Purpose

The City of Bremerton’s Public Works and Utilities is soliciting a proposal from qualified firms interested in providing transportation planning services.  The work to be performed consists of updating the Transportation Element and the Non-Motorized Transportation Plan associated with the mandated periodic update of the City’s 2024 Comprehensive Plan.  This agreement will be for approximately two years in duration with the option for the City of Bremerton to extend it for additional time and money if necessary.  Consultants will be considered for the following project.

The City of Bremerton reserves the right to amend terms of this “Request for Proposals” (RFP) to circulate various addenda, or to withdraw the RFP at any time, regardless of how much time and effort consultants have spent on their responses.

Background

The City of Bremerton is in Kitsap County and encompasses approximately 32.29 square miles.  The study area will consist of the incorporated city limits and our associated Urban Growth Areas. According to United States Census Bureau estimates as of July 1, 2021, Bremerton had a population of approximately 44,122 and is the largest city within Kitsap County. Located adjacent to the waters of Puget Sound, Bremerton is a unique City as it is a short ferry commute to Downtown Seattle and also contains Naval Base Kitsap within Bremerton’s Downtown Regional Center. Because of its proximity to surrounding Naval bases, Bremerton is home to many active-duty military and veterans.

Project Overview

The City of Bremerton is preparing for its 2024 Comprehensive Plan periodic update and is seeking an experienced and qualified transportation planning consultant to lead and guide the city in the development of the Transportation Element (TE), including the TE Appendices and the Non-Motorized Transportation Plan as part of the city’s comprehensive plan update process.

The consultant team will be asked to help the city clearly define the scope, to identify gaps in the city’s existing planning documents using the Washington Department of Commerce (DOC) and Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) checklists and resources, conduct community outreach and engagement efforts, coordinate with other city departments, partner agencies and stakeholder groups, work with city council to define a clear vision for the plan updates and complete the 2024 Comprehensive Plan update by the state mandated deadline.  This effort will be specifically focused on transportation planning for the city, while coordinating with other departments and agencies.   

Solicitation Process

Interested firms are requested to provide a response containing all required elements to the city by the deadline stated below.  RFPs will be examined by a selection committee and ranked based on the evaluation criteria provided below.  Interviews will be scheduled for the top-rated consultant teams to supplement the submission and sub-consultants should be present at the interviews.  The final consultant team selection and award will need city council approval.

Scope of Work

The project’s scope of work will continue to be defined as the project phases are complete.  The initial scope will include the following:

1. Completion of the Washington DOC and PSRC checklists and performance of a gap analysis of existing planning and policy documents.
2. Coordination with other departments at the City of Bremerton, State, County, Transit, Regional Authorities and Tribes.
3. Development and execution of a Public Participation Plan.
4. Develop and present a scope of work and budget to the City Council for approval to update the City’s Comprehensive Plan (TE and Non-Motorized Transportation Plan) to be consistent with Vision 2050 and Kitsap Countywide Planning Policies and Growth Management Act (GMA).
5. Incorporate previously completed transportation plans into the update, including the SR 303 Corridor Plan, the Joint Compatibility Transportation Plan (JCTP), and the SR 16 – Tacoma Narrows Bridge to SR 3 Congestion Study.
6. Drafting and finalizing an updated Transportation Element for the Comprehensive Plan and the Non-Motorized Transportation Plan.
7. Assisting with the Certification of the updated and adoption of the Comprehensive Plan; will be conducted together with the City of Bremerton’s Department of Community Development.

Proposal Requirements

Proposals must include all information requested and meet the following requirements:

A.  Cover Letter – Limit your cover letter to one page and identify the consultant team and contact person with their title, email address, mailing address and phone number.  Include the project name, firm name, name of the Principal-in-Charge and Project Manager.  A duly authorized officer, employee or agent of the consulting firm must sign the letter.

B.  Key Personnel Qualifications & Experience – Provide a brief description of the individuals on the consultant team, including sub-consultants and their relevant experience and qualifications as well as their role in the project.  Provide information demonstrating the organizational structure of the consultant team and the reporting relationships between team members.  The team may consist of multiple teams with focused areas of expertise.   The project will require the consultant team to have the following qualifications:

• Experience with PSRC and DOC’s resources and processes.
• Experience designing and implementing a Public Participation Plan public engagement with the general public, including communities of color and persons with limited English proficiency.
• Experience in the development of comprehensive plans
• Experience and education related to multi-modal transportation planning
• Experience and education to demonstrate competency in discipline areas related to the Transportation Element (TE) of the Comprehensive Plan
• Experience in concurrency management, including traffic impact fees and fee structures
• Experience in transportation  modeling, including traffic volume forecasts, travel demand modeling, vehicle and multimodal level of service (both segment and intersection), delay and capacity analysis
• Ability to provide creative and unique approaches to Comprehensive Planning

C.  Proposed Approach – Describe how the team will approach this project, given your experience and the scope of work, as presented above.  Identify key tasks, who is responsible for them and what is needed from city staff or other resources to ensure successful completion.  Include timeline expectations and cost estimates that reflect your capacity and experience.  At a minimum, the approach should address the following:

• Include a targeted approach for updating the city’s comprehensive plan (TE) and Non-Motorized Transportation Plan; compliance with GMA and the community’s vision.
• Include a Public Participation Plan that will effectively engage the community early and often.  With focus on key topics such as equitability, barrier free travel environment and recognizes the needs and interests of both the community and city.
• Must clearly demonstrate an experienced project team with effective quality control, communication, working across city departments and reporting processes in place.
• Address the consultant team’s ability to produce high-quality work reflective of the local conditions and objectives as guided by elected and appointed officials, stakeholder groups, city staff and the community.
• Indicate the team members who can take on this project through its completion and ensure the team can start work as soon as the contract is approved.

D. Relevant Experience and References – Describe the team’s experience on three (3) relevant projects, include a brief project description, client name and contact information, start and completion dates, role on the project, estimated and final costs, challenges and opportunities presented by the project.  Work samples must be from projects of similar size and scope that clearly show a high- quality end product that includes creative and unique approaches to comprehensive planning.  The city reserves the right to contact references without prior notification.

Evaluation Criteria

Submittals will be evaluated and ranked based on the following criteria: 

Key Personnel Qualifications and Experience                                                                                 25 points

Proposed Approach                                                                                                                       40 points 

Relevant Project Experience and References                                                                           20 points

Quality of Proposal                                                                                                                       15 points

TOTAL POINTS                                                                                                                              100 points

Submittal Requirements

The city will only accept proposals submitted using the following email address: vicki.grover@ci.bremerton.wa.us

All proposals shall be in PDF format and no greater than 10 MB in size.  The submittal must be formatted as follows:

• Submitted as an 8.5” x 11” sheet, single sided only, and with text (font) size no smaller than 12 points;
• If charts and/or graphics are utilized, text (font) size must be no smaller than 8 points

Your proposal must consist of:

• Cover Letter
• Your responses to proposal criterion listed above
• The proposal packet is limited to 20 pages, single sided only, not including the front and back cover.

The proposal shall meet the following requirements or may be deemed non-responsive and will not be eligible for consideration of this work:

• Title of the proposal and your firm clearly identified on the cover of the submittal packet and on the cover letter;
• Name of Principal-in-Charge and Project Manager proposed on the project;
• Responsiveness to all proposal criteria;
• Meeting page limitations and font size requirements;
• Meeting submittal deadline submission date and time

All costs to develop the proposal submittal is the obligation of the consultant firm and are not chargeable to the city.  All proposal documentation will become the property of the city and will not be returned.  Proposals may be submitted early and withdrawn at any time before the published due date, provided notification is submitted in writing to the city’s project manager listed below.

The city reserves the right to reject any or all submittals and to waive irregularities or information in the evaluation process.  The final decision is the sole decision of the city, and the respondents to this formal request have no appeal rights or procedures guaranteed to them.

Please direct questions to Project Manager Vicki Grover (360) 536-6442, vicki.grover@ci.bremerton.wa.us.

Complete submittals must be received by Noon (PST) on Tuesday, January 31st, 2023. Proposers are responsible for assuring delivery. Proposals received after the response time and date will not be opened or considered.

Public Records and Proprietary Material

Proposers should be aware that any information they submit to the City may be public record under the Washington Public Records Act (RCW 42.56). The City must promptly disclose public records upon request unless a statute exempts them from disclosure. Exemptions are narrow and specific. Information considered proprietary by the proposer or other information they believe is exempt from disclosure should be clearly labeled in the proposal. Upon receipt of a request for public disclosure regarding the proposal, the City will notify the proposer. If the proposer believes its records are exempt from disclosure, it is the proposer’s sole responsibility to pursue legal action to enjoin disclosure. It is the proposer’s discretionary decision whether to file such action. However, if the proposer does not timely obtain and serve an injunction, the City will disclose the records, in accordance with applicable law.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Information

The City of Bremerton in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (Section 504) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), commits to nondiscrimination on the basis of disability, in all of its programs and activities. This material can be made available in an alternate format by emailing Cathy Bonsell at cathy.bonsell@ci.bremerton.wa.us or by calling collect (360) 473-5717. 

Title VI Statement

The City of Bremerton in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 78 Stat. 252, 42 U.S.C. 2000d to 2000d-4 and Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, Department of Transportation, subtitle A, Office of the Secretary, Part 21, nondiscrimination in federally assisted programs of the Department of Transportation issued pursuant to such Act, hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively ensure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprises as defined at 49 CFR Part 26 will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, national origin, or sex in consideration for an award.”