RFP 26-169-PSC Addendum 2 - Q and A.pdf

Rev 4-21-20

October 5, 2026

ADDENDUM #2

Strategic Plan Consulting Support

RFP 26-169-PSC

This addendum modifies the bidding document(s) for work only to the extent indicated herein. All other areas not specifically mentioned or affected by this addendum shall remain in full force. This addendum shall be added as a part of the original bidding document and shall become part of the work required.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS:

Q: Please state the time of day, Pacific time, by which questions (October 7, 2026) must be received.

A: Questions for this RFP must be received by 11:59:59 pm Pacific Time on Wednesday, October 7, 2026.

Q: Addendum 1 labels the October 15, 2026 closing "2:00 p.m. (PST)", but Pacific Daylight Time applies that day. Is the deadline 2:00 p.m. PDT, or 2:00 p.m. PST, which is 3:00 p.m. PDT?

A: The time set is 2:00 pm Pacific Time on whichever is publicly recognized at 2:00 pm on October 15, 2026, within the State of Oregon. We believe that to be 2:00 pm PDT on October 15, 2026.

Q: For interviews during the week of October 26, 2026, will they be held in person in Eugene or virtually, how long will the interview be, and when will the Tier Two scoring criteria be shared with the firms selected?

A: All interviews for this RFP will be held virtually and will be 60-minutes in length. It is planned for Tier Two scoring criteria to be developed during the week of October 19, 2026, and shared with the firms to be interviewed by Friday, October 23, 2026.

Q: Please confirm that proposed revisions to the Exhibit 1 Sample Contract, listed in the Cover Letter as requested terms to negotiate under Section 1.3, will not be treated as exceptions under Section 1.11 or as a non-responsive counter-offer under Section 4.2.

A: Proposed revisions to the Terms & Conditions detailed within the Exhibit 1 – Sample Contract, proposed within the Cover Letter, will not be treated as Non-Responsive, but EWEB does reserve the right to decline any and all proposed revisions. Failure by a firm to accept EWEB’s decision to decline a proposed revision may be considered Non-Responsive.

Q: Section 1.11 cites Section 1.3 by the title of Section 1.2. Should exceptions to the requirements of this solicitation, including requested revisions to Exhibit 1, follow the protest process in Section 1.2 or the proposed-terms process in Section 1.3?

A: Exceptions to the requirements of the RFP solicitation must be submitted to the EWEB Purchasing Contact, via email, by October 6, 2026, at 11:59:59 pm Pacific Time. Proposed revisions to Exhibit 1 – Sample Contract should be submitted with the proposal via the process detailed in RFP Section 1.3.

Q: Sections 1.7(b) and 6.A describe the Cover Letter or Sheet document differently. Should proposers submit one Cover Letter or Sheet that introduces the firm, and should its Contractual Acceptance statement accept the Sample Contract

(Exhibit 1), as Section 1.7(b) says, or should it include a statement accepting ALL terms and conditions contained in this solicitation. Statement may include request for negotiation of proposed terms and conditions as allowed per Section 1.8(B), as Section 6.A says. Please note, Section 1.8(B) does not appear in the solicitation.

A: A statement that ALL terms and conditions contained within this RFP solicitation have been accepted is preferred, but a detailing of proposed changes to the terms and conditions contained within the Cover Letter is acceptable.

Q: Please provide an MS Word Sample Contract (Exhibit 1), as referenced in Section 1.3. If a proposer marks revisions with Track Changes, should the marked contract be converted to PDF and placed inside the single proposal PDF, and will EWEB treat it as part of the proposal rather than an alteration under Section 1.4?

A: A Microsoft Word version of the Exhibit 1 Sample Contract may be requested from the Purchasing Contact for this RFP. If a proposer marks revisions with Track Changes, within a Microsoft Word version of the Sample Contract, that Microsoft Word version should be submitted electronically, with the proposal, without conversion to PDF.

Q: Addendum 1 adds a Subcontractors List due at 2:00 p.m. on October 15, 2026. Is there a required form or required content? Should the list go inside the single proposal PDF or be uploaded separately in OregonBuys? If a proposer uses no subconsultants, should it submit a list that says None?

A: The listing of Subcontractors is due at the same time as the proposal itself and should be included within the Cover Letter. If a proposer intends to use No Subcontractors, please state that within the Cover Letter.

Q: Is the Section 3.5 item, at least three projects each proposed subconsultant has performed with the proposer in the last five years, a pass/fail minimum qualification? If a subconsultant has fewer than three, does the proposal fail minimum qualifications, or is this considered only in scoring?

A: Yes, Section 3.5 – Sub-Consultants is a part of the Section 3 – Minimum Qualifications (Pass/Fail). No, per the change to Section 3.5 – Sub-Consultants, below, listed within, “Changes to Solicitation”, the proposal does not fail Section 3 if sub-Consultant has fewer than three projects with the firm that is submitting the proposal.

Q: Addendum 1's answer says subconsultants "must have three (3) years continuous experience as a firm." We will treat this as a minimum qualification. Does any three years of continuous operation count, and does the rule apply to an individual consultant working as a sole proprietor?

A: Any three years of continuous operation does count, including as a sole proprietor, provided this experience meets the requirement of providing strategic planning consulting services.

Q: If a proposer discloses a termination for default or a stop work order within the last five years, does it fail minimum qualifications, or will EWEB evaluate the disclosure?

A: No, a termination for default or stop work order within the last five years is not a failure to meet the Minimum Qualifications, but rather will be considered by each RFP Evaluator and scored.

Q: Does the $300,000 not-to-exceed in Section 2.5 include reimbursable expenses, as Exhibit 1 Section 2 suggests, or does it cap the 2027 fee alone, with expenses priced separately under Section 5.3?

A: The $300,000.00 Not-To-Exceed Compensation is the total overall budget and includes all fees and reimbursable expenses covered under this project.

Q: Should the fee cover only work performed in calendar 2027 or would this also cover preliminary work (e.g., kick-off) performed in 2026?

A: The proposal submitted should cover all fees and reimbursable expenses for this project, through end of 2027.

Q: How will the 25 pricing points be awarded: by formula against the lowest total cost, or by evaluator judgment across allocation by Task, hours and rates, and use of funds? Does a proposal with more hours score higher or lower?

A: Per Section 5.3 – Pricing Proposal (25 points possible), “Points will be awarded based on hours spent on project, hourly fees and total overall cost.” This will depend upon evaluator judgment, with more hours not necessarily scoring higher or lower.

Q: Beyond the 30-day public comment period in Task 5 and the customer survey EWEB is running separately, does EWEB expect consultant-supported engagement with residential customers or the general public, such as listening sessions, under Task 2?

A: EWEB is looking for consultant recommendations on how to develop our next strategic plan in accordance with the overarching principles described on pages 9 & 10 of the RFP and within the identified timeline and budget. EWEB expects the consultant to propose the methods and activities that will result in a process that meets these principles, the timeline, and the budget. We look forward to your recommendations.

Q: During the public comment period (30 days minimum) under Task 5, does EWEB expect the consultant to support public meetings, open houses, or other comment-gathering events, or to compile and summarize comments received through EWEB's existing channels? Will EWEB host the comment intake?

A: EWEB is looking for consultant recommendations on how to develop our next strategic plan in accordance with the overarching principles described on pages 9 & 10 of the RFP and within the identified timeline and budget. EWEB expects the consultant to propose the methods and activities that will result in a process that meets these principles, the timeline, and the budget. In your proposal, please describe your expectations of EWEB staff that will be working on this project and are outlined on pages 10 and 11 of the RFP.

EWEB can host the comment intake on our public website. It is expected that the Consultant will compile and summarize comments received through EWEB’s existing channels, and any other channels used, in the two Task 5 deliverables that say:

• “Summary of public comments received during public comment period in a format suggested by consultant and approved by EWEB” and,

• “Summary of all input that informed the Strategic Plan (throughout plan development process) in a public- and workforce-facing document. Document shall describe how public and stakeholder input is reflected in the plan and where any significant input was not incorporated with rationale.”

Q: Is the consultant expected to facilitate and draft the internal Employee Values Statement listed as a Task 3 deliverable, or to support a process EWEB leads?

A: EWEB is looking for consultant recommendations on how to develop our next strategic plan in accordance with the overarching principles described on pages 9 & 10 of the RFP and within the identified timeline and budget. Under Task 3 specifically, EWEB expects the consultant to propose the methods and activities that will result in a process that leads to the completion of the requested Deliverables. In your responses, please describe your expectations of EWEB staff that will be working on this project and are outlined on pages 10 and 11 of the RFP.

Q: Does Task 3 include reviewing the Statement of Legacy within SD1, or only the Vision, Mission, and Core Values statements listed as deliverables?

A: The Vision, Mission, and Core Values statements are part of SD1. The existing version of SD1 can be obtained from the RFP Purchasing Contact upon request.

The development of a EWEB (Internal) Employee values statement would be a new document (in addition to SD1) that would be created under Task 3.

Q: When will the 2027 residential and commercial customer survey results reach the consultant, March or April 2027?

A: The exact timeline for the final 2027 residential and commercial customer survey is unknown at this point, but we expect to have final results by the end of April 2027.

Q: For the "Finalized and adopted Strategic Plan delivered as a professionally designed, public-facing document," does EWEB expect print-ready and web-ready files only, or printed copies as well? Which accessibility standard should the digital edition meet? Should the consultant price graphic design and layout, or will EWEB's Communications & Marketing staff lay the plan out in EWEB templates?

A: The consultant should provide print-ready and web-ready files. No actual printed editions are needed. The consultant should plan to do the design and layout in accordance with EWEB’s Brand & Style Guidelines that will be provided. The accessibility standard required is WCAG 2.1 level AA.

Q: Task 2 (RFP §2.5) lists the workforce, the Board, Key Accounts (through the three Key Account Managers) and approximately 20 strategic partners as engagement audiences, notes that GreatBlue Research is conducting the customer surveys, and §2.5 Task 5 provides for a 30-day public comment period. Does EWEB expect the consultant to design or run community engagement activities (for example, listening sessions or follow-up survey work) beyond those audiences and activities?

A: EWEB is looking for consultant recommendations on how to develop our next strategic plan in accordance with the overarching principles described on pages 9 & 10 of the RFP and within the identified timeline and budget. EWEB expects the consultant to propose the methods and activities that will result in a process that meets these principles, the timeline, and the budget. If the consultant would like to suggest additional community engagement activities, beyond the work requested in the RFP, please do so and describe the roles and expectations of both the consultant and EWEB staff in your proposal.

That said, EWEB is not expecting the consultant to design or run community engagement beyond those activities listed.

Q: We are preparing a response to RFP 26-169-PSC, Strategic Plan Consulting Support, and respectfully request clarification regarding Section 3.5, Sub-Consultants. Section 3.5 asks the Proposer to describe at least three projects that each proposed subconsultant has worked on “with Consultant” within the past five years.

Question:

May this requirement be satisfied by providing three independently performed, relevant projects for a proposed subconsultant when the Proposer and subconsultant have not previously completed three engagements together?

A: Yes. Please see change to Section 3.5 – Sub-Consultants, below, listed within, “Changes to Solicitation”.

CHANGES TO SOLICITATION

Description of Change(s)

1. Section 3.5 – Sub-Consultants, of this RFP, is hereby changed to the following:

3.5 Sub-Consultants Provide names of any proposed sub-Consultants providing services under this Contract, if awarded, include city/state of office location. Also and describe provide three client references for similar projects conducted in the last 5 years by SubConsultant. SubConsultant references do not need to be on projects with the proposing Prime firm, but if they were, that should be described. at least 3 projects that sub-Consultant worked on with Consultant in the last 5 years. For each project, describe whether sub-Consultant submitted work on-time and on-budget or if time and/or budget had to be extended/increased, by what amount, and for what reason.

CLOSING DATE AND TIME

All references to the closing date and time are changed to the following:

Proposal Submission no later than: 2:00 p.m. (PST) – Thursday, October 15, 2026

Subcontractors List no later than: 2:00 p.m. (PST) – Thursday, October 15, 2026

** Please Plan for Interviews to Occur During Week of October 26, 2026, to include October 26, 27, 28, & 29, but not October 30.

This addendum constitutes a MATERIAL CHANGE to the bid. ITS RECEIPT BY THE PROPOSER IS TO BE ACKNOWLEDGED BY A SIGNATURE AND RETURNING A COPY OF THE ADDENDUM WITH ITS RESPONSE OR BY CIRCLING THE ADDENDUM

NUMBER IN THE APPROPRIATE AREA ON THE PROPOSAL FORM.

Addendum prepared by:

Tim Rogers, Purchasing Contact

The undersigned hereby acknowledges receipt of this Addendum and agrees to be bound by the conditions therein.

Company Name: ________________________________

Signature: ______________________________________ Date __________________________

End of Addendum

Subcontractors List no later than: 2:00 p.m. (PST) – Thursday, October 15, 2026