RSFQ - Planning, Sustained Development, Resource Management, Maintenance, Safety, and Beautification of Parks and Multiuse Trails (Walking & Biking) for Harris County Precinct 1

Harris County, Texas (Precinct 1) has issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) seeking a qualified consulting firm to develop a comprehensive ten-year Parks and Trails Master Plan for the precinct's 25 parks encompassing 3,220 acres and 40 miles of multiuse trails serving approximately 1.2 million residents. The procurement requires a prime consultant with multiple sub-consultants to deliver planning, maintenance strategy development, capital improvement recommendations, and implementation guidance across eight primary tasks: project management, greenspace vision and maintenance standards development, comprehensive existing conditions analysis, stakeholder group establishment, needs and gaps identification, preliminary recommendations with cost estimates, stakeholder review incorporation, and final master plan report production. Key deliverables include concept-level park plans, trail recommendations, drainage and green stormwater infrastructure strategies, prioritized capital improvement lists, and funding source recommendations, with all submissions requiring one draft and one final version incorporating client feedback. The project emphasizes alignment with Harris County Precinct 1's eight strategic goals adopted in 2026, including climate change preparedness, community health, equity, and operational efficiency, with particular focus on flooding and drainage resilience, green infrastructure and low-impact development strategies, and equitable park access to underserved areas where only 52 percent of Precinct residents currently live within a ten-minute walk to a park. Evaluation criteria are weighted as follows: Firm Experience and Qualifications (15%), Proposed Key Personnel (25%), Capacity to Perform (15%), Project Management and Approach (25%), and Interview Performance (20%), totaling 80 points in initial evaluation with up to 20 additional interview points. Key personnel requirements include a Lead Planner/Program Manager with eight years of experience, architects and landscape architects with eight years of complex project experience, Texas-licensed civil engineers with green infrastructure expertise, and a stakeholder engagement consultant with eight years of government project experience; proposers must also demonstrate ten years of successful fast-tracked project experience, ability to manage 10-15 stakeholder groups, and experience with federal funding programs. The RFQ was posted on March 27, 2026, with a proposal due date of April 27, 2026; questions must be submitted in writing through Bonfire prior to a specified deadline, and all submissions become final upon deadline passage.

This procurement includes a Minority- and Woman-Owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE) participation goal of 19.48 percent, requiring bidders to submit a completed M/WBE Utilization Plan demonstrating either achievement of the stated goal or documented good faith efforts to meet it, with failure to submit the utilization plan resulting in bid rejection. All M/WBE firms must maintain active certifications from Harris County-recognized agencies including the City of Houston, Texas Unified Certification Program, U.S. Small Business Administration 8(a) program, National Minority Supplier Development Council, Houston Minority Supplier Development Council, Women's Business Enterprise National Council, or Women's Business Enterprise Alliance at the time of bid submission. Harris County has established a minimum wage requirement of $21.65 per hour for all workers directly assigned to the contract, adjusted annually on October 1 using the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Living Wage Calculator, applicable to all prime contractors and subcontractors; contractors must maintain workers' compensation insurance coverage with limits of $1,000,000 per accident and per employee and provide certificates prior to contract award. Additional mandatory insurance requirements include Commercial General Liability ($1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 general aggregate), Automobile Liability ($1,000,000 combined single limit), Umbrella/Excess Liability ($1,000,000 per occurrence/aggregate), and Professional/Errors & Omissions Liability ($1,000,000 per occurrence/aggregate), with all policies issued by Texas-licensed carriers rated at least A-VII by A.M. Best and naming Harris County as an additional insured. The RFQ does not explicitly state a contract value or budget range; however, compensation will be provided on a monthly milestone or progress-payment basis with invoices submitted upon completion of deliverables, and if subcontractors are utilized and the contract exceeds $25,000, a payment bond equal to 100 percent of the proposal amount is required. Award will be made to a single vendor or, if in the County's best interest, to multiple vendors designated as Primary and Secondary, subject to Harris County Commissioners Court approval before contract execution, with selected vendors expected to participate in interviews and potentially site visits.