RFQ.2026PlanningConsultants.Final.pdf

Western Connecticut

COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS

Visit us online at westcog.org 1 Riverside Road, Sandy Hook, CT 06482 Telephone/fax 475-323-2060

WESTCOG

Request for Qualifications (RF Q ) Municipal Planning Consulting Services

Announcement The Western Connecticut Council of Governments (“WestCOG ”) has issued this Request for Qualifications

(RFQ) for potential selection to perform municipal planning services for municipalities under tasked -based agreement(s) .

About WestCOG Founded in 2014, the Western Connecticut Council of Governments is one of nine regional Councils of

Governments established pursuant to Connecticut General Statutes §4 -124i et seq. WestCOG serves the

Western Connecticut Planning Region, the second most pop ulous and fastest growing region in Connecticut, with an estimated population of 610,000. With a location connecting New England to New York, Western Connecticut is an economically dynamic region, with strong cultural, educational, and natural amenities.

WestCOG is governed by a Board consisting of the Chief Elected Officials (Mayors and First Selectmen) of its member communitie s, comprising three principal cities (Stamford, Norwalk, and Danbury) and fifteen surrounding towns ( Bethel, Bridgewater, Brookfield, Darien, Greenwich, New Canaan, New Fairfield, New Milford, Newtown, Redding, Ridgefield, Sherman, Weston, Westport, and Wilton).

Connecticut’s Councils of Governments (COGs), which are now recognized as county equivalents for government purposes , provide a regional framework for cooperation among local governments and between them and state and federal agencies. COGs may “accept or participate in any grant, donation or program available to any political subdivision of the state and may also accept or participate in any grant, donation or program made available to counties by any other governmental or private entity.” COGs may further more exercise any power that any political subdivision s of the state (e.g., municipalities and school districts) do 1. Which authorities COGs exercise, and the extent to which they do so, is the decision of their governing boards.

WestCOG hosts two federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organizations (Southwestern MPO and

Housatonic Valley MPO) that provide transportation planning for the region.

More information on WestCOG is available at http://westcog.org.

Purpose of this RFQ WestCOG is soliciting Statements of Qualifications (SOQ) from experienced planning consultant s and firms to establish a list of qualified consultants for municipalities to utilize for their land use planning needs such as:

• Development and update of municipal plans of conservation and development

• Development of district and neighborhood plans

• Land use regulation development and update, including zoning and subdivision ordinances http://westcog.org/

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• Creation of modern, user - friendly, and legally compliant regulations

• Technical analyses, mapping, and regulatory interpretation

• Guidance for land -use boards and municipal staff

Qualified firms will be placed on a regional on -call consultant list from which municipalities and WestCOG may select and contract independently.

Scope of Services The Scope of Services below highlights the range of various planning disciplines which municipalities have indicated would be valuable for planning support.

Municipal Planning Services:

• Public meeting facilitation and engagement

• Technical memos and reports

• Training workshops for planning commissions, zoning commissions , and Zoning Board of Appeals, especially if it meets state training requirements for such boards/commissions.

• Scenario planning and visualizations

• Development of local plans

Municipal Zoning Services :

• Development and update to zoning regulations (text and maps) ,

• Determination of consistency with state and local plans, court decisions, and federal/state law and regulation

• Abi lity to evaluate consistency of development proposals with municipal planning and zoning regulations.

• Form-based codes and design standards

Submittal Format Each application must provide the necessary components listed below:

1. Cover Page. Includes name of RFQ services to be provided proposing firm or individual; and name, telephone number, and e- mail address for the point of contact for the RFQ .

2. Work history. Similar or relevant work conducted by the proposer, past projects and at least five client references. Name, title, employer, relationship to the project, telephone number, and e-mail address should be given for each reference including all relevant work conducted for any clients within the Western

Connecticut region.

3. Qualifications . Task assignments and resumes for key staff.

4. Description of organization . Including:

i. Corporate background. Include the history, location(s), length of time in existence, and structure of the firm; and demonstration of the capacity of the firm to carry out the project.

ii. If a joint venture is proposed, provide the number of projects that have been conducted under previous joint ventures with the designated firm(s) and the success of those joint ventures as measured by on- time and under-budget performance and customer satisfaction with the performance of the work.

iii. Statement describing the organizational framework, including clear identification of the lead consultant, project manager(s ), and sub-consultants (if any), the roles and responsibilities of each sub -consultant (if

Western Connecticut Council of Governments 3 of 5 any), and a clear, concise statement disclosing whether or not there are any shared interests among the firm and proposed sub-consultants, e.g. parent-subsidiary, joint ventures, formal affiliations, etc.

5. Signature of a representative of the firm having legal authority to contract for the firm, or, in the case of an individual, said individual’s signature. Statements of Qualifications will be treated as bona fide offers and must remain open for a period of ninety (90) days from the closing date for submissions.

6. Organizational Conflict of Interest Statement . The statement either warrants that there are no relevant facts or circumstances that could give rise to organizational conflicts of interest or, as applicable, gives a full, written disclosure of all such conflicts of interest.

Submittal Process Proposals are due by Monday, January 19, 2026 at 5:00 PM ET . Submissions should be directed to: Mr. Francis R.

Pickering, Executive Director at ccarpenter@westcog.org.

Submissions should be provided in PDF format, as a single file. The file may be attached to the e -mail, or, in case of a large submission (larger than 10 megabytes), linked in the e-mail. Recipients should enable delivery and read receipts in their e-mail client. No other confirmation will be given.

Applicant Evaluation Procedures Complete responses to this RFQ will be evaluated in accordance with the following criteria:

• Experience in the development, revision, adoption, and implementation of municipal /regional plans and land use regulations

• Knowledge of relevant federal and state law (statutory and case) and regulation

• Expertise in land use planning and zoning, especially in home environments without county government, across the range of land use topics encountered by local commissions

• Experience working with municipal staff, commissions , and boards

• Public speaking exper ience representing municipal planning and zoning commissions

• Ability to meet expectations with respect to quality, budget, and schedule

A Consultant Selection Team will be convened to evaluate Statements of Qualifications received by the closing date stated in this RFQ. The firms whose proposals receive the highest aggregate ranking will be requested to appear for an interview. WestCOG w ill notify firms, consortia, joint ventures, and teams selected for interviews with the Consultant Select ion Team within 14 days of the closing date. The Consultant Selection Team will rank the firms, consortia, joint ventures, and teams according to the criteria identified in this RFQ and submit recommendations to WestCOG.

Award Procedures The most qualified consultant organizations will be selected and included on a selected (on-call) list. WestCOG expects to execute contracts with these organizations so that municipalities may, at their discretion and in accordance with state law (CGS §7 -148v(b)) , contract with any organization selected for inclusion on the list and contracted with by WestCOG .

Communications

Location of Posting This RFQ may be found online at https://westcog.org/procurements/ until January 19, 2026. It is the responsibility of interested parties to retrieve and store a copy of the RFQ beyond this date.

mailto:ccarpenter@westcog.org https://westcog.org/procurements/

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Inquiries Proposers may submit questions on this RFQ by January 9, 2026 at 11:45 PM ET. Questions should be directed to

Mr. Francis R. Pickering, Executive Director at ccarpenter@westcog.org. Answers will be posted online where

WestCOG posted this RFQ by January 13, 2026. No questions will be accepted by other forms of communication.

Information about WestCOG Available at http://westcog.org.

Addenda and Supplements Should WestCOG amend or adjust this RFQ , such changes will be posted online where WestCOG posted this

RFQ . It is the responsibility of proposers to check for changes to the RFQ .

Legal R equirements Contracts awarded as a result of this RFQ are subject to all applicable state laws, including those concerning civil rights, nondiscrimination, and equal opportunity. Any responses to this RFQ , as well as any work resulting from it, are subject to Freedom of Information. (FOI) laws and regulations.

Insurance Requirements Proposers must maintain insurance coverage as required by state law.

Consortia, Joint Ventures, and Teams Proposals from consortia, joint ventures, and teams (“groups”) will be accepted. In such cases, a lead firm must be identified for contracting purposes. A work history and statement of qualifications must be provided for each member of the group.

In designating a lead firm, groups should consider the following:

1. The lead firm should have sufficient experience and expertise to perform or supervise all facets of the project and must have sufficient resources to carry out the contractual responsibilities of the group.

2. The lead firm will be legally responsible to WestCOG for the performance of, and must perform at least

51% of, the total work awarded under any contract issued as a result of this RFQ .

3. Firms that are subsidiaries may not rely on the experience, expertise, or resources of its parent firm to meet these requirements.

Nonreimbursement of Proposal C osts Costs associated with responses to this RFQ , including proposal development and participation in a selection process, are the sole responsibility of the respondent firms. WestCOG will not reimburse firms for such costs, nor will any selected firms be permitted to negotiate such costs as part of a c ontract with WestCOG.

Rejection Rights WestCOG reserves the right to reject any and all qualifications statements received in response to this RFQ.

WestCOG also reserves the right to cancel this RFQ at any time and to reissue this or a substitute RFQ at a later date.

mailto:ccarpenter@westcog.org

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Multiple Awards WestCOG reserves the right to issue multiple awards. WestCOG also reserves the right to retain portions of the work described in the attached scope of work for performance by its own staff, or to exclude portions of the work described in the attached scop e of work from negotiated consultant agreements.

Prohibited Interest No member, officer or employee of WestCOG, or member of a local public body having jurisdiction within

WestCOG ’s service area, during his or her tenure or one year thereafter, shall be permitted to share in, have interest in or benefit from, directly or indirectly, any contract or agreement resulting from this RFQ.