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

question(s) logged (deadline was 2/26/2025 2:00 pm US/Eastern The goal of this project is to prepare a Short Range Transit Plan (SRTP) that includes Scenario Planning based on future funding opportunities over the next 5 years. This plan will be completed in close coordination with COTA's Board of Trustees, Executive leadership, and staff. It involves extensive communication and interaction with key stakeholders, municipal and township staff, customers, and general public of the COT A service region. The SRTP will serve as a vital tool to assess COTA's current operations; describe future transit enhancements; and prioritize expenditures, service, and funding to serve the community's mobility needs. Scope of Services 1.Project Management a.Project Management Plan CONSULTANT will develop a detailed project schedule that establishes start and end points for each project task, data needed, and submittal dates for draft and final deliverables. This plan will be updated as needed throughout the duration of the project and any activities that have fallen behind will be flagged with mitigations identified. CONSULTANT will share access to SharePoint or Microsoft Teams as a filing system for shared use. CONSULTANT will also use the online and dynamic tools for all projects tasks listed under for easy user experience. b.Project Working Group, Progress Reports, Invoicing CONSULTANT will work with COTA to establish a small project working group that will meet for up to 1-hour by conference calls bi-weekly, where CONSULTANT will document these meetings with agendas and action items. These meetings will serve as opportunities for COTA and CONSULTANT to present recently completed work, discuss upcoming work, request input/feedback, and project coordination items. CONSULTANT will provide a monthly progress report to COTA that will present a summary of work completed, work underway, and work to soon begin. HDR will also highlight information or decisions needed from COTA and project challenges and progress related to the schedule. Monthly invoices will accompany the monthly progress reports. c.Data and Files CONSULTANT will provide COTA with all requested data, analyses, maps, graphs, and graphics in a format agreed on by both parties (xlsx, doc, shp, kml, mapx, ai, etc.). COTA has access to MS Office products, ArcGIS Pro, ArcOnline, and AdobeSuite products. d.Deliverables 2.Engagement The SRTP heavily relies on successful communication and collaboration among stakeholders to collectively identify the appropriate path forward and create buy-in. We will utilize workshops to foster collaboration among COTA staff and stakeholders, in addition to public meetings and innovative digital engagement. a. Engagement Plan CONSULTANT will develop a comprehensive engagement plan identifying key message, target audiences, and communication tools (on-line and printed) designed to excite and engage the local community. The plan will be designed to increase public awareness about the planning process and obtain feedback to inform recommendations, including any scenario plans that will be developed as part of the study. We will use mapping and visual communication tools to clearly communicate potential changes to the transit network and impacts of those changes. Digital and non-digital formats with accessible formats will be available upon request. b. Internal Outreach CONSULTANT will interact with the COTA Board of Trustees, an Internal Stakeholder group, and create an outreach plan to employees, including frontline staff. This will include: o Two to four meetings with COTA Leadership Staff o Four meetings with a COTA Internal Stakeholder group o Three to six tabling events at operator facilities c. External Outreach The Stakeholder Advisory Group will be determined by COTA. CONSULTANT will work to convene and help facilitate the Stakeholders Advisory Group twice throughout the planning process to provide feedback for the SRTP. This cross section of community representatives will advise on the needs and concerns of the community and highlight that those needs are being heard and addressed within the plan. CONSULTANT will facilitate up to 37-40 meetings with staff of municipalities and townships, organized and served by COTA. In addition, CONSULTANT will facilitate 12 public facing meetings (3 in each quadrant of the service area) and 4 in the Downtown vicinity for residents of these communities to have their voices heard and to learn more about the SRTP. Locations will be determined based on history of previous public meetings, ridership, and equity in collaboration with COTA. CONSULTANT and COTA staff will also attend the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) open house. The date and time will be determined closer to the event in Spring 2025. Deliverables: Public Involvement Plan, Engagement Summary, materials, engagement meetings 3. Existing Conditions a. Visioning and Goals CONSULTANT will work with COTA Executive leadership and staff to establish goals to guide the development of the SRTP. This task will be a review of current agency-wide goals, with key focus on the next 5 years. Performance metrics will accompany the agreed upon goals and objectives, designed to be quantifiable using data available. The Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) is a four-year schedule of transportation improvements seeking Federal funding. The next cycle will be FY 2025-2029 (SFY 2026-2029) and the SRTP will influence and guide the development of enhanced mobility services within Central Ohio. CONSULTANT should also address the national trends to address the ridership growth and service design changes. b. Achievements since last SRTP CONSULTANT, with COTA staff, will document achievements since the previous SRTP publication. This will include, at a minimum, service improvements, LinkUS progress, major capital projects, customer experience improvements such as TransitApp integration, and other projects and initiatives. c. Existing Service and facilities CONSULTANT will prepare a summary of existing transit services (fixed-route, COTA//Plus, paratransit) including operating and ridership profiles and service facing facilities such as transit centers. d. LinkUS and local and regional plans CONSULTANT will prepare a summary of relevant transit and mobility studies that have inform the SRTP, emphasizing the components of LinkUS. COTA staff will assist in identifying relevant plans and studies. Findings will inform the recommendations for service improvements and modifications. e. Transit Market Analysis CONSULTANT will identify gaps and assess trends of the COTA region using data and information provided by stakeholders and COTA. CONSULTANT will also prioritize future expansion requests from the public, businesses, nonprofits, or elected officials. Census data, analysis software, and forecasts from the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) will be key to determine how transit demand will be affected. At a minimum, the following analysis must be completed: i. Socio-demographic analysis 1. Current 2. Future Growth ii. Transit Propensity analysis iii. Travel pattern analysis highlighting changes during 2020-2024 Deliverables: Existing Conditions summary 4. Transit Services CONSULTANT will apply a range of analytical tools and datasets provided by COTA and the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) to construct a full picture of the strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities that face COTA and the Columbus region. This includes service standards and monitoring, showcasing the characteristics of service, such as frequency, boardings, population and job coverage, and route purpose. a. System Evaluation i. Service Monitoring Standards COTA's service monitoring standards require a review and update. CONSULTANT will provide guidance and recommendations to these standards, incorporating fixed-route and on-demand, microtransit (COTA//Plus). Once updated, COTA's services must be applied to the proposed and current service monitoring standard. CONSULTANT will conduct this analysis, coordinating closely with COTA staff. ii. Service Design Standards COTA's service design standards require review and update. CONSULTANT will provide guidance and recommendations to these standards, incorporating fixed-route, Bus Rapid Transit, and on-demand, micro-transit (COTA//Plus). Updates can include best practices, such as incorporating transit propensity indices, and newer methods to identify strong indicators of transit success. CONSULTANT will apply COTA's current network to the design standards to ensure compliance with the current and updated standards. b. LinkUS LinkUS includes additional funding for expanding service and supporting facilities. Working alongside COTA staff, CONSULTANT will summarize service expansion as part of LinkUS and recommend new facility locations and improvements. This summary will be high-level and detailed in the Service Scenario section below. c. Service Projections To prepare COTA for future service changes and expansion, CONSULTANT will lead a discussion with COTA team members from Finance, Human Resources, Operations, External Affairs and other relevant team members to develop year-by-year service projection scenarios for fixed-route, COTA//Plus (microtransit), and paratransit. The projections will be informed by COTA's current financial model and the LinkUS financial model. The intent is to develop a "most likely" scenario as well as two scenarios that represent more resources than projected and fewer. d. Service Scenarios Building on LinkUS, CONSULTANT will lead the development of service scenarios considering both current funding, future funding and unmet mobility needs. Each scenario will assume varying levels of service funding building on the LinkUS financial model. Scenarios can include recommendations for additional service models, such as flexible fixed-route, pre-scheduled services, and other models. Once a preferred scenario is identified, an implementation and/or priority list will be created for each of the service projection scenarios outlined above. Deliverables: System Evaluation Memo, LinkUS Memo, Service Projections and Service Scenario summary e. Transit System Redesign Reivew The CONSULTANT will evaluate how well the redesigned network has adapted to and served the changing commuter patterns that have emerged since 2019. Coordinating with data and outcomes of other tasks in SRTP process, considerations could include shifts in travel behavior, the impact of remote work, and demographic changes. The assessment will be based on prior planning documents that analyzed the system's effectiveness in providing equitable access, increasing transit ridership, and meeting the mobility needs of communities within COTA's service area. Considerations include whether the current network remains aligned with the evolving transportation demands of the region, development patterns, and population and jobs projection, and future development. 5. Capital Projects CONSULTANT will develop a summary of COTA's five year Capital Improvement Program (CIP), LinkUS capital components, and Sustainability Plan. Additionally, recommendations for capital improvements over the next five years will be developed building on the LinkUS capital components. This will including citing future transit centers, park and rides, and other service facing capital improvements. Deliverables: Capital project summary and recommendations 6. Financial CONSULTANT will work with COTA's Finance Division to develop a five-year financial budget that demonstrates COTA's financial wellness to fund and afford assumed services, projects, and purchases. This will include the impacts of LinkUS on revenue. CONSULTANT will create a summary of COTA's fare programs, 5-year CIP, and operating plan to be included in the Final Report. Deliverables: Financial model, Summary of Fare Programs 7. Final Report CONSULTANT will summarize pertinent details of the operational analysis in a compelling story that provides the context, findings, and recommendations of each scenario in a clear and concise report. A draft will be produced and circulated to COTA as well as available for stakeholder comment. CONSULTANT will develop the final report consisting of the Short Range Transit Plan that provides COTA an actionable roadmap to deliver increased value to its customers and the community. CONSULTANT will compile key highlights from prior tasks into a concise final report. The final plan will be a visually compelling document. Maps, infographics, and photos will be used to help highlight prioritized recommendations that are easy to understand. A draft will be produced and circulated to COTA as well as available for stakeholder comment. Deliverables: Final Report with Operational Analysis and SRTP; Executive Summary; PowerPoint Presentation Schedule: o TBD The method of Contractor Selection has not been Determined at this time.