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REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS/REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS El Cerrito Urban Greening Plan January 22, 2013 PROPOSALS DUE: February 15, 2013 Statement of interest is due by February 4, 2013 at 4 P.M. to receive addenda PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND BACKGROUND The City of El Cerrito is seeking a qualified consultant team (“Consultant”) to develop a comprehensive, citywide Urban Greening Plan (“Plan”). The Plan will serve as a master document identifying projects, policies and strategies to create an interconnected network of green places, accommodate infill growth and improve the quality of life and the environment for existing and future El Cerrito residents. The Plan, currently titled “Green Vision 2035” is funded by the State of California’s Urban Greening Planning Grant Program and Proposition 84 (Safe Drinking Water, Water Quality and Supply, Flood Control, River and Coastal Protection Bond Act). The selected team will be responsible for engaging the El Cerrito community (residents, stakeholders, staff, elected officials and experts) to develop a Plan that reflects the community’s opportunities, needs and aspirations and serves as a living strategy document for achieving a more livable, sustainable, healthy and green urban community. The Plan will ultimately result in projects that are consistent with the State’s planning priorities which include promoting equity, strengthening the economy, protecting the environment and promoting public health and safety, specifically through promoting infill development and equity, protecting environmental and agricultural resources, and encouraging efficient development patterns. It will help the City better understand the demands that will be placed upon existing parks and green spaces in future years, help the City program its parks and green spaces in a more environmentally and economically sustainable manner, and identify if additional or different types of green spaces are needed to support and accommodate future population growth, demographic changes, equitable access and sustainability goals. The Plan and its resulting projects will provide multiple benefits, including but not limited to, decreasing air and water pollution, reducing the consumption of natural resources and energy, improving walkability, bikeability, and connectivity and increasing adaptability to climate change. The Plan will serve as the master document guiding and coordinating greening projects in El Cerrito and incorporates and builds upon other city planning efforts as well as serves as a foundation document for updates to the City General Plan. ---PAGE BREAK--- Request for Proposals City of El Cerrito Urban Greening Plan Page 2 of 5 1/22/2013 PROJECT SCOPE, TASKS AND DELIVERABLES The Scope of Work will be to work with city staff, the Urban Greening Task Force, Boards, Committees and Commissions, and the public to develop a comprehensive Urban Greening Plan to be adopted by the City Council. The City intends for the Plan to be a dynamic and useful planning and implementation document that enjoys broad community and political support. The selected consultant’s proposed Work Plan and Schedule will form the basis for negotiations with the City to devise a final Work Plan and Schedule. Development of the Plan will consist of the following general tasks and deliverables. Interested consultant teams will include further description and detail in their proposed Work Plan and Schedule. For example, a required task is “Public Events”, but event details—timing, number, activity etc. —shall be included in your proposed Work Plan and Schedule. Similarly, a required task will be to prepare “Public Information Materials” and conduct a “Citywide Needs Assessment and Community Survey”. The details and timing of these tasks and specific processes, products and deliverables shall be included in your proposed Work Plan and Schedule. The tasks listed below and in Exhibit A reflect the agreement with the State for the project and, at a minimum, these tasks and deliverables must be provided by the consultant team. The City is seeking an effective, efficient and creative approach to providing these deliverables and meeting the City’s goals for this project. 1. Project Management 2. Public Involvement a. Public Information Materials (website, flyers, brochure) b. Public Events c. Community Charrette d. Interaction with Urban Greening Task Force and Boards, Committees and Commissions e. Citywide Needs Assessment and Community Survey f. Plan for Engagement of Underrepresented Populations 3. Needs Assessment and Data Collection a. Existing Assets Inventory b. Evaluation of Public Needs in the Context of Existing and Needed Assets c. GIS Baseline (public places, urban forest, open space, water resources, other urban greening resources) d. Existing City Policy and Urban Greening Best Practices Review and Evaluation-Gap Identification e. Urban Greening Enhancement and Expansion Opportunities f. Organizational & Financial Capacity Analysis 4. CEQA Checklist and Review (as needed) 5. Participation in Plan Acceptance and Recommendation by Environmental Quality Committee, Parks and Recreation Commission, Tree Committee and Approval by City Council The final Plan will consist of, at a minimum, the following components: 1. Summary of Public Involvement/Input ---PAGE BREAK--- Request for Proposals City of El Cerrito Urban Greening Plan Page 3 of 5 1/22/2013 2. Plant Palette and Urban Forest Recommendations 3. Public Place Planting, Maintenance and Resource Conservation Guidelines 4. Urban Greening Policy Recommendations 5. Urban Greening Project Recommendations 6. Implementation Strategy and Tool 7. Conceptual Design and Cost estimates for Top Ranking Projects 8. (Optional: Green El Cerrito Map. See below.) Optional Green El Cerrito Map: One of the final components of the Urban Greening Plan will be a Green El Cerrito Map, which will be at a minimum, a consumer-quality print map; but could also include a digital, interactive map that contributes to Plan implementation. Consultants are invited to provide a cost and scope for this component. The City may elect to award this task as a part of the overall contract or procure this component separately. BUDGET The complete budget for the consultant team for the project (not including the Green El Cerrito map) is $145,000. This includes all billable hours, reimbursables, and materials. The consultant team shall provide a breakdown of the budget by proposed task, identifying employees, classification, billing rate and estimated hours per task. The City will be supported by the City’s Environmental Services Division staff. Optional Green El Cerrito Map: There is additional budget available for this task. Please include these costs as an optional task on your proposed Work Plan. PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS Each proposal should include, at a minimum, the following items: 1. Transmittal letter – Include contact information (physical address, telephone, fax and email address) for the primary person responsible for your proposal who will be the point of contact for the City on all correspondence and communications pertaining to this RFP. State whether any addendums to this RFP have been received by your firm and whether consideration of their content has been included in your proposal. 2. Statement of Project Understanding – Provide a detailed discussion of your understanding of the nature of the work, project goals and final products. 3. Statement of Experience and Qualifications – Present the qualifications and experience of the proposed key staff and any support staff proposed for the projects. Include descriptions of the projects undertaken by your proposed Project Manager(s) and team within the last five years that are similar in nature to this project, particularly those completed in communities similar to El Cerrito and with similar goals and deliverables. 4. Consultant’s Work Plan – Explain in detail your proposed work plan, including all anticipated tasks, along with any supplemental tasks (those not specifically identified in this RFP) you deem necessary for successful completion of this project. Include a spreadsheet showing all project tasks and deliverables, along ---PAGE BREAK--- Request for Proposals City of El Cerrito Urban Greening Plan Page 4 of 5 1/22/2013 with the proposed project team member assigned to each task and their estimated hours. Also, include a schedule for the work plan. Complete Exhibit A. 5. References – Provide three recent public agency references for your proposed Project Manager(s) include names, addresses and telephone numbers. 6. Additional- Feel free to submit additional materials which you feel necessary to provide a complete profile of your company and proposal as it relates to this RFP. SELECTION PROCESS AND REQUIREMENTS The selection committee will consist of City staff and selected members of the Urban Greening Task Force. Proposals will be evaluated based upon the following criteria: Statement of Project Understanding 20% Statement of Experience and Qualifications 20% Consultant’s Proposed Project Team 25% Consultant’s Work Plan 30% Innovative Public Involvement, Final Plan & Implementation Tools 5% Contract award will be made to the team that best matches the City goals, based on evaluation criteria outlined above as determined through both the proposal and interview. The selection committee will rank the proposals and will invite the top ranking consultant teams to an interview. Specific questions will be provided ahead of time to teams invited to interview. The top team will be invited to negotiate a final Agreement and Work Plan with the City. The successful consultant will be required to execute a Professional Service Agreement with the City and meet the insurance requirements therein. A sample of the City Professional Service Agreement is shown in Exhibit B. PROPOSAL AND PROJECT TIMELINE Release RFQ/RFP January 22, 2013 Statement of Interest Due February 4, 2013 (4 Final Questions Due February 8, 2013 (4 P.M.) Proposals Due February 15, 2013 (4 P.M.) Short List Notification February 21, 2013 Interviews February 28, 2013 (1-5 Anticipated Council Award March 19, 2013 * Email Statement of Interest to [EMAIL REDACTED] Please save February 28, 1-5 pm for a potential interview. Shortlisted firms will be notified by February 21. Consultant questions pertaining to this RFQ/RFP shall be submitted no later than 4:00 p.m., February 8, 2013 by email to [EMAIL REDACTED] Responses to questions timely submitted within the specified time period will be answered within three business days by addendum distributed to all consultants who have submitted a ---PAGE BREAK--- Request for Proposals City of El Cerrito Urban Greening Plan Page 5 of 5 1/22/2013 statement of interest on or before February 4th. Consultant shall identify receipt of all addenda in their Transmittal Letter. Three hard copies and one DVD of consultant’s proposal shall be submitted by 4 P.M., February 15th to the address below. Proposals will not be accepted after the deadline. Environmental Services Division 7501 Schmidt Lane El Cerrito, CA 94530 The City anticipates that the Urban Greening Plan will take between 12-18 months. Please complete Exhibit A (Proposed Tasks, Deliverables, and Schedule) and include your proposed schedule of activities and deliverables. AVAILABLE RESOURCES The following resources are available online for familiarization with the City’s related planning efforts. 1. Available at http://www.el-cerrito.org/masterplans Ohlone Greenway Master Plan (2009) Circulation Plan for Bicyclists and Pedestrians (2007) Urban Forest Management Plan (2007) 2006 Economic Development Strategy 2. Draft San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan http://www.el-cerrito.org/spasp 3. Draft Climate Action Plan http://www.el-cerrito.org/climateplan 4. Strategic Plan (underway) http://www.elcerritostrategicplan.org 5. City General Plan http://www.el-cerrito.org/generalplan Mapping/Inventories The El Cerrito Trail Trekkers is actively mapping the City’s trails (latitude/longitude) The El Cerrito Tree Committee is currently inventorying the City’s trees and is updating the Master Street Tree list. The City contracts with DigitalMap Products to provide GIS products for the City. Development of the GIS Baseline deliverable should be compatible with this system. Other City map resources can be viewed at http://www.el-cerrito.org/maps ATTACHMENTS Exhibit A: Tasks, Deliverables and Schedule Exhibit B: Sample Professional Services Agreement