RFP_8600_MLJ3012_0500_v1.pdf

Scope of Work Revised 07/03/2025

Scope of Work

SOLICITATION NO. RFP 8600 MLJ3012

Description: Austin Parks and Recreation Department Urban Forestry Tree Inventory

1.0 Background

The Austin Parks and Recreation Department (APR) manages over 20,582 acres of parkland, 288 miles of trails, and 382 parks ranging in size from several hundred-acre Metropolitan Parks to small urban Pocket Parks. APR’s Urban Forestry team is responsible for the maintenance of trees across the system. In 2016, a Gap Analysis of Austin’s Urban Forest Comprehensive Plan estimated that there were 288,761 trees in developed areas of parkland. In the twenty years since that analysis, Austin Parks and Recreation Department has acquired approximately one hundred and thirty additional parks and developed or redeveloped many more. Currently, an estimate of the number of trees on developed parkland can be reasonably made at around 450,000. A comprehensive tree inventory describing and quantifying these assets would significantly improve APR Urban Forestry’s ability to strategically and efficiently manage a large portion of Austin’s urban forest for public safety, tree health, and climate resilience.

One challenge to data collection in Austin’s Park system is inconsistent cell signal; off-line data collection capability may be necessary.

This scope of work aligns with City Council Resolution No. 20240418-051, which was supported by the Parks and Recreation Board and the Environmental Commission. The resolution acknowledges that “…the condition of the City’s public trees is unknown due to the lack of data”, and “…inventories of public trees are common tools used by municipalities to inform decisions and plans for public trees”.

2.0 Purpose

APR is seeking proposals from qualified contractors to conduct an inventory of trees on developed parkland. The tree inventory will be used as a management tool by APR’s Urban Forestry unit, and will focus on the condition, species, location, and size of trees on City-owned parkland. The tree inventory will become part of APR’s asset inventory, and the collected data will be imported into APR’s GIS database. This information will be used to inform urban forest planning, maintenance, and planting activities.

3.0 Term of Contract

This Contract shall become effective on the date executed by the City (“Effective Date”) and shall remain in effect until the earliest of when the deliverables set forth in the Contract are complete or the City terminates the Contract.

4.0 Tasks/Requirements

4.1 Contractor Qualifications

4.1.1 Contractor must have completed a minimum of three (3) municipal tree inventory projects of comparable scope and scale to the City of Austin and provide references for key municipal personnel from each project.

Contractor must provide a list of at least 10 successfully completed municipal tree inventories, including number of trees inventoried for each.

4.1.2 Contractor must be able to demonstrate a minimum of five (5) years’ experience with all technologies proposed for use in data collection and data management.

4.1.3 Contractor must employ ISA Certified Arborist(s) for quality control and verification of tree attribute data including species identification and condition rating. ISA certification is a city requirement that can and will be verified prior to award recommendation.

4.1.4 Contractor must provide resumes for all key staff

5.0 Contractor’s Responsibilities

With guidance from APR Urban Forestry, the contractor shall conduct a comprehensive GIS-based tree inventory in developed parks owned by the Austin Parks and Recreation Department. Data may be gathered through LIDAR technology, AI-assisted technologies, by conventional data collection methods, or a combination of these, but data must be delivered according to the specifications below. Project areas will include all developed and actively maintained areas of parkland, including selected trail and forest edge buffers.

5.2.1 Attribute data collected by Contractor shall include:

5.2.1.1 Geolocation with the following information:

5.2.1.1.1 GPS coordinate information within one meter of

accuracy

5.2.1.1.2 Projection: NAD 1983 State Plane Texas Central FIPS

4203 (US Feet)

5.2.1.1.3 Format: ESRI File Geodatabase

5.2.1.1.4 Tree ID number (randomly generated unique identifier)

5.2.1.1.5 Botanical name (Genus, species) and common name, with 95% accuracy. No more than 5% of identifications may be genus only

5.2.1.1.6 Trunk Diameter at 4.5 feet (DBH) or caliper for trees under six inches rounded to the nearest inch.

5.2.1.1.7 Condition Rating: Rating based on table 4.3 in the

Council of Tree and Landscape Appraisers Guide for Plant Appraisal 9th Edition, or equivalent.

5.2.2 Project specifications:

5.2.2.1 Contractor shall collect inventory data for all trees 4” DBH or larger in developed parkland as shown in {Exhibit XX}

5.2.2.2 Contractor shall collect inventory data for trees in 20’ buffer zones as shown in {Exhibit XX}. Buffer zones are defined as natural areas immediately adjacent to developed parkland, and adjacent to paved or decomposed granite trails. In these areas, only trees that are 8” DBH or larger shall be inventoried.

5.2.2.3 Contractor shall inform APR Urban Forestry of imminent safety concerns as they are discovered during data collection

5.2.3 Meetings:

The Contractor shall attend regular meetings with project leads from APR Urban Forestry.

APR GIS and Asset Management representatives will attend as necessary. The Contractor shall prepare and submit a written progress update and agenda for each meeting at least three business days prior.

6.0 City’s Responsibilities

6.1 The City will work with the Contractor to determine the preferred order of data collection, depending on methodologies to be used.

6.2 The City will work with the Contractor to develop an appropriate meeting cadence in accordance with the meeting requirement in section 5.2.3.

6.3 The City will provide the reference maps needed for execution of this contract.

6.4 The City will verify ISA Certified Arborist(s) for quality control using ISA website.

7.0 Specific Invoice Requirements

The City’s preference is to have invoices emailed to PARDAccountsPayable@austintexas.gov or mailed to the address below:

City of Austin Department Parks and Recreation Attn: Financial Services Division – Accounts

Payable Address 200 S. Lamar Blvd.

City, State, Zip Code Austin, TX 78704

For questions regarding your invoice/payment please contact the City Contract Manager.

8.0 Designation of Key Personnel

The City and the Contractor resolve to keep the same key personnel assigned to this engagement throughout its term. In the event that it becomes necessary for the Contractor to replace any key personnel, the replacement will be an individual having equivalent experience and competence in executing projects such as the one described herein. Additionally, the Contractor shall promptly notify the City and obtain approval for the replacement. Such approval shall not be unreasonably withheld. The Contractor’s and City’s key personnel are identified as follows:

mailto:PARDAccountsPayable@austintexas.gov

Name/ Title Phone Number Email Address City Contract Manager Joshua Erickson (512) 974-9545 Joshua.erickson@austintexas.gov City Contract Administrator, Procurement Specialist

Marissa Jones (512) 974-2038 Marissa.Jones@austintexas.gov

Contractor’s Key Personnel

TBD

Contractor’s Key Personnel

TBD

mailto:Joshua.erickson@austintexas.gov mailto:Marissa.Jones@austintexas.gov