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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-11-29 - Request for Qualifications - Consultant for Tukwila Organic Solutions: Analysis, Outreach and Program DevelopmentCITY OF TUKWILA REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS (RFQ) Consulting Services Tukwila Organic Solutions: Analysis, Outreach, and Program Development Due: Wednesday, November 29 by 5:00 PM (PST) The purpose of this request is to solicit Statements of Qualifications (SOQs) from qualified consultants to assist the City in completing a planning project to analyze organics services in frontline food service businesses in Burien, Maple Valley, and Tukwila, and to coordinate engagement. This project will support food service businesses across the City of Tukwila, the City of Burien, and the City of Maple Valley in setting up organics services and establishing best practices to comply with the new Organics Management Law. A key pillar of the project is providing technical assistance for food service businesses to begin composting their food scraps through organics service. This project aims to reduce barriers to food scraps composting and set both large and small businesses up for success with a focus on frontline businesses that need to comply with the Organics Management Law by 2024 and 2025. This work must be completed no later than December 31, 2024. Please review the full RFQ following this notice for details. Interested firms must submit their SOQ no later than 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 29, 2023. SOQ responses shall include one pdf file of the proposal submitted to: https://app.sintelforms.com/link/anon?f=3v4jn0xtp9 Submittals must be received at the above address by the deadline. No submittal will be accepted after this date and time. The City will not be liable for delays in delivery of proposals due to any technological issues. Please reference the RFQ title on all communication and mailing labels. Any questions regarding this project should be directed to Colleen Minion, Solid Waste Analyst at colleen.minion(a)TukwilaWA.gov. Only email inquiries will be accepted. Published Seattle Times: November 6, 2023 Published Daily Journal of Commerce: November 6, 2023 REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS Consulting Services Tukwila Organic Solutions: Analysis, Outreach, and Program Development Due: Wednesday, November 29 by 5:00 PM Section 1. General Information A. General Information The City of Tukwila (the "City") is requesting Statements of Qualifications (SOQs) from a qualified multidisciplinary consultant team (which may be a single firm or a consultant team consisting of individuals and/or firms with specialized expertise) to complete a planning project to analyze organics services in frontline food service businesses in Burien, Maple Valley, and Tukwila, and to coordinate an engagement process. The work proposed for this SOQ is a portion of the scope identified in a grant received from King County Solid Waste. The work completed must be completed by the December 31, 2024, deadline, and must comply with state, regional, and local requirements. It is the City's intent to select a planning consulting team based on qualifications, abilities, past performance, and availability to complete the work within the timeframe specified. Once the City has reviewed the qualifications, one or more firms may be requested to provide additional information and/or participate in an interview process. Review of the SOQs and the final selection will be performed by a committee comprised of City staff and others. Short- listed applicants will be invited to interview as described below. For other information about the grant agreement or any questions, contact Colleen Minion, Solid Waste Analyst at colleen.minion©TukwilaWA.gov B. Background This project aims to support food service businesses across the City of Tukwila, the City of Burien, and the City of Maple Valley in setting up organics services and establishing best practices to comply with the new Organics Management Law. A key pillar of the project is providing technical assistance for food service businesses to begin composting their food scraps through organics service. This project aims to reduce barriers to food scraps composting and set both large and small businesses up for success with a focus on frontline businesses that need to comply with the Organics Management Law by 2024 and 2025. The City applied for and received a Re+ Grant from King County Solid Waste. Grant tasks include: • Review existing compost services, client lists of businesses within each municipality, and the new Organics Management Law. • Identify priority businesses, with a focus on frontline businesses that may be impacted by the Organics Management Law. • Identify or develop education and outreach materials that can be used to target any food waste -generating facility. The materials will be available in the top three most common languages in the municipalities. Applicable materials will be printed for distribution. • Develop potential survey questions, outreach protocols, staff training, and determine data tracking processes. • Visit identified priority businesses to conduct outreach and provide educational materials about the Organics Management Law. • Provide technical assistance to identified businesses, which includes working with the business to set up organics service, a walk-through of the site, providing one starter slim jim for back -of -house food waste collection, working with the business to determine where the organics cart will be placed, and providing additional outreach and educational materials as needed. • Conduct follow-up visits to check for contamination in the organics bin. • Conduct surveys with businesses to assess the effectiveness of the program and understand lessons learned. Projected outcomes from this project include: • Increase the number of businesses in each city (25 per city) that subscribe to organics service • Increase the tonnage of organics collected in each city by 25-50% • Support frontline community members who own or manage food service businesses in understanding the Organics Management Law C. Due Date, Time, Location, and Quantities The City must receive Statements of Qualification no later than 5:00 PM on November 29, 2023. SOQ responses shall include one electronic copy (in pdf file format) submitted to the following link: https://app.sintelforms.com/link/anon?f=3v4jn0xtp9 No submittal will be accepted after this date and time. The City will not be liable for delays in delivery of proposals due to any technological issues. Please reference the RFQ title on all communications. Please plan accordingly to meet the submittal deadline. Upon submittal of each SOQ, the system will automatically send a receipt email bearing the time/date stamp of when the SOQ was received. D. Size Limitation on the Qualifications The Qualifications (in electronic format) may not exceed 15 single -sided pages, exclusive of covers, section dividers, or appendices. The Qualifications may be printed with double -sided pages, but no more than the first 15 sides of text and graphics will be considered (see also Section 3.a). The Qualifications must be in a single file. The Qualifications may be presented in either portrait or landscape orientation. Except for charts, exhibits and other illustrative and graphical information, all information must be sized for 8.5" x 11" paper. Charts, exhibits and other illustrative and graphical information may be sized for 8.5" x 14" or 11" x 17" paper. Except for charts and graphs, all text must be in an 11- point font size or larger with margins no less than 1". Text within charts and/or graphs may be smaller than 11- point but must be an easily readable size font and type. The front cover of each copy of the Qualifications must be labeled with the name and address of the lead Consultant, along with the project title: "Tukwila Organics Solutions: Analysis, Outreach, and Program Development" and the date of submittal. E. Terms and Conditions The City reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel this RFQ, issue a new Request for Qualifications, reject any or all Qualifications, seek or obtain data from any source that has the potential to improve the understanding and evaluation of the responses to this RFQ, seek and receive clarifications to Qualifications, and waive any informalities in considering and evaluating the Qualifications. This RFQ does not commit the City to enter into a contract or proceed with the procurement of the project. The City assumes no obligations, responsibilities, and liabilities, fiscal or otherwise, to reimburse all or part of the costs incurred by the parties responding to this RFQ. All such costs shall be borne solely by each Submitter. Materials submitted in response to this competitive procurement shall become the property of the City and will not be returned. These materials will become public documents subject to public disclosure with limited exceptions. The Washington State Public Disclosure Act (RCW 42.17) requires public agencies in Washington to promptly make public records available for inspection and copying unless they fall within the specified exemptions contained in the act or is otherwise privileged. Qualifications submitted under the SOQ process shall be considered public documents and with limited exceptions, submittals that are recommended for contract award will be available for inspection and copying by the public. All submittals received will remain confidential until the City and the successful Submitter sign the agreements resulting from this advertisement. The City of Tukwila, in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (Section 504) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), commits to nondiscrimination on the basis of disability, in all its programs and activities. This material can be made available in an alternate format by emailing Colleen Minion at colleen.minion@TukwilaWA.gov or by calling 206-433-2445. The City of Tukwila, in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 78 Stat. 252, 42 U.S.C. 2000d to 2000-4 and Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, Department of Transportation, subtitle A, Office of the Secretary, Part 21, nondiscrimination in federally assisted programs of the Department of Transportation issued pursuant to such Act, hereby notifies all respondents that it will affirmatively insure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprises will be afforded full opportunity to submit Qualifications in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, or national origin in consideration for an award. Section 2. Schedule of Process A. Preliminary Schedule The City anticipates the following project milestone dates. This schedule is subject to revision at any time. Event Date RFQ Release November 6, 2023 Submittals Due November 29, 2023 Submittal Evaluation Complete December 6, 2023 Finalist Interviews (if necessary) Week of December 11, 2023 Selection December 18, 2023 Contract scope and budget development December 18-29, 2023 City Council authorizes contract execution January 8, 2024; City Council 2024 dates TBD 1. If the City awards a firm the contract to provide planning services, the successful firm shall be issued a written Notice of Intent to Award. The successful firm shall execute an agreement acceptable to the City within thirty (30) days from the date of Notice of Intent to Award. Failure by the successful firm to execute an agreement within the stipulated 30-day period shall constitute non-conformance with the SOQ, allowing the City to unilaterally withdraw and terminate such intent to award, unless there is a negotiated and written extension of the period. 2. The City reserves the right to award the contract to the next most qualified firm if the successful firm does not execute a contract within the 30 days from the date of the Notice of Intent to Award. Section 3. Qualifications and Selection Process This section describes specific information that must be included in the Qualifications. Qualifications must follow the outline presented below. Provide brief, concise information that addresses the requirements of the project consistent with the evaluation criteria described in this RFQ. A. Content of Qualifications Sections Follow the outline presented below, which has been created to organize Qualifications and facilitate the evaluation. Sections for the Qualifications shall be as described below, numbered, and titled as follows. An appendix with full resumes is allowed and will not be counted in the overall page count. The appendix material may or may not be considered as part of the selection process. The information required in the following sections will be used in the qualitative assessment of the Qualifications. Section 1: Introduction The Qualifications shall include an introduction stating the business name, address, and roles of the Submitter and any sub-consultant(s). The introduction shall identify one contact person and his or her address, telephone numbers, and email address. This person shall be the single point of contact on behalf of the Submitter, responsible for correspondence to and from the organization and the City. The City will send all project -related communications to this one contact person. Section 2: Team and Key Personnel Experience and Capacity Provide information on the following: a. Major Team Members • A listing of all firms on your team, the type(s) of services that each Team Member will provide, and the number of years each Team Member has been providing those services. • A list of up to three projects that have been completed within the last five years that have elements that are significantly similar to those of the Project, and demonstrate the expertise and experience required for the Project. Include client/organization name(s) and contact information, the work/services provided on the project(s), project dates. b. Organizational Structure • A proposed organizational chart, identifying key personnel by name, with lines identifying participants and their reporting relationships. c. Key Personnel • Experience and qualifications for each proposed key person. • Examples of work on projects that have elements that are significantly similar to those of the Project. • Availability of each key person sufficient to ensure capacity to meet project milestones and deliverables. • For the Project Manager - up to three project examples that demonstrate her/his experience as a Project Manager with the following items: Project schedule Scope of work Budget control Successfully managing changes that arose throughout the life of the project. d. DBE/WMBE • Identify the firm's DBE/WMBE status and provide a summary of the firm's history of collaborating with DBE/WMBE firms as part of your team on previous similar projects. Describe approach to maximize their participation. Section 3: Organizational Approach Provide, at a conceptual level, your team's approach to the project. a. Work Plan • Describe your team's proposed work plan for this project. • Describe each of the elements of the proposed work plan for this project and who is involved with the decision -making process for the development of the work plan. b. Project Management • Describe your team's process/concept for managing scope, schedule, and budget. • Describe how the team organization provides clear levels of authority, responsibility, and decision making. • Describe your team's communication structure both for the internal project team and for communication with the City. • Describe how you will meet the Project's administrative requirements. c. Schedule and Budget Control • Estimate the team's effort and demonstrate how the desired work can be completed in the timeline presented in this SOQ. • Provide a high-level budget breakdown, including level of effort/projected costs for each component of the project (program development, evaluation, technical assistance, development of outreach materials, etc.) • Identify any key issues and critical milestones for the project. • Describe how the team organization will monitor and control the project costs to complete the project under budget and on or ahead of schedule. d. Quality Control • Describe how the team will maintain quality control for public outreach. e. Public Engagement • Describe your team's approach to and methods for engagement with stakeholders, tribes, agency staff, and the public - especially with populations that are diverse and/or that have barriers to participation. Appendix A: Resumes of Key Personnel Limit resumes of Key Personnel to two pages each. Appendix B: Client References B. Selection Process and Schedule The City is using a two-step process to select a consultant team to deliver the project. The first step will be evaluating Consultant Qualifications. Upon completion of the evaluation and scoring of submitted Qualifications, the City will notify Submitters of the Consultants that have been short-listed or of a decision not to issue a short-list or to interview. The second step in the selection process will be interviewing teams. The City may interview up to three qualified Consultants that submit Qualifications. Consultant Evaluation Criteria Submittals will be evaluated by a Selection Committee based upon the responsiveness of the submittal to this SOQ and how well the qualifications of the team meet the needs of the Cities. Evaluations will be based on the same criteria outlined herein, which may be weighted by the City in any manner it deems appropriate. • Team's experience developing and implementing projects of this type. • Creative approaches to working with the food -service businesses and ability to garner meaningful participation, particularly from frontline businesses. • Demonstrated understanding of Washington's Organics Management Law. • Project Manager/Team Lead's overall experience managing projects and processes of this type, and availability to immediately begin work and work within tight deadlines. • Past performance and references. Evaluation of responses to this RFQ will be based only on the information provided in the SOQ package, and if applicable, during an interview and reference review process. Scoring from the short -listing process will be brought forward to the final scoring of the interviewed Submitters. The following criteria will be used to evaluate and rank responses: Step 1: Evaluation of Qualifications Criteria Possible Points Project understanding and approach: 20 Qualifications/expertise of Project Manager: 20 Qualifications/expertise of Team: 30 Approach to and methods for public engagement: 30 Step 1 Total 100 points Step 2: Final Selection Score from Step 1 50% Interview 50% Should a tie result from the scoring process, selection of the winning Consultant will be based on results of reference checks on past projects. Section 4. Administrative Information a. Minority -owned and Women -owned Business Enterprises: The City strongly encourages minority owned and women owned businesses, socially and economically disadvantaged business enterprises, and small businesses to respond to this RFQ, to participate as partners, or to participate in other business activity in response to this RFQ. b. Basic Eligibility: Any successful firm must be licensed to do business in the State of Washington, the City of Tukwila, the City of Burien, and the City of Maple Valley and must have a state Unified Business Identifier (UBI) number. In addition, the successful firm must not be debarred, suspended, or otherwise ineligible to contract with the Cities. c. Payment Requirements: Firms should be aware that the City will only make payments on invoices after the work being billed has been completed and will pay reimbursable expenses to the firm only upon receipt of an itemized invoice for the reimbursable expenses. No advance payments will be made to the firm and the firm must have the capacity to meet all project expenses in advance of payments by the City. d. Approval of Consultants: The City retains the right of final approval of anyconsultant of the selected firm who must inform all consultants of this provision. e. Documents Produced: All documents produced under contract to the City must be submitted to the City in a digital format that meets the City's requirements (typically, in Microsoft Office, Adobe Acrobat and/or AutoCAD or GIS products), and in the event of public meeting presentation materials, as a hard copy. All documents shall become the exclusive property of the City. f. Civil Rights: The City of Tukwila embraces civil rights and equal opportunity. If any events occur involving the firm or subcontractors that would violate those rights, then the firm shall take full responsibility for said actions. g_ Insurance: Successful consultant will be expected to enter into a standard City of Tukwila Consultant Agreement that includes the standard general insurance requirements as follows: The Consultant shall procure and maintain for the duration of the Agreement, insurance against claims for injuries to persons or damage to property which may arise from or in connection with the performance of the work hereunder by the Consultant, its agents, representatives, or employees. Consultant's maintenance of insurance as required by the agreement shall not be construed to limit the liability of the Consultant to the coverage provided by such insurance, or otherwise limit the City's recourse to any remedy available at law or in equity. Minimum Amounts and Scope of Insurance: Consultant shall obtain insurance of the types and with the limits described below: 1. Automobile Liability insurance with a minimum combined single limit for bodily injury and property damage of $1,000,000 per accident. Automobile Liability insurance shall cover all owned, non -owned, hired and leased vehicles. Coverage shall be written on Insurance Services Office (ISO) form CA 00 01 or a substitute form providing equivalent liability coverage. If necessary, the policy shall be endorsed to provide contractual liability coverage. 2. Commercial General Liability insurance with limits no less than $2,000,000 each occurrence, $2,000,000 general aggregate. Commercial General Liability insurance shall be at least as broad as ISO occurrence form CG 00 01 and shall cover liability arising from premises, operations, stop -gap independent contractors and personal injury and advertising injury. The City shall be named as an additional insured under the Consultant's Commercial General Liability insurance policy with respect to the work performed for the City using an additional insured endorsement at least as broad as ISO endorsement form CG 20 26. 3. Workers' Compensation coverage as required by the Industrial Insurance laws of the State of Washington. 4. Professional Liability with limits no less than $2,000,000 per claim and $2,000,000 policy aggregate limit. Professional Liability insurance shall be appropriate to the Consultant's profession. The Consultant shall procure similar insurance and limits to work within Maple Valley and Burien. h. City Full Availability of Contractor Limits: If the Contractor maintains higher insurance limits than the minimums shown above, the City\ shall be insured for the full available limits of Commercial General and Excess or Umbrella liability maintained by the Contractor, irrespective of whether such limits maintained by the Contractor are greater than those required by this Contract or whether any certificate of insurance furnished to the City evidences limits of liability lower than those maintained by the Contractor. i. Other Insurance Provision: The Consultant's Automobile Liability and Commercial General Liability insurance policies are to contain or be endorsed to contain that they shall be primary insurance with respect to the City. Any Insurance, self-insurance, or insurance pool coverage maintained by the City shall be excess of the Consultant's insurance and shall not be contributed or combined with it. L Acceptability of Insurers: Insurance is to be placed with insurers with a current A.M. Best rating of not less than A: VII. k. Verification of Coverage: Consultant shall furnish the City with original certificates and a copy of the amendatory endorsements, including but not necessarily limited to the additional insured endorsement, evidencing the insurance requirements of the Contractor before commencement of the work. Upon request by the City, the Consultant shall furnish certified copies of all required insurance policies, including endorsements, required in this Agreement and evidence of all subcontractors' coverage. I. Notice of Cancellation: The Consultant shall provide the City with written notice of any policy cancellation, within two business days of their receipt of such notice. m. Failure to Maintain Insurance: Failure on the part of the Consultant to maintain the insurance as required shall constitute a material breach of contract, upon which the City may, after giving five business days' notice to the Consultant to correct the breach, immediately terminate the contract or, at its discretion, procure or renew such insurance and pay any and all premiums in connection therewith, with any sums so expended to be repaid to the City on demand, or at the sole discretion of the City, offset against funds due the Consultant from the City. Section 5. Publication This RFQ shall be published in Seattle Times and The Daily Journal of Commerce. Published Seattle Times: November 6, 2023 Published Daily Journal of Commerce: November 6, 2023