City of Ashland REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS RFP #18-05 WATERFRONT DEVELOPMENT & COMPREHENSIVE OUTDOOR RECREATION PLAN UPDATES Issue Date: August 7, 2018 Proposal Due Date: September 4, 2018 Page 1 of 9
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS CITY OF ASHLAND WATERFRONT DEVELOPMENT & COMPREHENSIVE OUTDOOR RECREATION PLAN UPDATES RFP #18-05 Date of Request: August 7, 2018 Project Title: Submittal Due: Late Submissions: Withdrawal: Submittal Format: Submit to: Waterfront Development and Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (CORP) Updates 4 PM Local Time, Tuesday, September 4, 2018. There will not be a public opening for this RFP. Any proposals received by the City after the exact time and date specified will not be considered. Proposals may be withdrawn by written notice received at any time prior to the closing date and time. Proposals may also be withdrawn in person by an officer or by a representative of the firm, provided that the representative signs a receipt for return of the proposal. Submit one (1) pdf version of the Proposal. Submittal may be via e-mail, and/or on a flash drive (mail or deliver). Hard copies may be provided in addition to the electronic file, however is not required. Attn: April Kroner City of Ashland 601 Main Street West Ashland, Wisconsin 54806 akroner@coawi.org (715)682-7041 Additional project documents can be found on the Ashland City website at www.coawi.org under Waterfront Development and CORP Update. Page 2 of 9
INTRODUCTION The City of Ashland (City) is accepting Proposals from qualified firms to update the City s Waterfront Development and Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plans (CORP). Given the interdependent relationship between the City s Lake Superior waterfront and outdoor recreation opportunities, it was determined that the development of one collective plan, or two interdependent plans, could be completed to comprehensively guide the City into the future per the recommendation of the responding qualified firms. With approximately seventy (70) percent of the City s waterfront in public ownership, and fifty (50) percent of the City s outdoor recreation space along the waterfront, it is a natural fit to plan for these areas/amenities simultaneously. COMMUNITY OVERVIEW The City of Ashland, population 8,200, is located on the south shore of Chequamegon Bay on majestic Lake Superior. Approximately 60 miles east of the Duluth/Superior metropolitan area, Ashland is the county seat of Ashland County and serves as the regional economic hub driven by a diverse mix of manufacturing, health care, higher education, professional services, government services, retail and a growing tourism base. Ashland also boasts an outstanding collection of natural, cultural and historical assets for city of its size. Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake in the world, offers countless year-round recreational opportunities for residents and visitors who also explore acres of surrounding national forests with world-class bike and ski trails, our many City parks, trails and beaches, and nearby Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. These assets, coupled with the varied economic base, give the city a foundation for a vibrant future that draws, retains, and nurtures people from diverse backgrounds because of the lifestyle and economic activities it offers. Ashland s Values We in Ashland value and will work to protect and strengthen our natural setting and resources; our small city character and our sense of community; our heritage; our arts, architectural roots, and recreational assets; and our economic prosperity. We view these as interconnected systems. Authentic Ashland, 2035 PROJECT BACKGROUND Ashland s waterfront has a very rich history, from Native Americans traveling its shoreline in pre-settlement times to industrial uses and numerous working docks dominated the City s shoreline in the late 1800 s and early 1900 s. Through the mid-1900 s and into the new century, industrial uses began to wane and slowly convert to a mix of residential, commercial and recreational land uses. While a few industrial sites exist along the waterfront, more tourism and amenity-based opportunities have increased. The City has worked hard on opening its once industrial waterfront to public uses with the creation of parks, beaches, and a trail system turning the Lake Superior shoreline into Ashland s front yard. The existing Waterfront Development Plan dates back to 2002, many changes have occurred since that time and many more are underway! The City s CORP was created in 2013, and though only five years old is already out of date. Per the recommendation of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) and National Parks and Recreation Agency (NRPA), this document should be updated every five years to stay current with outdoor recreation trends, park usage, land development, and City priorities. The City of Ashland has 22 parks and over 300 acres of parklands and greenspace. Page 3 of 9
PROJECT DESCRIPTION The objective of this project is to prepare updated, unified Waterfront Development and Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan(s) for the City. The Plan(s) must align with, and integrate, the City s Comprehensive Plan Authentic Ashland 2035, and create a cohesive framework to guide ongoing and upcoming investment being made a the Ashland Ore Dock, Maslowski Beach, Prentice Park, Bayview Park, the Lakefront Superfund Site, and related park and trail systems. The Plan(s) should also identify the preferred land use concept for specific areas along the waterfront, such as the Ore Dock Upland area, and recommend development and design parameters that can be incorporated into the City s Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) to best position the City to achieve its land use vision. The Plan(s) must be developed through a robust citizen engagement process. The City considers active citizen participation to be essential, and the process must be structured to maximize such involvement. The consultant must work in a cohesive and coordinated manner with the City staff, the Plan Commission, Park & Recreation Committee, citizen Stakeholder Committee (to be formed) and general public. The public participation process should be one that is creative, interactive, and that solicits input from a diverse participant pool. The planning consultant will help channel public participation into realistic alternatives. Page 4 of 9
PROJECT SCOPE The City of Ashland has issued this Request for Proposals to complete the following Project Scope: The project scope will be a combination of tasks ordinarily found in a waterfront and CORP update process, along with other tasks that may be ascribed throughout the process. Task #1 Review and Update the Existing Plan Elements, including development of all associated maps and supporting graphics Task #2 Facilitate Public Participation Task #3 Develop Recommended Plan(s) Task #4 Prioritize Areas for Strategic Investment, Consolidated Ownership, and to Support Reinvestment Ashland s Priorities (1 of 6) PROTECT and CONNECT the LAKE Continue to link the city and its people to Lake Superior by developing a collection of exceptional and connected public spaces. Authentic Ashland, 2035 Task #5 Develop a Preferred Land Use Concept for the Ore Dock Upland Area, including recommended development and design parameters, and recommended UDO amendments to facilitate the land use concept DELIVERABLES Creation of a Stakeholder Group to guide the plan update; Minimum of Two (2) Public Meetings; Development of one unified Waterfront Development and CORP, or two separate yet interdependent plans (2019-2023); Recommended Land Use/Development Plan for the Ore Dock Upland Area; Twenty-five (25) hard copies of the Final Report(s); Development of a Summary Document(s) for citizen and promotional use (style of summary document to be proposed by Consultant); Electronic submission, both editable (i.e., MS Word) and print-ready formats of both the Plan(s) and Summary Document(s) which will become the property of the City of Ashland for future use and modification; All maps in electronic format suitable for editing in the City s GIS system and also for publication on the City s website; Digital and paper copies of all public participation materials not developed by the City; Copies of all photos and videos taken in fulfillment of this RFP. (Note: All photos and videos shall be given to the City. The City reserves the right to use these photographs and videos as required for future reference or projects); Copies of all other data and information that was collected through the process in digital copy. Page 5 of 9
PROPOSAL FORMAT AND REQUIREMENTS Proposals that do not address the items listed in this Request for Proposals may be considered incomplete and may be deemed non-responsive by the City of Ashland at its sole discretion. It is the responsibility of the consultants submitting proposals to determine the actual efforts required to complete the project. Proposals shall include the following: 1) Cover Letter A cover letter indicating your interest in the project and identifying why the firm is uniquely qualified for this project. 2) Project Understanding Describe your understanding of the project and the approach and processes to be employed to achieve project completion, including a project timeline with milestones identified, and completion of the project within a 12-month or less timeframe. If there are items you feel should be included in the scope of work, but are not required herein, please also include those items with an explanation of why they are deemed necessary or beneficial to provide a product that is engaging and implementable. 3) Company/Team Description and Background A brief description of the firm including its structure, capabilities, length of time in business, experience and the experience of key staff members with similar projects. Provide brief resumes of the project manager and key technical personnel assigned to the project. Identify and define their individual roles. Provide the name of the key contact, address, phone number and email address. 4) Relevant Project Experience Provide a list of relevant planning projects/design projects undertaken with concentration on those comparable in scale, program, process and function to this project. Provide the name, email address, and phone number of at least three client references. 5) Subcontracting If any responding firm wishes to subcontract any portion of this project, the information contained in items 3 and 4 above should also be provided for the subcontractor. COST PROPOSAL/FEE RATE SCHEDULE 1) Provide an exact statement of the services to be provided within the fee proposal and provide a fee schedule to be used in billing for service deliverables. 2) Provide the total cost based on the fee schedule for the billing of services. 3) Provide a schedule of the hourly rate of employees working on this project and out of pocket expenses. EVALUATION AND SELECTION PROCESS The City of Ashland will evaluate proposals and make a decision for award based on the following criteria; 1) Qualifications and Experience of the Project Manager and key technical personnel as based on the submittal proposal and knowledge of the consultant, and demonstrated experience and technical competence in comparable projects. The Project Manager is the person actually leading and coordinating the project; 2) Reference checks on prior experience/performance; 3) Ability to meet the Project Schedule as committed to by the Consultant in its response to this Request for Proposals; 4) Scope of Work. Evidence that the consultant expresses a clear understanding of the scope of work and that the proposal contains all information requested in the Request for Proposals; Page 6 of 9
5) Fee Proposal. Fee proposals will cover all services as outlined in the Request for Proposals and the submitted proposal. A review committee of City staff will be formed to evaluate the proposals received. The review Committee will meet to narrow the number of proposals to three finalists. Finalists will then be recommended to the Plan Commission and Parks and Recreation Committee. The Plan Commission and Parks and Recreation Committee will then make a final recommendation to the Common Council. The Plan Commission and Parks and Recreation Committee may elect to conduct on-site interviews with the finalists before making a recommendation to the Common Council. If interviews are desired by the Plan Commission, firms will be given ample time to prepare. ANTICIPATED SCHEDULE The following is a tentative schedule the City intends to follow: RFP Release Date August 7 2018 Proposals Due September 4, 2018 Evaluation & Selection Period September 5-7, 2018 Approvals/Contract Completion September 2018 Begin Work Sept/Oct 2018 Create Stakeholder Groups October 2018 Public Meeting #1 October/November, 2018 Draft Plan, Committee Reviews & Public February/March 2019 Meeting #2 Final Plan Approval April 2019 RIGHTS RESERVED by the CITY OF ASHLAND This Request for Qualifications does not commit the City to enter into a contract, nor does it obligate the City to pay for any costs incurred in preparation and submission of qualifications in anticipation of a contract. The City of Ashland reserves the right to: Make the selection based on its sole discretion Reject any and all submissions without prejudice Issue subsequent Requests for Qualifications Postpone opening for its own convenience Remedy technical errors in the Request for Qualifications process Approve or disapprove the use of particular sub-consultants Negotiate with any, all, or none of the Respondents Solicit best and final offers from all or some of the Respondents Accept other than the lowest offer Waive informalities and irregularities in the submittal Request clarification of the information submitted Request additional information INQUIRIES Questions regarding this RFQ must be in writing and sent via the U.S. Mail or e-mail to April Kroner (akroner@coawi.org) up to ten (5) days before the submittal is due. After this date questions involving the content or intent of the RFQ will not be answered. All questions will be responded to in writing via e-mail. Page 7 of 9
PROPOSER RESPONSIBILITY Interested proposers have the responsibility of understanding what is required by this solicitation. The City shall not be held responsible for any firm s lack of understanding. This solicitation contains a brief description of the project site. The City makes no representations as to the conditions of the project site and no employee or any other representative of the City of Ashland has authority to make any oral or written representations as to the conditions of the project site. Respondents are responsible to assure delivery prior to the deadline. Do not assume that a guarantee by a mailing service will ensure that the submittal is received by the deadline. CONTRACT No contract shall be in effect until the City executes a signed contract agreement. The City of Ashland reserves the right to reject any and all proposals not judged to be in the best interest of the City. Page 8 of 9
Additional Information (Available online at www.coawi.org, Waterfront Development & CORP Update RFP) 1. Existing Waterfront Development Plan 2. Existing Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan 3. Authentic Ashland 2035 Comprehensive Plan, Parts 1 & 2 Page 9 of 9