Full Text
City of Whitefish Department of Public Works 418 E. 2nd St. I PO Box 158 Whitefish, MT 59937 (406) 863-1260 I Fax (406) 863-2419 Request for Proposals Whitefish Safe Street for All (SS4A) Action Plan USDOT Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant RFP Issued: Wednesday, September 20th, 2023 Proposals due: Thursday, October 12, 2023 4:00 P.M. Contact: Karin Hilding, Engineering & Sustainability Project Manager Phone Number: (406) 863-2450 Email Address: [EMAIL REDACTED] ANNOUNCEMENT In accordance with Title 18, Chapter 8 (MCA) and adopted City policy for consultant selection, The City of Whitefish, Montana (City) is seeking proposals from qualified consulting engineering firms to provide consulting services for the Whitefish Safe Streets for All (SS4A) Action Plan. PROJECT OVERVIEW Whitefish is a rapidly growing community in northwest Montana with a population of approximately 8,700 people. The town is one of the major recreation centers of western Montana, surrounded by the Whitefish Mountain Ski Resort, Glacier National Park, pristine lakes, and a wide variety of outdoor recreation opportunities. The City of Whitefish seeks to procure a qualified professional engineering firm to provide professional engineering services to improve roadway safety by significantly reducing or eliminating roadway fatalities and serious injuries through the development of a Safety Action Plan. The plan will focus on all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, public transportation users, motorists, micro mobility users, and commercial vehicle operators. The Safety Action Plan must include the components laid out by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) in the SS4A grant. Components of a SS4A action plan can be found on Table 1 in the SS4A 2022 NOFO found at The Whitefish SS4A grant application is available to review at: www.cityofwhitefish.org/232/Current- Projects. ---PAGE BREAK--- Request for Proposals Whitefish Safe Street for All Action Plan Page I 2 of 4 PROJECT TASKS Task 1: Stakeholder and Public Engagement The consultant will prepare a plan for implementing an equitable public engagement process. The consultant should be prepared to host two public meetings. Robust engagement with the public and relevant stakeholders is needed. While in-person public engagement is preferred, virtual engagement methods can be utilized as needed. The consultant will help to create a SS4A Task Force of stakeholders. There should be at least three meetings with the SS4A Task Force. Task 2: Data Review The consultant will collect and review existing programs, policies and transportation planning reports and provide a summary of current efforts to address transportation safety. Task 3: Crash Data Safety Analysis The consultant will collect and review crash, traffic, and roadway data for at least the most recent 5-year period to understand critical safety issues and provide insight into trends, and patterns of transportation safety. The consultant may also reference the data analyzed as part of the 2022 Whitefish Transportation Plan. Task 4: Transportation Equity Review The consultant will perform a transportation equity review to better understand how current transportation systems, and services impact the lives of all users, including underserved and underrepresented communities. This should include an analysis of services that support safe and easy-to-use multimodal options, amenities that are accessible to all populations for reaching destinations independently. The plan will address missing shared use path connections, and crosswalk, transit stop, and ADA improvements. Visibility around crosswalks and transit stops, traffic calming, and carpooling/transit incentives will be addressed. Many of these issues were identified in the 2017 Connect Whitefish Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan. Task 5: Safe Routes to School Review Many Whitefish transportation safety issues are related to school traffic. The SS4A Action Plan should include a focus on school traffic safety and measures to improve safety in school zones. The Whitefish School District has also identified traffic safety as a priority. Consideration may be given to converting low volume roads to designated school routes that prioritize biking and walking. Task 6: MDT Routes (Highway 93 and Wisconsin Avenue) Montana Highway 93 bisects the downtown area. Wisconsin Avenue bisects the northern half of town. The safety plan will address the 2022 Transportation Plan recommendations ---PAGE BREAK--- Request for Proposals Whitefish Safe Street for All Action Plan Page I 3 of 4 concerning corridor level multi-modal improvements (intersection improvements, center medians, access management) along MT Highway 93 South and Wisconsin Avenue. Task 7: Implementation Plan and Programs The project team will identify potential projects based on the results of Task 4, 5 and 6 and develop an Implementation Plan and recommendations for Education and Enforcement Programs. The Implementation Plan will recognize the needs of all users of the multimodal transportation system and include potential projects that are feasible and applicable for grant funding. The program should include conceptual infrastructure improvements with quantifiable costs. Feasibility studies using quick-build strategies that inform permanent projects in the future may be included in the plan. More information on street design pilot tests using low cost, quick-build, temporary methods are available on the SS4A project website. THE PROJECT BUDGET The city received $160,000 in federal funding towards the SS4A Action Plan. The City of Whitefish provided additional funds for total not to exceed amount of $200,000 for professional services. REQUIRED SERVICES The work to be performed by the consultant shall include, but not be limited to overall project management, transportation system analysis, public involvement, and coordination with MDT. The project will include: two public meetings, meetings with the SS4A Task Force, a City Council workshop, and meetings with City Staff. The draft plan deadline is December of 2024. FORMAT AND CONTENT OF SUBMITTAL Five copies of the firm’s proposal shall be submitted to the Whitefish Public Works Department, 418 E 2nd Street, PO Box 158, Whitefish, MT 59937, no later than 4:00 P.M. Thursday October 12, 2023. Faxed or emailed proposals will not be considered. In order to be responsive, all proposals must follow the format and contain information listed in this section. Unnecessarily elaborate brochures and other presentations beyond those sufficient to present a complete and effective response to the solution are not desired. 1. Cover Letter – Provide a one or two page letter of transmittal introducing your firm. 2. Overview – Provide an abstract of your firm’s submittal summarizing the nature of the proposal and demonstrating your understanding of the project. 3. Key Personnel – Include brief resumes of the staff who will be assigned to the project. Discuss experience and how experience will be applied to this project. ---PAGE BREAK--- Request for Proposals Whitefish Safe Street for All Action Plan Page I 4 of 4 4. Experience – Provide details of up to three prior projects your firm has completed which support the firm’s qualifications for this assignment. (3 pages max) 5. References – Provide names and telephone number of three references who will attest to your firm’s ability to undertake and complete projects similar to this on time and on budget. EVALUATION, SELECTION PROCESS AND CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS Proposals will be ranked by a Selection Committee and the three highest ranked engineering firms will be invited to present their proposal to the committee. Contract negotiations will begin with the highest ranked firm as soon as possible following the interviews. If the City determines acceptable terms cannot be reached, the City will terminate negotiations and continue with the next highest ranked firm. The City may choose to expand an engineering contract resulting from this selection process to include similar or related work. Each proposal will be ranked according to the following criteria: 20% - Overall quality of the proposal including clarity of the submittal and responsiveness to the Request for Proposal 30% - Qualification of the personnel who would be assigned to the project and the project team’s experience, as a group, with design and construction oversight of municipal Public Works Projects. 30% - Prior experience with similar projects 10% - The firm’s past work for the City of Whitefish 10% - Office location for personnel who would be assigned to the project Questions may be referred to Karin Hilding – Engineering & Sustainability Project Manager, by telephone at (406) 863-2450, or by email at [EMAIL REDACTED]. ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS The City reserves the right to reject any or all proposals. City reserves the right to request for clarification of information submitted and to request additional information from the firm(s). If a contract and fee cannot be successfully negotiated with the selected firm, the City may choose to enter into negotiations with another prospective firm, or it may re-advertise for new proposals. The successful consultant shall provide and maintain professional liability, workers compensations, property damage, error and omissions, and any additional lines of coverage required by the City. Advertisement: Whitefish Pilot (9/27/2023 & 10/4/2023), City Website (9/20/2023)