REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS
(RFQ)
Planning and Engineering
Services to Draft Private/Public Transportation Infrastructure Standards
Issued: March (24), 2017
Deadline for Submission: May
(03), 2017
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Overview
The Town of Milton requests
qualifications from planning/engineering/environmental consultants to draft
amendments to the Town’s Development Regulations and Public Works
Specifications that cure inconsistencies among the ordinances, and with the
Town Plan, by establishing coordinated, clear, and context-specific standards
for private and public transportation infrastructure to ensure that new
infrastructure:
•
Is economically scaled and built according to its use and context;
•
Calms traffic by aligning design with intended speed limits and modes;
•
Expands transportation choice;
•
Protects water quality; and
•
Mitigates costs associated with Milton’s Municipal Roads Permit/ MS4 Permit.
The consultant will work with a project
steering committee charged with taking into consideration prior planning and
existing regulations to: identify local issues and values, select preferred
alternatives prepared by the consultant (which advance Plan goals), and review
draft language prepared by the consultant.
(The committee will meet no more than twice a month.) To achieve the aims above, the project must:
1. Create clear standards and processes that can be consistently and efficiently administered;
2. Develop hierarchical development standards
and design specifications for:
•
Streets and roads;
•
Sidewalks, pathways and trails;
•
Driveways and highway accesses;
•
Internal circulation and parking;
•
Streetscape features, such as signage, lighting, and plantings; and
•
Related, low-impact development/green stormwater infrastructure.
3.
The
standards developed above should factor in the infrastructure’s:
•
Land-use/zoning context: (village/downtown/transitional/suburban/rural);
•
Traffic volume/congestion/safety; and
• Modality:
transit, vehicular, bike, pedestrian.
Public outreach is an important
part of this project. In addition to
committee facilitation, the consultant will develop an online survey and host
an open house (inviting public rankings of preferred alternatives) and host a
public forum on the final report. The
consultant will collaborate with staff to coordinate outreach content, such as periodic
e-mail updates to interested parties, project webpage updates, press releases
at project milestones, and periodic updates through existing Town communication
channels: social media, newsletters, message boards, etc.
Context and Background
·
Incremental
regulatory creep has, over time, made Milton’s Zoning Regulations, Subdivision
Regulations and Public Works Specifications inconsistent with each other and
the goals of the Comprehensive Plan.
·
The
current standards are difficult for staff, developers and designers to
interpret and apply. This results in
confusion, conflict, inconsistent application and discordant outcomes.
·
Milton’s
Town Plan prioritizes compact, connected and walkable urban development in its
“Town Core” surrounded by low-impact development in rural areas. Today’s infrastructure standards tend to
favor a one-size-fits-all approach for Milton. This results in infrastructure that can be out
of scale with its setting.
·
The
status quo is a regulatory program that diminishes the confidence of both
participants and observers.
·
Prior
to on-boarding the consultant, the Town will constitute a diverse stakeholder
steering committee charged with reviewing resource documents identified below
to prepare summary findings of local issues for the consultant. This committee platforms aims to build
consensus, trust and buy-in among a broad set of participants that results in a
deliverable with strong regulatory coherence.
Resources
Competitive consultants (or consultant
teams) will be very familiar with State guidance documents and standards, as
well as be able to quickly synthesize relevant goals from local planning and
studies.
Local Regulations
• Milton Zoning (2015) & Subdivision (2010)
Regulations/Draft Unified Development Regulations
• Milton Public Works Specifications
(2010)
• Milton Street Naming, Addressing, and
Street Signs Ordinance (2013)
• Milton Motor Vehicle and Traffic
Regulation Ordinance (2011)
• Milton Maintenance Plans: Sidewalks,
Winter Operations, Etc.
• Milton Water and Wastewater Ordinances
• Milton Illicit Discharge and Stormwater
Connection Ordinance (2007)
• Milton Landscape Bonds Policy (1998)
Plans and Studies
• Town of Milton Comprehensive Plan (2013)
• Milton Town Core Traffic Circulation
Plan (2008)
• Route 7 Land Use and Transportation
Study (2008)
• Milton Town Core Master Plan (2000)
• Milton Long Range Access and Mobility
Committee Final Report (2001)
• Town Core Streetscape and Accessibility
Design Study (2007)
• Milton US Route 7 Health Impact
Assessment (2015)
• The US Route 7 Corridor Study (2015)
• Northern Lake Champlain Basin Management
Plan (2015)
• Lamoille River Tactical Basin Management
Plan (2016 draft)
• Region’s Active Transportation Plan
(2016)
• Milton Urban Community Forestry
Inventory and Urban Tree Planting Guide & Street Tree Manual (2015)
• Prior Town of Milton Corridor/Scoping
Studies
•Available Traffic Studies and Count Data
Guidance Reports and State Standards
• SmartCode Manual
• United States Postal Service Mailbox
Guidelines
• VTRANS Class 1 Town Highways: Costs and
Issues for Vermont Communities Considering Reclassification of State Highways
(2016)
• VTRANS Report on Shared-use Path and
Sidewalk Unit Costs (2010)
• VTRANS Access Management Program
Guidelines (2005)
• VTRANS Complete Streets Guidance
Document (2012)
• VTRANS Corridor Management Handbook
(2005)
• VTRANS Orange Book for Local Officials
(2016)
• Chittenden County’s Bicycle Design
Facility Toolkit (2015)
• USDA Trail Construction and Maintenance
Notebook (2007)
• Revised Vermont Stormwater Management
Manual (2016)
• Vermont’s Model Stormwater Management
Bylaw, VLCT (2015)
Funding
A total of $26,000 is available for
consultant services from the Municipal Planning Grant program administered by
the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development and the Town of
Milton. The MPG Grant application will
be provided upon request.
Work
Plan
1. Review Project Plan & Develop Summary
Findings| Town Staff & Committee
2. Review Summary Findings| Committee & Consultant
3. Technical Review and Survey Preparation |Consultant
4. Survey Ranking of Preferred Alternatives| Consultant, Committee & Public
5. Open House on Rankings| Consultant, Committee & Public
6. Committee Finalizes Preferred Alternatives
|Consultant & Committee
7. Consultant Drafts Amendments | Consultant
8. Committee Reviews Amendments| Consultant & Committee
9. Committee Hosts Public Forum |Consultant & Committee
10. Committee Reviews & Consultant
Finalizes Draft Amendments | Committee
& Consultant
Deliverables
Final draft text and figures in MS Word
format.
Tables and data references and sources in
MS Excel
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
All responses to the RFQ shall include the
following information:
1. Cover Letter
2. Statement of Qualifications and Staffing
Provide a qualifications profile of the lead consultant and
sub-consultants, including indication of the lead consultant, the proposed role
of each consultant on the team. Also
provide details information on each consultant, including the name of the firm,
year established, and contact information.
3. Summary of Relevant Projects and
References
Describe relevant experience on similar projects for each firm
and list the work experience of the individuals expected to be involved in the
project. Include a minimum of three (3) professional
references for whom a similar project has been completed within the last ten
(10) years.
4. Page Limit
The proposal, encompassing items 1-3 above, shall not exceed 10
double-side pages (20 total pages) including cover letter, project lists and contacts.
All information becomes the property of
the Town of Milton upon submission. The
municipality, Town of Milton, reserves the right to issue supplemental
information or guidelines relating to the RFQ as well as make modifications to
the RFQ or withdraw the RFQ.
Submission Requirements
Respondents should submit one (1) digital
copy by PDF and one (1) printed copy of the proposal by the deadline above to:
Town of Milton
Jacob Hemmerick, Planning Director
43 Bombardier Rd.
Milton, VT 05468
802.893.1186
Please expect a confirmation email upon
receipt of qualifications by Town of Milton.
If you have any questions about this
project or the RFQ, please address them in writing either via US mail or e-mail
to Jacob Hemmerick. The Town will
respond to all questions in writing within five (5) business days. Both the questions and the response will be
shared with the other consultants.
Selection Process
Qualifications will be reviewed by a
selection committee comprised of representatives from the Town of Milton. A short-list of consultants will be selected
to submit detailed proposals for the project with a project approach, scope of
services, schedule and budget with details on staffing, hourly costs, and
overhead. Finalists may be requested to
present the proposals in-person at interviews.
RFQ Schedule Summary
Qualifications due: May 3
Consultants selected for short list: May 17
Proposals due: May 24
Possible Interviews on: June 7
Consultant selection by: June 19
Project work to begin: July 1, 2017
Complete project on or by: February 1, 2018
Evaluation of Qualifications
Respondents will be evaluated according to
the following factors:
1. Consultant Qualifications (experience with
similar projects, ability to work with municipalities to attain desired
outcomes, and knowledge of the topic) – 85%
a. Experience doing similar regulatory work.
b. Ability to approachably communicate
complex transportation planning, land use planning and engineering concepts and
consequences to stakeholders and build consensus.
c.
Ability
to draft clear, functional regulatory language.
d. Knowledge of land use planning,
transportation planning, and engineering.
e. Understanding of regulatory interplay at
local and state levels.
f.
Proven
ability to work with committees and conduct public meetings.
g. Availability to begin work on project
start date.
2. Quality, completeness and clarify of
submission - 15%
Interview Framework
The Town of Milton reserves the right to
select the top two to three highly scored consultants and invite them for an
interview. In this process, the
selection committee may ask the respondents to given an oral presentation of
their respective proposals. The purpose
of this oral presentation is to provide and in-depth analysis of
qualifications, experience in performing similar services, and an opportunity
for the consultant to clarify or elaborate on their qualifications without
restating the proposal.
The interview and presentation is merely
to present facts and explain to the review committee and allow the selection
committee to ask targeted questions of the consultant team. The interview and presentation, if deemed
necessary by the review committee, will be held at the Municipal Building in
Milton, Vermont. The day and time will
be notified to the respondents at least one (1) week prior to the meeting. All costs and expenses incurred in traveling
for the purpose of the interview and presentation shall be the responsibility
of the consultant.
Final Consultant Selection
Following the selection process, one team
will be selected to negotiate a final contract for services. The final scope of work with specified
deliverables may be modified through negotiation of the final contract. Any expenses resulting from the interview and
proposal process will be the sole responsibility of the consultant.
Contracting Requirements
The consultant contract will be subject to the terms of
Attachment D of the Municipal Planning Grant Agreement (Procurement Procedures
and Other Grant Requirements). A sample
contract meeting these requirements is available upon request.
