Report to: Development
Services Committee Report Date:
SUBJECT:
PREPARED BY: Sabbir Saiyed, Manager of Transportation ext. 8120
RECOMMENDATION:
THAT the
report entitled “Markham Transportation Strategic Plan
- Consultant Selection RFP # 152-R-07,” be received;
AND THAT the Request
for Proposal #152-R-07 be awarded to the highest ranked and third lowest consortium
led by IBI Group for an upset limit of $459,900 exclusive of GST ($482,895
inclusive of 5% GST);
AND THAT a
contingency amount of $75,000 exclusive of GST ($78,750 inclusive of GST) be
established to cover any additional costs and that the Director of
AND THAT the award be
funded from the 2008
AND THAT the 2008 Capital Project # 8203 be pre-approved and increased by $132,100 exclusive of GST from $450,900 to $583,000 (exclusive of GST) and be funded through the development charges;
AND THAT upon payment of all invoices, any remaining funds be returned to the original funding source;
AND THAT staff be authorized
and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The
Markham
In June 2007 Council
endorsed the work program and terms of reference for the
Following the
finalization of the terms of reference, the Request for Prequalification (RFQ)
of consultants was advertised in August 2007. Six (6) bids from various
transportation planning consulting firms, including one from the
An RFP was
subsequently issued by staff in accordance with the requirements of the Town’s
Purchasing By-law in October, 2007. By
the closing date on
Staff
subsequently evaluated the four proposals and ranked them in accordance with
the RFP scoring criteria. The two highest ranked consultant consortia were
invited to make a presentation on their proposal to the Steering Committee on
1. Purpose 2.
Background 3. Discussion 4. Financial
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this report is to award the consulting contract for
the preparation of the Markham
BACKGROUND:
The Markham
Click
With
The Town
completed an online public consultation program during November of 2007 called
“Click With Markham”. Through this
exercise, Markham Town Council sought community input on six proposed areas of
strategic focus. Over 3,600 individuals
took this opportunity to make their opinions count during Council’s strategic
planning process. With regard to the
Ÿ
Transit: The public is seeking integration of York Region Transit
with all transit systems within the GTA in general and the TTC in
particular. A unified transit with a
universal fare system based on distance and not service provider was widely
suggested. An interregional coordination of transit timing schedules so that
they are reliable, complementary and not competitive is sought.
Ÿ
Ÿ
Roadway widening and Construction: Many
members of the public commented on the immediate
need for additional north-south road capacity and east-west capacity including various
stretches on Highway 7. Public transit
and other higher occupancy and alternative modes of travel are good, but the
needs of personal vehicle commuters must also be addressed. Many residents feel that Markham still is a
suburban community and transportation infrastructure related goals have to be
realistic and also reflect car owners’ needs.
A number of public comments also raise concerns with the potential
impacts of road widenings on adjacent residential neighbourhoods.
Ÿ
Parking: The public feels that there is
a need for ample availability of vehicle parking at various nodes and transfer
locations including subway stops and higher order transit stations including GO,
which in turn would contribute to the success of transit.
Ÿ
Traffic and the Region: Respondents
voiced that there is a need for Region-wide
traffic signal timing coordination. The
Town should approve traffic controls only when they are required, or else they
are counter productive.
Ÿ
Pedestrians and Bikes: Respondents want
a safe and welcoming atmosphere for walking and biking. Respondents feel that sidewalks should be
mandatory on all streets and roads.
Ÿ
TDM including HOV Priority: People find
it difficult to commit to ride sharing and other TDM initiatives because of unplanned
priorities at work. Work hours remain
very unpredictable. However, the success
of TDM measures such as carpooling depends on adherence to predicted
timing. HOV lanes are a good idea to
support transit, but are hard to enforce, and some car drivers view HOV lanes as
robbing motorists of additional lane capacity.
The
above transportation issues/concerns identified by the public need to be
addressed in a comprehensive and integrated manner, in order to find effective,
timely, and affordable solutions. It is
therefore imperative that the Town, with active participation of all key
transportation infrastructure providers, develop a short, medium and long-range
transportation plan and funding strategy.
MTPS 2002
The MTPS
2002 is now due for an update particularly in light of the Growth Management
Strategy. The 2002 MTPS study outlined a four-point transportation strategy
which focused primarily on roads, transit, policy and education to reduce the
increasing vehicular demand for future growth. However, there are many other
important aspects and elements of transportation that should also be studied
together as a whole utilizing the master planning process so that a
comprehensive transportation master plan can be developed. This is the
objective of the Markham
June 2007 MTSP Proposal
As acknowledged by Council and senior staff at the March 2007 Strategic Planning Session, there is a need to work in partnership with the Region and other levels of Government, the newly created GTTA (which has now been renamed as Metrolinx), and various other stakeholders to develop a vision, implementation strategy, and funding model that establishes an integrated GTA road network and transit system.
Council approved the June 2007 MTSP proposal, and endorsed the establishment of a Steering Committee to oversee the preparation of the MTSP. Individual components of the MTSP are shown in Attachment 1.
MTSP Steering Committee
The MTSP Steering Committee was established
to be responsible for planning, direction and management of the Transportation
Master Planning process. The Committee
will report to and receive feedback from the Council on a regular basis.
Council appointed Regional Councillor Gordon Landon, Regional Councillor Jim Jones,
Regional Councillor Jack Heath and Regional Councillor Tony Wong as members of
the MTSP Steering Committee. Regional Councillor Gordon Landon was appointed as
the Chair, and Regional Councillor Jack Heath as Vice Chair. The Steering
Committee also includes Jim Baird, Commissioner of Development Services, Alan
Brown, Director of
Project Schedule
The project schedule calls for commencement in the beginning of 2008 and completion of the MTSP by the end of 2009. Several components of the MTSP are scheduled for delivery before the end of 2008. These include the discussion papers, Markham Transportation Model Update and the Parking Management Plan
OPTIONS/ DISCUSSION:
Consultant
Selection
The selection of
a consultant team to conduct the Markham
Request for Prequalification
The first phase of the selection process was the Request for Prequalification (RFQ) # 101-P-07. A public advertisement was posted on www.Bidnavigator.com (now renamed as www.Biddingo.com). In addition, approximately 50 local and international consultants were sent information and invitation to bid for the undertaking. The RFQ process involved the prequalification of consultant teams based on the team qualifications in a variety of disciplines, past experience with similar projects, project approach and public consultation program. Five (5) consultant teams were short-listed to proceed to the next stage of the consultant selection.
Request for Proposal
The Request for Proposal
(RFP) # 152-R-07 was issued in accordance with the Purchasing By-law 2004-341
to the five short-listed consultants.
|
Direct mail to five pre-qualified firms |
|
|
Bids closed |
|
Proposals were
received from four pre-qualified firms. One consultant
withdrew from the bid voluntarily.
Detailed pricing information reflecting clarifications made by staff with the
vendors in accordance with the Purchasing Bylaw and the Terms and Conditions of
the RFP is as follows:
|
Lead
Consultant Submission |
Total Consultant Fees (exclusive
of GST) |
|
MMM Group |
$ 444,943.00 |
|
iTRANS Consulting Inc. |
$ 449,996.00 |
|
IBI Group |
$ 459,900.00 |
|
UMA |
$ 533,326.00 |
UMA had included an important qualifying statement in their proposal stating that their bid price is based only on using the York Region’s transportation model, as opposed to updating the Town’s model as requested in the RFP, for which they required an additional $76,600 over and above their bid price of $533,326.
Each consultant team was required to respond to the terms of reference with a comprehensive submission outlining the project team, the work plan and required fees. Accordingly, the consultant’s fees reflect each team’s interpretation of the items of work, staff resources and time required to successfully deliver the project and results in a variation in upset fee limits ranging from $444,943 to $533,326.
Evaluation of Submissions
The evaluation team for this RFP was comprised
of staff from the
The proposals were evaluated based on pre-established evaluation criteria as listed in the RFP: 30% Qualifications of lead consultant, sub-consultant and project team; 40% Project proposal delivery and quality of work; 10% Evidence of value added input including vision and strategic thinking and 20% price totalling 100%. The rank results are listed in the following table:
|
Lead Consultant |
Ranking |
|
IBI Group |
1 |
|
UMA |
2 |
|
iTRANS Consulting Inc. |
3 |
|
MMM Group |
4 |
Discussion of Evaluation Results
IBI Group was
identified as the highest ranked consultant submission for the following
reasons:
§
A thorough consultation program to engage the public through public information
centres, working meetings with stakeholder groups as well as the project
Steering Committee and the Technical Advisory Committee
§
Partnership with MKI (for developing funding models and funding
strategies), Urban Trans (for providing specialized expertise in Transportation
Demand Management), Lura Consulting (for expertise in public consultation and
facilitation) and Noxon Associates (for providing expertise in strategic planning,
best practices, and active transportation) to form a strong consortium
§
A comprehensive work program coupled with an experienced project manager
§
Excellent past experience with transportation master plans (Hamilton TMP,
London TMP, Peterborough TMP and Lakeshore TMP)
§
Extensive transportation modelling experience
§
Wide experience in all MTSP component study areas
§
IBI Group is a leader in transit-oriented planning. They authored the
1992 Ontario Transit Supportive Land Use Guidelines, and followed through with
the publication of Promoting Sustainable Transportation Through Site Design
§
IBI Group is undertaking the GTA and
§
IBI Group’s current involvement in the Regional Master Plan for Metrolinx
(previously GTTA) will add value to the MTSP
CONSULTATION:
Communication tools such as the
Town website, newsletters, and public notices will be utilized to provide information
to the public and stakeholders about MTSP. Formal public meetings will be held
with respect to the following:
Ÿ
Vision,
goals and objectives
Ÿ
Problems
and opportunities
Ÿ
Alternative
solutions
Ÿ
Evaluation
- Impacts of alternative solutions
Ÿ
Developing
the MTSP
In total IBI proposes to have a
minimum of six (6) stakeholder workshops and three (3) public meetings/open
houses to address the formal requirements of the MTSP . This is in addition to a dedicated Town
website for the MTSP
and notices and other information through the print media. The Consultant will meet the Town staff and
the Steering Committee on a regular basis to exchange feedback on the various
components throughout the duration of the MTSP .
MODELLING:
A Markham Transportation Model
(MTM) will be at the core of the MTSP.
The MTM will utilize the projected growth and employment forecasts
within and external to the Town and determine the optimized combination of
roadway and transit infrastructures required to address the growing needs of
transportation in a staging horizon of 2011, 2016, 2021 and 2031. The MTM will
form the basis for analysis and recommendations for future roadway
infrastructure improvements and modifications to address the Growth Management Strategy
and intensification targets that include the potential developments of several
land uses. The MTM will be built upon
the findings from the existing 2002 TransCAD model. The Region’s current EMME/2 model will also
be utilized. The Town’s model differs
from that of the Region in that it provides a higher level of detail, which
includes the Town’s roadways (minor arterials and collectors).
Planning Department has requested that a Senior Land Use Planner be included in the consultant team to provide an interface between the engineering and planning requirements of the undertaking, mainly for land use allocations and growth scenarios.
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS:
Funding for this project in the amount of $450,900 is available in
the proposed 2008 Capital Budget (within which $290,000 is carried forward from
previous budget allocations). The
|
Project Costs (exclusive of GST) |
|
|
Consultant Consortia
Fees |
$ 459,900.00 |
|
Contingency |
$ 75,000.00 |
|
|
$ 48,100.00 |
|
Total Project Costs (A) |
$ 583,000.00 |
|
Currently Available Funds (exclusive of GST) |
|
|
Draft 2008 Capital Budget (Project #
8203) |
$ 450,900.00 |
|
Total Funding (B) |
$
450,900.00 |
|
Shortfall (A) –(B) |
$ 132,100.00 |
In order to finance the shortfall, it is recommended that in the
2008 Capital Budget, the project allocation be increased by $132,100 and be
pre-approved and funded by Development Charges.
Contingency
Given the size and complexity of the study and the large number and diverse range of stakeholders, a contingency amount in the order of
approximately 16% of the original study estimate is
recommended. This contingency amount of $75,000 will be used to cover the cost of
additional services which may be required during the course of the study
including:
§
Additional Public Consultation Centres including preparation/analysis,
attendance by consultant team, facilitator, meeting reports and documentation, follow-up
with public and Council working meetings
§
Additional modelling related tasks pertaining to various growth and
land-use scenarios
§
Enhanced project reporting: including additional presentations and/or
working sessions with Committee/Council
§
Additional stakeholder meetings and surveys, including logistics and
administration of the surveys to identify any specialized needs of businesses
and residents
The
Director of
BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:
As already
discussed and agreed with the
The Finance Department has reviewed the funding and budget requirements.
RECOMMENDED BY:
____________________ ________________________
Alan Brown, C.E.T. Jim Baird, M.C.I.P., R.P.P.
Director of
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1: Markham Transportation Strategic Plan components
Q:\Development\Engineering\REPORTS\2008\February\MTSP
AWARD REPORT Draft Jan 8 2008.doc