REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL Conduct a Resident Satisfaction Survey City of Hyattsville, Maryland Date Issued: April 29, 2013 Date Due: May 17, 2013 at 4:00 PM Date of Proposal Opening: May 21, 2013 Page 1 of 12
Table of Contents OVERVIEW: CONDUCT A COMMUNITY SURVEY 3 BACKGROUND 4 SCOPE OF WORK 5 REQUIRED SUBMITTALS FOR PROPOSAL 6 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS AND INFORMATION 9 SUBMISSION OF PROPOSAL/BID 9 EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS & AWARD OF CONTRACT 9 OTHER REQUIREMENTS AND INFORMATION 10 ATTACHMENT: CITY OF HYATTSVILLE ORGANIZATIONAL CHART 13 ATTACHMENT: EVALUATION & SUMMARY SHEET 14 ATTACHMENT: SUSTAINABILITY POLICY 18 ATTACHMENT: SAMPLE CONTRACT 22 Page 2 of 12
Overview: Conduct a Community Survey The City of Hyattsville, Maryland invites sealed responses to a Request for Proposal (RFP) to conduct a Community Survey. The City of Hyattsville, Maryland has conducted several informal surveys of our residents over the past decade. While some valuable information has been gleaned from these efforts, they have not been conducted by a neutral third party. In addition, there is a tendency to hear from those residents most connected to City government, while inadvertently excluding those who may be less aware of the City s functions and services. In 2011, we conducted our first Resident Satisfaction Survey using sampling. The City of Hyattsville seeks a firm to: 1. Provide assistance in developing a statistically valid survey tool that can be repeated on a biannual basis, based on the previous survey tool; 2. Assist with structuring the survey to capture key concerns; 3. Select a representative sample of households, providing for responses in both English and Spanish; 4. Conduct the survey with an option for English or Spanish responses; 5. Benchmark the results against comparable communities throughout the US; 6. Identify potential areas of concern and/or top priorities for future work; 7. Provide data for GIS mapping; 8. Present findings to City Council in a Public Meeting at the survey s conclusion. BACKGROUND The City of Hyattsville, Maryland is located in Prince George s County, Maryland, within the Washington DC metropolitan area. The City is governed by a Mayor and tenmember City Council. Two Council Members are elected from each of the City s five wards. Our community has grown considerably in the past decade, both through infill development and by annexation. Our expectation is that growth will continue through both of these mechanisms in the near future. Considerable change has taken place, including an increase in the tax base, the addition of hundreds of high end rental units, and a significant increase in the percentage of commercial and retail property located within the City. The current population is estimated at 18,000. Page 3 of 12
In 2008, the City began a comprehensive Management & Efficiency Study process with an outside consulting firm. In the spring of 2009, the Management & Efficiency Study recommended that the City conduct a biannual community survey to gauge resident satisfaction with City services. A number of less rigorous mechanisms have been employed in recent City planning efforts. The City s Community Legacy plan has recently been revised, with input from over 100 residents, primarily at community meetings, as well as elected officials and other stakeholders. In addition, Community Meetings are frequently conducted by each Department to address a wide range of issues. Throughout these efforts, one of the challenges is surfacing the voice of residents who may be less inclined to engage with the City government for many reasons, ranging from lack of English language skills to a lack of awareness of City services. We wish to conduct our survey in a fashion that is as free from bias as possible. Like many municipalities, we must coordinate services with many other jurisdictions, including the County and State; local utilities; and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. In addition, the United States Postal Service designates a 60 square mile area Hyattsville, even though the incorporated City limits are only about 3 square miles. The result is that projects within the City limits may not be fully under the City s control, and issues that take place far outside our boundaries may shape others perceptions of the community. While the City fared well during the 2008/2009 economic downturn, the most recent round of property assessments have resulted in a more than 10% reduction in our revenues from property taxes. This has made a need for good data even more critical. It is also important that this survey build on the 2011 survey provide a foundation for surveys to be conducted in the future. Our goal is to eventually be able to report change over time. Ultimately, we anticipate that survey data will be used to inform all City decisions. The City s Community Services Director will serve as the point of contact for the survey. Page 4 of 12
SCOPE OF WORK Overview The following is an outline of the total Scope of Work: 1. Provide assistance in developing a statistically valid survey tool that can be repeated on a biannual basis, based on our 2011 survey tool; 2. Assist with structuring the survey to capture key concerns; 3. Select a representative sample of households, providing for responses in both English and Spanish; 4. Conduct the survey with an option for English or Spanish responses; 5. Benchmark the results against comparable communities throughout the US; 6. Identify potential areas of concern and/or top priorities for future work; 7. Provide data for GIS mapping; 8. Present findings to City Council in a Public Meeting at the survey s conclusion. 1. Developing the Survey Since the City conducted a Community Survey in 2011, we wish to begin by reviewing the 2011 tool and ensuring that it is updated appropriately for 2013, without compromising our ability to compare change over time. 2. Structuring the Survey Each Department within the City has key questions and concerns to address through the survey. Assistance will be provided to both the Community Services Director, and to any Elected Official, Committee Chair, or Department Director requiring guidance to develop their section. We anticipate that the sections will be as follows: Customer Service; Community Image; Quality of Life; Public Safety; Parks & Recreation; Communications; Transportation; Street/Sidewalk Maintenance & Trash Collection; Code Compliance; Housing & Economic Development. 3. Select Sample & 4. Conduct Survey Our preference is that the survey be based on a sample of households within the City of Hyattsville, ensuring that the sample mirrors the City wide composition in terms of race, income, native language, renters vs. owners, length of time in residence, and other factors to be determined in consultation with the selected firm. Page 5 of 12
It is imperative that the survey be conducted in both English and Spanish. Our current data suggests that nearly 20% of our residences may primarily speak Spanish at home. Our 2011 experience showed that it was very difficult to get responses from Spanish speaking households. Support for outreach to this part of the community is critical. 5. Benchmark Results & 6. Identify Concerns & Priorities The City is focused on adopting best practices and emerging strategies to provide the best possible services to our community. Survey data should be analyzed to provide both: 1. A ranking of resident priorities/areas of concern; 2. Comparisons to comparable communities. 7. Provide Data for GIS Mapping Please provide data that we can geocode for use in ARC GIS. 8. Reports, Presentation & Deliverables Present findings to the Mayor and City Council in a Community Meeting One in person presentation will be required, to be scheduled for a Monday evening, mostly likely in Fall 2013. We will require a final version of the report provided in Adobe PDF and 20 bound copies of the final report. REQUIRED SUBMITTALS FOR PROPOSAL 1. Explanation of Work to Be Performed The proposal must include a statement clearly articulating the understanding of the work to be performed and must specify the intended scope of work of the proposal. 2. General Profile of Firm and Qualifications The proposal must include a statement of affirmation of the firm s qualifications for professionally and expertly conducting the work as understood. Please include relevant background and resumes for individuals to be assigned to this project. If your firm is a Maryland State Certified Minority Business Enterprise Page 6 of 12
(MBE)/Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE), you must include a copy of the certificate. 3. Contact Information The proposal must clearly identify the firm s contact person concerning the proposal, the firm s main and/or local addresses, telephone number, and email address where the contact person can be reached. 4. Schedule for Provision of Work The proposal must indicate the firm s anticipated availability for the project and an estimated performance schedule, if selected for the project. A detailed schedule presentation is an important consideration for the proposal review. 5. Past Work Samples The proposal must include a minimum of two (2) and a maximum of three (3) examples of similar work product that reflect similar work scope and budgetary parameters. All proposals must include contact information for the municipality and/or client. 6. Certification of Compliance with State of Maryland Policies It is the responsibility of the respondent to certify compliance with State of Maryland policies relating to Equal Opportunity Employment, Non Discrimination, Drug and Alcohol Policy requirements, Compliance with Applicable Law, and Non Debarment from doing business with the State of Maryland and / or any other governmental organizations. 7. Proposal Submittal All responding vendors are required to submit six (6) printed copies of their proposal. These proposals will be kept on file and will not be returned to the submitting vendor. Separate Sealed Dollar Cost Bid / Basis for Compensation 1. General Information The sealed dollar bid must be submitted in a separate envelope from the Letter of Proposal documents. The sealed dollar cost bid section of the proposal Page 7 of 12
should contain all pricing information relative to providing the work as described in this request for proposals. This section should include a statement of your firm s Basis for Compensation. For the basic services offered in this proposal, the respondent shall provide a lump sum, total all inclusive maximum price as well as a summary of the percentage of estimated professional costs, total anticipated hours to complete the work, and the wage rate for analysts. The City of Hyattsville will not be responsible for expenses incurred in preparing and submitting the technical proposal or the sealed dollar cost bid. Such costs should not be included in the proposal. 2. Inclusions The Sealed Dollar Cost Bid should also include the following information: A. Name of firm as it appears on the Federal and/or State Tax Identification forms. B. Certification that the person signing the proposal is authorized to represent the firm, empowered to submit the bid and authorized to sign a contract with the City of Hyattsville. C. A Professional Services Pay Rate for each specific professional field that may be required to successfully complete the services identified in the submitted proposal. D. A Total Phase Cost for each of the three phases of work identified in this RFP. The total phase cost is to contain all direct and indirect costs including all anticipated out of pocket expenses. E. A Total All inclusive Maximum Price for the work. The total allinclusive maximum price is to contain all direct and indirect costs including all anticipated out of pocket expenses. F. Rates for Additional Services: the City of Hyattsville may request additional services outside the scope of this proposal. The selected firm must be available to perform these additional services at the same rates detailed in the schedule of fees and expenses included in the sealed dollar cost bid. Page 8 of 12
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS AND INFORMATION SUBMISSION OF PROPOSAL / BID The RFP Transmittal Letter and the marked Sealed Dollar Cost Bid are due to the City of Hyattsville by Friday, May 17, 2013 at 4:00 PM, and must be either mailed or handdelivered to: City of Hyattsville 4310 Gallatin Street Hyattsville, Maryland 20781 Attn: Laura Reams, City Clerk t information for ques Questions concerning the RFP should be directed to Laura Reams, City Clerk, at 301/985 5009. EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS AND AWARD OF CONTRACT The submitted proposals (not including the Sealed Dollar Cost Bid) will be publicly opened and read on Tuesday, May 21 at 3:00 PM in the Prangley Room of the City of Hyattsville s Municipal Building, 4310 Gallatin Street, Hyattsville, Maryland. The separate Transmittal Letter of the proposals submitted will be reviewed and evaluated first. The qualifying firms from this section will have their sealed dollar cost bid opened and evaluated. The firm best meeting the experience, approach and cost requirements will then be selected. The City of Hyattsville reserves the right to reject any and all RFP submissions and further reserves the right to re issue the RFP. Evaluation will take place between the days of May 21, 2013 and May 30, 2013 and a recommendation will go the City of Hyattsville Mayor and Council for consideration of approval. Page 9 of 12
OTHER REQUIREMENTS AND INFORMATION 1. Stability of Proposed Prices Any price offerings from respondents must be valid for a period of 90 days from the due date of the proposals. 2. Project Payments Payment will be made in two phases; one at the beginning of the project and the second following the completion of the presentation and receipt of the final report. 3. Amendment or Cancellation of the RFP The City of Hyattsville reserves the right to cancel, amend, modify or otherwise change this RFP at any time if it deems it to be in the best interest of the City of Hyattsville to do so. 4. Proposal Modifications No additions or changes to any proposal will be allowed after the proposal due date, unless such modification is specifically requested by the City of Hyattsville. 5. Presentation of Supporting Evidence Respondents must be prepared to provide any evidence of experience, performance, ability, and/or financial sureties that the City of Hyattsville deems to be necessary or appropriate to fully establish the performance capabilities represented in their proposals. 6. Demonstration of Proposed Services At the discretion of the City of Hyattsville, respondents must be able to confirm their ability to provide all proposed services. Any required confirmation must be provided at a site approved by and without cost to the City of Hyattsville. 7. Erroneous Awards The City of Hyattsville reserves the right to correct inaccurate awards. This may include, in extreme circumstances, revoking the awarding of a contract already made to a respondent and subsequently awarding the contract to another respondent. Such action on the part of the City of Hyattsville shall not constitute Page 10 of 12
a breach of contract on the part of the City of Hyattsville once this determination has been made. 8. Proposal Expenses Respondents are responsible for all costs and expenses incurred in the preparation of proposals and for any subsequent work on the proposal that is required by the City of Hyattsville. 9. Ownership of Proposals All proposals shall become the sole property of the City of Hyattsville and will not be returned. 10. Execution of Contract This RFP is not a contract and, alone, shall not be interpreted as such. Rather, this RFP only serves as the instrument through which proposals are solicited. If, for some reason, the City of Hyattsville and the initial selected respondent fail to reach consensus on the issues relative to the contract, then the City of Hyattsville or its agents may commence contract negotiations with other respondents. The City of Hyattsville may decide at any time to start the RFP process again. 11. Oral Agreement or Arrangements Any alleged oral agreements or arrangements made by respondents with the City of Hyattsville or employees of the City of Hyattsville will be disregarded in any proposal evaluation or associated award. 12. Subcontractors The City of Hyattsville must approve any and all subcontractors utilized by the successful respondent prior to any such subcontractor commencing any work. Respondents acknowledge by the act of submitting a proposal that any work provided under the contract is work conducted on behalf of the City of Hyattsville and that the Community Services Director or her designee may communicate directly with any subcontractor as the City of Hyattsville deem to be necessary or appropriate. It is also understood that the successful respondent shall be responsible for all payment of fees charged by the subcontractor(s). The successful respondent shall provide a performance evaluation of any subcontractor promptly to the City of Hyattsville upon request. The successful respondent must provide the majority of services described in the Scope of Work. Page 11 of 12
13. Copyright The selected firm must agree to execute and deliver to the City of Hyattsville all necessary documents to support the transfer and assignment of any and all intellectual property and copyright rights pertaining to the plan to be developed under this proposal. 13. Confidentiality and Care of Data The successful respondent agrees to protect the confidentiality of any files, data or other material pertaining to this contract and to restrict their use solely for the purpose of performing this contract. The successful respondent shall take all steps necessary to safeguard data, files, reports or other information from loss, destruction or erasure. Any costs or expenses of replacing or damages resulting from the loss of such data shall be borne by the contractor when such loss or damage occurred through its negligence. 14. Legal Terms It is the policy of the City of Hyattsville that any contract for services requires that all legal disputes are heard in a court of law in the State of Maryland and that each party is responsible to pay for the cost of their own legal fees. The City will not agree to terms that are not consistent with this policy. ~~~~~~~~~~ The City of Hyattsville actively seeks and encourages woman and minority owned firms to submit proposals in response to this project. Page 12 of 12