

An electronic document of the proposal in pdf format is the only allowable format. For proposals up to 10 MB in size please email to: shannon.cox@apexnc.org.

For proposals over 10 MB in size, please notify us by email of the availability for download.

Upon receipt of your proposal, an email response will be provided.

Proposals must be received no later than 4 p.m. on Thursday, December 19, 2024 to be eligible for consideration. Any questions on the request should be directed to Shannon Cox at 919-249-3505 or shannon.cox@apexnc.org.

The Town of Apex will select the most qualified and responsive firm based on the combined evaluation of at least three staff members. The Town reserves the right to schedule interviews if needed after evaluating proposals.

The firm(s) selected will be notified by email. Notification will also be sent by email to firms not selected.

Anticipated Timeline

RFQ Issued: Friday, November 8, 2024

Question Deadline: Wednesday, November 20, 2024

Responses Posted: Tuesday, November 26, 2024

Proposals Due: Thursday, December 19, 2024 by 4:00 PM Eastern Time

Firm Selection: January 2025