Title
Request for Proposal (RFP) Staff Ranking City of Gainesville, FL - Downtown Gainesville Strategic Master Plan (B)
This item is a request for the City Commission to approve the staff ranking for proposals associated with the City of Gainesville, FL - Downtown Gainesville Strategic Master Plan RFP.
Explanation
A Request for Proposal (RFP) was released by the City’s Purchasing Division on May 25, 2020 with the intent to select an experienced, nationally recognized and dynamic planning consultant team to develop a Downtown Gainesville Strategic Master Plan.
The selected firm will be responsible for assisting the City and its neighbors in establishing a plan that address the retention and attraction of businesses, residents and visitors to downtown while ensuring that the uniqueness and authenticity of Downtown Gainesville is maintained.
The Downtown Gainesville Strategic Master Plan is intended to be a guiding document for strengthening the connection between Downtown, midtown, and east Gainesville through the development of a list of actionable strategies and projects that the City and other stakeholders (UF, downtown businesses, neighborhoods, Santa Fe, Alachua County) will use for implementation efforts over the next decade.
Since release of the RFP, a staff evaluation team inclusive of the Office of CAPER, Transportation and Mobility, GCRA and Sustainable Development reviewed submissions from ten (10) entities whose proposals are consistent with the City’s procurement regimen.
Importantly, during oral presentations, in addition to technical questions, the evaluation team provided the respondents with the COG Community Engagement Toolkit and then a series of questions based upon the GARE Racial Equity Toolkit to gauge the proposed approaches to the project as follows:
• What conditions of well-being are you trying to get the downtown neighbors to experience?
• Who will experience benefits?
• Who will experience burdens?
• What are the unintended consequences of this action or strategy?
• How will you mitigate risk and address any unintended consequences that have resulted from the very difficult decisions you have had to make at lightning speed?
The number one ranked firm, MKSK impressed the evaluation team particularly as regards it overall proposed project approach (Build on Local Strengths, Build for People and Build Long Term Value) and level of experience as well as specifically its focus on: neighbor input/inclusion, concern for equity issues, a vital engagement strategy, economic development, transportation and mobility and the ability to work with internal team member and community stakeholders.
As a result of the RFP evaluation process, staff is recommending the following ranking:
1. MKSK
2. HR&A Advisors
3. Goody Clancy
4. (tie) EDSA and Asakura Robinson
Fiscal Note
The price proposal from MKSK is $250,000 with $150,000 currently budgeted through the GCRA and the remainder to be provided by City partners.
Recommendation
The City Commission: 1) approve staff’s recommended ranking of the firms; 2) authorize the City Manager or designee to negotiate and execute a contract and any related documents with MKSK subject to approval from the City Attorney as to form and legality. Should the City Manager be unable to negotiate a satisfactory contract with the top ranked proposer, negotiations will be terminated with that proposer and negotiations will be initiated with the second most qualified proposer, and so on until a satisfactory contract is negotiated and executed.