City of Venus RFP for Strategic Plan

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE CITY OF VENUS

The purpose of this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to obtain competitive proposals from qualified firms with experience working with local government or municipal organizations that have successfully developed and facilitated a strategic plan process and program, to establish a contract for professional services and assist the City of Venus ("the City") in developing a 5-year strategic plan. These services will include a data-driven, community engaged planning process that will help achieve a long-range vision of transformation that will make Venus a desirable place of residence and business.

SCOPE OF WORK/SERVICES:

A strategic plan is a vital tool that ensures that the vision and objectives set by the City Council are clearly conveyed to citizens and staff, so that projects and strategies are developed to meet the needs of the community.

The strategic planning process is expected to begin in February 2025 and conclude by June 2025.

The scope of services described herein requires that the consultant works with the City Council, specified staff and the community to outline a direction and vision for the City for the next 5 years. The completed strategic plan should identify city principles on which decisions should be based and include specific short-term and long-term goals and objectives to be achieved.

1. The proposal should include a project plan that demonstrates a clear understanding of the work to be performed, estimated hours, and other information relevant to the project.
2. The proposal should include time and cost projections.
3. The selected firm will identify internal and external factors that should be considered during the development of the strategic plan through a thorough review of information such as finances, infrastructure, staff, demographics, socioeconomics, education, business development, housing, arts, culture, history, recreation, natural features, geography, entertainment, and technology.
4. The selected firm will meet with city leaders and stakeholders to gain a working knowledge of community vision and values.
5. The selected firm will facilitate a priority setting workshop with the City Council, interviewing each City Council member to ensure that the Strategic Plan accurately reflects their vision and direction for the city.
6. The selected firm will develop a clear set of goals, action steps and policy statements that define the priorities and vision of the City Council and explain how these goals will be achieved.
7. The selected firm will conduct public meetings, stakeholder group sessions, outreach forums, online surveys, social media, and other outreach activities deemed necessary to achieve input from our diverse community.
8. The selected firm will facilitate the creation of a mission, vision and values statement for the City of Venus based on the City Council's visions and goals.
9. The selected firm will be responsible for defining and establishing measurable goals, objectives, and performance measures for the City of Venus.
10. The selected firm will recommend ways in which the City can be structured to best meet the needs of the community and provide services at an elevated level.
11. The selected firm will provide regular progress reports and coordinate its planning services schedule with City staff.

Evaluation Criteria:

1. Vendor Qualifications (for all staff working with the project) (30)
   1. Education (10)
   2. Positions held (10)
   3. Years & types of experience (10)
2. Experience with similar projects (25)
3. Work Plan (25)
4. Cost (15)
5. Local Business (located within Venus's city limits) (5)

The City of Venus requires comprehensive responses to every section within this RFP. Conciseness and clarity of content are emphasized and encouraged. Vague and general proposals will be considered non-responsive and will result in disqualification.

To facilitate the review of the responses, Firms shall follow the described proposal format. The intent of the proposal format requirements is to expedite review and evaluation. It is not the intent to constrain proposers with regard to content, but to assure that the specific requirements set forth in this RFP are addressed in a uniform manner amenable to review and evaluation. Failure to arrange the proposal as requested may result in the disqualification of the proposal. It is requested that proposals be limited to no more than 50 pages, excluding resumes. All pages of the proposal must be numbered, and the proposal must contain an organized, paginated table of contents corresponding to the sections and pages of the proposal.

EVALUATION CRITERIA:

The Proposer shall provide the following information:

EXPERIENCE:

1. Proposer's performance in strategic plans for entities or other clients. Proposer should indicate the number of years of experience the firm has in performing this service with governments of comparable size to the City of Venus.
2. Present staff that will work on this project. Present education, positions held, and years and types of experience.

REFERENCES:

Include three (3) business references for which similar services have been provided. Include the following:

1. The period for which you have provided this service;
2. A brief description of the scope of work; and
3. Contact name, title, address, and telephone number.

The Proposer hereby authorizes and requests any person, firm, corporation and/or government entity to furnish any information requested by the City in verification of the references provided and for determining the quality and timeliness of providing the services.

COST:

Please a rate sheet for the cost of your services.

WORK PLAN

Describe your firm's capability to provide all services required. (Number of employees, equipment that will be used, etc.)

LOCAL BUSINESS

Business must be located within the City of Venus.

SELECTION PROCESS:

All applications will be screened by an evaluation committee and those applicants selected for a short list may be invited to attend an interview, at the applicant's own expense. The City shall not incur any costs for applicant preparation and/or submittal of qualifications.

The City will evaluate all responses based on the qualifications, past performance and project approach. The City reserves the right to negotiate the final fee prior to recommending any business for a contract.