The City of Appleton is located in the Fox River Valley of northeastern Wisconsin and has a population of approximately 76,000. Appleton is located at the crossroads of Interstate 41 and U.S. Highway 10 and is 90 miles north of Milwaukee and 30 miles southwest of Green Bay. More information about the City is available on our website at www.appletonwi.gov. The City of Appleton Comprehensive Plan, Plan Appleton was adopted in 2025. In Plan Appleton, the future land use designation was adjusted from future industrial use to future suburban neighborhood. With the change in future land use, the needs for the area also changed. 

The project area is located on the northern edge of the City limits and includes properties located within our future growth area but is mainly focused on parcels owned by the City. Subarea planning and 60% stormwater preliminary design and permitting should ensure connectivity within and beyond the properties owned by the City. Maps with the proposed project boundaries can be found in Section 4. The subarea planning boundary extends from south of Broadway Drive and north of Edgewood Drive (CTH JJ), while the stormwater engineering boundary extends south of Spartan Drive and north of Edgewood Drive (CTH JJ).

The subarea planning will incorporate the newly created vision and goals in Plan Appleton and the Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan. The subarea planning will identify and respond to current conditions and issues, provide an analysis, illustration of specific site recommendations, siting for future neighborhood park, and describe implementation plans and strategies to deliberately shape and stimulate development in the subarea. The plan will be used as a guide by the City and other stakeholders to promote future development that facilitates connections to the City, adjacent neighborhoods, and existing businesses.

The City of Appleton Department of Public Works (DPW) is proposing connection from Spartan Drive (existing roadway stub) to CTH JJ/Edgewood Drive. The proposed connection, Sommers Drive, falls within the Engineering Project Boundary denoted in Attachment 4.1.

A Stormwater Management Plan and subsequent 60% stormwater preliminary design and associated permitting are required prior to final stormwater design and construction of Sommers Drive, to ensure Sommers Drive is constructed in compliance with applicable regulations, including those of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR), United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and City of Appleton municipal code, Chapter 20, Article VI (“Stormwater Management Ordinance”).

DPW desires that the Stormwater Management Plan (SWMP) include not only Sommers Drive but tributary and adjacent areas to be developed in the future within the Engineering Project Boundary. Any developed offsite areas tributary to Sommers Drive must also be accounted for in the plan and preliminary designs.

DPW anticipates that one or more stormwater management practices will need to be constructed concurrent with Sommers Drive in order to meet the new development standards per the Stormwater Management Ordinance, WDNR, and USACE. DPW desires that the selected consultant will prepare the SWMP and will develop corresponding 60% stormwater preliminary plans and permit applications necessary for the construction Sommers Drive and the future development of remaining areas in the Engineering Project Boundary.

The Sommers Drive project is tributary to a Legal Drain established by WI statutes Chapter 88. Project shall meet the requirements and obtain necessary permits as may be established by the respective Drainage Board.

DPW has already constructed a gravity sanitary sewer main and sanitary force main within the proposed Sommers Drive right-of-way. Other potential improvements to be designed, permitted, and constructed by the City for Sommers Drive include water main and Sommers Drive roadway/pavement. The stormwater deliverables identified in this RFP shall incorporate the DPW designs of existing sanitary main as well as the future water main, roadway pavement, and related utilities and infrastructure such as street lighting, which DPW will design in conjunction with the SWMP and 60% Stormwater Preliminary Engineering. At its discretion, DPW may request at a future date that the selected consultant provide a sole source quote for associated final design of Stormwater Engineering.

A DPW consultant, Martenson & Eisele, obtained a wetland delineation report and developed associated wetland permit applications and related submittals for the construction of the existing Sommers Drive sanitary mains. Copies of those documents and the resulting WDNR General Permit and determinations are provided as Attachments to this RFP (See Section 4). DPW intends to submit an appeal in 2026 regarding the WDNR’s determination that the wetlands along Sommers Drive did not qualify for an exemption.

Funding

The project will be jointly funded by the City of Appleton's Community Development Department and Department of Public Works, with each department responsible for the portion of the project corresponding to its respective scope of work.

The subarea planning component will be funded by the Community Development Department, which has allocated $50,000 for planning services associated with this project.

The stormwater engineering component, including the 60% preliminary design and permitting, will be funded by the Department of Public Works through its designated project funding.

Scope

The City is seeking to work with a firm to engage in (A) Subarea Planning and (B) Stormwater 60% Preliminary Engineering Design and Permitting.

A. Subarea Planning Scope of Work must include:

1. Planning Area. The City has delineated the focus areas for the subarea planning. The planning for the subarea is not constrained strictly to the boundaries outlined on the maps, they can be expanded based on research and best practices. The map is located in Section 4.1.

2. Analysis of the City’s existing comprehensive plan and other relevant long-range plans for the City relevant to the planning areas.

3. Compile current demographic, economic, land use, housing, and forecasting data within the planning area.

4. Creation of a public participation plan that will further refine and support the vision of the City by creating a shared vision for the planning area.

5. Conduct a development feasibility analysis within the planning area to identify transformative sites and siting for neighborhood park. Create illustration of specific site recommendations.

6. Development of implementation plan with measurable benchmarks and party responsible for implementing.

7. Structure the plan to be user-friendly and web-friendly in a dashboard or infographic style format. The product should mimic the format of the City’s existing subarea plans linked below: a. https://www.appletonwi.gov/government/departments/community_develo pment/planning_development/planning/plans_and_reports.php#undefine d

8. Final Deliverables:

a. Written report,

b. Executive summary / overview presentation of findings,

c. All documents to be provided to City in original, editable format (e.g. .docx, .ppt, .gpx, .skp, .ai, .shp, .gdb, etc.) in addition to .pdf format.

B. Stormwater 60% Preliminary Engineering Design and Permitting Scope of Work must include the following deliverables for the “Engineering Project Boundary” area depicted in Attachment 4.1

1. A Stormwater Management Feasibility Study that identifies:

a. Feasibility-level alternatives analysis for potential stormwater conveyances and stormwater management practices (peak flow control, water quality, and infiltration) meeting City of Appleton stormwater ordinance standards for new development, including for proposed Sommers Drive and adjacent areas within the Engineering Project Boundary.

b. Analysis shall include conveyance(s) to and from proposed stormwater management practice(s) to an appropriate outfall location(s).

c. Analysis shall include anticipated permit applications, easements, and/or land dedications needed for proposed stormwater conveyances and stormwater management practices.

d. Analysis shall include field Infiltration Testing and Evaluation per WDNR Technical Standard 1002: Site Evaluation for Storm Water Infiltration.

e. Wetlands. Provide a wetland delineation report as may be needed to supplement the existing wetland delineation report and permitting, based on proposed stormwater preliminary engineering designs.

f. Budget-level cost estimates for permitting, easements/land dedications, design, and construction of proposed stormwater conveyances and stormwater management practices.

2. 30% Stormwater Preliminary Engineering Design for the stormwater conveyances and stormwater management practices.

3. A 30% Preliminary Engineering Centerline Design Profile for proposed Sommers Drive meeting Appleton stormwater management ordinance performance standards relative to design water surface elevations for the 10- year and 100-year design events.

4. A 30% Preliminary design for number and location of proposed street inlets for proposed Sommers Drive.

5. 60% Stormwater Preliminary Engineering Design, permit applications and coordination, and updated cost estimates for permitting, easements/land dedications, design, and construction of proposed stormwater conveyances and stormwater management practices. Note that DPW will prepare any legal descriptions and any associated property acquisition documents pursuant to the preliminary engineering design.

6. 60% Preliminary Stormwater Management Plan report developed in accordance with the Stormwater Management Ordinance to document the analyses/modeling and proposed infrastructure to comply with the ordinance.

7. Format of Deliverables:

a. Reports: PDF and MS Word

b. Plans: PDF and AutoCAD .dwg

c. H&H modeling: PC-SWMM or XP-SWMM

d. Water quality modeling: WinSLAMM

e. Maps: PDF and GIS-compatible

f. Cost Estimates and Tables: PDF and MS Excel

The firm may propose additional tasks and/or a revised scope based on experience with similar projects in similar cities. Sub-tasks, such as conference calls, draft reviews, etc. shall be considered part of the proposed scope but will not be detailed in this RFP. City staff will assist with supplying project information, stakeholder contacts, relevant policies, public engagement efforts, and providing other City-specific information related to the project.

PREPARING AND SUBMITTING THE QUOTE

The City of Appleton seeks, by way of this RFP, to obtain services in a manner that maximizes the quality of services while also maximizing value to the City. Firms must be able to show they are capable of performing the services requested and are able to complete the project within the timeline established and this scope.

Proposal Content & Organization

1. Title Page

a. Proposal title, the name of the firm, address, telephone numbers, name of contact person, the date, and other relevant company information. Also include a list and contact information for any sub-consultants and the work they will perform.

2. Separate Proposal Narratives for Subarea Planning and Preliminary Stormwater Engineering Design and Permitting

a. Provide description of the proposed project and your familiarity with the City of Appleton.

b. Describe your firm’s experience in similar areas of expertise. Include a minimum of three examples for which your firm executed similar projects and client reference contact information. Explanation of previous experience aligning engineering and planning projects.

c. Description of firm’s organizational structure for the consulting team, along with their availability and experience to support the project.

d. Provide your project approach, detailed work plan that address the scope of services, and description of public participation events. Describe anticipated interaction with City Staff. Provide project timeline indicating phases/milestones of the project.

3. On a separate page, provide a total cost of the proposed project approach and separate project cost for (A) Subarea Planning and (B) Stormwater Preliminary Engineering Design and Permitting. Total project cost should include all expenses associated with the plan, including travel and incidental costs. Provide the billing rate and anticipated hours for staff involved with the project.

Selection Process and Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated and scored by the project selection team using the following criteria:

A. Project Approach and Scope

1. Project and Community Understanding

2. Experience and Project Examples

3. Key Project Staff

4. Proposal Quality and Timeline

5. Project Cost

B. Selection Process will involve the following steps:

1. Project selection team will review proposals based on the scoring criteria above and rank submittals.

2. The top firms will present their proposal to the project selection team if deemed necessary. The team will select a firm to advance in the selection process.

3. The selected firm will work with the City to develop a final scope and project cost.

4. Contract will be brought before City Council for approval. 

Submittal

Consultants may send completed proposal via email or delivery by hard copy on or before 4:00 PM CST, Friday, October 30th, 2026.

Liability

The City of Appleton is not liable for any cost incurred by proposers in replying to this request.

Contract Terms

The successful consultant will be required to sign a City of Appleton Consultant Services Contract and meet the insurance requirements attached to this RFP. 

PROJECT CALENDAR, see full RFP.