REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

FOR CONSULTING SERVICES RELATED TO THE UPDATE OF A COMPREHENSIVE LAND USE PLAN

Statement of Purpose

The City of Albert Lea is requesting proposals for the purpose of selecting a qualified firm to serve as consultant for an update to the Comprehensive Land Use Plan.

The purpose of the Comprehensive Plan is to identify issues, opportunities, needs, and organize public policy to address them in a manner that makes the best and most appropriate use of City resources. The plan sets forth the basic guiding principles for the City of Albert Lea to shape its future over the next 10-20 years and establishes goals and strategies to move toward that future. The Comprehensive Plan is meant to be an easy to read and understand document that will be utilized by elected and appointed officials and City staff in the ongoing process of creating policy and drafting ordinances, making land use decisions, and allocating funds.

Background Information

The City of Albert Lea benefits from a diverse economic base, ranging from health care, education, manufacturing, and financial, to unique design and boutique-type business. The community' s location on the crossroads of interstates 35 and 90, its natural beauty, seven lakes and bays, offer an attractive environment for its residents and visitors. Albert Lea is also home to one of the largest Commercial Historic Districts in Minnesota — it encompasses 91 buildings and has proved to be an important economic asset. Albert Lea last updated its Comprehensive Plan in 2008. A copy of this plan is available on our website at https://www.cityofalbertlea.org/planning-and-development/.

Scope of Services and General Duties

The scope of this project is to produce a Comprehensive Plan that will outline the community' s vision and direct the physical and social growth and development of Albert Lea. The resulting Plan should be both a physical and policy based plan and provide implementation actions and strategies, and include illustrative maps, tables and graphs. The Comprehensive Plan should integrate all of the City' s existing studies and plans as appropriate.

Elements of the Comprehensive Plan will include, but need not be limited to:

• Land use and community design
• Housing and neighborhoods
• Transportation including advancement of trails and multi-use paths
• Parks, recreation and natural resources
• Economic Development
• Environmental needs and changes (i.e. waste, carbon and other reductions)
• Public infrastructure, facilities and services
• Outreach to and services for underrepresented sections of the community (i.e. Hispanic, Asian, Poor, Youth and Elderly Community)
• Action Plan on how to move goals into real actions with potential costs

Proposal Form and Content

The proposal must, at a minimum, include the following:

Scope of Work Defined

The firms should present their understanding of the requirements of the project and present a task-by-task description of the work to be accomplished. Do not simply restate the scope of services.

Timeline

The firms are required to include a timeline for the project which will contain the approximate dates that portions of the project will commence and conclude. The timeline shall include the following items: meetings with staff, meetings with citizen representatives and the Planning Commission, presentation dates/deadlines, the deadline for presentation for first draft of the Plan, public hearing date, and the final approval date.

Resumes

Identify person(s) with key responsibilities who will be assigned to work on the project, describe their role and duties for the project. If more than one person is to be assigned, identify the person who will have senior-level responsibility or manage the engagement, and the approximate time commitment (as a percent) of total time on the engagement of each person. If portions of the project are to be "subcontracted" out to other firms, be sure to disclose that information in the proposal.

Experience

Discuss demonstrated experience of the firm and the project team with projects of similar scope and magnitude as this project. Experience must be related to projects completed within the past five years.

Time and Budget Constraints

Demonstrate the ability of the firm to manage the project in a timely and cost effective manner. Although a specific deadline for the process has not been established it is the objective of the City of Albert Lea to complete the update as soon as it may be practical to do so.

References

List of references relating to the projects completed for local governments over the last five years, with comparable characteristics to the project proposed by the City of Albert Lea.

Fees

A schedule of billing rates for personnel involved must be included. The proposal shall contain an overall anticipated cost for the project.

General Information

Instructions to Consultants

The firms shall submit six (6) hard copies and one PDF copy of the proposal to:

Megan Boeck, City Planner
City of Albert Lea
221 E Clark Street
Albert Lea, MN 56007

E-mail: mboeck@ci.albertlea.mn.us (for the PDF version of the proposal).

Closing Submission Date

Proposals must be submitted no later than 4:00 p.m. on Friday, June 4, 2021.

Inquiries

Inquiries concerning this RFP should be directed to Megan Boeck, City Planner, at (507) 377-4349, or mboeck@ci.albertlea.mn.us.

Conditions of Proposal

All cost incurred in the preparation of a proposal responding to this RFP will be the responsibility of the submitter and will not be reimbursed by the City of Albert Lea.

Right to reject

The City of Albert Lea reserves the right to reject any and all proposals received in response to this RFP.

Notification of Award

The decision of selecting successful consulting firm(s) to participate in interviews will be made within two-three weeks from the closing date of the receipt of proposals.

Selection Process

Interviews

Staff will schedule in-person interviews with a select number of firms.

Schedule of Events

The City of Albert Lea has developed the schedule of events below for selection process — the schedule is subject to change.

City of Albert Lea Releases Request for Proposals — May 7, 2021

Deadline for Receipt of Proposals from Firms — June 4, 2021

Proposals Reviewed by Subcommittee — June 7-18, 2021

Planning Firm(s) Interview with Subcommittee — July 12-16, 2021

Selected Proposal Approved by City Council — July 26, 2021

Kick-off Meeting with Planning Commission — Aug-Sept, 2021