HomeMy WebLinkAboutC36090 - Issue RFP - Update Economic Dvlpmnt Strategic Pln CONTRACT NO. C36090
CITY OF PALM DESERT
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
STAFF REPORT
REQUEST: AUTHORIZATION TO ISSUE A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS TO
UPDATE THE CITY'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC
PLAN
SUBMITTED BY: Martin Alvarez, Director of Economic Development
DATE: April 27, 2017
ATTACHMENT: Draft RFP
Recommendation
By Minute Motion that the City Council:
1. Authorize staff to issue a Request for Proposals to update the City's Economic
Development Strategic Plan; and
2. Appoint two Councilmembers to serve on the consultant evaluation committee.
Background
The City of Palm Desert's most recent Economic Development Strategic Plan was
approved in 2012. Since that date, several new economic development concepts have
been approved that require incorporation into the update of the City's Economic
Development Strategic Plan. These items include the newly adopted General Plan, the
new development concepts for the City Center, San Pablo corridor and the University
area. In addition, as part of the recently approved City Manager Performance
Evaluation Goals, the City Council identified the following goal:
• Update the 2012 Economic Development Strategic Plan for the City of Palm
Desert, including an assessment of, and strategies for, the future viability of high-
end retail on El Paseo
Discussion
Staff is seeking the City Council's authorization to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP)
for a consultant to prepare a high-quality comprehensive update to the City's Economic
Staff Report
Authorize an RFP for Economic Development Strategic Plan Update
Page 2 of 3
April 27, 2017
Development Strategic Plan (EDSP). As part of the update to the EDSP, the consultant
will look at specific strategies to address the future viability of our high end retail on El
Paseo, as well as other key areas of the city that require evaluation to create balance
and a diverse economy for the community. The update to the EDSP aims to develop
specific economic development goals, strategies and an implementation plan with the
following components:
A. Review and analysis of existing demographic and socioeconomic data, labor
force characteristics, sales tax revenue and other key economic data.
B. Preparation of key demographic trends and forecasts, social factors,
economic factors and financial indicators for inclusion into the strategic plan.
This task should include preparation of a market segmentation of the city's
retail/commercial and industrial sectors.
C. Provide understanding and consensus of the city's primary strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT analysis) that directly impact
economic competitiveness.
D. Preparation of a customized, locally based economic development strategy
setting forth goals and objectives for taking advantage of the opportunities
and solving the economic development challenges of the area, including
suggested activities, projects and programs to implement objectives and
goals set forth in the strategy.
E. Create an implementation plan that identifies issues/items that require action
in the short or long-term. Specific issues to be studied include but are not
limited to:
a. Recommendations on light industrial, office, and retail commercial
centers —whether or not to preserve existing square footage, increase,
or decrease. Include geographic locations for focus.
b. Research and analysis of mobile services — current practices and
impacts on local brick-and-mortar businesses and strategies to
leverage them to bring in business into the City.
c. Preparation of business attraction and retention strategies
incorporating results from Palm Desert's SWOT analysis.
d. Preparation of performance measures with timelines that will be used
to evaluate whether and to what extent plan goals and objectives have
been or are being met.
G:\Econ Development\EDSP 2017\SR RFPAuthonze-4-27-17.doc
Staff Report
Authorize an RFP for Economic Development Strategic Plan Update
Page 3 of 3
April 27, 2017
RFP Schedule:
The RFP is scheduled to be issued in early May 2017. After the evaluation and ranking
of the proposals, interviews with the top ranked consultants will be held the first week of
June 2017. A recommendation of the top ranked consultant and cost proposal is
anticipated to be presented to the City Council on June 22, 2017.
As part of the request for authorization to proceed with the RFP process, staff is also
seeking the participation of two Councilmembers to serve on the evaluation committee.
Fiscal Impact
There is no fiscal impact associated with this action. Once the consultant is chosen, the
contract and cost proposal will be presented to the City Council for action.
Submitted b •
)(k
Martin Alvarez
Director of Economic Development
Approval:
Lauri Aylaian
City Manager
G:\Econ Development\EDSP 201TSR RFPAuthonze•4-27-17.doc
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REQUEST FOR CONSULTANT PROPOSALS
FOR
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN 2017
City of Palm Desert
Martin Alvarez, Director of Economic Development
73-510 Fred Waring Drive
Palm Desert, California 92260
(760) 346-0611, Extension 467
May 1, 2017
TABLE OF CONTENTS
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL PAGE NO.
PART 1 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND 3
PART 2 ABOUT PALM DESERT 3
PART 3 CONTACTS 4
PART 4 RELATED CITY PROJECTS 4
PART 5 SCOPE OF WORK 5
PART 6 AVAILABLE DOCUMENTS 6
PART 7 PROPOSAL CONTENTS 6
PART 8 PROPOSAL FORMAT 6
PART 9 CONSULTANT SELECTION CRITERIA AND PROCESS 9
PART 10 PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE AND SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTS 10
PART 11 CITY OF PALM DESERT RIGHTS AND OPTIONS 10
PART 12 PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL 11
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CITY OF PALM DESERT
REQUEST FOR CONSULTANT PROPOSALS
FOR
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
FOR AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN
1. INTRODUCTION
The City of Palm Desert is seeking a consultant to prepare a high-quality and
comprehensive Economic Development Strategic Plan (EDSP) for the City of Palm
Desert. It is expected that the selected firm will prepare an EDSP containing specific
economic development goals, strategies and an implementation plan. The selected
consultant will be one that has demonstrated experience in the preparation of economic
development strategic plans for jurisdictions.
Responses must conform to the requirements of this Request for Proposal (RFP). The
City reserves the right to waive any irregularity in any proposal or reject any proposal
that does not comply with this RFP or City policies. Modifications to the RFP, including,
but not limited to the scope of work, can be made only by written addendum issued by
the City.
All proposals to support the City's ongoing economic development efforts shall be
submitted to the City no later than 2:00 p.m. on May 22, 2017. Applicant interviews will
be conducted to support the City in the selection of a qualified firm.
2. ABOUT PALM DESERT
The City of Palm Desert, California, incorporated November 26, 1973, is centered in
the heart of the Coachella Valley. It is 27 square miles in area and has 49,949
permanent residents and another 32,000 seasonal residents. Palm Desert is known as
the cultural and retail center of the desert communities.
In 1997, voters approved changing Palm Desert's designation from general law to a
Charter City in order to preserve the historical principles of self-governance and derive
the resulting social, economic, and fiscal benefits from local control. The City employs
the Council-Manager form of government. The City Council consists of five citizens
elected to staggered four-year terms, with the position of Mayor rotating annually among
the Council members.
The City of Palm Desert is also rated one of the safest cities in Southern California. The
police department, along with fire and paramedic service, is contracted through the
Riverside County.
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Tourism and retail sales are driving factors in the City's economy and with a prime-
centrally location in the valley, boosts over six million square feet of retail and
restaurants.
Palm Desert is a well maintained and managed city with multiple community amenities,
quality education, and unparalleled shopping and dining opportunities. .
3. CONTACTS
The primary contact for questions regarding this RFP will be Martin Alvarez, Director of
Economic Development (malvarez@cityofpalmdesert.orq).
City Hall is located at 73510 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert, California 92260. The
URL for the City's website is http://www.cityofpalmdesert.org/.
4. RELATED CITY PROJECTS
Connected to the efforts of this EDSP, Palm Desert adopted a comprehensive General
Plan Update (GPU) that establishes a new vision set on creating a vibrant downtown
and a closer, interwoven relationship with the California State University campus. As
part of the General Plan, Palm Desert implemented the University Neighborhood
Specific Plan and the One Eleven Development Code. Together these plans establish
guidelines, design standards, and strategies to accomplish the goals of the General
Plan. Highlights on the plans include:
o One Eleven Development Code
• Facilitates the creation of a downtown by focusing on roadway and
pedestrian improvements at San Pablo and Highway 111
• City initiated improvements for parking, access, and urban design
• Increase the citywide development potential for office and commercial
square footage and hotel units:
• Increases height limitation along Highway 111 from 3-5 stories
• Encourages mixed-use buildings;
o University Neighborhood Specific Plan
• Emphasizes creation of a pedestrian friendly residential community on 220
acres in proximity to the university;
• Emphasizes a mix of housing types and densities
• Allows up to 2,681 housing units with 56 acres of open space
• Up to 110,000 square feet of commercial and 132,000 square feet of office
space
In addition to the GPU, the city has contracted with Gibbs Planning Group to
provide urban planning consulting services for the El Paseo Shopping District. El
Paseo is a mile-long, luxury shopping district with over 250 stores and restaurants
that has recently experienced numerous vacancies. The city is seeking to improve
the district's walkability and commercial viability through this study.
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5. SCOPE OF WORK
The City of Palm Desert seeks support of a team capable of developing an EDSP, in
parallel with GPA work, through research, analysis, trend forecasting, and defined
community outreach described below. The Consultant's overall responsibility and scope
of work is to prepare an Economic Development Strategic Plan containing goals,
objectives and implementation measures. The end result will be a concise work plan for
implementing recommended strategies and established metrics to measure the
outcomes. The Consultant shall provide professional services to support the following
tasks:
A. Review and analysis of existing demographic and socioeconomic data, labor
force characteristics, sales tax revenue and other key economic data.
B. Preparation of key demographic trends and forecasts, social factors,
economic factors and financial indicators for inclusion into the strategic plan.
This task should include preparation of a market segmentation of the City's
retail/commercial and industrial sectors.
C. Provide understanding and consensus of the City's primary strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT analysis) that directly impact
the economic competitiveness,
D. Preparation of a customized, locally based economic development strategy
setting forth goals and objectives for taking advantage of the opportunities
and solving the economic development challenges of the area, including
suggested activities, projects and programs to implement objectives and
goals set forth in the strategy.
E. Create an implementation plan that identifies issues/items which require
action in the short or long-term. Specific issues to be studied include but are
not limited to:
a. Recommendations on light industrial, office, and retail Commercial
centers — whether or not to preserve existing square footage, increase,
or decrease. Include geographic locations for focus.
b. Research and analysis of mobile services — current practices and
impacts on local brick-and-mortar businesses and strategies to
leverage them to bring in business into the City.
c. Preparation of business attraction and retention strategies
incorporating results from Palm Desert's SWOT analysis.
d. Preparation of performance measures with timelines that will be used
to evaluate whether and to what extent plan goals and objectives have
been or are being met.
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F. Meetings:
a. The consultant will be expected to regularly interface with staff (in-
person meetings and conference calls) concerning approach and tasks
throughout the project. The consultant should have frequent interaction
with staff to ensure that the City's desired objectives are met and that
Palm Desert's unique concerns are addressed. The consultant will also
be expected to consult with the City's legal counsel.
b. Preparation and facilitation of up to two (2) Community Visioning
workshops with business community leaders, the business community
in general, the Chamber of Commerce and other leaders/citizens in the
Palm Desert community.
c. Briefing with the City's Economic Development Team.
d. Attendance of at least two (2) meetings and/or study sessions with
Palm Desert City Council to discuss findings and present the draft
and/or final EDSP.
6. AVAILABLE DOCUMENTS
The following documents are available for consultants responding to the Request for
Proposals (RFP) and can be found on the City's website.
1. 2016 General Plan
2. Adopted 2016 Housing Element (provided via PDF)
3. 2011 City of Palm Desert Economic Development Strategic Plan
4. 2014 Strategic Plan: Envision Palm Desert—4 Forward Together
7. PROPOSAL CONTENTS
The consultant shall submit five (5) copies of a proposal containing information that
demonstrates its qualifications, ability to perform the services described and, the
proposed method for performing these services for completion of the EDSP. Please
use the following information in the format indicated below for your proposal.
Incomplete proposals and proposals not organized according to this format may be
rejected. Faxed or emailed proposals will be rejected.
8. PROPOSAL FORMAT
I. Transmittal letter including the following information:
a. Signature of an officer of the consultant designated as the prime consultant
who is authorized to bind the firm contractually. In case of a joint venture (JV),
an officer of each JV partner shall sign.
b. The name, title, address, and telephone number of the individual to whom
correspondence and other contacts should be directed during the consultant
selection process.
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c. The name, title, address, and telephone number of the individual who will
negotiate with the City and who is authorized to contractually bind the
consultant.
d. A statement that the firm can meet the City's insurance requirements,
including certificates of insurance naming the City, its officers, officials,
employees, and volunteers as additional insureds. Completed insurance
endorsements will be required if your firm is selected. All endorsements must
be on forms acceptable to the City. A list of requirements may be found the
sample Professional Services Contract, (Attachment A).
II. Experience of the firm or JV, including:
a. A list of five most recent similar projects by the proposed project team.
Include at least one project on which all of the principal team members,
including key sub-consultants, worked together. Do not list any projects that
were performed by key team members when they were employed by other
firms. In the case of a JV, do not list projects performed by either of the firms,
only ones performed by both firms as a joint venture. Each description shall
include:
• The name of the client and a contact name, address, and telephone
number.
• The scope of the consultant's involvement in the project.
• The month and year the projects started and the month and year they
were completed.
• The total value of the services provided.
• The key personnel involved and the sub-consultants employed.
Sub-consultants should identify at least three (3) recent projects of a similar
nature as references. Give the following information on each project:
• The name and location of the project.
• The estimated total value.
• The year the project was started and completed.
• The firm's project responsibilities. Indicate which responsibilities were
those of personnel who would be assigned to this project.
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• The name, title, and telephone number of a contact person with the client
who is familiar with the project.
b. Summary description of any litigation (and outcomes) within the last seven
years that the firm or JV has been involved in concerning a strategic
economic development plan, or elements thereof, or the adequacy of
documentation prepared by the firm or proposed subcontractors.
c. The current size of the prime consultant firm or JV and the size variation
during the past seven years.
d. A list of any of the prime consultant's contracts terminated (partially or
completely) by clients for convenience or default within the past seven years.
Include contract value, description of work, client, contract number, and the
name and telephone of the contracting entity.
III. Overview/Executive Summary
This section should clearly convey your firms understanding of the nature of the
project and the approach to be taken. This section should include but not be limited
to the following:
• Purpose and organization of the effort;
• Summary of the proposed approach, including how the approach will ensure
that the City's Council, Planning Commission, and broader community's
direction will be integrated;
IV. Detailed Work Plan
This section should include the following:
• Project management team — describe the project management team, and
identify the single Project Manager and members of the project team. Provide
brief qualifications of team members and discuss their related work experience.
• Task descriptions — a full description of the steps to be followed in carrying out
the work. This work description should be broken down into a sufficient level of
detail (i.e. tasks, subtasks, etc.) to show a clear understanding of the work and
the proposed approach;
• Deliverables — a description of the format, content and level of detail which can
be expected in each deliverable;
• Schedule — a schedule should accompany the work description showing the
expected sequence of tasks and subtasks, with important milestones noted. The
consultant should place adequate time in the schedule for the City staff and
City's legal counsel to review and edit all draft documents;
• Personnel hours — a breakdown of the anticipated personnel hours for the
various tasks, for all team members including mark-up factors which could
apply.
V. References
Please also provide at least three (3) references from previous cities, counties or
other agencies for community engagement and/or Economic Development Strategic
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Plan work completed within the last three (3) years, and also provide web links to
appropriate examples of recent EDSP work products. All submitted materials shall
become the property of the City of Palm Desert.
VI. Contract Requirements
The selected firm will also be required to comply with the City's Contract
requirements (see Attachment A). Proposals must include any exceptions to the
City's standard contract requirements. Exceptions not noted in responses shall be
deemed waived.
VI. Cost Proposal
Provide detailed cost of services in a separate sealed envelope. Costing should
include:
• Fixed prices, including out-of-pocket expenses, for all costs associated within the
scope of this proposal.
• Detailed hourly rates of all members of the project
• Additional billable costs for non-specified tasks
• Total fees and expenses for the entire scope of the project
• Any area which proposers believe should be included in the scope of work in this
proposal, but which is not stipulated in this RFP, and identify the costs
associated with the services rendered
9. CONSULTANT SELECTION CRITERIA AND PROCESS
Responding firms will be evaluated based on the following criteria (not necessarily in
this order):
1. Consultant proposals will be evaluated based upon firm experience,
qualifications of key personnel, project approach, cost, and location of firm
(including what percentage of the work will be performed locally). Preferential
consideration will be given to firms that are located in the Coachella Valley and
that will perform the majority of the work locally.
2. The proposals will be evaluated by a committee comprising City of Palm Desert
staff and two members of the City Council.
3. After review of the proposals, the evaluation committee will choose to interview
up to three of the top-ranked firms. These interviews will allow the consultant's
team to make a presentation and then answer questions relative to the project.
Firms invited to be interviewed will be given a minimum of seven (7) calendar
days advance notice of the interview date.
4. The evaluation committee will identify the top-ranked firm and recommend to the
Palm Desert City Council that a contract be awarded to that firm.
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5. City staff will negotiate a contract with the top-ranked firm based upon the scope
of work and scope of services described herein, and the cost proposal submitted
by the consultant, subject to such modifications in any of these as may be
necessary and appropriate to deliver a Strategic Economic Development Plan
that is complete, sufficient, and in the best interests of the City of Palm Desert.
6. In the event that the City and the top-ranked consultant are unable to reach a
mutually satisfactory agreement for any reason, the City reserves the right to
terminate negotiations with the top-ranked firm and to commence negotiations
with the second-ranked firm.
7. The City Council will consider the recommendation of the consultant evaluation
committee and the negotiated contract, and make a decision regarding award of
the contract during a regularly scheduled meeting that is open to the public.
Please note that, the City reserves the right to reject and then select different sub-
consultants at any time, from the ones proposed for each task by the consultant
selected, if it deems it necessary.
10. PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE AND SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTS
The following is a preliminary schedule for this process:
• May 1, 2017 — RFP issued
• May 22, 2017— Responses due by 2:00 p.m.
• May 23, 2017— City begins evaluating proposals
• Week of June 5, 2017 — Interviews
• June 22, 2017—Award of Contract by City Council
To be considered for this project, respondents must submit a complete response to this
Request for Proposal no later than 2:00 p.m. on May 22, 2017. Postmarks, emails,
and faxes will not be accepted.
City of Palm Desert
Attention City Clerk's Office— RFP EDSP
73-510 Fred Waring Drive
Palm Desert, CA 92260
10.CITY OF PALM DESERT RIGHTS AND OPTIONS
This RFP does not commit the City of Palm Desert to award a contract, to pay any cost
incurred with the preparation of a proposal, or to procure or contract for services
described herein. The City of Palm Desert reserves the right to accept or reject any or
all proposals received in response to this RFP, to negotiate with any qualified source, or
to cancel in whole or in part this process if it is in the best interest of the City to do so.
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Subsequent to negotiations, prospective consultants may be required to submit
revisions to their proposals. All respondents should note that any contract pursuant to
this solicitation is dependent upon the recommendation of the Palm Desert City Council.
The City reserves the right to postpone selection for its own convenience, to withdraw
this RFP at any time, and to reject any and all proposals without indicating any reason
for such rejection. As a function of the RFP process, the City of Palm Desert reserves
the right to remedy technical errors in response to the RFP and to modify the published
scope of services and scope of work. The City of Palm Desert will reserve the right to
request that specific personnel with specific expertise be added to the team if the City
determines that specific expertise is lacking in the project team. Proposals submitted in
response to the RFP will not be returned.
11.PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL
All proposals in response to this RFP are due no later than 2:00 p.m. on May 22,
207. Proposals should be delivered to: City of Palm Desert, 73-510 Fred Waring
Drive, Palm Desert, CA 92260. Attention: City Clerk's Office. All questions
regarding this RFP shall be directed to Martin Alvarez, (760) 346-0611, Extension
467.
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