Climate Action Plan

Georgia Institute of Technology, a unit of the University System of Georgia located in Atlanta within Fulton County, issued a Request for Qualifications and Proposals (RFQP) for planning professional services to develop a comprehensive Climate Action Plan (Bid-Contract No. 2070-22 / Project No. 0491-2022). The procurement sought firms to establish a carbon neutrality roadmap and implementation strategies aligned with Georgia Tech's commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 with interim targets. Key deliverables included development of a Climate Action Plan with facilitated stakeholder engagement across seven institutional mission areas (Campus Culture/Operations, Curriculum, Research Leadership, Community Resilience, Justice, Financial, and Engagement & Partnerships), a Carbon Neutrality Roadmap with data-informed target dates for Scopes 1, 2, and 3 emissions, implementation plans with financial projections, engineering and infrastructure analysis, and comprehensive project management. The two-step selection process evaluated qualifications (Step I) based on firm stability (25%), relevant project team experience (45%), and suitability for services (30%), followed by proposal evaluation (Step II) on team composition and qualifications (25%), planning approach (35%), presentation quality (25%), and interview responses (15%). Critical deadlines included the qualifications submission deadline of April 21, 2022 at 2:00 PM EST, shortlist announcement on May 4, 2022, planning team proposal submissions on May 25, 2022 at 2:00 PM, and owner interviews scheduled for June 1, 2022, with final selection announced on June 7, 2022. Questions and clarifications were due by April 7, 2022 for Step I and May 12, 2022 for Step II, submitted electronically in PDF format not exceeding 25 megabytes to dnemec@cpsm.gatech.edu.

While the procurement documents do not specify formal set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises, Georgia Tech identified diversity, equity, and inclusion among team members and subconsultants as a critical component, encouraging proposers to demonstrate intentional efforts to include minority-owned businesses (MBEs) and women-owned businesses (WBEs) within their teams. The initial RFQP process received seven qualified submissions from ARUP, Brailsford & Dunleavy, DeLoitte, GDS, KPMP, SIG, and Wood, with three firms shortlisted to advance to Step II: ARUP, Brailsford & Dunleavy, and GDS. Brailsford & Dunleavy was ultimately selected as the successful Planning Professional firm following evaluation and interviews. The Planning Professional base fee was established at approximately $500,000, representing the maximum amount for the requested scope, with the fee encompassing planning services, specialty consultant fees, and all reimbursable expenses including printing and travel. The anticipated project commencement was June 2022 with completion anticipated within 18 months, contingent on funding availability and data availability. Georgia Tech reserved the right to reject any proposals and indicated no intent to modify the standard Board of Regents General Consultant contract, with final contract negotiation to be conducted with the highest-ranked firm.