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Consultant Selection for Preparation of a Consolidated Plan and Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Copyrighted September 16, 2019 City of Dubuque Consent Items # 7. ITEM TITLE: Consultant Selection for Preparation of a Consolidated Plan and Analysis of I mpediments for Fair Housing SUMMARY: City Manager recommending approval of the selection of Public Works, LLC to prepare the HUD-approved 2021- 2025 Community Development Block Grant Consolidated Plan and to conduct an Analysis of I mpediments to Fair Housing, and authorize the City Manager to sign an Agreementfor Professional Services with Public Works, LLC. SUGGESTED DISPOSITION: Suggested Disposition: Receiveand File;Approve ATTACHMENTS: Description Type Consolidated Plan and Analysis of Impediments for City Manager Memo Fair Housing Consultant Selection-MVM Memo Staff memo Staff Memo Requestfor Proposals Supporting Documentation Dubuque THE CITY OF � uI�AaMca cih DuB E � � I � � I Maste iece on the Mississi i Zoo�•zoiz•zois YP pp zoi�*zoi9 TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager SUBJECT: Consultant Selection for Preparation of a Consolidated Plan and Analysis of Impediments for Fair Housing DATE: September 12, 2019 A Request for Proposals was issued for a consultant for the preparation of the City of Dubuque's 2021-2025 Community Development Block Grant Consolidated Plan and Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing. No proposals were received in response to the RFP. Consequently, Housing & Community Development and Planning Services staff considered using the same consultant recommended to prepare an Equitable Poverty Prevention Plan to also prepare the Consolidated Plan and Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing. The recommended firm for the Equitable Poverty Prevention Plan is Public Works LLC. This consultant will design community engagement in a manner that also meets the engagement needs of the of the Consolidated Plan and Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing. To this end, the selected consultant for the Equitable Poverty Prevention Plan will be expected to collaborate with the Housing and Community Development Department to help fulfill the community engagement portion of the Consolidated Plan and Analysis to Impediments. Housing & Community Development and Planning Services Staff feels this connection of the two projects, the qualifications and experience of the firm, the firm's willingness to undertake both projects, and the need to meet HUD's required deadlines, retaining the firm of Public Works LLC for the Consolidated Plan and Analyses of Impediments is in the City of Dubuque's best interest. Housing & Community Development Director Alexis Steger and Planning Services Manager Laura Carstens recommend City Council approval of the selection of Public Works, LLC to prepare the HUD approved 2021-2025 Community Development Block Grant Consolidated Plan and to conduct an Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing, and authorize the City Manager to sign an Agreement for Professional Services with Public Works, LLC in an amount not to exceed $75,000. I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council approval. ���.C1C.�'t2�'t � �--, Mic ael C. Van Milligen MCVM:jh Attachment cc: Crenna Brumwell, City Attorney Teri Goodmann, Assistant City Manager Cori Burbach, Assistant City Manager Alexis Steger, Housing & Community Development Director Laura Carstens, Planning Services Manager 2 Dubuque THE CITY OF � All-America City D vnnavn�cnr,i naca�r UB E � � � ► Masterpiece on tlie Mississippi zoo�.zo�Z.zo�3 2017*2019 T0: Michael Van Milligen, City Manager FROM: Alexis Steger, Housing & Community Development Director Laura Carstens, Planning Services Manager SUBJECT: Consultant Selection for Preparation of a Consolidated Plan and Analysis of Impediments for Fair Housing DATE: September 12, 2019 INTRODUCTION The purpose of this memo is to recommend the consultant selection for the Preparation of City of Dubuque's 2021-2025 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Consolidated Plan and Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing, for City Council review and approval at the September 16, 2019 meeting. Enclosed is the City's Request for Proposals (RFP). DISCUSSION The intent of this project is to prepare a U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) approved 2021-2025 CDBG Consolidated Plan and to conduct an Analyses of Impediments to Fair Housing. Project Scope The consultant will collaborate with the Housing & Community Development Department in the identification, development, scheduling and implementation of activities designed to complete the project. Scope of work will include but is not limited to the following: Consolidated Plan HUD requires the City to submit a CDBG Consolidated Plan every five years. The consultant will prepare the Consolidated Plan utilizing HUD's resources and following all amendments and updates. These resources are designed to support grantees and the public to assess their needs and make strategic investment decisions by providing better data and tools and by creating a seamless planning and grants management framework. The consultant will review and tabulate data and information supplied by the City, HUD, the U.S. Census Bureau, lowa Finance Authority, and input from citizens to complete the required Consolidated Plan components per HUD regulations including all required charts, tables, maps and final input. The product must be provided in a digitized format for posting on the City's website and for submission to HUD. Analvsis of Impediments to Fair Housinq HUD requires the City to conduct an Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing conjunction with the five-year Consolidated Plan. The Analysis of Impediments examines fair housing choice and identifies actions to overcome barriers to fair housing identified by that analysis. It must be 1 conducted in accordance with the HUD requirements and guidelines. HUD provides guidance on how to prepare the Analysis of Impediments as part of the Fair Housing Planning Guide. Impediments to fair housing choice are defined by HUD as: • Any actions, omissions, or decisions taken because of race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, or national origin which restrict housing choices or the availability of housing choices. • Any actions omissions, or decisions which have the effect of restricting housing choices or the availability of housing choices based on race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, or national origin. The City updated the Analysis of Impediments in 2015 in conjunction with the 2016-2020 Consolidated Planning Process. Housinq Needs Assessment The lowa Finance Authority has already conducted a housing need assessment at the state, county and city level. This information will be incorporated into the City's Consolidated Plan. Community Engagement In addition to the preparation of the Consolidated Plan and Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing, the City of Dubuque is also in the process of hiring a consultant to prepare an Equitable Poverty Prevention Plan. The City of Dubuque is striving to avoid engagement fatigue by designing community engagement in the Equitable Poverty Prevention Plan in a manner that also meets the engagement needs of the of the City of Dubuque's 2021-2025 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Consolidated Plan and Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing. To this end, the selected consultant for the Equitable Poverty Prevention Plan will be expected to collaborate with the Housing and Community Development Department. This will help fulfill the community engagement portion of the Consolidated Plan and Analysis to Impediments. Project Schedule • September 2019: work begins on preparation of the 2021-2025 Consolidated Plan and Analysis of Impediments. • October 16, 2019: Consultant submits draft plan to the Community Development Advisory Commission (CDAC), who sets a public hearing on the plan. • November 18, 2019: Consultant submits final draft plan to Housing & Community Development Department and the City Council, who will set a public hearing on the plan. • November 20, 2019: Consultant presents the 2021-2025 Consolidated Plan to the CDAC during a public hearing. • January 6, 2019: Housing & Community Development Department Staff presents 2021- 2025 Consolidated Plan to City Council. Consultant is required to attend to answer questions. RECOMMENDATION No proposals were received in response to the enclosed RFP. Consequently, Housing & Community Development and Planning Services Staff considered using the same consultant 2 recommended to prepare an Equitable Poverty Prevention Plan to also prepare the Consolidated Plan and Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing. The recommended firm for the Equitable Poverty Prevention Plan is Public Works LLC. This consultant will design community engagement in a manner that also meets the engagement needs of the of the Consolidated Plan and Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing. To this end, the selected consultant for the Equitable Poverty Prevention Plan will be expected to collaborate with the Housing and Community Development Department to help fulfill the community engagement portion of the Consolidated Plan and Analysis to Impediments. Housing & Community Development and Planning Services Staff feels this connection of the two projects, the qualifications and experience of the firm, the firm's willingness to undertake both projects, and the need to meet HUD's required deadlines, retaining the firm of Public Works LLC for the Consolidated Plan and Analyses of Impediments is in the City of Dubuque's best interest. We recommend the consulting firm of Public Works, LLC as the best choice for the project for these reasons: • Qualifications and experience of the firm. • Qualifications and experience of the principal consulting staff that will work on the project. • Grasp of project requirements and level of interest. • Experience with a wide variety of similar and related projects across the country. • Design approach/methodology in completing the scope of services, including coordination with the Equitable Poverty Prevention Plan. • Comprehensive range of community engagement techniques, coordinated with the Equitable Poverty Prevention Plan. • Proposed schedule required to complete the project within a short time frame to meet HUD requirements. • Information from references. • Proposed collaborative cost to complete the project, using City staff to keep costs lower where possible. BUDGETIMPACT The project budget of $25,000 is in the FY2020 operating budget of the Housing & Community Development Department in line item 26061100-62716 CDBG Administration Consultant Services. The proposed fees are a total project cost of up to $75,000. Additional funds up to $50,000 will be provided by an Amendment to the CDBG Funding for the reduction of Administrative staff training for the Housing & Community Development Department. Public Works LLC and a housing and community development expert who would be involved in this project noted that the usual cost of Consolidated Plans is consistently $75,000 to $100,000. The firm realizes that this cost can be reduced somewhat by coordinating with the community participation plan for the Equitable Poverty Prevention Plan project. In addition, a good deal of the HUD-required content consists of data compilations, maps and graphics are either within the City's possession or easily compiled by City staff. So, to try to get at a proposal that would be fair both to the City and to the consultants, Public Works LLC proposes the following cooperative arrangement: • Rather than a fixed cost, Public Works LLC proposes that we cap the total project cost at $75,000. 3 • With the City's understanding that the cost could conceivably run that high, Public Works LLC would work with the City to keep that cost lower as follows: o charge by the hour for work actually done, at their normal rate of$225 hour, so that if the work is actually more in the neighborhood of $50,000, as we both hope, then Public Works LLC will only charge $50,000 (or whatever it comes to), not the full contract-cap amount. o work with the City to see what can be done by existing City staff. Every hour spent on putting the data tables, charts and maps together by City employees instead of consultants is a better use of City money. We support the cooperative arrangement proposed by Public Works, LLC. This contract will be fair to both the City and the consultants, and ensure the City's compliance with HUD requirements. REQUESTED ACTION The requested action is for the City Council to approve the selection of Public Works, LLC as the consultant to prepare the HUD approved 2021-2025 CDBG Consolidated Plan and to conduct an Analyses of Impediments to Fair Housing, and authorize the City Manager to sign the Agreement for Professional Services with Public Works, LLC in an amount not to exceed $75,000. Thank you. Enclosure cc: Christopher Lester, Community Development Specialist F:\Users\LCARSTEN\WP\Equitable Poverty Prevention Plan\Con Plan and AI RFP\Memo to MVM Cons Select Con Plan and Analysis.doc 4 Dubuque Housing&Community Development THE CITY OF � Department A11�1mericoCiry 350 West 6'�Street,Suite312 D V L L 1 I I I I ' Dubuque,IA 52001-4845 (563)690-6094 phone zom•zoiz•zo13 (563)589-4221 fax Masterpiece on the Mississippi zoi�*zoi9 �s6s>6ao-66�sTDD housinaQcitvof dubuque.or¢ REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL Preparation of a Consolidated Plan and Analysis of Impediments for Fair Housing CITY OF DUBUQUE, IOWA August 6,2019 INTRODUCTION The intent and purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to solicit proposals from qualified consultants to prepare a HUD approved 2021-2025 Consolidate Plan and to conduct an Analyses of Impediments for Fair Housing (AI). The maximum budget for the project is $25,000. Proposal are due by Noon CDT on August 26, 2019. COMMUNITY BACKGROUND The City of Dubuque is located on the Mississippi River in northeastern lowa, adjacent to Illinois and Wisconsin. As lowa's oldest city, Dubuque is a community well known for its historic and architectural beauty. The City is approximately 30 square miles in area, with a population approaching 60,000 persons. The City's annual operating and capital budget is over $185 million and funds a full range of municipal services. The City of Dubuque is governed by an elected Mayor and City Council and managed by a City Manager. City government works in collaboration with private and non-profit sectors to promote the principles of sustainability. Dubuque's framework for sustainability is centered on economic prosperity, environmental integrity, and social/cultural vibrancy. The City's web site is www.cityofdubuque.or�. PROJECT OVERVIEW The project will result in the creation of a 2021-2025 Consolidated Plan and conducting an Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing. Page 1 of 8 SCOPE OF WORK The consultant will collaborate with the Housing & Community Development Department in the identification, development, scheduling and implementation of activities designed to complete the Consolidated Plan and related documents. Scope of work will include but is not limited to the following: The Consultant will use the Consolidated Plan IDIS Desk Guide found at www.hudexchan�e.info/pro�rams/consolidated-plan in preparation of the Consolidated Plan. The required work must follow any and all amendments and updates, such as utilizing HUD's Office of Community Planning and Development (CPDJ eCon Planning Suite, including the Consolidated Plan template in IDIS Online and the CPD Maps website. The eCon Planning Suite is designed to support grantees and the public to assess their needs and make strategic investment decisions by providing better data and tools and by creating a seamless planning and grants management framework. The Consultant will review and tabulate data and information supplied by the City, HUD, the U.S. Census Bureau, lowa Finance Authority, and input from citizens to complete the required Con Plan components per the HUD regulations including all required charts, tables, maps and final input into IDIS. The product must be provided in a digitized format that, after consultation with the City's IT Department, is ready for posting on the City's website and for submission to HUD. The following link will take you to the city's 2016-2020 Consolidated Plan. https://www.citvofdu bu qu e.or�/Docum entCenter/Vi ew/23354/2016-2020- Consolidated-Plan?bidld= Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing As an Entitlement Jurisdiction, the City of Dubuque is required by HUD to submit a Consolidated Plan every five years, which certifies that the City is affirmatively further fair housing. To accomplish this, the City conducts an analysis of impediments (AI) to fair housing choice and identifies actions to overcome barriers to fair housing identified by that analysis. Impediments to far housing choice are defined by HUD as: • Any actions, omissions, or decisions taken because of race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, or national origin which restrict housing choices or the availability of housing choices. • Any actions omissions, or decisions which have the effect of restricting housing choices or the availability of housing choices on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, or national origin. Page 2 of 8 The City updated the Analysis of Impediments in 2015 in conjunction with the 2016- 2020 Consolidated Planning Process. The following link will take you to this document. https://www.citvofdu bu qu e.or�/2277/Ana Ivsis-of-Im pedi m ents The AI must be conducted in accordance with the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) requirements and guidelines. HUD provides guidance on how to prepare the Analysis of Impediments as part of the Fair Housing Planning Guide www.h u d.gov/si tes/docu m e nts/F H PG.P D F. The Consultant shall use "The Suggested Format for the Analysis of Impediments" in HUD's Fair Housing Planning Guide (Chapter 2 —Appendix, pp 2-30 and 2-31) as guide in preparing the AI. Housing Needs Assessment The lowa Finance Authority has already conducted a housing need assessment at the state, county and city level. The following link will take you to this information which will be incorporated into the consolidated plan. htt q://www.westernes.com/I owa/ PROJECT APPROACH The City of Dubuque will expect the consultant to have the capacity to exercise independent judgement and to perform those actions necessary to achieve the project objectives in a manner consistent with those expected of senior technical and management staff. While the consultant will be working under the general direction of the Housing&Community Development Director, it should be understood the City will rely on the personnel,experience and expertise of the consultant to ensure all necessary components of the process are completed in a timely manner. Community Engagement In addition to the preparation of the Consolidated Plan and Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing, the City of Dubuque is also in the process of hiring a consultant to prepare an Equitable Poverty Prevention Plan (EPPP). The following link will lead to the more information about the EPPP. https://www.citvofdubuque.or�/DocumentCenter/View/41181/RFP PovertvPreventionPla n Final 71619-with-attdocx?bidld=1130 The EPPP selected consultant will be responsible for developing and implementing a robust, creative, and inclusive plan for community engagement. The community engagement plan will consider informing residents and stakeholders of the purpose of the plan. The EPPP consultant will develop a schedule of events and input opportunities which at a minimum address the channels for public engagement and communication. The EPPP consultant will be responsible for designing and facilitating the events and public input instruments, facilitating the events and collecting and distilling all information for use in the EPPP document. Page 3 of 8 The City of Dubuque is striving to avoid engagement fatigue by designing community engagement in the Equitable Poverty Prevention Plan in a manner that also meets the engagement needs of the of the City of Dubuque's 2021-2025 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Consolidated Plan and Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing. To this end, the selected EPPP consultant will be expected to collaborate with the City of Dubuque Department of Housing and Community Development. This will help fulfill the community engagement portion of the Consolidated Plan and Analysis to Impediments. Coordination with and feedback from City Staff The approach suggested by the consultant should include steps that ensure that the final product will be developed in close coordination with City staff and will include opportunities for interactive feedback from staff as the work proceeds. The consultant should be available to meet with City staff to ensure successful coordination and completion of the project. The consultant and City staff will meet at the outset of the project to finalize and coordinate the project schedule and approach. The City will be responsible for arranging, scheduling, and providing facility space for meetings, including meetings with public officials. INFORMATION TO BE INCLUDED IN THE PROPOSAL 1. Letter of Transmittal Provide a letter of transmittal briefly outlining the consultant's understanding of the work and the name, address, telephone number and fax number of the consultant's primary contact person. 2. Profile of Consultant The proposal shall include general information about the consultant, the consultant's scope of expertise related to this RFP, and the consultant's official name, address, and principal officers, including qualifications of the project manager and other key personnel who would be assigned to the project. 3. Qualifications a) The proposal shall include the name of the project manager, his or her qualifications and experience, and the names, qualifications, and experience of other key personnel who would be associated with the project. The selection of a project manager by a consultant will constitute a contractual commitment by that consultant and a substitute manager will not be allowed without prior written approval by the City of Dubuque. b) Name and location of all other key personnel involved in the project if applicable; the type and approximate percentage of the work that would be performed by each of these firms; and the names, qualifications and experience of their personnel who would be associated with this project. Page 4 of 8 c) The proposal must clearly describe the relevant experience of the project manager and other key personnel in undertaking and completing project relevant to this RFP. Provide a matrix matching the names of the key personnel proposed for the Dubuque project who worked on the referenced projects. d) The proposal shall include at least three references of past clients for projects relevant to this RFP. These projects must have been completed within the past ten years with the same project manager, sub-consultants and other key personnel proposed for this project. e) The proposal shall discuss the consultant's ability to integrate this project into the consultant's present workload. 4. Scope of Work/ Methodology Describe the methodology or strategy by which the consultant would satisfy the Scope of Work, and/or an alternative or hybrid strategy recommended by the consultant—what process and outcomes the consultant would suggest fulfilling the Consolidated Plan and Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing. This is the consultant's opportunity to convey ideas and concepts with respect to vision and goals outlined in the Scope of Work. This will help the selection committee better evaluate the consultant's vision, abilities, and interest with respect to the RFP. Any methodology or strategy must embrace and support the Sustainable Dubuque model and its principles. 5. Proposed Project Schedule The following is an aggressive timeline designed to meet the City of Dubuque needs to file the required documents with HUD. Provided a narrative describing how the consultant will meet the proposed schedule. August 26, 2019 Request for proposals are due to the Housing & Community Development Department. August 27—September 6 Review RFP, hold consultant interviews (if necessary), and make recommendation to City Manager. September 16, 2019 City Council awards contract for preparation of the 2021-2025 Consolidated Plan and Analysis of Impediments. October 16, 2019 Consultant submits a draft of the plan to CDAC. Community Development Advisory Commission Page 5 of 8 (CDAC) sets public gearing for November 20th CDAC meeting. November 18, 2019 Final draft of plan is submitted to Housing & Community Development Department Staff. City Council sets public hearing for December 2, 2019 city council meeting. November 20,2019 Consultant presents the 2021-2025 Consolidated Plan to the CDAC during a public hearing. December 2, 2019 Housing & Community Development Department Staff presents 2021-2025 Consolidated Plan to City Council. Consultant is required to attend to answer questions. Products should be delivered in hardcopy and electronic formats compatible with the City's computer software and hardware. 6. Certificate of Insurance The selected firm will be required to meet the City's insurance requirements for professional services (see enclosed Insurance Schedule C in Appendix A). A Certificate of Insurance is optional for inclusion with the proposal. A Certificate of Insurance must be provided upon selection. 7. Fees and Compensation Provide a proposed cost plus expenses budget for completion of the scope of services with cost breakdowns by scope element. Quotation of fees and compensation shall remain firm for a period of at least 90 days from the proposal submission deadline. Please provide the proposed fees and compensation under separate cover. Initial screening will be done by a selection committee without the benefit of knowing the proposed fee for services. 8. Contract and Insurance A proposed contract for services must be included in the submittal. It should include the City of Dubuque's Standard Terms and Conditions found in Appendix B. EVALUATION CRITERIA Proposals will be screened to ensure that they meet the minimum requirements of the proposal format. A selection committee will review qualifying proposals and may interview the short-listed firms. Initial screening will be done without knowing the consultant's proposed fee for services to develop a short list. The short list of consultants may be invited to an interview with the selection committee. If held, the interview is a very important part of the selection process. Page 6 of 8 Factors to be considered by the committee may include the following: • Qualifications and experience of the firm and any sub-consultants. • Qualifications and experience of the principal consulting staff and sub-consulting staff that will work on the project. • Results of interview process (if necessary). • Information from references. • Grasp of project requirements and level of interest. • Design approach/methodology in completing the scope of services, including sustainability; creativity and problem-solving ability. • Proposed schedule required to complete the project. • Proposed cost to complete the project. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS The City of Dubuque reserves the right to reject any and all proposals and to negotiate changes with any firms. The City of Dubuque is not liable for any cost incurred by any firms prior to the execution of an agreement or contract. Nor shall the City of Dubuque be liable for any costs incurred by the firm that are not specified in the contract. The City of Dubuque is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. QUESTIONS REGARDING THE RFP The City of Dubuque will be accepting only written questions regarding this RFP. Questions should be addressed Chris Lester, Community Development Specialist, City of Dubuque, IA 52001 or clester(@citvofdubuque.or� no later than August 15, 2019. All questions sent via email must include City of Dubuque Consolidate Plan and Analysis of Impediments in the subject line. City Staff will confirm receipt of questions sent by email. If no confirmation is received within 24 hours, it is the consultant's responsibility to contact the Housing & Community Development Department to verify information was correctly sent and received. All questions and answers will be provided to all consultants who submitted questions or by request by email. All proposals must include an email address for the primary contact. Responses will be issued on or before August 19, 2019. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION DEADLINE An original and seven (7) copies of each proposal shall be delivered by Noon CDT on August 26, 2019 to the address given below: Chris Lester, Community Development Specialist Housing & Community Development Department City of Dubuque 350 W.6th Street, Suite 312 Dubuque, lA 52001 The proposals shall be sealed and be clearly labeled: City of Dubuque Consolidate Plan and Analysis of Impediments. Include the proposed fees and compensation under separate cover. Page 7 of 8 Each consultant assumes full responsibility for delivery and deposit of the completed proposal package on or before the deadline.The City of Dubuque is not responsible for any loss or delay with respect to delivery of the proposals. CONSULTANT SELECTION The City of Dubuque anticipates award of the contract to the successful consultant/firm for this project by September 16, 2019. Consultants/Firms whose proposals are not accepted will be notified shortly after the selected firm has been approved by the City Council. APPENDICES The following City of Dubuque documents are enclosed for reference: • Appendix A: City of Dubuque Insurance Schedule C • Appendix B: City of Dubuque Standard Contract Terms and Conditions Page 8 of 8