RFP _ UDC Review 20251112.pdf

City of Canton

110 Academy Street Canton, Georgia 30114

(770)704-1500 www.cantonga.gov

REQUEST FOR

QUALIFICATIONS/PROPOSALS

for

PROFESSIONAL COMMUNITY PLANNING SERVICES

for

CITY OF CANTON

Unified Development Code Review

66114-26-RFP-1112

Issued on: November 12, 2025

Deadline for Questions: December 12, 2025, 5:00pm

Due Date: December 29, 2025, 3:00pm

Request for Proposals for Professional Community Planning Services City of Canton Unified Development Code Review

November 12, 2025

I. GENERAL INFORMATION

A. The City of Canton (herein referred to as the City) is requesting proposals from qualified consultants to conduct a study/diagnostic to review the City’s existing Unified Development Code (UDC).

B. This Request for Qualifications/Proposals (RFQ/P) describes the project in general, the required scope of services, the selection process, and the minimum information that must be included with the proposal. Failure to submit information in accordance with the requirements and procedures listed herein may cause disqualification.

C. The information contained in this RFQ/P is the City’s best understanding of the current needs and approach on how to address them, but the City is open to creative and beneficial modifications to the scope of work described herein based on the consultant’s professional expertise in these subject areas. If the consultant believes there is a better way to achieve the City’s goals, then that should be reflected in their proposal.

D. Questions and Clarifications

1. Any questions concerning this Request for Proposals should be directed to the person listed below. No interpretation or clarification of the meaning of the instructions or scope of services will be made orally except for general information that does not require clarification. Every request for such interpretation should be in writing, submitted by e-mail or fax, and addressed to the individual shown below. Questions must be submitted by December 12, 2025, at 5:00pm. All clarifications and any supplemental instructions will be posted on the City of Canton website at the following address: http://www.cantonga.gov. Firms should periodically check the website for updates to this Request for Proposals.

2. Address requests to:

RFP Review Committee City of Canton 110 Academy Street Canton, GA 30114 rfp.review@cantonga.gov

II. SCOPE OF SERVICES

A. A qualified consultant shall deliver a review/diagnostic study that is consistent with the Georgia Planning Act, Zoning Procedures Law, and any other state or federal statutes or requirements, and will include the following deliverables:

1. Review for readability, consistency, and clarity

2. Best practices in zoning and development regulations

3. Potential reorganization, to include collapsing/combining code sections, or creating new sections

4. Clearly delineating departmental roles and responsibilities

5. Ensure compliance with most up to date state and federal regulations, or legal proceedings

6. Continuing services

III. SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTS/PROPOSAL FORMAT

A. One (1) hard copy of the Proposal and one (1) electronic copy (pdf) on a flash drive must be received by the City of Canton Main Office no later than December 29, 2025, 3:00pm. The City cannot be responsible for the lack of receipt of proposals by the date and time specified.

B. The Project name and Consultant’s name and address must be shown on the outside of the sealed envelope, addressed to and delivered to:

RFP Review Committee Impact Fee Program Update

RFP# 66114-24-RFP-0708

City of Canton 110 Academy Street Canton, GA 30114

C. Submittals will NOT be accepted or considered after the deadline. Submittals must be paper copies, appropriately bound; e-mailed or faxed copies will not be accepted.

D. The Proposal must demonstrate specific expertise in the elements of work described herein. Proposals should be bound with the name of the Firm or firms and name of the Project visible on the outside cover. To allow the selection committee sufficient time to properly review all documents in their entirety, each proposal will be limited to 50 pages. The Title Page, Table of Contents, Letter of Transmittal, Section Dividers, and Resumes will not count against the page limits. The Proposal shall contain the following:

1. SECTION 1 ‐ INFORMATION: The Proposal shall include background information about the firm including its history, size, services offered and related information.

2. SECTION 2 - IDENTIFICATION OF PROPOSER: The Proposal shall include the names, offices, addresses, email addresses and phone numbers for Consultant and subconsultant staff that are proposed to be involved in the project. The Proposal shall identify in which office(s) production will occur.

3. SECTION 3 - PROJECT OVERVIEW AND APPROACH: The Proposal shall demonstrate the Consultant’s understanding of the Project and include a statement acknowledging the Scope of Services. The Proposal shall also include a detailed description of the proposed approach to the Project. The description shall include details to implement the tasks described in the Scope of Services. The Consultant is encouraged to provide comments and enhancements to the scope provided in the RFP.

The Proposal shall include a discussion regarding the Project’s technical issues and the Consultant’s approach to handling these issues. The Consultant shall also explain how technical memos, workshops, and/or design review meetings will be used, working with the framework of the Scope of Services, to achieve consensus in design details. Emphasis should be placed on how the Consultant’s technical approach will promote the Project’s success.

4. SECTION 4 – PROJECT TEAM: The Proposal shall include a team member organizational chart and a listing and biography of key individuals proposed to be assigned to the project. Each individual’s proposed position/responsibility shall be indicated. Special emphasis shall be provided on the individual’s background, qualifications, certifications, experience of related and/or similar projects, and the location from where their work will be performed. The Proposal shall clearly indicate who will be in responsible charge of the project. At least three client references, including name, description of past working relationship, and current contact information, shall be listed for each key individual who is proposed in the organizational chart. Full resumes, sorted first by firm, then by last name, shall be included as an appendix to the Proposal.

Resumes shall be limited to two (2) pages each.

5. SECTION 5 ‐ RELATED PROJECT EXPERIENCE: The Proposal shall include profiles of five (5) similar projects that the firm(s) and proposed team members have completed design in the last ten (10) years including project name, date, description and capacity of project, location, executive summary of project and project cost, and client reference including phone number. The firm's role in the project should also be described (project outline or preliminary plan, overall project management, etc., and prime Consultant, subconsultant, etc.). For each project, indicate which proposed team members worked on the project and describe the role/work they performed and their levels of involvement.

6. SECTION 6 ‐ PROJECT SCHEDULE: The Consultant shall prepare a schedule, showing all major project tasks, milestones, and deliverables required to complete all work.

7. SECTION 7 – ADDITIONAL ITEMS: The following items must be included with each proposal received. Failure to include these items may be cause for disqualification.

a. Copy of current business license;

b. Completed Contractor Information Form, Conflict of Interest Certification, E-Verify Federal Work Authorization, and Vendor Statement of Tax Status (found at end of this RFP);

c. Proof of commercial insurance, covering bodily injury, death, and property damage with a single limit not less than one million ($1,000,000) dollars;

d. Prior to receiving a “Notice to Award”, the City will require the awardee to submit a Certification of Insurance and Workers Compensation.

IV. PROPOSED CONTRACT FEES

A. Submit one copy of your cost proposal in a separate sealed envelope, clearly marked. Proposals that do not provide costs in a sealed envelope may be considered non-responsive and subject to disqualification. Include itemized costs for all services to be delivered. The City reserves the right to contact proposers on cost and scope clarification at any time throughout the selection and/or negotiation process.

B. Upon review of the package from each proposer, unopened cost proposals will be returned to those firms deemed ‘unresponsive’ or fail to meet qualification requirements as provided by the City.

V. EVALUATION PROCEDURE

A. The City of Canton will review and evaluate proposals based on the following factors:

1. Qualifications of Firm and Personnel (35 Points)

a. Firm’s and personnel’s experience within the past ten (10) years of completed projects in the United States of at least five (5) similar or comparable projects for municipal clients in the United States and three (3) similar or comparable projects for municipal applications in Georgia.

b. Joint ventures or associations related to the services requested, as applicable.

c. Organizational chart with qualifications, experience, and responsibilities of the key project personnel (i.e., Project Manager and QA/QC team) and sub-consultants/contractors.

d. Experience and successful project delivery history of the Project Manager responsible for delivery of project scope on similar projects.

2. Project Approach and Understanding (30 Points)

a. Suggested approach and understanding of the project.

b. Innovative suggestions and identifying challenges.

c. Approach to communication with City Staff and the public to facilitate successful delivery of the project within the proposed schedule.

d. Firm’s description of their experience with and knowledge of all jurisdictional regulations that will be applicable to this project.

e. Internal QA/QC process on this project.

3. Capacity and Capability of Firm (25 Points)

a. Ability to meet technical design required by the scope. Please note, an emphasis will be placed on the firm’s demonstrated ability to meet schedule and budget requirements.

b. Proposed schedule to perform the work with sufficient detail to understand the timing of the project deliverables.

c. Present and projected workloads.

d. Potential to effectively replace key personnel, if necessary.

e. Management Control Program-Approach, cost control system used to track expenses and labor, method for project status reporting, and schedule control methodology.

f. Past record of performance on contracts for delivery of work relevant to the project scope, including such factors as technical design, control of costs, quality of work, ability to meet schedules.

4. Overall Quality of Proposal (1 0 Points)

a. The organization, structure and quality of the proposal will be factored into the scoring criteria

B. The evaluation scoring summary is outlined below.

Evaluation Criteria Maximum Points

Qualifications of Firm and Personnel

Project Approach and Understanding

Capacity and Capability of Firm

Overall Quality of Proposal

C. Selection Process:

1. Proposals will be evaluated on the criteria above as well as the cost proposals provided. After receipt and review of proposals, the City may elect to conduct interviews for some or all firms. The cost of the proposal, although not the sole determining factor, may impact the final recommendation to award.

2. It is anticipated that a contract for the prescribed services will be entered into with the consultant that in the opinion of the City offers the most favorable combination of qualifications, approach, and capability.

3. The City will select the most qualified firm, in its opinion based on the evaluation criteria, and conduct negotiations for scope of work and fees.

4. Should the City and the first selected firm not come to terms on the scope of work and fees, the City will continue negotiations with the next most qualified firm whose price is fair and reasonable. The firm selected for the award will be chosen based on qualifications and experience and the apparent greatest benefit to the City and not necessarily based on lowest cost.

D. Award of Contract

1. The City anticipates recommending to City Council, the award of this contract in January or February of 2026. The City reserves the right to reject any and all proposals submitted, to waive any informalities in the proposals submitted, and to award a contract only when it appears to be in the best interest of the City.

VI. Relevant Studies and Plans (Attached)

1. Canton Impact Fee Program

VII. SPECIAL CONDITIONS

A. This RFQ/PP does not commit the City to procure or award a contract for work or to compensate Proposers for proposal preparation expense. All costs to prepare a response to this RFP shall be borne by the proposer

B. All information submitted in response to this RFP shall become the property of the City, and as such, may be subject to public review as public record.

C. The City reserves the right to cancel, modify, supplement, add to, delete from or change any part or aspect of this project if it is believed to be in the best interest of the City.

D. The City reserves the right to request additional data, information or clarification pertinent to this solicitation after the submittal date, provided that such information is germane to evaluation of the firm’s qualifications from any or all members of submitting consultants. However, the City shall not be required to request missing information from the submittal which may cause them to be considered non-responsive.

E. The City shall provide the release of all public information concerning the project, including selection announcements and contract awards. Those desiring to release information to the public must receive prior written approval through the City.

F. Members of the consultant teams, their agents, lobbyists, attorneys and others shall not contact members of the City Council, any employee of the City other than the contact person or any member of the Selection Committee regarding this project or process. Any such contact shall be grounds for automatic disqualification of the consultant team submittal.

G. The City, at its sole discretion, reserves the right to reject any and all submittals, waive any and all irregularities, and disregard any and all non-conforming or counter submittals.

H. The City may accept or reject any or all information submitted as part of the

RFP.

I. All proposals will be held in confidence until award.

VIII. EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

A. The City of Canton is an equal employment opportunity employee. The City endeavors to do business with firms sharing the City’s commitment to equal opportunity and will not do business with any firm that discriminates on the basis of race, religion, color, ancestry, age, gender, sexual orientation, disability, medical condition or place of birth.

IX. ATTACHMENTS

A. Contractor Information Form

B. Vendor Conflict of Interest Certification

C. Vendor Statement of Tax Status

D. E-Verify Form

Contractor Information

1. Company Name

2. Address

3. Phone Number

4. Name of contact person

5. E-mail Address:

6. Number of years in business

7. Number of people employed on a regular basis.

8. List at least three (3) references in which your company has provided the services requested within the past two (2) years.

Company Name: ________________________________________________

Address: ______________________________________________________

Phone No.: _____________________________________________________

Contact Name: _________________________________________________ e-mail: _______________________________________________________

Phone No.: _____________________________________________________

Phone No.: _____________________________________________________

Phone: 770.704.1500 | Fax: 770.704.1538 | 110 Academy Street | Canton, Georgia 30114 cantonga.gov

VENDOR CONFLICT OF INTEREST CERTIFICATION

The City of Canton, Georgia seeks to avoid business relationships which might conflict, or appear to conflict, with the best interests of the City. The purpose of this form is to identify such potential relationships with vendors.

Note that responses in the affirmative to the questions below do not automatically preclude a vendor from doing business with the City. Evaluations of the responses will be made by the appropriate City personnel on a case-by-case basis. Steps to mitigate the conflict or perceived conflict may be required by the vendor and/or City personnel as appropriate.

1. Does any current or former employee of the City of Canton, Georgia hold a financial interest of greater than 5% in your organization?

Yes No Unsure

2. Does any immediate family member of a current or former employee of the City of Canton, Georgia hold a financial interest of greater than 5% in your organization?

3. Has this organization or any of its principals been debarred, suspended or otherwise excluded by a duly authorized regulatory agency or had a transaction with any such agency terminated for any reason?

If your response to any of the questions above is yes or unsure, please attach a separate sheet describing the situation.

CERTIFICATION

I do hereby certify that all responses herein are true and correct to the best of my knowledge. I understand that the City of Canton, Georgia reserves the right to modify or terminate immediately any vendor or employee relationship (as appropriate) should it be discovered that the information provided herein was known to be false at the time of this certification.

Signature: _______________________________ Date: __________________

Printed Name and Title: ____________________________________________

2525 Ridge Road

Canton, Georgia 30114

Vendor’s Statement of Tax Status

(For Internal Financial Control Purposes)

Vendor:

D.U.N.S. #:

Remittance Address:

Street Address

City, State & Zip Code

Phone Number:

Fax Number:

Contact Information:

As an authorized representative to the above entity; I hereby certify to the best of my knowledge; no outstanding delinquent taxes are owed by said entity to the City of Canton, Georgia or any other government in the United States of America including but not limited to the United States Federal Government.

Name:

Title:

Date:

Contractor Affidavit under O.C.G.A. § 13-10-91(b)(l)

The undersigned contractor ("Contractor") executes this Affidavit to comply with O.C.G.A § 13-10-91 related to any contract to which Contractor is a party that is subject to O.C.G.A. § 13-10-91 and hereby verifies its compliance with O.C.G.A. § 13-10-91, attesting as follows:

a) The Contractor has registered with, is authorized to use and uses the federal work authorization program commonly known as E-Verify, or any subsequent replacement program;

b) The Contractor will continue to use the federal work authorization program throughout the contract period, including any renewal or extension thereof;

c) The Contractor will notify the public employer in the event the Contractor ceases to utilize the federal work authorization program during the contract period, including renewals or extensions thereof;

d) The Contractor understands that ceasing to utilize the federal work authorization program constitutes a material breach of Contract;

e) The Contractor will contract for the performance of services in satisfaction of such contract only with subcontractors who present an affidavit to the Contractor with the information required by O.C.G.A. § 13-10-91(a), (b), and (c);

f) The Contractor acknowledges and agrees that this Affidavit shall be incorporated into any contract(s) subject to the provisions of O.C.G.A. § 13-10- 91 for the project listed below to which Contractor is a party after the date hereof without further action or consent by Contractor; and

g) Contractor acknowledges its responsibility to submit copies of any affidavits, drivers' licenses, and identification cards required pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 13-10-91 to the public employer within five business days of receipt.

Federal Work Authorization User Identification Number Date of Authorization

Name of Contractor Name of Project

Name of Public Employer

I hereby declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct.

Executed on _________, _____, 20_____ in _______________ (city), __________ (state).

Signature of Authorized Officer or Agent

Printed Name and Title of Authorized Officer or Agent

SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN BEFORE ME

ON THIS THE _______ DAY OF _____________, 20______.

NOTARY PUBLIC

My Commission Expires: _____________________________