Organization: City of Fairfield
About this opportunity:
PROPOSAL DEADLINE DATE: February 17, 2023
Proposals must be received no later than 4:00 PM on Friday, February 17, 2023. Late proposals will not be accepted
Proposals are to be submitted to:
Development Services Department
Attention: Erin Lynn
City of Fairfield
5350 Pleasant Avenue
Fairfield, OH 45014
Contact Information:
Erin Lynn, Planning Manager
(513) 867-5345
elynn@fairfieldoh.gov
www.fairfield-city.org
The City of Fairfield, Ohio is seeking qualified services to develop a sustainability plan that addresses both municipal operations and community-wide initiative and trends that align with national interests/policies. The sustainability plan will serve as a comprehensive strategy for addressing environmental, economic and social equity considerations in the city. It will identify targeted policies, programs and projects that address both current and future sustainability concerns and will incorporate current City of Fairfield strategic plans.
Purpose:
The purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to provide guidelines for the submission of proposals. Proposals must reflect the ability to provide a full range of expertise in all areas required to develop a sustainability plan. Proposals must identify both technical subject matter expertise and experience with public outreach.
Background:
- Sustainability Plan Mission Statement
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- Implement a sustainable strategy into the founding tenants of quality of life within the City of Fairfield. The strategy will support and promote infrastructure innovation and programming while improving livability within the city by reducing the impact of city operations on natural resources and the environment.
- Fairfield Forward Comprehensive Plan
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- The City completed a major update to its comprehensive plan in 2019. A copy of Fairfield Forward can be found on the Development Services Department web page. The plan dedicates an entire chapter to sustainability and one of the implementation strategies from the plan states, “Develop a green initiative and sustainability plan to reduce the impact of the built environment.”
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Community Profile
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- Located in southwestern Ohio, about 20 miles north of Cincinnati, the City of Fairfield is home to almost 45,000 residents and 1,600 businesses that include corporate headquarters, regional companies and local attractions. Incorporated in 1955, Fairfield is a suburban city with a healthy mix of land uses and a strong tax base. The city is a maturing community that is largely built out with about 90 percent of the land developed. The city provides many services such as water and sewer. One of the prime focuses for the city is providing a superior quality of life for all of its residents and this includes being a responsible steward of the environment as well as supporting strategies to maintain a long-term fiscally healthy city.
Current Sustainable Initiatives:
The city has engaged in numerous past and ongoing sustainable initiatives and projects, but has not developed initiatives in a comprehensive or measurable manner. The following is a sample list of those initiatives.
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Environmental Commission – citizen led volunteer committee
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100% Renewable Energy Usage – ongoing at all city facilities
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Street Light Replacement Program – ongoing project to yearly replace street lights with LED lights
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EV Charging Station – installed in 2022 at a city facility for the public to use free of charge
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Tree City USA – ongoing member
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Curbside Residential Recycling program – ongoing for over 25 years
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Lime Recycling Program – new endeavor with the City of Dayton to use recycled lime to treat city water
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Huffman Park Community Gardens - 16 raised garden plots maintained by residents on an annual basis
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Hamilton to New Baltimore Ground Water Consortium - member
Scope of Work:
The following section describes the minimum components which should be included in the scope of work. City staff will finalize the scope of work with the selected consultant prior to contract authorization. The city is open to suggestions other than those items listed which the consultant believes will be of value in producing a viable plan that will have practical applications for day to day and long-term operations.
The City is seeking a comprehensive approach to develop the plan that includes, at a minimum, technical support and public engagement for the development of a sustainability plan for city operations with a focus on ‘quality of life’ enhancements for residents and business owners.
This project will be two-fold, in sequential order:
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Data collection and analysis on sustainability metrics; and
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Sustainability planning, execution and tracking
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Data Collection and Analysis
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The primary focus on this task will be calculation of the current carbon inventory (scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions) of all city operations, including but not limited to, facilities, fleet, street lighting, etc.
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Consultant will use ICLEI Clearpath platform or similar industry-approved software for these calculations to ensure data uniformity.
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Carbon inventory will be broken down by broad city operational functions.
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A higher-level carbon inventory evaluation will be performed for the entire city, to capture residential and commercial sectors.
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A higher-level carbon inventory evaluation will be performed for the entire city, to capture residential and commercial sectors.
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Consultant will assess baseline metrics for other relevant community areas, including but not limited to:
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Natural Environment: open spaces, environmentally sensitive lands, parks
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Transportation infrastructure / connectivity
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Waste generation / recycling
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Built environment: building and zoning
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Economic resiliency
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Community health and social equity factors
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Sustainability Planning, Execution and Tracking
With support from the city’s sustainability steering committee and in conjunction with existing city comprehensive plan initiatives & strategies, the consultant will develop a sustainability plan for city operations and for city-wide activities. The plan will focus on ‘quality of life’ enhancements, with consideration to environmental, economic and social equity components. The plan should include:
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Goals
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Execution strategies and “roadmaps”
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Tracking methodologies
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Communication strategies and community engagement initiatives
The plan will benchmark the City of Fairfield’s operations against like communities ‘best practices’ in the areas of: natural environment, transportation infrastructure, waste generation and recycling, built environment, economic resiliency, and social equity.
The plan will provide recommendations and best practices for city-wide activities such as green infrastructure, community health, green building and design, tree preservation and education.
Specific deliverables of this project will include but not be limited to:
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Decarbonization goals and framework(s) for execution, including identification and ranking of carbon reduction projects and opportunities, as well as related costs, risks, and ROI metrics.
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Building and zoning code updates to incorporate and promote sustainability
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Green infrastructure recommendations.
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Financial operating structure updates to rank, prioritize, and support sustainable projects, and to consider sustainability in procurement of goods and services.
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Efficiency goals and framework(s) for execution, specified to departmental level.
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Business sustainability goals and framework(s) for execution, in support of sustainable business practices
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Residential sustainability goals and framework(s) for execution
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Social equity goals and framework(s) for execution
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Macro level review of how recommended sustainability plan equates to city wide operational efficiencies, return on investment and quality of life improvements
Public Process Strategy and Public Outreach:
It is the city’s desire that there be meaningful community participation in the preparation of the plan. The city is seeking a consultant that will engage the public, stakeholders and elected/appointed officials through various methods including presentations, workshops, and social media. The consultant shall develop a public involvement/engagement and public relations campaign with suggestions for outreach opportunities, meeting concepts and information gathering techniques. Strong communication (oral and written) and presentation skills are required.
Qualifications:
All statements of qualifications should include, at a minimum, the following information:
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Project Team Composition.
Provide a description of the team that will be assigned to the project including related work experience for all team members. Identify the capacity in which team members will be used and identify the Project Manager, who will be the point of contact during the process. Any work intending to be subcontracted must be disclosed, including the name of the subcontractor(s) and specific tasks that will be subcontracted. The city expects that the principal staff person(s) listed will not change and will follow through the entirety of the project.
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Firm Background.
Provide a brief description of the firm including the range of professional services, office locations and staff size. This shall apply to all sub-consultants.
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Firm Experience.
Outline the experience of the firm and other credentials that illustrate qualifications to undertake this project. Provide at least three examples of sustainability plans completed for municipalities that your firm has completed within the last five years. This can be provided by a link to a specific webpage, electronically on a flash drive, or other method determined by the consultant. Plans should be based on similar sized communities.
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References.
Provide a minimum of three references for services comparable to this project. Include a contact person, title, address, telephone number and email address. In addition, provide the time period when the services were rendered and a description of services rendered.
Submission Criteria:
For evaluation purposes, each proposal submission shall include, at a minimum, the following items listed below.
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Letter of Interest. This brief letter will summarize the consultant’s understanding of the scope of work.
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Qualifications as stated in Section VI.
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Approach to the Project. Provide a description of the consultant’s approach to accomplishing the project. This includes a proposed scope of work describing the approach to accomplishing the objectives stated in the RFP and identifying the methodology proposed. The consultant is encouraged to include suggestions or supplemental tasks which may enhance the project or streamline the scope of work and improve cost effectiveness. Clearly articulate all assumptions regarding data, information and the role that you expect from the city.
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Public Outreach and Communication. Provide a description of the proposed public input process.
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Project Schedule. Provide an outline of an expected timeline and major milestones for the scope of work. Project initiation is expected in the second quarter of 2023.
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Project Budget. Provide a conceptual outline of cost and hours for completing the scope of work. This should include material costs and a not to exceed figure as well as all other costs that may be incurred for the delivery of services requested.
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Any other information you would like to submit that you feel will assist us in the evaluation of your qualifications.
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Please submit four (4) hard copies of the proposal and one electronic copy.
Selection Process:
Award of this proposal will be to the consultant deemed best qualified to perform the services outlined in this RFP and other services deemed necessary by the city.
Proposals received for this RFP will be reviewed by an evaluation committee comprised of city staff and elected/appointed officials. The City of Fairfield will select a consultant based upon a thorough review of the merits of the proposals received. Consultant will be chosen on the basis of their ability to best meet the overall expectations of the city.
After evaluating the proposals, the city may select the top 2-3 consultants for follow-up interviews. Only key team members, including sub-consultants, who will be directly responsible for the work should participate. Based upon results of the interview, the city will select a consultant.
Upon selection, the consultant will be contacted to finalize a contract, which will include fee structure, project schedule and any additional scope of services that may result from the interview.
The city reserves the right to reject any and all proposals. The city reserves the right to waive any requirement or condition of the RFP upon finding that it is in the best interest of the public to do so.
Miscellaneous:
Questions and clarifications regarding the proposal must be submitted in writing via email to Erin Lynn, Planning Manager, at elynn@fairfieldoh.gov. All questions must be submitted no later than February 13, 2023. All questions and answers will be posted on the city’s website (http://www.fairfield-city.org/162/Development-Services) within two (2) business days after receiving question.
Consultants will not be reimbursed for any cost associated with the preparation of the RFP.
Please Note: All material submitted is public property and is subject to Ohio Public Record laws. All Proposals submitted will become the property of the City of Fairfield.
More information can be found here.