2021-05-28 RFP Building Inspector Services.doc

City of Prairie du Chien Municipal Offices

214 East Blackhawk Avenue, PO Box 324, Prairie du Chien, WI 53821

Phone: (608) 326-6406 Fax: (608) 326-8182

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

BUILDING INSPECTION SERVICES

RFP #21-02

City of Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin

May 28, 2021 The City of Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin will be receiving proposals for the above noted service until 4 PM, Friday, June 18, 2021. Proposals must be submitted in sealed envelopes clearly identifying the request for proposal title. No faxed or electronic proposals will be accepted. Proposal documents can be found on the Prairie du Chien website at www.cityofpdc.com Mail or Deliver Proposals to:

City of Prairie du Chine

City Hall

214 East Blackhawk Avenue

PO BOX 324

Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin 53821 The City of Prairie du Chien reserves the right to reject any and all proposals not judged to be in the best interest of the City.

Questions or further information on this RFP may be directed to:

Chad Abram

City Administrator

Prairie du Chien City Hall

214 East Blackhawk Avenue

Prairie du Chien, WI 53821

608-326-6406 cabram@prairieduchien-wi.gov

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

BUILDING INSPECTION SERVICES

RFP #21-02

Date of Request:

May 28, 2021 Project Title:

BUILDING INSPECTION SERVICES

Submittal Due:

4 PM Local Time, Friday, June 18, 2021. There will not be a public opening for this RFP.

Late Proposals:

Any proposal received by the City after the exact time and date specified will not be considered. Proposers are responsible to assure delivery prior to the deadline. Do not assume that a guarantee by a mailing service will ensure that the proposal is received by the deadline.

Required Submittal:

Two (2) bound copies and One (1) digital copy in PDF format of the proposal are to be submitted for evaluation by the City in accordance with the instructions in the section “Proposal Requirements.” No faxed or electronic submittals will be accepted. Qualification requirements and fee proposals shall be sealed in separate envelopes. The qualification proposal shall be labeled on the outside “City of Prairie du Chien Building Inspection Services--Qualifications.” The fee proposal shall be labeled on the outside “City of Prairie du Chien Building Inspection Services-- Fees.” Each envelope shall be marked on the outside with the name and address of the RFP Respondent. RFPs are to be submitted as a sealed package to:

City of Prairie du Chien City Hall

214 East Blackhawk Avenue

PO Box 324 Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin 53821

Withdrawal of Proposals: Proposals may be withdrawn by written notice received at any time prior to the proposal closing date and time. Proposals may also be withdrawn in person by an officer or by a representative of the firm, provided that the representative signs a receipt for return of the proposal.

Contact Person:

Chad Abram

City Administrator

Prairie du Chien City Hall

214 East Blackhawk Avenue

Prairie du Chien, WI 53821

608-326-6406 cabram@prairieduchien-wi.gov Inquiries: Questions/clarifications regarding this RFP must be in writing and sent via the U.S. Mail, Fax, or e-mail to the City Administrator up to three (3) days before the proposal is due. After this date questions involving the content or intent of the proposal will not be answered. All questions will be responded to in writing, provided to all parties requesting an RFP for which the City has contact information, and treated as an addendum to the proposal packet.

Proposer Responsibility: Interested proposers have the responsibility of understanding what is required by this solicitation. The City shall not be held responsible for any firm’s lack of understanding. The City shall not be liable for any costs incurred to prepare or submit a proposal for this project.

Non-Discrimination Statement: The City of Prairie du Chien does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, marital or veterans’ status, sex, national origin, disability, or any other legally protected status in the admission or access to, or treatment or employment in, its services, programs or activities.

Right to Reject Proposals and Negotiate Contract Terms: The contract may be awarded to the most responsible firm whose proposal will be, on an overall basis, the most advantageous to the City of Prairie du Chien. Qualifications, experience, performance, and cost factors will be considered as elements of a responsible proposal at the sole discretion of the City of Prairie du Chien. Cost alone shall not be the determining factor. The City’s decision shall be final and not subject to recourse by any firm, person, or corporation. The City of Prairie du Chien reserves the right to reject any and all proposals and/or waive non-substantive deficiencies. No contract shall be in effect until the City executes a signed contract agreement.

Lobbying: Vendors are not to contact members of the Prairie du Chien Common Council, Mayor, other elected and appointed officials, or the review committee. Any lobbying by vendors during the RFP process will result in disqualification from consideration.

COMMUNITY BACKGROUND

COMMUNITY BACKGROUND:

Prairie du Chien, historically known as the second oldest City in Wisconsin. The City of Prairie du Chien is located in the Driftless Area of Wisconsin located along the Mississippi River in beautiful Southwest Wisconsin. Prairie du Chien is the county seat for Crawford County and has a population of approximately 6,000 residents.

Though Prairie du Chien is rich in natural resources and history, 12.3% of the population lives at or below the poverty level. The Prairie du Chien School District has a free and reduced lunch rate of 63%, meaning half of the children in the school district live at or below the poverty line. The median household income for a family of four in the city is $47,863.00. Combined with Prairie du Chien’s aging housing stock, this poses challenges and opportunities for restoring historic/older properties and improving the conditions of the housing stock overall. The City has worked collaboratively with area contractors, building material suppliers and volunteers in recent years to aid property owners financially and/or physically unable to perform the necessary work themselves.

CURRENT PRACTICES: The current contract does require established office hours at City Hall. Inspections are scheduled as needed, and inspection reports are to be regularly entered into the database. The City is invoiced monthly for inspection services. Alternative practices will be considered if explained in your response.

DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES REQUESTED: The City of Prairie du Chien is issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) for building inspection services, including, but not limited to: plan review, residential and commercial inspections, maintenance of inspection records and reports, and meeting attendance when requested. The services under the proposed contract will begin on or about July 5, 2021.

SCOPE OF SERVICES

The City of Prairie du Chien has issued this Request for Proposals for Building Inspection services. The proposal shall address all Building Inspector duties, including but not limited to the following:

1. Review building plans and conduct all necessary and required building, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC inspections on residential construction within the City of Prairie du Chien. These include footings, foundations, basement floors, site erosion control and final occupancies.

2. The Inspector will use the City’s permit system to maintain adequate records to support decisions.

3. Maintain all required certifications in the disciplines of residential and commercial construction, plumbing, electrical, energy conservation and heating, ventilating, and air conditioning.

4. Conduct all necessary inspections on permitted activities such as, but not limited to, decks, swimming pools, accessory buildings, and residential alterations and additions.

5. Provide Inspection Reports to Planning & Zoning for all inspections within one (1) week of inspection completion (unless otherwise agreed upon).

6. Assist City staff with inquiries and code enforcement. The building inspector should be proactively examining properties for violation, and any time necessary for enforcement activities, coordination with City personnel and City Attorney.

7. Assist with the investigation of complaints related to the State building code and City Ordinances, including but not limited to inspections for occupancy permits, structural property maintenance violations, etc.

8. Have 8 public office hours per week at City Hall, established by the City Administrator for interaction with Police, Fire, Zoning and Planning.

9. Furnish a telephone number to the City for public dissemination where he/she may be contacted by City officials and citizens concerning his/her duties outside of regular office hours.

10. Attend occasional meetings as requested.

PROPOSAL & SELECTION PROCESS

PROPOSAL: The evaluation and selection of a qualified Building Inspector and the contract will be based on the information submitted in the vendor’s proposal, references, and any required oral presentations. A response may be rejected if it fails to meet each of the requirements of the RFP.

The City of Prairie du Chien is not liable for any cost incurred by the proposers in replying to this RFP or in the proposer attending an interview session.

Vendors are hereby notified that the content of electronic copies of the proposal must be identical to the hard copy proposal submitted in response to this RFP. The City of Prairie du Chien is not responsible for identifying inconsistencies between the two and may rely on either version at its discretion.

SELECTION PROCESS

Anticipated Schedule

· May 28, 2021

RFP Document Made Available

· June 18, 2021

Proposals Due

· June 22, 2021

Initial Review of Proposals and Invitations for Interviews

· July 6, 2021

Potential City Council Approval of Firm

Method of Selection

1. An initial screening of the proposals will be conducted to establish a short list of qualified firms/individuals. The short list will be provided in alphabetical order without any ranking whatsoever.

2. The Selection Committee will consist of City Administrator, Zoning Administrator, City Planner, and a member of the Personnel Committee.

3. The following selection criteria will be the basis for Firm selection:

· The firm adheres to the instructions in this Request for Proposal on preparing and submitting the proposal.

· The firm submits a copy of its licenses, bonds and insurance.

· Overall qualifications, experience, and competence of staff.

· Experience doing similar work in communities with comparable characteristics.

· Experience in working with and involving the public.

· Proposed compensation for services.

· Reference checks.

· Written and visual quality and accuracy of the proposal.

· Interview.

Proposal Requirements: Proposals that do not address the items listed in this Request for Proposals may be considered incomplete and may be deemed non-responsive by the City of Prairie du Chien at its sole discretion. It is the responsibility of the consultants submitting proposals to determine the actual efforts required to complete the project. Proposals shall include the following:

1. General information about the firm, staff experience, credentials/certifications, and training. Include experience performing similar work for other municipalities.

2. Inspection summary reports (provide examples).

3. Inspector availability and methods of contact for the public and City staff.

4. Space, materials, equipment, or equipment access requested from the City.

5. Inspector compensation (including a proposed schedule of fees) and invoicing, including additional charges to attend meetings or for reimbursables such as mileage.

6. Proof Inspector is licensed, bonded, and insured. Inspector shall carry aggregate coverage limit of at least $1,000,000, and a per occurrence coverage limit of at least $1,000,000, and a deductible of no more than $2,500.

7. Three or more professional references concerning building permit and inspections services provided to Wisconsin communities.

8. Proposed contract form.

Compensation: The City will pay the Inspector a sum of $35.00 per hour for services rendered and will reimburse the Inspector for mileage at a rate mutually agreed upon by the City and the Inspector. The Inspector will have office space in City Hall at no cost to the Inspector, the City shall make available at no charge a computer, city email address, desk telephone, fax machine, postage, and office supplies necessary for the discharge Inspector duties.

Rights Reserved by the City of Prairie du Chien: This Request for Proposals does not commit the City to enter into a contract, nor does it obligate the City to pay for any costs incurred in preparation and submission of proposals in anticipation of a contract.

The City of Prairie du Chien reserves the right to:

· Make the selection based on its sole discretion

· Reject any and all proposals without prejudice

· Issue subsequent Requests for Proposal

· Postpone opening for its own convenience

· Remedy technical errors in the Request of Proposal process

· Approve or disapprove the use of particular sub-consultants

· Negotiate with any, all, or none of the Proposers

· Solicit best and final offers from all or some of the Proposers

· Accept other than the lowest offer

· Waive informalities and irregularities in the proposal

· Request clarification of the information submitted

· Request additional information Inquiries: Questions regarding this RFP must be in writing and sent via the U.S. Mail or e-mail to Chad Abram (cabram@prairieduchien-wi.gov) up to three (3) days before the proposal is due. After this date questions involving the content or intent of the proposal will not be answered. All questions will be responded to in writing, provided to all parties requesting an RFP for which the City has contact information, and treated as an addendum to the proposal packet.

Proposer Responsibility: Interested proposers have the responsibility of understanding what is required by this solicitation. The City shall not be held responsible for any firm’s lack of understanding.

Proposers are responsible to assure delivery prior to the deadline. Do not assume that a guarantee by a mailing service will ensure that the proposal is received by the deadline.

Contract. No contract shall be in effect until the City executes a signed contract agreement.

Page | 2