Rural Community Development Initiatives
Request for Proposal (RFP)
Introduction
Mission West Community Development Partners is seeking a consultant/contractor to perform an Economic Development Study for the City of Polson and the surrounding community, which includes a Project Inventory Study. The Economic Development Study includes:
• A Community Needs Assessment:
** Providing an assessment of city codes and planning documents, with recommendations for updates and potential funding sources for completing the work,
** Provide an assessment of the TIF District Program an provide a recommendation on if the city should let it sunset or apply for an extension,
** Evaluation and Recommendations for updating of the city’s Growth Policy and potential funding sources for this work.
• Project Inventory Study is to identify planned projects, projects currently underway and projected projects within a 25 miles radius around Polson City. The types of projects include funded development activities, private projects, construction, business growth and infrastructure activities (collectively described as “Projects”),
• The Mechanism (s) for Displaying, Updating, and Managing of the Project Inventory Study after completion of this contract, and
• Recommendations for future tasks and projects.
This study is funded by a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) – Rural Development’s Rural Community Development Initiative (RCDI) Grant. It is expected that the result of this project will be an internet-based GIS model that provides site identification of “Projects” with the ability to click on the “Project to find details about the “Project” and to add future projects and their anticipated start dates if known. This work is to be completed by 3/1/2023.
Contract Type and Payment Method
It is anticipated that the agreement resulting from this RFP, if awarded, will be an Agreement of Services. The method of payment to the successful Proposer shall be for services provided based on established rates for services, with a maximum ‘not to exceed’ fee as set by the RFP and Mission West CDP. This set figure is $45,000 and shall include direct costs and overhead incurred by the successful Proposer as the Contractor. The Contractor shall be prepared to accept the terms and conditions of the Agreement of Services, including Insurance requirements. If the Contractor identifies exceptions to the Agreement, these exceptions are to be clearly identified for each proposed change to the Agreement, with reasons for each proposed change and recommendations for alternative actions. These practices will be taken into account in evaluating proposals. This work will be done on a contractual basis, and under no circumstances will the contractor be considered an employee of Mission West CDP or the City of Polson.
The payment terms for this agreement shall be net 30 after receipt of the invoice from the Contractor. This is payable via progress payments based upon the achievement of mutually agreed milestones throughout the contractual period. These milestones will be based on the proposal submitted by the consultant/contractor.
Scope of Work
The scope of work for this RFP falls within three work categories:
• Evaluation of the City of Polson growth and development documentation with recommendations for improvement and potential funding sources,
• Stakeholders – Collaboration between local agencies, governments, business entities, and private interest groups responsible for the known projects in the designated region
• Future Planning – Professional awareness between local agencies, governments, entities, and private interest groups through accessible information for future projects in the designated region
Proposal details should contain the following:
• Proposal Summary,
• Company Profile (including qualifications, technical expertise, and contact information),
• Description of work activities (including Work Plan, Implementation Plan with timeframes/tasks, and Final Deliverable),
• Project Schedule including start date or anticipated start date and duration of project,
• Staffing for the project,
• Recommendations for future proposed work, and
• Anticipated Exceptions to the Proposal (if any).
Project information submitted shall contain:
• Data collection techniques,
• Software application/s to be used in the project,
• Data management plan including storing, uploading, and updating collected data,
• Processes and procedures to manage the project, guide how future data can be input and submitted to the application, and how changes in the project scope can be modified
• Marketing plan and outreach to engage the stakeholders in the project, and
• Information Dissemination plan to update stakeholders in the project.
Evaluation Process
Mission West CDP staff will evaluate the proposals provided in response to this RFP based on the following criteria:
• Quality and Completeness of the proposal
• Quality, Effectiveness, and Performance Measurements provided by the Proposer
• Proposer’s experience, including the experience of the staff assigned to the project with evidence of engagements of similar scope and complexity
• Proposer’s prior record of delivered projects with other similar organizations
• Proposer’s ability to provide records of work and/or services, and
• Proposer’s compliance with applicable regulations, policies, guidelines and fiscal compliance with similar projects and/or existing contracts performed by the Proposer team
Submitting the Proposal
Proposals shall be submitted via email, or in person as a hard copy by 4:00 p.m. on August 30, 2022 to:
Mission West Community Development Partners
Attn: Steve Clairmont
407 Main St. SW,
Ronan, Montana – 59864 or email: [email protected]
The Proposer shall submit four (4) copies of its proposal in a sealed envelope including one (1) original, clearly marked as “Original” addressed as noted above and clearly marked “RFP for RCDI Corridor Study”. All proposals received after the deadline of 4:00 p.m. will be returned to the Proposer unopened. Please note that faxes, electronic submissions, or any media other than hard copies will not be accepted.
Note: A Proposer may withdraw its proposal at any time before the expiration of the time for submission of proposals as provided in the RFP by delivering a written request for withdrawal signed by, or on behalf of, the Proposer.