Intent

The Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) is a constitutionally created, statutory body corporate of the State of Arizona, which governs Arizona State University (ASU). Through this Request for Proposals (RFP), the University City Exchange (UCX) at ASU, on behalf of a partnership among UCX, the Greater Phoenix Leadership (GPL), and the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG), requests proposals from qualified consulting firms or persons to design a Rio Reimagined regional vision planning process and scope of work that will lead to the development of a forthcoming comprehensive and coordinated Rio Reimagined Regional Vision Plan for restorative environmental, economic, and community stewardship of the urban Salt and Gila River corridor ("RIO Vision Plan").

This RFP is solely for 1) the design of an inclusive planning process and 2) the design of a scope of work that will lead to a Rio Reimagined Regional Vision Plan. The execution of the planning process and scope of work are not part of this RFP. Additionally, the awarded consulting firm or person from RFP 292503 will not be eligible to submit a bid or proposal for a future RFP which would seek firms or persons to execute the planning process and scope of work designed in this RFP.

Scope of Services

ASU is soliciting competitive proposals for all necessary expertise, labor, supervision, materials, transportation, and expenses required to design a planning process and scope of work for development of a forthcoming RIO Vision Plan. Consultant Teams are encouraged to integrate creative approaches to achieving the goals for this project, for which the ultimate outcome will be a planning process and scope of work for a RIO Vision Plan grounded in meaningful, robust, inclusive engagement with diverse stakeholders including, but not limited to, the public sector (all levels of government), private sector, institutions, non-profit and community-based organizations, and community members that live and work within the Rio Reimagined study area.

Roles and Responsibilities

Core Operations Team. The Core Operations Team will be responsible for the management and execution of this Scope of Services, with ASU UCX staff serving as the main point of contact and project manager. The Core Operations Team will attend weekly project status meetings with the Consultant Team to review and plan for upcoming tasks, deliverables, and milestones; discuss and resolve issues; and coordinate any parallel tasks. The Core Operations Team will expect to review all draft and final deliverables prepared by the Consultant Team. The Core Operations Team will also be responsible for staffing the other participating entities as described in Section 4 and will work closely with the Consultant Team to identify how and when other participating entities should be engaged in this process, including review of meeting materials and approach.

The Core Operations Team will also be responsible for the following tasks that will inform the work of the Consultant Team:

• Confirm the Rio Reimagined Study Area Boundary. Working with the local jurisdictions and Native nations to clarify and formalize the RIO study area boundary.
• Summarize Existing Plans, Projects, and Prior Community Engagement Efforts. Develop a literature review of RIO-related existing plans, projects, and prior community engagement efforts for each of the nine jurisdictions within the RIO study area.
• Identify Potential Data Needs for Phase Two. Assess breadth of available data for Phase Two and identify potential data needs. It will be important to understand whether Phase Two might require data creation and/or collection, and to what extent.

Consultant Team. The Consultant Team will be responsible for coordinating with the Core Operations Team and the Other Participating Entities described in Section 4 to deliver this Scope of Services. In addition, the Consultant Team will be expected to lead weekly project status meetings with the Core Operations Team, including agenda development, and provide draft deliverables to Core Operations Team for review and feedback.

Minimum Required Tasks and Deliverables

Consultant Teams will not be required to adhere strictly to the proposed tasks specified below; creativity in submissions is highly encouraged, and this may mean deviation from the scope. Please detail your reasoning in cases where you recommend scope deviation. For public-facing deliverables, it is expected to utilize graphics, infographics, visualizations, and mapping as-needed to present the information in a clear, concise, visual manner. Proposals should account for an iterative review process of all draft deliverables and collaborative strategy development with the Core Operations Team.

Task 1: Form and Facilitate the RIO Planning Committee. In collaboration with the Core Operations Team, form a committee of partners and stakeholders representative of the Rio Reimagined partnership and the broader community of RIO stakeholders that will be responsible for guiding the direction of this scoping exercise. It is anticipated that committee members will have expertise in planning to a certain extent. The Core Operations Team will provide the Consultant Team with a comprehensive understanding of the stakeholders within the study area and initial recommendations for committee formation. The Consultant Team will be expected to work with the Core Operations Team to ensure that the formation of the committee addresses equitable representation, stipends for community volunteers not otherwise paid to participate, and a process for rapid formation (e.g., application, appointment, nomination, etc.). This task will also require the development of a RIO Planning Committee roster that identifies roles and responsibilities, and a brief scope that details the workflow among the Core Operations Team, the Consultant Team, and the RIO Planning Committee.

Once formed, the Consultant Team will be expected to develop and implement a strategy for engaging this committee that will result in consensus around a RIO planning process and scope of work rooted in best practices; an understanding of existing plans, projects, and community engagement activities; and input from the Other Participating Entities described in Section 4. The consultant should also design a strategy for the RIO Planning Committee members to identify and solicit input from other commissions, working groups, etc. within their respective communities and integrate that input into the RIO planning process and scope of work (e.g., municipal Environmental Quality and Sustainability Commissions).

The Consultant Team will be expected to support the RIO Planning Committee and Core Operations Team in preparation for briefing the Rio Reimagined elected leaders at key decision points as described in Section 4.

Deliverables:

• RIO Planning Committee Roster and Scope
• RIO Planning Committee Agendas, Meeting Materials, and Meeting Notes/Decisions

Task 2: Identify Plan Elements. Work with the Other Participating Entities described in Section 4 to identify essential plan elements to be included in a RIO planning process and scope of work (e.g., identification of new regional projects, character zones, design/wayfinding guidelines, future RIO governance structure, funding strategy). The plan elements to be included should be rooted in input received from the Other Participating Entities (Section 4), best practices, and an understanding of existing plans, projects, and community engagement activities across the corridor.

Deliverable: Plan Elements Memo

Task 3: Develop a Community Engagement Strategy. The Community Engagement Strategy will serve as an integral part of the RIO planning process and scope of work, setting forth the manner and process by which community partners and stakeholders within the Rio Reimagined study area will be meaningfully engaged in the development of a RIO Vision Plan during Phase Two, including a system by which diverse perspectives and priorities are integrated into decision-making (for more context and background information on need, see Section 1 – Project Description). Consideration should be given to engagement strategies designed for Native Americans in which it is understood that Native American communities predominantly have relied on oral history traditions and similar means of communication, that cultural and value systems may differ from non-Native societies and should be accommodated in engagement processes, acknowledgment of the sovereign status of Native nations, and the existence of unique historical and legal relationships with non-Native governments and institutions.

It is anticipated that this task will be a significant focus of the overall Scope of Services. The challenge and opportunity for this task is to design the participatory structures, processes, and methods to facilitate meaningful input from community stakeholders. At minimum, the Community Engagement Strategy should:

• Define the communities that will be engaged in development of a RIO Vision Plan in Phase Two.
• Determine a strategy and process for organizing the communities across 55-miles to meaningfully participate in Phase Two, including identification of approaches to engagement based on local context and need (e.g., neighborhood geographies, cultural preferences, organizational mission, industry, etc.)
• Identify a process and/or organizational structure by which decisions will be made in Phase Two, including a description of roles and responsibilities (e.g., steering committee, sub-committees, working groups, citizen advisory committees, etc.)
• Identification of who (entities/individuals/organizations) will lead the engagement activities on the ground in Phase Two.
• Clear definition of 1) who is being engaged, 2) at what point in the process, 3) what information is being sought and how it will influence the process/outcome, and 4) identification of clear feedback loops.
• Reflect a community engagement process that rises above a narrow set of methods and activities to encompass a more holistic approach to community-led decision-making.
• Provide for equitable participation and equitable influence from all community partners and stakeholders.
• Identify how to incorporate indigenous knowledge into the RIO planning process and scope of work.
• Establish metrics for successful community engagement.
• Address environment and social equity in a manner consistent with the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).
• Determine a budget for implementation of the Community Engagement Strategy in Phase Two.

The design of the Community Engagement Strategy should be informed by outreach and engagement with a diversity of community partners and stakeholders, including but not limited to:

• The Other Participating Entities identified in Section 4
• Trusted community leaders, including tribal leaders, and community-based organizations across the 55-mile geography
• Representatives from the business/development community; mining industry; agricultural community; environmental groups; social justice and health equity groups; etc.

As part of this task, the Consultant Team will be expected to coordinate with the Core Operations Team to ensure the Community Engagement Strategy is aligned with broader initiative messaging and outreach to ensure coordinated public messaging to minimize confusion and the potential for engagement fatigue among members of the public.

Deliverable: Community Engagement Strategy.

Task 4: Develop Estimated Cost and Timeline for Plan Development. Prepare a cost estimate and timeline for execution of the RIO planning process and scope of work. This information would be used to inform elected leaders of what will be required to execute Phase Two, would be used to inform fundraising efforts for Phase Two, and to write an RFP for Phase Two.

Deliverable: Schedule and budget memo.

OPTIONAL Task 5: Scope of Work for Phase Two. The Scope of Work for Phase Two should integrate all deliverables from Tasks 2-4 and deliverables produced by the Core Operations Team identified in Section 5.1 that would form the basis of a future Request for Proposals for Phase Two.

Deliverable: Scope of Work for Phase Two; this Scope of Work would form the basis of a future RFP.

Project Schedule and Budget

The project must be completed by May 30, 2025. The Core Operations Team has allocated a maximum budget of $190,000 for this Scope of Services, with final budget to be determined according to an agreed upon final scope.