26-004QP_RFQ.docx

City of Seattle

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

Consultant Contract Title: Pedestrian Wayfinding On-Call Procurement Schedule Table 1: Procurement Schedule

Optional Pre-Submittal Conference [Virtual Presubmittal Meeting] Thursday, August 6 @ 10AM

The City reserves the right to modify this.

Changes will be posted on the City website or as otherwise stated.

Procurement Contact Information Procurement Contact:

Rachel Greene Senior Contracts Specialist rachel.greene2@seattle.gov 206-684-4611

Table 2: Delivery Address Procurement Platform

Submit all Consultant Documents through OpenGov:

https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/seattle

The City of Seattle 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 of its programs and activities. This material can be made available in an alternate format by emailing Tom Hewitt at DOT_ADAProgram@Seattle.gov or by calling 206-615-1974.

Title VI Statement The City of Seattle, in accordance with the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (78 Stat. 252, 42 U.S.C. 2000d to 2000d-4) and the Regulations, hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively ensure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprises will be afforded full and fair opportunity to submit bids 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.

EEO Statement All prospective consultants are advised that federally funded projects will be held to federal Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) requirements.

Prohibited Contact Unless authorized by the Procurement Contact, no other City official or employee may speak for the City regarding this solicitation until award is complete. Any Proposer contacting other City officials or employees does so at Proposer’s own risk. The City is not bound by such information.

Table of Contents

Purpose and Background.

Seamless Seattle is the City of Seattle’s citywide pedestrian wayfinding system. To date, there are over 120 Seamless Seattle wayfinding signs across the city’s Downtown and University District, with additional wayfinding expansions currently being planned. As Seattle continues to grow, the Seamless Seattle system will meet the evolving pedestrian wayfinding needs of residents and visitors through system expansion, updates and maintenance, and smart asset management. Qualified proposers will be prepared to provide comprehensive on-call consultant services toward the continued development of the Seamless Seattle program through wayfinding system planning, wayfinding maps and asset development using SDOT’s established pedestrian wayfinding design standards and criteria, updates to existing wayfinding signs and assets, city pedestrian wayfinding system asset management, and community engagement.

The on-call contract will be used when no in-house resources are available or when in-house expertise is not available. One contract will be awarded for up to $600,000.

Performance Schedule.

The contract term is expected to be five (5) years, starting January 2027 and ending in January 2032.

Specific services for individual scopes of work, fee and schedule will be defined via Work Authorizations. The SDOT Project Manager will engage the Consultant to negotiate individual scopes, schedules, and budget for each Work Authorizations, which will vary based on those services. There is no minimum guarantee of work under this solicitation.

Solicitation Objectives.

The City expects to achieve the following outcomes through this consultant solicitation:

SDOT’s goal is to identify and select a highly capable and experienced on-call consultant team with familiarity with Seattle geographies and communities to assist in the continued development and management of the Seamless Seattle pedestrian wayfinding program.

Minimum Qualifications.

Minimum qualifications are required for a Consultant to be eligible to submit a proposal response. Your submittal response must show compliance to these minimum qualifications. Proposers that are not responsive to these qualifications shall be rejected by the City without further consideration:

· Prime Consultant shall demonstrate a minimum of five (5) years of experience in City wayfinding system planning and design as a primary business service.

· Subject matter leads (Prime Consultant and Subconsultants) should have a minimum of five (5) years of experience in their respective field.

· Prime Consultant demonstrates experience with successful delivery of at least two (2) city pedestrian wayfinding systems within the past five (5) years.

· Prime Consultant has experience in the past five (5) years providing services in:

· Wayfinding System Planning

· Wayfinding Sign Content, Artworking, and Implementation

· Wayfinding Data and Asset Management

· Community Engagement Scope of Work.

The following outlines the anticipated Scope of Work to be performed as part of the Seamless Seattle On-Call Pedestrian Wayfinding agreement:

Scope of Work:

Any services performed under this contract will be issued as a series of Work Authorizations. The scope, schedule, and budget for each Work Authorization will vary by project. There is no minimum guarantee of work for any contracts executed from this solicitation.

For all anticipated scopes of work, the Consultant will utilize the established Seamless Seattle wayfinding system planning and design standards documents. For some work, the consultant will be responsible for gaining knowledge of local context which will be critical to successful project work delivery.

Services anticipated may include, but are not limited, to the following tasks:

Core functions are indicated with an asterisk*. A core function is any element of a particular scope of work which SDOT is certain will be performed and completed through all phases of this Contract. Consultants shall focus on the core functions when developing meaningful and realistic integration of WMBE roles in proposed Inclusion Plans.

Community Engagement * Consultant will work with community groups toward context-specific Seamless Seattle wayfinding planning and design work. This work may include but is not limited to:

· Engagement Planning and Reporting: Generate community engagement plans for Seamless Seattle program expansions. Generate engagement summary reports, including recommendations synthesizing engagement results with Seamless Seattle system standards.

· Engagement Activity Facilitation: Engage with community groups to inform overall signage location planning. Engagement activities might include activities such as community workshops, walkshops, focus groups, and surveys.

· Mapping and Accessibility: Engage with community members to identify priority routes, major destinations, and multilingual content and accessibility needs leading to wayfinding map generation or updates. Engagement activities may include community workshops, walkshops, surveys. Engagement may be multilingual depending on community demographics.

· Local Identity: Work with community groups to inform local design and identity features for integration into Seamless Seattle pedestrian wayfinding sign asset graphic elements. This may include graphic elements toward neighborhood- or historic district-specific local identity.

Wayfinding System Planning* Consultant will provide pedestrian wayfinding sign location and movement planning utilizing established Seamless Seattle wayfinding standards for program expansion areas, informed by community engagement. This work may require expertise of local Seattle context. Work may include but is not limited to:

· Seamless Seattle Wayfinding Standards: Update Seamless Seattle system standards according to evolving needs. Updates will be based on foundational and emerging pedestrian wayfinding research and best practices. Efforts may include development of standards for GIS-based mapping and sign content creation, as well as standards for new sign types.

· Priority Route Mapping: Apply Seamless Seattle system standards toward planning of priority route networks, route hierarchy, decision points, sign types, and clutter reduction.

· System Accessibility Planning: Ensure that Seamless Seattle program expansions follow system standards regarding accessibility and support continued innovation and evolution of system accessibility to ensure wayfinding accommodates all users.

· Sign Location Survey and Planning: Apply Seamless Seattle system standards toward location planning. Consultant will lead detailed coordination of sign locations based on City of Seattle Right-of-Way design standards and guidelines, as well as location-specific existing conditions.

Wayfinding Sign Content, Artworking, and Implementation* For Seamless Seattle program expansion areas and existing sign asset updates, Consultant will develop new sign content based on Seamless Seattle system standards. Consultant will provide technical guidance to ensure wayfinding asset quality, consistency, and system integrity. Work may include but is not limited to:

· Base Map Creation: Apply Seamless Seattle system standards toward creating basemaps. Basemaps will be created with GIS-based and graphic softwares in alignment with greater asset management system.

· Asset Selection: For program expansion areas and existing sign updates, apply Seamless Seattle system standards, including Asset Selection Criteria, toward planning of neighborhood assets and destinations.

· Directional Sign Information and Sign Content Schedules: Apply Seamless Seattle system standards, including Sign Content Rationale, toward developing directional sign content, with consideration to local context. Create comprehensive content schedules compiling sign content.

· Map Artworking: Apply Seamless Seattle system standards toward creation of final sign artwork. Consultant will work in coordination with local community partners to develop final sign artwork related to multilingual requirements and local identity.

· Technical Guidance for Sign Design and Fabrication: Provide technical guidance to fabrication vendor regarding sign fabrication plans, methods, and materials. Consultant may provide or advise on plans, specifications, and design intent drawings

· Technical Guidance for Installation, Operations, and Maintenance: Provide technical guidance regarding installation and ongoing upkeep of sign assets, including repairs and graffiti abatement.

Wayfinding Data and Asset Management* The Consultant will assist in the planning, implementation, and maintenance of a cartographic data asset management platform for the Seamless Seattle Wayfinding program. This work may include but is not limited to:

· Integrated GIS-based Asset Management Platform: Support development of an interactive, GIS-based mapping system for managing Seamless Seattle assets, in coordination with SDOT asset management system. Seamless Seattle platform will integrate sign locations, sign content, and pertinent existing conditions data.

· Maintenance and Updates: Develop and assist in updating and maintaining Seamless Seattle asset management platform.

Contract Modifications.

The City consultant contract is attached (See Attachments Section).

The City has attached its boilerplate contract terms to allow Proposers to get familiar with the City’s non-negotiable terms and conditions prior to investing time into submitting a proposal. The City may negotiate with the highest ranked apparent successful Proposer. The City reserves the right to require changes that are a result of changes made by laws or regulations including of the Federal, State or City regulations. The City cannot modify contract provisions mandated by Federal, State or City law: to: Equal Benefits, Audit (Review of Vendor Records), WMBE and EEO, Confidentiality, and Debarment or mutual indemnification. Exceptions to those provisions will be summarily disregarded.

Procedures and Requirements.

This section details City instructions and requirements for your submittal. The City reserves the right in its sole discretion to reject any Consultant response that fails to comply with the instructions.

7.1 Registration into the City of Seattle Procurement Portal Powered by OpenGov If you have not previously done so, register at: https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/seattle, then subscribe to the City’s Procurement Portal. The Procurement Portal is used by City staff to identify companies for future solicitation lists and check certifications. Women- and minority-owned firms are asked to self-identify their business as such in OpenGov. Registration in the City's Procurement Portal is required to submit a response to this solicitation (see section 7.25). For assistance, email FAS_PC@Seattle.gov.

7.2 Pre-Submittal Conference

The City offers an optional pre-submittal conference at the time, date and location on page 1. Proposers are highly encouraged to attend but not required to attend to be eligible to submit. The meeting answers questions about the solicitation and clarifies any issues or concerns. Failure to raise concerns over any issues at this opportunity will be a consideration in any protest filed regarding such items known as of this pre-proposal conference.

7.3 Questions.

Consultants may submit questions to the City’s procurement platform OpenGov until the deadline stated on page 1, or as otherwise amended. Failure to request clarification of any inadequacy, omission, or conflict will not relieve the Consultant of responsibilities under any subsequent contract. It is the responsibility of the interested Consultant to ensure they receive responses to questions if any are issued.

7.4 Changes to the RFQ.

The City may make changes to this RFQ if, in the sole judgment of the City, the change will not compromise the City’s objectives in this solicitation. Any change to this RFQ will be made by formal written addendum issued by the City and shall become part of this RFQ.

7.5 Receiving Addenda and/or Question and Answers.

It is the obligation and responsibility of the consultant to learn of addenda, responses, or notices issued by the City as posted on OpenGov. Some third-party services independently post City of Seattle solicitations on their websites. The City does not guarantee that such services have accurately provided all the information published by the City and encourages potential submitters to go directly to the City’s procurement platform. Further, while many firms are using AI note-taking features, any such records are not considered the definitive,legal record. Rather, the City provides the record of all addenda and any pre-submittal notes, which are posted and made publicly available in OpenGov.

All submittals sent to the City may be considered compliant with or without specific confirmation from the consultant that any and all addenda was received and incorporated into your response. However, the project manager reserves the right to reject any submittal that does not fully incorporate Addenda that is critical to the project.

7.6 Proposal Submittal.

a) Submittals must be received by the City no later than the date and time on page 1 except as revised by Addenda.

b) All pages are to be numbered sequentially, and closely follow the requested formats.

c) The City has page limits specified in the Response Format section 8. Any pages that exceed the page limit will be excised from the document for purposes of evaluation.

d) The submitter has full responsibility to ensure the response arrives at the City within the deadline. A response delivered after the deadline may be rejected unless waived as immaterial by the City given specific fact-based circumstances.

7.7 RESERVED

7.8 Electronic Submittal.

Proposers shall upload their electronic submittal to SDOT’s selected procurement platform OpenGov for document submittal (see table 2). Proposers are responsible for uploading a complete and responsible submittal package within the stated procurement schedule (see table 1).

7.9 Proposer Responsibility to Provide Full Response.

It is the proposer’s responsibility to respond in a manner that does not require interpretation or clarification by the City. The Proposer is to provide all requested materials, forms and information. The Proposer is to ensure the materials submitted properly and accurately reflect the proposer’s offering. During scoring and evaluation (prior to interviews if any), the City will rely upon the submitted materials and shall not accept materials from the Proposer after the RFQ deadline; this does not limit the City’s right to consider additional information (such as references that are not provided by the proposer but are known to the City, or past City experience with the consultant), or to seek clarifications as needed.

7.10 Prohibited Contacts.

Proposers shall not interfere in any way to discourage other potential and/or prospective proposers from proposing or considering a proposal process. Prohibited contacts includes but is not limited to any contact, whether direct or indirect (i.e. in writing, by phone, email or other, and by the Proposer or another person acting on behalf of the Proposer) to a firm or individual that is intended, in the opinion of the City, to discourage or limit competition. If such activity is evidenced to the satisfaction and in sole discretion of the City department, the Proposer that initiates such contacts may be rejected from the process.

7.11 License and Business Tax Requirements.

The consultant must meet all applicable licensing requirements immediately after contract award or the City may reject the consultant. Companies must license, report and pay revenue taxes for the Washington State business License (UBI#) and Seattle Business License, if required by law. Carefully consider those costs before submitting an offer, as the City will not separately pay or reimburse such costs.

Seattle Business Licensing and associated taxes.

a. If you have a “physical nexus” in the city, you must obtain a Seattle Business license and pay all taxes due before the Contract can be signed.

b. A “physical nexus” means you have physical presence, such as: a building/facility/employee(s) in Seattle, you make sales trips into Seattle, your own company drives into Seattle for product deliveries, and/or you conduct service work in Seattle (repair, installation, service, maintenance work, on-site consulting, etc).

c. We provide a Consultant Questionnaire Form in our submittal package items later in this RFQ, and it will ask you to specify if you have “physical nexus”.

d. All costs for any licenses, permits and Seattle Business License taxes owed shall be borne by the Consultant and not charged separately to the City.

e. The apparent successful Consultant(s) must immediately obtain the license and ensure all City taxes are current, unless exempted by City Code due to reasons such as no physical nexus. Failure to do so will cause rejection of the submittal.

f. The City of Seattle Application for a Business License and additional licensing information can be found this page here: https://www.seattle.gov/city-finance/business-taxes-and-licenses/business-licenses

g. For Questions and Assistance, call the Revenue and Consumer Protection (RCP) office which issues business licenses and enforces licensing requirements. The general e-mail is tax@seattle.gov. The main phone is 206-684-8484.

h. Self-Filing You can pay your license and taxes on-line: https://www.filelocal-wa.gov/Default_FileLocal.aspx

i. If a business has extraordinary balances due on their account that would cause undue hardship to the business, the business can contact the License and Tax Administration office at tax@seattle.gov or 206-684-8484 to request additional assistance.

j. Those holding a City of Seattle Business license may be required to report and pay revenue taxes to the City. Such costs should be carefully considered by the Consultant prior to submitting your offer. When allowed by City ordinance, the City will have the right to retain amounts due at the conclusion of a contract by withholding from final invoice payments.

7.12 State Business Licensing. Before the contract is signed, you must have a State of Washington business license (a “Unified Business Identifier” known as a UBI#). If the State of Washington has exempted your business from State licensing (some foreign companies are exempt and sometimes, the State waives licensing because the company has no physical presence in the State), then submit proof of that exemption to the City. All costs for any licenses, permits and associated tax payments due to the State because of licensing shall be borne by the Consultant and not charged separately to the City. Instructions and applications are at http://bls.dor.wa.gov/file.aspx and the State of Washington Department of Revenue is available at 1-800-647-7706.

7.13 Federal Excise Tax. The City is exempt from Federal Excise Tax.

7.14 No Guaranteed Utilization.

The City does not guarantee utilization of any contract(s) awarded through this RFQ process. The solicitation may provide estimates of utilization; such information is for consultant convenience and not a usage guarantee. The City reserves the right to issue multiple or partial awards, and/or to order work based on City needs. The City may turn to other appropriate contract sources or supplemental contracts to obtain these same or similar services. The City may resolicit for new additions to the consultant pool. Use of such supplemental contracts does not limit the right of the City to terminate existing contracts for convenience or cause.

7.15 Expansion Clause.

The contract limits expansion of scope and new work not expressly provided for within the RFQ.

Expansion for new work (work not specified within the original Scope of Work Section of this Agreement, and/or not specified in the original RFQ as intended work for the Agreement) must comply with the following:

(a) New work is not reasonable to solicit separately; (b) is for reasonable purpose; (c) was not reasonably known by the City or consultant at time of solicitation or was mentioned as a possibility in the solicitation (i.e. future phases of work, or a change in law); (d) is not significant enough to be regarded as an independent body of work; (e) would not attract a different field of competition; and (f) does not change the identity or purpose of the Agreement.

The City may make exceptions for immaterial changes, emergency or sole source conditions, or other situations required in the City’s opinion. Certain changes are not subject to these limitations, such as additional phases of work anticipated during solicitation, time extensions, and Work Assignments issued on an On-Call contract. Expansion must be mutually agreed and issued by the City through written Amendment(s). New work performed before a fully executed authorizing Amendment may not be eligible for payment.

The City reserves the right to independently solicit and award any new work to another firm when deemed appropriate or required by City policy.

7.16 Effective Dates of Offer.

Solicitation responses are valid until the City completes award. Should any proposer object to this condition, the proposer must object prior to the Q&A deadline on page 1.

7.17 Cost of Preparing Proposals.

The City is not liable for costs incurred by the proposer to prepare, submit and present proposals, interviews and/or demonstrations.

7.18 Readability.

The City’s ability to evaluate proposals is influenced by the organization, detail, comprehensive material and readable format of the response.

7.19 Changes or Corrections to Proposal Submittal.

Prior to the submittal due date, a consultant may change its proposal, if initialed and dated by the consultant. No changes are allowed after the closing date and time.

7.20 Errors in Proposals.

Proposers are responsible for errors and omissions in their proposals. No error or omission shall diminish the proposer’s obligations to the City.

7.21 Withdrawal of Proposal.

A submittal may be withdrawn by written request of the submitter.

7.22 Rejection of Proposals.

The City may reject any or all proposals with no penalty. The City may waive immaterial defects and minor irregularities in any submitted proposal.

7.23 Incorporation of RFP/RFQ and Proposal in Contract.

This RFQ and proposer’s response, including promises, warranties, commitments, and representations made in the successful proposal once accepted by the City, are binding and incorporated by reference in the City’s contract with the proposer.

7.24 Independent Contractor.

The Consultant works as an independent contractor. The City will provide appropriate contract management, but that does not constitute a supervisory relationship to the consultant. Consultant workers are prohibited from supervising City employees or from direct supervision by a City employee. Prohibited supervision tasks include conducting a City of Seattle Employee Performance Evaluation, preparing and/or approving a City of Seattle timesheet, administering employee discipline, and similar supervisory actions.

Contract workers shall not be given City office space unless expressly provided below, and in no case shall such space be provided for over 36 months without specific authorization from the City.

The City will not provide space in City offices for performance of this work. Consultants will perform most work from their own office space or the field.

7.25 Equal Benefits.

Seattle Municipal Code Chapter 20.45 (SMC 20.45) requires consideration of whether consultants provide health and benefits that are the same or equivalent to the domestic partners of employees as to spouses of employees, and of their dependents and family members. The Consultant Questionnaire requested in the submittal instructions includes materials to designate your equal benefits status.

7.26 Women and Minority Subcontracting.

The Mayor’s Executive Order and City ordinance require the maximum practicable opportunity for successful participation of minority and women-owned subcontracts. All proposers must agree to SMC Chapter 20.42, and seek meaningful subconsultant opportunities with WMBE firms. The City requires a plan for including minority- and women-owned firms, which becomes a material part of the contract. The Inclusion Plan must be responsive in the opinion of the City, which means a meaningful and successful search and commitments to include WMBE firms for subcontracting work. They City reserves the right to improve the Plan with the winning consultant before contract execution. Consultants should use selection methods and strategies sufficiently effective for successful WMBE participation. At City request, consultants must furnish evidence such as copies of agreements with WMBE subconsultants either before contract execution or during contract performance. The winning consultant must request written approval for changes to the Inclusion Plan once it is agreed upon. This includes changes to goals, subconsultant awards and efforts.

WMBE firms need not be state certified to meet the City's WMBE definition. The City defines WMBE firms as at least 51% (percent) owned by women and/or minority. To be recognized as a WMBE, women- and minority-owned firms are asked to self-identify their business as such in OpenGov. Federally funded transportation projects require a Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE) program; for that program, firms must be certified by the Washington State Office of Minority and Women Business Enterprises (OMWBE).

7.27 Insurance Requirements.

Any special insurance requirements are provided as an attachment. If attached, provide proof of insurance and additional insured endorsement policy language to the City before contract execution as outlined in the Insurance Transmittal detailing the specific evidence of insurance required for this contract. The apparent successful consultant must promptly provide proof of insurance to the City upon receipt of the notice of intent to award.

Consultants are encouraged to immediately contact their insurance broker to begin preparation of the required insurance documents if the consultant is selected as a finalist. Alternatively, consultants may elect to provide the requested insurance documents within their Proposal.

7.28 Proprietary Materials.

The State of Washington’s Public Records Act (Release/Disclosure of Public Records) Under Washington State Law (reference RCW Chapter 42.56, the Public Records Act) all materials received or created by the City of Seattle are considered public records. These records include but are not limited to bid or proposal submittals, agreement documents, contract work product, or other bid material.

The State of Washington’s Public Records Act requires that public records must be promptly disclosed by the City upon request unless that RCW or another Washington State statute specifically exempts records from disclosure. Exemptions are narrow and explicit and are listed in Washington State Law (Reference RCW 42.56 and RCW 19.108).

Consultants must be familiar with the Washington State Public Records Act and the limits of record disclosure exemptions. For more information, visit the Washington State Legislature’s website at http://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=42.56.

If you have any questions about disclosure of the records you submit with your bid, contact the Procurement Contact named in this document.

Marking Your Records Exempt from Disclosure (Protected, Confidential, or Proprietary) As mentioned above, all City of Seattle offices (“the City”) are required to promptly make public records available upon request. However, under Washington State Law some records or portions of records are considered legally exempt from disclosure and can be withheld. A list and description of records identified as exempt by the Public Records Act can be found in RCW 42.56 and RCW 19.108.

If you believe any of the records you are submitting to the City as part of your bid/proposal or contract work products, are exempt from disclosure you can request that they not be released before you receive notification. To do so you must complete the City Non-Disclosure Request Form (“the Form”) provided by the City (see page 4 on the Consultant Questionnaire) and very clearly and specifically identify each record and the exemption(s) that may apply. (If you are awarded a City contract, the same exemption designation will carry forward to the contract records.)

The City will not withhold materials from disclosure simply because you mark them with a document header or footer, page stamp, or a generic statement that a document is non-disclosable, exempt, confidential, proprietary, or protected. Do not identify an entire page as exempt unless each sentence is within the exemption scope; instead, identify paragraphs or sentences that meet the specific exemption criteria you cite on the Form. Only the specific records or portions of records properly listed on the Form will be protected and withheld for notice. All other records will be considered fully disclosable upon request.

If the City receives a public disclosure request for any records you have properly and specifically listed on the Form, the City will notify you in writing of the request and will postpone disclosure. While it is not a legal obligation, the City, as a courtesy, will allow you up to ten business days to file a court injunction to prevent the City from releasing the records (reference RCW 42.56.540). If you fail to obtain a Court order within the ten days, the City may release the documents.

The City will not assert an exemption from disclosure on your behalf. If you believe a record(s) is exempt from disclosure you are obligated to clearly identify it as such on the Form and submit it with your solicitation. Should a public record request be submitted to City Purchasing for that record(s), you can then seek an injunction under RCW 42.56 to prevent release. By submitting a bid document, the consultant acknowledges this obligation; the proposer also acknowledges that the City will have no obligation or liability to the proposer if the records are disclosed.

Requesting Disclosure of Public Records The City asks consultants and their companies to refrain from requesting public disclosure of bids until an intention to award is announced. This measure is intended to protect the integrity of the solicitation process particularly during the evaluation and selection process or in the event of a cancellation or re-solicitation. With this preference stated, the City will continue to be responsive to all requests for disclosure of public records as required by State Law. If you do wish to make a request for records, visit https://www.seattle.gov/public-records/public-records-request-center.

7.29 Ethics Code and Conflict of Interest.

Familiarize yourself with the City Ethics code: http://www.seattle.gov/ethics/etpub/et_home.htm. For an in depth explanation of the City’s Ethics Code for Contractors, Vendors, Customers and Clients, visit: http://www.seattle.gov/ethics/etpub/faqcontractorexplan.htm. Any questions should be addressed to Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission at 206-684-8500.

No Gifts and Gratuities.

Consultants shall not directly or indirectly offer anything (such as retainers, loans, entertainment, favors, gifts, tickets, trips, bonuses, donations, special discounts, work, or meals) to any City employee, volunteer or official, if it is intended or may appear to a reasonable person to be intended to obtain or give special consideration to the consultant. An example of this is giving sporting event tickets to a City employee who is also on the evaluation team of a solicitation to which you submitted or intend to submit. The definition of what a “benefit” would be is broad and could include not only awarding a contract but also the administration of the contract or evaluating contract performance. The rule works both ways, as it also prohibits City employees from soliciting items from consultants.

Involvement of Current and Former City Employees.

The Consultant Questionnaire within your submittal documents prompts you to disclose any current or former City employees, official or volunteer that is working or assisting on solicitation of City business or on completion of an awarded contract. Update that information during the contract.

Contract Workers with over 1,000 Hours.

The Ethics Code applies to consultant workers that perform over 1,000 cumulative hours on any City contract during any 12-month period. Any such employee must abide by the City Ethics Code. The Consultant is to be aware and familiar with the Ethics Code accordingly.

No Conflict of Interest.

Consultant (including officer, director, trustee, partner or employee) must not have a business interest or a close family or domestic relationship with any City official, officer or employee who was, is, or will be involved in selection, negotiation, drafting, signing, administration or evaluating Consultant performance. The City shall make sole determination as to compliance.

Campaign Contributions (Initiative Measure No. 122) Elected officials and candidates are prohibited from accepting or soliciting campaign contributions from anyone having at least $250,000 in contracts with the City in the last two years or who has paid at least $5,000 in the last 12 months to lobby the City. See Initiative 122, or call the Ethics Director with questions. For questions about this measure, contact: Polly Grow, Seattle Ethics and Elections, 206-615-1248, or polly.grow@seattle.gov.

7.30 Background Checks and Immigrant Status.

The City may require background checks for the Consultant, as well as some or all of their employees and contracted workers who may perform work under this Agreement. The City reserves the right to require such background checks at any time. The City has strict policies regarding the use of background checks, criminal checks, and immigrant status for contract workers. The policies are incorporated into this Agreement and available for viewing on-line at http://www.seattle.gov/purchasing-and-contracting/social-equity/background-checks.

7.31 Federal Immigration Enforcement Notification Requirements.

A. This Section applies to Consultants and their employees and contracted workers who (i) are working at City facilities and properties, or (ii) have access to City records, databases, technology, or information systems.

B. As used in this Section, “Federal Immigration Authority” means an employee or agent of any federal immigration agency, including the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) or any other federal agency representative seeking to enforce immigration law.

C. Prior to responding to any requests from a Federal Immigration Authority for access to City property or City information provided to the Consultant through this Agreement, Consultant shall notify the City’s Project Manager immediately.

Such requests may include:

A. requests for access to non-public areas in City buildings and venues (i.e., areas not open to the public such as staff work areas that require card key access and other areas designated as “private” or “employee only”); or B. requests for City records, databases, technology or information (written or oral).

C. Access to non-public areas or information shall not be provided without prior review and consent of the City. The Consultant shall request that the Federal Immigration Authority wait until the City’s Project Manager is able to verify the credentials and authority of the Federal Immigration Authority and direct the Consultant on how to proceed.

D. Consultant shall inform its employees and subcontractors of the requirements of this Section and shall include the requirements in this Section in all subcontracts for work under this Agreement.

E. The requirements in this Section are intended to enable the City to verify that access to non-public City facilities, property, and information complies with federal and local law. Nothing in this Section shall be construed to require or permit any City employee, the Consultant, its employees, or its subcontractors to obstruct, interfere with, or otherwise fail to comply with requirements of federal and local law.

7.32 Preferred Paper and Binding.

To the extent hard copy submittals or work is to be generated, either in submitting your proposal or for work produced during the term of the Agreement, proposers and any resultant Consultant utilize recycled products in the preparation of their proposals and any resultant contract work, to the extent practicable. The City and U.S. DOT has an environmentally preferable procurement commitment. For this solicitation, the competitive preferences that are required by both Federal and City regulations shall be in the form of recognition that all Proposers are compliant and responsive to this request on an equal basis. The City therefore seeks a package format to support the City’s green expectations and initiatives. If an electronic submittal is utilized, that shall be compliance to this preference requirement. If the City prefers hard copy submittals, the Proposer shall use 100% PCF paper or the greatest recycled content product that is practicable for the Proposer. The City prefers simple, stapled paper copies. If a binder or folder is essential due to the size of your hard-copy submission, they should be fully 100% recycled stock or otherwise recycled stock content. Please double-side submittal. See the draft contract for additional requirements in this area.

Response Materials and Submittal.

Prepare your response as follows. Use the following format and provide all attachments. Failure to provide all information below on proper forms and in order requested, may cause the City to reject your response.

1. Mandatory - Consultant Questionnaire Submit the Consultant Questionnaire provided as attachment in OpenGov. This Consultant Questionnaire will be used, in part, to determine Proposer responsibility to meet the applicable requirements.

2. Letter of interest - Page Limit: 1 (single sided)

3. Mandatory - Proof of Legal Business Name - Page Limit: 1 (single sided) Provide a certificate or documentation from the Secretary of State in which you incorporated that shows your company legal name. Many companies use a “Doing Business As” name or nickname in daily business; the City requires the legal name for your company. When preparing all forms below, use the proper company legal name. Your company’s legal name can be verified through the State Corporation Commission in the state in which you were established, which is often located within the Secretary of State’s Office for each state. see http://www.secstate.wa.gov/corps/ for corporations and https://www.sos.wa.gov/corporations-charities for non-profits.

4. Mandatory – Minimum Qualifications - Page Limit 3 (single-sided):

Provide up to 3 pages that lists each Minimum Qualification, and exactly how you achieve each minimum qualification. Remember that the determination you have achieved all the minimum qualifications is made from this page. The evaluation committee is not obligated to check references or search other materials to make this decision.

5. Mandatory – Consultant Inclusion Plan:

You must submit the following in your response.

Click on the following link to open the Consultant Inclusion Plan: http://www.seattle.gov/Documents/Departments/FAS/PurchasingAndContracting/WMBE/fas-cpcs-consultant-inclusion-plan.docx

Follow the WMBE inclusion plan form to share:

a) Your goal for the percentage of the contract to go to women and minority-owned businesses, focusing on core functions as outlined above

b) Your past experience working with small and diverse businesses, including three past examples as possible, and

c) Your inclusion strategies to ensure you meet the proposed goal.

6. Mandatory - Proposal Response - Page Limit 23 (single-sided):

This document details the submittal requirements for your proposal response. For RFQ solicitations, this is a qualifications-based solicitation where the City will evaluate submittals using the criteria outlined here. Submittals will be evaluated, scored and ranked.

1. On-Call Project Delivery (30 Points)

1.1 Existing Standards: Describe your team’s understanding of the Seamless Seattle Pedestrian Wayfinding system as currently implemented, including vision, goals, principles, standards, and existing assets.

1.2 Organization Capacity & Structure: Outline your team’s organizational structure and capacity to perform the services described in the Scope of Work. Specifically address the following:

· Include an organizational chart showing effective team structure to meet needs of an on-call contract.

· Identify task leads for the specialized core functions in the Scope of Work.

· Describe team members’ technical skills relevant to Scope of Work core functions and multidisciplinary experience as outlined in Solicitation Minimum Qualifications. Provide short biographies, including relevant professional licensure, experience in proposed role, and a concise list of relevant projects within the past 5 years.

· Describe permanent staff capacity to take on work over the anticipated term of contract.

· Describe team member familiarity with local Seattle context and communities.

· Describe team member experience coordinating with fabricators and installers of city wayfinding signs.

1.3 Project Delivery:

· Provide number and description of city wayfinding planning and design projects that the proposer has delivered to completion in the past two years;

· Demonstrate ability to complete necessary reports, schedules, and summaries.

2. Project Team Experience (30 Points)

2.1 Overall Experience: Describe your team’s experience designing city pedestrian wayfinding systems for complex urban environments (Refer to Solicitation Minimum Qualifications).

2.2 Project Examples (13 pages maximum as outlined below): Include sample files demonstrating breadth of City wayfinding systems planning and design experience as follows:

· PDF sample excerpts toward demonstrating wayfinding planning and design experience (10 pages max. total):

· Sign location planning document – two (2) projects, two (2) pages max each; four (4) pages max. total

· Community engagement summary – two (2) projects, two (2) pages max each; four (4) pages max total. Sign content schedule – two (2) projects, one (1) page each; two (2) pages total

· PDF samples toward demonstrating graphic production process, using software screenshots or equivalent (three (3) pages total):

· Map-based artwork – one (1) project, two (2) pages max.

· Overall sign panel artwork (including or not including map-based artwork) – one (1) projects, one (1) page.

2.3 Community Engagement Experience:

· Provide examples of your team’s experience facilitating inclusive stakeholder workshops relevant to wayfinding map asset selection, place naming, universal design elements, and developed translations for place name.

· Provide examples of your team’s experience completing public engagement plans and summary reports and has demonstrated experience synthesizing engagement results with wayfinding system standards toward wayfinding planning recommendations.

2.4 Wayfinding System Planning Experience:

· Describe your team’s experience planning wayfinding systems at a city scale and has established system standards to guide priority route planning, location planning, and sign type processes.

· Describe your team’s experience leading wayfinding location planning, including establishment of priority route networks and decision points.

· Provide examples of experience establishing sign type systems and system standards for clutter reduction.

· Provide examples of experience creating standards for system accessibility.

· Describe your team’s experience leading coordination efforts for sign location placement based on city right-of-way design standards,existing conditions.

2.5 Wayfinding Sign Content, Artworking, and Implementation Experience:

Provide detailed examples of your team’s experience with the following:

· At a city wayfinding system scale, creating base maps, directional sign content, sign content schedules, and final sign artwork based on established system standards.

· Creating cartographic and graphic wayfinding content integrated across GIS-based and graphic production software, particularly through Adobe and ESRI applications.

· Coordinating with fabricators and installers on the design and implementation of pedestrian wayfinding signs, including production of design intent drawings.

2.6 Asset Management Experience:

Provide detailed examples of your team’s experience with the following:

· Creating interactive GIS-based asset management platforms for city wayfinding system management.

· Building backend systems for physical asset management, compatible with GIS-based asset management systems.

3. Quality of Proposed Approach (30 Points)

3.1 Overall Understanding and Alignment

· Describe how your team would provide the services described in the “Scope of Work”, including proposed approach, composition of the project team, and work examples demonstrating expertise in pedestrian wayfinding research and best practices. Your response should include your approach to creating wayfinding system standards.

· Identify the key challenges and opportunities for citywide pedestrian wayfinding expansion led by a transportation agency.

3.2 Creative Project Solutions: Describe at least two city wayfinding project examples that demonstrate creativity and innovation in problem solving. Examples should highlight specific planning or design solutions, including coordination efforts.

3.3 Wayfinding System Planning

· Describe your overall approach to establishing and updating wayfinding system standards for projects at a city wayfinding scale.

· Describe your approach to priority route and location planning as well as wayfinding research and best practices.

3.4 Wayfinding Sign Content, Artworking, & Implementation Approach Describe your team’s approach to sign content, artworking, and implementation, addressing the following:

· Describe your overall approach to integration of GIS-based systems and graphic content creation.

· Describe your approach to physical wayfinding asset design toward system accessibility.

· Describe your approach to integrating QA/QC processes into wayfinding sign content development and implementation phases.

3.5 Wayfinding Data and Asset Management

· Describe your approach to wayfinding system asset management that integrates location-based data with sign-specific information and existing conditions.

· Describe your knowledge of or experience in integration and coordination across asset management systems.

4. Inclusion Plan (10 Points) You must submit the following in your response.

Click on the following link to open the Consultant Inclusion Plan: http://www.seattle.gov/Documents/Departments/FAS/PurchasingAndContracting/WMBE/fas-cpcs-consultant-inclusion-plan.docx

Follow the WMBE inclusion plan form to share:

a) Your goal for the percentage of the contract to go to women and minority-owned businesses, focusing on…