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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014 Urban Forestry CITY OF BOZEMAN, MONTANA INVITATION FOR PROPOSALS Urban Forestry Management Plan NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN The City of Bozeman’s Forestry Department is seeking proposals for the preparation of an Urban Forestry Management Plan that will meet the needs of the community for at least 15 years. All responses to this RFP must be sealed and clearly marked as RFP Urban Forest Management Plan City of Bozeman. Three (3) bound copies shall be submitted to the City Clerk’s Office at 121 North Rouse Avenue, Suite 202 Bozeman, MT 59715 by 5 p.m. June 13, 2014. Any late proposals will not be considered. The City of Bozeman is not responsible for late RFP due to mail or other delivery method. Please write the name of the project: URBAN FOREST MANAGEMENT PLAN on the front of the sealed bid. The physical address is: City Clerk’s Office, Suite 202, City Hall, 121 N. Rouse Avenue, Bozeman, Montana. The mailing address is: City Clerk’s Office, Suite 202, City Hall, P.O. Box 1230, Bozeman, Montana, 59771. Proposals must be received before 5 p.m. Friday, June 13, 2014. Original copies must be submitted – no faxed of electronic bids will be accepted. Any entity submitting a Proposal under this invitation must sign and return the required affirmation stating that they will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, age, marital status, national origin, or because of actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity or disability in the performance of the work under this invitation should it be awarded to that entity. Each entity submitting under this invitation shall also recognize in writing the eventual Construction Agreement will contain a provision prohibiting discrimination as described above and this prohibition on discrimination shall apply to the hiring and treatment of the Contractor’s employees and to all subcontracts. Stacy Ulmen, CMC Bozeman City Clerk Introduction The City of Bozeman is a city with a population of approximately 40,000 residents, and an area of 20 square miles located in Gallatin County, Montana. An inventory of street, park, and cemetery trees is ongoing, in addition to a recent survey using i-Tree Eco software completed in the summer of 2012. The inventory identifies species, size, condition, location, and appraised value. The tree inventory has been incorporated into the City’s GIS mapping program, which is maintained by the GIS Manager. The City of Bozeman’s Forestry Department is seeking the preparation of an Urban Forestry Management Plan that will meet the needs of the community for at least 15 years. Primary Objectives A) Ensure the City has an accurate picture of its urban forest on its public lands (streets, parks, and cemetery). B) Develop a management plan and strategies to deal with the arrival of Emerald Ash Borer (EAB). C) Demonstrate the City’s urban forest as an asset and value to the community. D) Provide a plan for effective and efficient management of the City’s urban forest, using best management practices and current arboricultural standards. E) Develop a system to monitor the effectiveness of the management plan and how it will be updated. F) Analyze environmental benefits, such as storm water issues, energy conservation, air quality, carbon sequestration/capture, property values, and social and aesthetic values. G) Identify opportunities to build urban forestry program in regards to funding and staffing. ALSO: RFP applicants shall address how their management plan will benefit the City of Bozeman in the following areas: 1. Identify potential planting sites 2. Increase canopy cover for City properties 3. Increase genus and species diversity 4. Identify insect and disease problems and methods of control 5. Routinely/regularly update tree inventory 6. Establish long range plans for care and maintenance of public trees 7. Continue education and certifications for Forestry staff Plan Preparation Items Applicants will provide a task list and projected time frame. Basic plan preparations will include:) 1. An Environmental Benefit Analysis for City trees 2. Plan preparation with involved parties City Forestry, City Commission, and stakeholders within time frames. 3. Web page preparation and page maintenance (using City web page?) 4. Electronic inventory data base for UF management 5. Text, tables, and maps shall be a definitive, and easy to follow plan that encourages the use of the plan. 6. A summary of Bozeman’s current UF program that is conducted by the Forestry department. This should contain, at a minimum: current trimming/maintenance schedules, removals, planting, staffing levels, staff training, and past and current budget spending. 7) Presentation of final Plan to Commission and public. General Information 1) RFP Process The RFP is not a bid, it is a request for professional services. If the City of Bozeman and Montana Department of Natural Resources choose to negotiate a contract with an applicant, any contract shall contain the terms and conditions that follow. The City and Montana DNRC reserve the right, at their discretion to reject all submissions, reissue a new RFP,end, restructure or amend the procurement process at any time. The final decision and contract negotiation will be with the City of Bozeman and MT. DNRC. 2) Questions Any questions regarding the scope of this project or additional information should be directed to Ryon Stover, City Forester, or Jamie Kirby of MT. DNRC. All questions must be submitted in e-mail form to rstover@bozeman.net or jamiekirby@ mt.gov. 3) Rejection of Proposal Any proposals that do not conform to the basic requirements of the RFP may be rejected. The City of Bozeman and Montana DNRC reserve the right to waive informalities and minor irregularities in the submittals and reserves the right to determine what informalities and irregularities might be. The City of Bozeman and Montana DNRC are not obligated to enter into a contract on the basis of a submittal to the RFP. The City of Bozeman and Montana DNRC reserve the right to request additional information from any applicant or firm responding to the RFP in order to better evaluate a proposal. 4) Confidentiality All information, materials, and documents submitted by an applicant shall not be released or made available to any person or entity other than City of Bozeman or Montana DNRC representative, until public opening, unless required by law. 5) Applicants Duty to Inspect and Declare All Costs Each applicant shall become knowledgeable about the City of Bozeman and Montana DNRC requirements and the scope of the services being provided. Applicants shall have the duty to request information from the City or DNRC to prepare the RFP. No change order or additional compensation will be allowed if based on information that the applicant knew or should have known as part of the applicant’s duty. 6) Proposal and Presentation Costs The City of Bozeman and Montana DNRC will not be liable for any costs incurred by an applicant in the preparation of their proposal in response to the RFP, or presentation of the proposal or participation in discussions or negotiations. 7) Submittal of Proposal All responses to this RFP must be sealed and clearly marked as RFP Urban Forest Management Plan City of Bozeman. Three (3) bound copies shall be submitted to the City Clerk’s Office, 121 North Rouse Avenue, Suite 202 Bozeman, MT 59771. Any late proposals will not be considered. The City of Bozeman is not responsible for late RFP due to mail or other delivery method. The applicant shall provide the following information: Name; Title; Company; Mailing address; Phone; Fax; Email. 8) Withdrawal The applicant may withdraw the RFP by means of a written request, signed by the above applicant, or their authorized representative and delivered to the address where the RFP was delivered before the closing time for the receipt of the RFP. Changes to the RFP will not be accepted after the date and time for submission. 9) Acceptance/ Rejection The City of Bozeman and Montana DNRC reserve the right to accept or reject any or all submittals for this RFP, to negotiate with competing applicants, and to waive any informalities, defects, irregularities in a proposal, and to accept the proposal, which in the judgment of City of Bozeman or Montana DNRC represents the best interest of the City of Bozeman. 10) Each applicant will sign the attached Non – Collusion and Non-Discrimination documents 11) Funding This project is funded through a Montana Department of Resource and Conservation Western States Competitive Grant.