This is a service / maintenance or supply contract in Elgin, Illinois. Contact the soliciting agency for additional information.

The City of Elgin requests proposals for individuals and firms interested in analyzing existing tree inventory data and drafting an Urban Forest Management Plan for the City. This bid process and award of the contract are made in conformance with Elgin Municipal Code Title 5. The City of Elgin reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, or any part thereof, or to accept any proposal or any part thereof, or to waive informalities in any proposal, if deemed to be in the best interest of the City. The City of Elgin Purchasing Department is pleased to announce that we are instituting our E-bidding process. ALL vendors, regardless of whether your firm is currently registered with the City of Elgin or not, will need to register in order to receive notification of upcoming bids. In order to bid on any projects you must register as a vendor at website. No proposal will be accepted via paper or email. They must come through this site. We know that you will enjoy the ease of our new system. For questions, please contact the Purchasing Department at (847) 931-5604. Failure to do so may result in the proposal being declared nonresponsive. A bidder may correct, modify, or withdraw its proposal by making the request in writing to the Director of Purchasing prior to the time and date for the proposal opening. All corrections and modifications must be made through an addendum. Proposal awards made by the City Council of the City of Elgin may be corrected or amended in the sole discretion of the City Council prior to the city's execution and delivery of a signed agreement to a bidder. Proposals must be signed by an authorized official of the proposer's organization, and the name of the official and the official's title typed below the signature. Proposals must be in ink or typewritten. No erasures are permitted. Mistakes may be crossed out and corrections typed adjacent, initialed, and dated in ink by the person signing the bid. Faxed bids will not be accepted. No bid may be withdrawn after the scheduled closing time for receipt of bids for 60 days. Award shall be made within 60 days unless award date is extended. Purchases made by the City of Elgin are exempt from the payment of federal excise tax and State of Illinois sales tax and any such taxes must not be included in the bid prices. Unless otherwise indicated in the Invitation for Bid, deliveries are FOB designated location, Elgin, Illinois. In the case of a conflict between unit price and extended price, unit price shall take precedence. If goods are not delivered or services not performed within the time frame specified in the Invitation for Bid (or where no time is specified, within a reasonable time frame) the City of Elgin reserves the right to cancel the order or any part thereof. Proposals will be considered on goods complying substantially with specifications provided each deviation or alternatives are identified and described in an attachment to the bid. The City of Elgin reserves the right to determine whether such deviations or alternatives are acceptable. Brand names that may be mentioned in specifications as used only as a reference to the type and quality of goods desired unless otherwise indicated. The selected bidder(s) must comply with all laws, rules, and regulations pertaining to public contracts as adopted by the State of Illinois and the City of Elgin including, but not limited to, the payment of prevailing wages. Proposals must contain: 1. A signed Tax/Collusion/Debarment Affidavit 2. A completed Bidder's Employee Utilization Form (if you employ 5 or more persons). 3. A signed Sexual Harassment Form. 4. A signed Certification Requirements Form. 5. Any other information or materials required in the specifications. Bid announcements can be found on the City of Elgin Home Page at website. This request for proposals (RFP) outlines the minimum acceptable requirements for an Urban Forest Management Plan for the City of Elgin. Between 2021 and 2024, a phased inventory of approximately 65,000 trees within the right-ofway and public parks was completed by Davey Resource Group, Inc. Subsequently, the City has received funding from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (DNR) via the Chicago Region Trees Initiative (CRTI) to complete a comprehensive Urban Forest Management Plan to support tree management activities, programmatic investments, and secure appropriate budgetary resources. Proposals shall include a complete analysis of the City's existing tree inventory data. Analysis shall include ecosystem benefits information exported from iTree website. The contractor will be expected to meet with the City and key stakeholders to identify goals and objectives to guide the City's urban forest program for the next 7 to 10 years. Ultimately, the plan will proactively address the needs of the City's tree populations (e.g. pruning schedules, removals, planting program), program resources and funding to support forestry operations, and effectively communicate the City's forestry program and priorities to residents, stakeholders, and community leadership. One consulting firm must perform all tasks required for the assessment project; no sub-contracted consulting firms shall be permitted. The completed Urban Forest Management Plan is expected to be a living document and an integral component of the City's forestry operations. As such, the plan shall be delivered in both editable (e.g. Microsoft Word) and static (e.g. PDF) formats. Any and all outputs from data analysis (e.g. tables, charts) shall be provided in a format accessible to the City (e.g. Microsoft Excel) for further investigation or analysis. The project must be completed by May 31, 2025. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS OF CONSULTING FIRM All vendors submitting proposals must show a history of managing the creation of successful Urban Forestry Management plans including a list of references. It is preferred that the companies employ ISA Certified Arborists that have a college degree in forestry, arboriculture, horticulture or a closely related field, and have sufficient practical experience in urban forestry projects, with a desired minimum of five (5) Great Lakes Basin State projects within the last five (5) years. The City of Elgin requires information concerning the qualification of all project personnel involved with the project. At least one person associated with the project must have the ISA Tree Risk Assessment Qualification. SCOPE OF WORK The City of Elgin Urban Forest Management Plan will be a living document that guides forestry operations and programmatic investments for the next 7 years. The plan is an integral component of the City's forestry operations and key to subsequent maintenance planning and programmatic investments. At a minimum, the planning project are to include: 1. Four (4) progress meetings with the City's key forestry staff. 2. At least one (1) meeting with the City's sustainability commission. This meeting shall be early in the project cycle to discuss plan goals and objectives. A subsequent meeting may be scheduled later in the project cycle to solicit feedback on a draft plan. 3. A complete analysis of the City's existing public tree inventory data, which was completed by Davey Resource Group, Inc. in 2024. The analysis shall include the development of attractive charts and figures that report common metrics and indicators such as tree species distribution, size distribution, condition distribution, maintenance needs, tree benefits, and any other analyses of importance to the management of tree resources. 4. Establishment of key programmatic goals and objectives for the management of the City's trees. 5. Overview of existing documents, plans, and policies, as it relates or connects to the City's forestry program. 6. Review of the City's existing forestry operations and program, including resources currently available to support forestry activities and recommendations to create operational efficiencies to advance the City's programmatic goals. 7. Recommended and prioritized urban forest management action items (e.g. pruning cycle, tree risk mitigation, planting program, tree age/structure/species distribution, development of policies/procedures, training and qualifications, etc.). 8. Documentation of specifications for common forestry program activities (e.g. planting, pruning, removal). 9. Material, equipment, personnel, and budget considerations to implement the program. 10. One (1) draft plan for the City's review, comment, and suggestions, followed by a completed Urban Forest Management Plan, with all edits or comments addressed. 11. Full compliance with Illinois Department of Natural Resource and Chicago Region Trees Initiative management planning grant requirements. The City's Urban Forest Management Plan shall be completed no later than May 31, 2025. The completed delivery shall include a final plan in editable (e.g. Microsoft Word) and static (e.g. PDF) formats. Deliverables shall also include any outputs from the contractor's analyses (e.g. Microsoft Excel, iTree outputs) for the City's review and further usage. Any other materials that are produced in conjunction with this project (e.g. maps, evaluations, reports, meeting notes, etc.) shall also be provided. Proposals, which the City determines in its sole discretion, that are deemed responsive to this RFP, will be reviewed and evaluated by the City. Proposals will be evaluated, in part, according to whether the Contractor meets the minimum qualification and submits a proposal complying with all of the requirements of this RFP. Evaluation of vendor proposals will be based on the following criteria: 25% Methodology - that the vendor will use to conduct work outlined in RFP and evidence of ability to perform the work described herein. 15% Experience - previous experience performing related projects of complex nature, including, but not limited to, similar size and type of organization. 10% References - will be based on references submitted as part of RFP, but can include clients not submitted. 25% Cost of proposal - must contain a cost for each project/process recommended as well as a "not to exceed" amount. 25% Staff - capability and availability of professional staff to serve the City of Elgin in a competent and timely manner. The City of Elgin reserves the right to reject any qualification and/or modify the requested qualifications as it sees fit. The City of Elgin reserves the right to schedule bid interviews to evaluate the qualifications and approach of proposing firms. In applying these criteria specifically to this RFP, firms will be evaluated based upon the following: 1) The specialized experience and technical competence of the firm with respect to inventory analysis and urban forestry planning; 2) The firm's reference list of previous urban forest plans and planning processes; 3) The capacity and capability of the firm to perform the work in question, including specialized services, within the time limitations; 4) The past record of performance of the firm with respect to such factors as control of costs, quality of work, and ability to meet schedules; 5) The firm's familiarity with the area in which the project is located; 6) The firm's ability to deliver high quality material to support public tree management. All submissions should be in a sealed envelope clearly marked "City of Elgin- Urban Forest Management Plan." The City reserves the right to reject any and all submitted proposals and may amend proposals upon RFP acceptance. The contents of the selected Proposal shall be considered a contractual obligation. Failure to meet the obligation could result in the cancellation of any contracts at any time during the agreement period. Expenses incurred in the preparation of the submission shall be borne by the proposing firm with the express understanding that the firm may not apply to the City of Elgin, the State of Illinois, or The Morton Arboretum for reimbursement. Timely received submissions will be opened by the City of Elgin at a time and date of its choosing.