RFQ 2025-07 Safe Streets for All Consultant

The Town of Paonia, Colorado, is soliciting Statements of Qualifications (SOQs) from qualified consulting firms to provide professional services in support of the Town's Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Comprehensive Safety Action Plan. This project is funded through a Fiscal Year 2024 SS4A Planning and Demonstration Grant administered by the United States Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The total project cost is $367,468, supported by a federal award of $293,974, with the Town providing $71,988 in local funds and $1,506 in in-kind contributions. The SS4A initiative is designed to address pressing transportation safety challenges within the Town of Paonia. As a small rural community, Paonia has limited pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, inadequate ADA accessibility, and aging roadway and stormwater systems. Many streets lack sidewalks altogether, while existing sidewalks are broken, buckled, and without ADA-compliant crossings. The absence of bike facilities, combined with deteriorating roadway surfaces and reliance on irrigation ditches as stormwater conveyance, creates unsafe conditions for all users. In September 2024, the Town experienced its first fatal vehicle-bicyclist collision, underscoring the urgent need for systemic safety improvements. Through this RFQ, the Town seeks a consultant partner to guide the development of a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan (CSAP) that prioritizes infrastructure investments aimed at eliminating roadway fatalities and serious injuries. The consultant will assist the Town in: • Developing an implementable Action Plan that ensures safe travel for drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, and persons with disabilities. • Incorporating ADA standards and Complete Streets design principles to promote multimodal mobility and community health. • Identifying cost-effective, high-impact strategies suitable for a rural context. • Evaluating innovative technologies and practices proven effective in comparable communities. • Collaborating with Delta County, Delta County Public Schools, Paonia Fire District, and other stakeholders to ensure regional safety coordination. • Engaging residents in an inclusive planning process to reflect a broad range of community experiences and perspectives. The SS4A Action Plan will provide the framework for prioritizing future capital improvement projects, including sidewalks, bike paths, intersection redesigns, drainage improvements, and roadway resurfacing. Once complete, the plan will guide the Town in aligning transportation investments with federal, state, and local safety objectives. The consultant selected through this RFQ will play a critical role in shaping a plan that is data-driven, community-informed, and designed for implementation. The project must be completed in one phase, with the Comprehensive Safety Action Plan publicly available by May 8, 2027, and the final SS4A report delivered by June 1, 2027. By undertaking this initiative, the Town of Paonia reaffirms its commitment to creating safer, more accessible streets for all residents and visitors, ensuring that transportation networks support long-term community vitality, mobility, and quality of life. Prospective Bidders are requested to submit proposals clearly marked as, "RFQ 2025-07 Safe Streets for All Consultant," with the vendor's name and address on the front. Only emailed PDF proposals sent to: Paonia@TownofPaonia.com and cc'd to StefenW@TownofPaonia.com, will be accepted on or before 12:00 P.M. (Noon) on OCTOBER 22, 2025. Proposals submitted through bidnetdirect.com will not be considered unless they are also emailed to the addresses above. This RFQ has been advertised on https://www.bidnetdirect.com/. Any modifications to this RFQ or addenda pertaining to this RFQ will be published on the above-mentioned website, and all proposers are responsible to periodically check the site for relevant updates prior to submittal of a proposal.