DEPARTMENT: Office of Sustainability
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Douglas Melnick
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: Citywide
SUBJECT:
Sustainability Plan Consultant Contract Award
SUMMARY:
An Ordinance selecting Neutral Forum, LLC, dba Galen Driscol, and Kim Lundgren Associates, Inc., and awarding a contract for consultant services pertaining to the City's Sustainability Plan and authorizing the negotiation and execution of a professional services agreement in an amount not to exceed $200,000.00, for an initial term of one year, with one additional one year renewal option. Funding to develop the Sustainability Plan was allocated and authorized by City Council within the FY 2015 Annual Budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Project Background
The City of San Antonio is projected to grow significantly over the next two decades and ascertaining how to sustainably accommodate that growth is an essential goal within the Comprehensive Plan Update. This regionally-influential plan will consider San Antonio's unique attributes, most notably: the hundreds of square miles of footprint (land use/transportation development), its climate (arid), and the climate's impact on natural resources needed to sustain the projected population growth while ensuring the availability of clean air and water. This plan will serve as a mechanism to tie together the City's existing and developing sustainability initiatives, strategies and plans with the community's goals to establish a cohesive set of strategies and practical metrics for improving sustainability in municipal operations and the broader San Antonio community.
Neutral Forum, LLC, dba Galen Driscol, and Kim Lundgren Associates, Inc., will develop a Sustainability Plan that will work in tandem with the City of San Antonio's Comprehensive Plan Update and Strategic Multi-Modal Transportation Plan, as well as other plans and guiding documents such as the Mission Verde Plan and SA2020. In 2009, the City of San Antonio City Council endorsed the Mission Verde Plan (Mission Verde). Mission Verde's intent was to invest in energy saving initiatives to save the community money, diversify San Antonio's energy portfolio, and serve as a catalyst for job creation and innovation. In 2010, San Antonians were asked to imagine a better San Antonio, and they did in the form of SA2020. SA2020 is a community vision for the future of San Antonio. SA2020's list of goals created by the people of San Antonio, were based on their collective vision for our city in the year 2020. SA2020 includes goals surrounding significant areas of sustainability and others including natural resources & environmental sustainability, neighborhoods & growth management, economic competitiveness, and family well-being.
Procurement of Services
A Request for Proposal (RFP) (RFP) for a Sustainability Plan (6100005295 (RFP 15-015))was advertised in November 2014 on the City's website, in the San Antonio Express-News, on the TVSA channel through the Communications and Public Affairs Department, and distributed by email to a list of potential respondents identified by the Office of Sustainability. Responses were due on December 10, 2014 and seven firms responded to the RFP.
A selection committee consisting of representatives from the Office of the City Manager, Office of Sustainability, Planning and Community Development, Transportation & Capital Improvements, CPS Energy and the City of San Antonio's Citizen's Environmental Advisory Committee evaluated and ranked the submissions. The selection committee evaluated and scored the proposals. Scoring was based on the published evaluation criteria in the RFP, which included: Background, Experience and Qualifications, Proposed Plan, Pricing, Small Business Enterprise (SBE) Prime Contract Program, Minority/Women Business Enterprise (M/WBE) Prime Contract Program, Local Preference Ordinance, and Veteran-Owned Small Business Preference Program.
Following the initial scoring, four firms were shortlisted for interviews. During the interview process, the firms presented more detailed information to include their related project management experience on similar projects, approach on issues similar to those in the San Antonio region and their plans for public stakeholder involvement, and outreach. After interviews were completed, the evaluation team selected Neutral Forum, LLC, dba Galen Driscol, and Kim Lundgren Associates, Inc. for contract recommendation. Neutral Forum, LLC, dba Galen Driscol, and Kim Lundgren Associates, Inc. excelled in experience related to developing municipal sustainability plans with prior experience by the leads and sub-consultants in Orlando, FL; Richmond, VA; Chicago, IL; Cambridge, MA; Austin, TX; Tucson, AZ. Additionally, the consultant team includes an expert on Sustainable Return on Investment (SROI) who will evaluate strategies and monetize them in a cost-benefit and financial metrics.
This contract will be awarded in compliance with the Small Business Economic Development Advocacy (SBEDA) Program, which requires contracts be reviewed by a Goal Setting Committee to establish a requirement and/or incentive unique to the particular contract in an effort to maximize the amount of small, minority, and women-owned business participation on the contract. The Goal Setting Committee applied the Small Business Enterprise Prime Program with (10) evaluation preference points and Minority/Women-Owned Business Enterprise Prime Contract Program with (10) evaluation preference points. No evaluation preference points were awarded to Neutral Forum, LLC, dba Galen Driscol, and Kim Lundgren Associates, Inc., as they are not eligible for the SBEDA SBE or MWBE preference points. The Local Preference Program was applied in the evaluation of responses received for this contract; however, the highest ranked firm is not a local business. The Veteran-Owned Small Business Preference Program was applied in the evaluation of responses received for this contract; however, the highest ranked firm is not a veteran-owned small business.
ISSUE:
An Ordinance selecting Neutral Forum, LLC, dba Galen Driscol, and Kim Lundgren Associates, Inc., and awarding a contract for consultant services pertaining to the City's Sustainability Plan and authorizing the negotiation and execution of a professional services agreement in an amount not to exceed $200,000.00, for an initial term of one year with one additional one year renewal option, for consultant services pertaining to the City's Sustainability Plan for the plan development and community outreach.
The term of this contract is twelve (12) months with one (1), one-year option to renew.
ALTERNATIVES:
This request can be postponed or cancelled. However, the City will lose the opportunity to develop the Sustainability Plan in coordination with the Comprehensive Plan and the Strategic Multi-Modal Transportation Plan.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This ordinance selects Neutral Forum, LLC, dba Galen Driscol, and Kim Lundgren Associates, Inc., and awards a contract for consultant services pertaining to the City's Sustainability Plan and authorizes the negotiation and execution of a professional services agreement in an amount not to exceed $200,000.00, for an initial term of one year with one additional one year renewal option, for consultant services pertaining to the City's Sustainability Plan for plan development and community outreach.
Funding to develop the Sustainability Plan was allocated and authorized by City Council within the FY 2015 Annual Budget.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends authorization to negotiate and execute a professional services agreement with Neutral Forum, LLC, dba Galen Driscol/Kim Lundgren Associates in the amount not to exceed $200,000.00 for consultant services pertaining to the City's Sustainability Plan for plan development and community outreach.