[Consultantservices] [Consultant Services] RFP posted Thursday, January 24, 2008 11:57 AM

[Grace Williams]

AICP has adopted the following policy:

The AICP Commission requests that entities soliciting planning
consultants follow a two-part RFQ/RFP selection procedure. Click here to
read a description of such a two-part process in PAS Report 443,
Selecting and Retaining a Planning Consultant: RFPs, RFQs, Contracts,
and Project Management, by Eric Damian Kelly, FAICP. To view more
excerpts from the report, click here.

Please send RFPs & RFQs to websitefeedback at planning.org.

Request for Proposals - Consultant Services

Traffic Engineering Services
The City of Blue Island, Illinois
Submittal Deadline: February 15, 2008

The City of Blue Island wishes to obtain qualifications and a priced
proposal from qualified transportation engineering firms for a study
that will assess the feasibility of changing the existing one-way
couplet of Gregory Street and Western Avenue to two-way operation. This
study will become part of the City's Western Avenue Corridor Plan.

Background
In September 2005, the City of Blue Island adopted the Blue Island Plan
for Economic Development
<http://www.cnt.org/smart-communities/blue-island>  ("the Plan"), which
outlines a Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) strategy centered around
the Vermont Street Metra Station and a portion of the Western Avenue
Commercial Corridor.   The goal of this plan is to foster development
that will create jobs and raise local tax revenues, while celebrating
Blue Island's historic identity, preserving its diversity, enhancing its
natural environment, and improving the quality of life for all
residents. The Blue Island Plan is available online at
http://www.cnt.org/smart-communities/blue-island
<http://www.cnt.org/smart-communities/blue-island> .

One challenge that must be addressed is the existing traffic pattern in
Blue Island's Main Street District - where Western Avenue changes from a
two-way to a one-way couplet.  The existing one-way traffic flow
encourages cars to speed through downtown Blue Island, making the street
pedestrian unfriendly and contributing to the economic decline of
Western Avenue from 127th Street to Grove Street. In order to view the
boundaries, along with other attachments, for the proposed traffic
study, please visit www.blueisland.org <http://www.blueisland.org>  and
click on the link to the "Traffic Study RFP" located on the first page.
The boundaries are outlined in Attachment A.

A key objective of the Plan is to reconfigure the intersection at
Western & Gregory Avenues to correct the problems associated with the
existing traffic pattern and create a gateway into the City's Main
Street district.    The Plan proposes 3 alternative designs
<http://www.cnt.org/smart-communities/downloads/BI-Draft-Plan-Chapter-9.
pdf>  for the reconfiguration, described below and illustrated in
Attachment B.   The purpose of this project is to determine the
feasibility of the proposed alternatives. 

*	Options 1 and 3 involve "retrofitting" the Gregory overpass by
reducing traffic lanes and adding sidewalks with decorative bridge
design elements and greenery; create a street that is a scenic platform
overlooking the proposed nature trail and the Cal Sag Channel. 
*	Option 2 proposes to demolish the Gregory overpass and return
the street to ground level, restoring a block now shadowed by the
overpass to productive use.  

Scope of Work 
The selected firm will perform a comprehensive traffic analysis of the
entire study area for all peak traffic periods using the methods
outlined in the most recent edition of the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM)
for both the existing and proposed configurations.  Recommend
cross-street orientation (i.e., one-way versus two-way) and traffic
control changes (if any) for the proposed configurations.

*	Reassign traffic based on proposed directionality changes 
*	Identify roadway improvements 
*	Investigate the ability of trucks to access downtown businesses
with the proposed configuration. 
*	Quantitatively compare the change to the amount of on-street
parking available between the existing and proposed configurations, if
any. 
*	Provide preliminary cost estimates for all recommended
improvements.  

 All mappable data collected by the consultant must also be provided to
the City in a format that can be utilized by the ArcView Geographic
Information System. 

Proposal Format and Requirements
The proposal submitted for all work must clearly identify all required
work items and person-hours. At a minimum, the proposal shall, in text
and graphics: 

*	Demonstrate a clear understanding of the scope of the studies,
including the transportation and planning issues outlined in this RFP; 
*	Set forth a detailed methodology for performing all tasks. This
includes, but is not necessarily limited to, data collection, analysis,
graphic representations, consultation with the City's agencies, advisory
committees and the like; 
*	Describe all final products to be submitted; 
*	Submit detailed resumes of all project personnel, clearly
identifying past projects of a similar nature and at least 3 references;

*	Identify a project manager, who will take responsibility for all
work elements; 
*	Submit a schedule for completion of all work elements; and 
*	Submit a fee proposal, with a break down by task, person hours
for each task, labor and project related costs. 
*	Whenever possible, the consultant is required to utilize
existing data. 

SELECTION CRITERIA
Submitted proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

*	Qualifications/experience of the consultant firm/team, key
personnel, and the personnel who will be working directly on the
project. 
*	Understanding of the Scope of the Work. 
*	Approach to the project. 
*	Record of past performance on similar projects/reference checks.

*	Demonstrated ability to work with professional staff and lay
committees, 

*	Demonstrated ability to complete tasks on time, and 
*	Costs (including the value of the consultant's work as
represented in the proposal). 

PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL DEADLINE
All firms interested in submitting formal proposals for the project
described herein must submit one (1) CD and five (5) paper copies of all
required information no later than 4:00 p.m. on February 15, 2008 to:

Aileen McEldowney
Planning Department
City of Blue Island
13051 Greenwood Avenue
Blue Island, IL 60406

Please direct all questions in writing via e-mail to Aileen McEldowney
amceldowney at cityofblueisland.org
<mailto:amceldowney at cityofblueisland.org> .

 

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