TOP CAP Q-A document.pdf

Penfield Climate Action Plan – Phase I Page 1 of 5

The following responses have been provided to questions received before the, September 12, 2025, deadline specified in the RFP.

Why is the subject line of the submittal ATP (page 12)? Is that a vestige of an older RFP?

Yes, this is a clerical error on our part. The email subject line for proposals should be the following:

Email Subject Line: Penfield CAP – Phase I Proposal Submission_(Enter Firm/Team Name)

Can the Town provide a list of the primary or major Town-owned facilities and their approximate square footage?

Town Hall – 22,700 sqft

DPW – Current 28,564 sqft (New bldg.- under construction 75,049)

Community Center/Library/Court – 56,000 sqft

Channing Philbrick Park Building – 6,640 sqft

Clark House – 5,803 sqft

Donald G. Mack Building – 3,450 sqft

Sewer Garage – 8,300 sqft

Approximately how many vehicles are in the Town’s vehicle fleet?

82 Vehicles

In Consultant Services (page 5), it states “Consultants shall also demonstrate their qualifications and experience in performing services associated with Phases II and III for the Town’s consideration.” Can you please expand on what is meant by this? Is this intended to indicate that consultant proposal submissions should demonstrate qualifications for both municipal operations climate action plans as well as community-wide climate action plans?

Proposal submissions should demonstrate qualifications for the services required in Phase I, which are listed on page 5, as well as the services associated with Phases II and III which include, but are not limited to, the services listed on pages 5 and 6.

When working on municipal operations plans and GHG inventories, we have often found it beneficial to generate community-wide GHG inventories and vulnerability assessments at the same time. This can help ensure an understanding of emissions relationships and help the municipal CAP be informed by a broader view of community considerations. Would the Town consider proposals that include these efforts as optional services?

Proposal submissions must include services for the Climate Action Plan - Phase I and should be within the anticipated budget range and contract term provided on page 9. Any optional services would also be subject to the budget and contract terms.

Penfield Climate Action Plan – Phase I Page 2 of 5

The RFP does not indicate any required minimum insurance coverages. Will the Town accept $1M general liability and $1M professional liability coverages?

Yes, the Town will accept $1M general liability and $1M professional liability coverages.

Has the Town of Penfield previously developed a greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory that would be updated as part of this project?

The Town has not developed a greenhouse gas inventory.

If this project involves developing the Town’s first GHG inventory, could you please clarify what data is currently available to support this effort? For example, have relevant departments or utilities already provided data, or would the consultant be responsible for collecting it?

The consultant would be responsible for collecting the data.

It is our understanding that the scope of Phase I includes Township operations only, and Phase 2 will address communitywide goals and actions. However, page 5, bullet 4 states that community actions are to be included in this scope of work. Can you clarify whether community actions are to be addressed in Phase I or a potential future Phase 2?

Phase I will focus on Town operations only. Phase II will address community actions.

Can you elaborate on what level of community engagement is desired in Phase I? Page 6 states that “Community engagement plans may include, but are not limited to, surveys, workshops, online tools, and targeted outreach.” However, page 5 describes two public informational meetings.

The Town will need a minimum of two public information meetings, but the Town Board wants to have some pricing for any additional community engagement based on the consultant’s recommendation. If additional items can be priced individually then the Town Board will have better opportunity to determine if they want these other items included.

Does the 20 page maximum include a cover page and an introductory letter? Can these two pages be included in addition to the 20 pages?

The 20-page limit only applies to the Technical Proposal. Please refer to Section 4 of the RFP for a listing of the items that should be included in the Technical Proposal. The Town will not count cover pages or table of contents towards the 20-page limit. Do not include supplemental introductory letters with your proposal, as the Town only requires the information in the technical proposal to evaluate any submissions.

On page 5 of the RFP, consultant services included reference attendance at meetings with internal climate working group, Town administration, and CAP Advisory Committee. Are these meetings separate from the CAP Advisory Committee Meetings, and will the consultant be leading these meetings or the Town?

Penfield Climate Action Plan – Phase I Page 3 of 5

The Consultant is required to attend two public information meetings during the planning process. The Consultant will work with the Town to schedule both the public meetings with the CAP Advisory Committee and any internal meetings with the internal climate working group and Town administration. The Consultant should determine an adequate number of internal meetings based on their experience consulting on similar projects. The Town will be responsible for providing overall project coordination and oversight; therefore, the Town will lead all meetings, and the consultant will facilitate each meeting by providing project updates, data, and presentation materials as needed.

Is there a specific file size limitation when emailing proposals?

No, however, consultants should use a cloud storage service like Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive to upload the proposal file and generate a shareable link, then include that link in your email.

Please verify that there is no MWBE requirement on this project.

There is no MWBE requirement on this project.

The RFP indicates that the guiding principles will include energy, transportation, livable community, waste, water, agriculture and food systems, environmental justice, and climate resiliency. We assumed that to mean the entire CAP, including all Phases.

This assumption is correct.

Is your intention for the CAP to focus on climate action but demonstrate how mitigation strategies align with broader sustainability topics (such as waste, water, agriculture, food, etc.)?

Yes

Do you anticipate expanding the CAP into a Sustainability and Climate Action Plan (SCAP) in the future to more broadly address the City's sustainability impacts?

We expect to continue in the future to address community needs and impacts in future phases of the Town’s CAP.

At a minimum, the baseline for engagement indicates 2 public meetings, engagement with Project Participants (listed on page 3), and a final presentation of plan at the public Town Board meeting. Are there additional outreach or engagement requirements relevant to Phase I in the CSC Certification process or from the funding sponsor?

The consultant should familiarize themselves with the Climate Smart Communities program actions and certifications to determine if there are additional outreach or engagement requirements relevant to Phase I. The requirements of the funding sponsor for this project are identical to those of the CSC program.

https://climatesmart.ny.gov/

Penfield Climate Action Plan – Phase I Page 4 of 5

Will the Town Board have an opportunity to view or review the report prior to the Board meeting? If not, how long is that meeting? What is the consultant’s allotted time to present the final plan?

Yes, the Town Board will have an opportunity to review the final report prior to the Board meeting. The consultant will have 20 to 30 minutes at a Town Board meeting to present the final report. The consultant may familiarize themselves with the Town Board Meeting Schedule to develop their strategy.

For proposal development and format, does the Technical Proposal need to follow the stated sequence of items 1 thru 9 under Section 4?

No, the sequence of items is not essential. However, Consultants should ensure that all items 1 thru 9 are included somewhere in their twenty (20) page technical proposal.

Is funding currently secured for implementation for Phase I?

Funding is currently secured for Phase 1.

Is funding currently secured for the anticipated subsequent Phases II and/or III?

Funding is not currently secured for the anticipated subsequent phases.

Data Coordination: Will the Town provide energy, fleet, and facilities data in a consolidated format, or should the consultant anticipate working directly with multiple departments and external utilities to gather and validate inputs?

The consultant should anticipate working directly with multiple departments and external utilities to gather and validate data.

Emissions Boundaries: Should updated inventories maintain the same organizational and operational boundaries as the Town’s baseline assessment, or is there interest in expanding coverage (e.g., additional facilities, wastewater, community-level sources)?

The baseline GHG inventory of Town facilities, which will be provided by the consultant through initial phase, should be able to be expanded upon in future phases that focus on community-level sources.

Reporting Frameworks: The RFP references ICLEI protocols. Would the Town also like us to consider aligning with additional frameworks such as the GHG Protocol or EPA’s Energy Management Plan guidance for consistency with state and federal programs?

Yes, the Town will consider aligning with additional frameworks based on the expert recommendation of the consultant.

Forecasting and Scenario Analysis: The RFP notes setting a planning horizon to 2030 and 2050 in line with the CLCPA. Could you clarify whether the Town expects the consultant to model multiple pathways (e.g., business-as-usual vs. target-aligned) or to focus on a single reduction trajectory?

https://www.penfield.org/Town%20Site/Boards/Town%20Board/2025/2025%20Town%20Board%20Meetings%20Schedule.pdf?t=202501231605510

Penfield Climate Action Plan – Phase I Page 5 of 5

The Town expects the consultant to determine an appropriate model to use which will allow the Town to continually measure progress and monitor our greenhouse gas emissions.

Defining Benefits: The RFP states that the CAP should guide decisions that deliver “environmental, economic, and social benefits.” Could you clarify how the Town envisions these benefits being demonstrated in Phase I — through quantitative metrics, qualitative framing, or both?

The Town will consider both metrics during Phase I. However, please note that any recommendations should establish a prioritized, actionable framework of alternatives, so any metrics used throughout the project should help to substantiate the proposed framework.

Digital Tools: Beyond the final reports, is the Town interested in optional deliverables such as dashboards or data visualization tools to support communication with staff and the public, or should consultants focus strictly on static reporting formats?

Proposal submissions must include services for the Climate Action Plan - Phase I and should be within the anticipated budget range and contract term provided on page 9. Any optional deliverables would also be subject to the budget and contract terms.

Please explain further what is expected for the “public participation plan” and if it is developed solely by the Consultant, the CAP Advisory Committee or collaboratively.

It will be developed by the consultant with input from the Town.

Does the Town have a preferred template for presenting the Price Proposal?

The Town does not have a preferred template. However, consultants should refer Section 4 of the CAP – Phase I RFP for details regarding what the Price Proposal should include.