NOTE: Full proposal can be found here: https://kycapitaldevelopment.com/about-us/requests-for-proposal/

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

A. The Kentucky Capital Development Corporation (the "KCDC") is seeking qualified firms to develop an economic development strategic action plan for Frankfort and Franklin County, Kentucky. The community is unique, both geographically, and with a variety of business interests. The KCDC will consider proposals from firms or teams of firms that have extremely strong experience in working with small-midsize cities with unique geographical circumstances, diverse industrial development interests, an array of cultural assets, robust tourism-based economies, and downtown business districts and neighborhoods. Special focus will be given to teams who have worked with Capital cities to diversify their business offerings. Prior experience in Kentucky is an added benefit but not required. There will be two components to proposal submissions:

Part I – Qualifications Submittal

Firms shall be required to submit evidence of their qualifications to perform the services described herein. The qualification submission requirements are further described on the following pages.

Part II – Proposals With their submissions, firms shall include a proposal including a project approach detailed scope of services, a list of interim and final deliverables, communications strategy, community and stakeholder involvement, and total cost of the services proposed.

B. Evaluation: See evaluation criteria for the proposal at the end of this document.

C. Questions and Answers: Technical questions during the time qualification packets are being put together may be addressed IN WRITING ONLY by August 26 2024 to: Penny Peavler, Economic Development Director, Interim: ppeavler@kycapitaldevelopment.com.

No verbal requests for clarification or information will be accepted. All questions and clarifications will be answered in one written addendum, to be issued no later than Friday, September 6, 2024, to all parties who attended the pre-bid meeting on Monday, August 19, and to be posted on www.kycapitaldevelopment.com.

Submittal Instructions Questions and Addenda. Respondents should seek clarification of any ambiguity, conflict, omission, or other error in this RFP in writing to the contact listed in this RFP. No oral statement or communications shall modify or otherwise affect the terms, conditions, or specifications stated in the RFP or ensuing contract. If the answer materially affects this procurement, the information will be issued in an addendum. All addenda to this RFP must be applied in the proposal submitted to KCDC. Failure to use the correct and most recent addenda may result in the proposal being rejected. In the case of a discrepancy, the answers provided will govern over all other RFP documents. An addendum might extend the submission deadline and will be noted in the addendum. Any addendum issued shall not be interpreted to relieve Respondents of their authority and duty to comply with applicable federal, state or local laws, regulations or policies.

Written communications should be sent to:

Kentucky Capital Development Corporation
Attention: Penny Peavler
109 Consumer Lane
Frankfort, Kentucky 40601
ppeavler@kycapitaldevelopment.com

Submittal of Proposals Respondents must submit four (4) original proposals in a sealed envelope plainly marked on the outside "SEALED PROPOSAL FOR FRANKFORT FRANKLIN COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY" and one (1) electronic copy in PDF format sent to ppeavler@kycapitaldevelopment.com. The PDF copy should be a single document containing all of the pages in the hard copy submittal. Please focus on submitting materials that highlight the experience of the firm or firms and other requested qualification credentials requested for this project.

No proposals will be accepted after the time and date proposals are due.

Right to Reject. KCDC reserves the right to reject all proposals received in response to this RFP. The award of a contract shall be at the sole discretion of the KCDC.

Retention of Records. The successful respondent shall be required to maintain, for a period of five (5) years from the date of final payment to the respondent, all books and records pertaining to this RFP, the contract and contract administration.

All packages should be bound and tabbed as follows:

PART I - Qualifications

A) INTRODUCTORY LETTER: The letter must identify the firm or firms comprising the team, clearly identifying the project manager, and signed by an officer, managing member or the general partner of the firm. The letter should identify the respective relationships if multiple firms are involved in this project.

B) FIRM DESCRIPTION: Please provide a brief overview of the firm or firms' history.

C) TEAM EXPERTISE: Brief description of general qualifications, the multi-disciplinary nature of the team assembled for this project, specific evidence of relevant experience creating an economic development strategy for cities of similar size and composition.

D) PROJECT TEAM: Please provide an organization chart demonstrating the structure of the project team. Provide resumes/bios of all key members of the team with the project manager clearly identified.

E) PROJECT EXAMPLES: Summary of recent (past 3 years) economic development strategic plans in progress or completed, with the following information for each project:

a. Name of Client (community, county, region, etc.)
b. Reference – individual's name, with current contact information
c. Current status of strategy or plan (drafting in progress; drafting completed; adopted, implemented, how utilized, etc.)
d. Description of any unique challenges and how the team addressed them
e. Nature of stakeholder engagement in formulation of strategy
f. Size and scale of the community
g. Major components of the strategy

F) SAMPLE STRATEGY OR STRATEGIC PLAN(S): Please include hyperlinks to one or more examples of a completed strategy. PLEASE DO NOT SUBMIT HARD COPIES.

G) OTHER SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION: The successful submitter must be familiar with – or become familiar with – all of the information contained in the RFP. An optional narrative of up to one-page demonstrating the team's understanding of Frankfort's unique character and challenges is welcome.

PART II - Proposal

A) PROJECT APPROACH: The KCDC is looking for a proposed project approach that will include general timelines and outline the tasks required to complete the scope of work. This scope should include the recommended frequency and length of advisory committee meetings, recommended public/private stakeholder engagement activities, public and community engagement, and major project milestones.

B) SCOPE OF WORK: Provide a detailed scope which includes a brief description of each proposed task, with connected interim and final deliverables. If the scope includes any optional tasks or deliverables, please be sure those are clearly identified.

C) PROJECT SCHEDULE: In graphic format, please provide a project schedule identifying major tasks and deliverables/project milestones.

D) COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY: Please describe the method and frequency your team will communicate with the KCDC's project manager, the steering committee, stakeholder groups, and the general public. Please describe any role or how you would engage KCDC's communication efforts regarding the plan.

E) FEE: Provide an overall lump sum/not-to-exceed fee, inclusive of all labor and expenses for the scope proposed. Also, please provide a breakout of separate lump sum prices for each deliverable inclusive of all expenses and project management fees. If the proposed scope contains any optional tasks or deliverables, please list those separately with a cost for each option.

NOTE: Full proposal can be found here: https://kycapitaldevelopment.com/about-us/requests-for-proposal/