HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Contract for the Development of a Climate Action Plan RESOLUTION NO. 21-230
RESOLUTION AWARD CONTRACT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT
OF A CLIMATE ACTION PLAN
FOR THE CITY OF AMES,IOWA
WHEREAS, one of the City Council's values is environmental sustainability, with an
associated goal to develop and adopt a Climate Action Plan (CAP); and,
WHEREAS,the City completed a Community Greenhouse Gas(GHG)inventory in summer
2020, which is a foundational step for the development of a CAP; and,
WHEREAS, this will be the first CAP developed and implemented for the City of Ames;
and,
WHEREAS,the City Council reviewed the draft Request for Proposals(RFP)for developing
the CAP at its December 8, 2020, meeting, and the Council emphasized the importance of a
Community Engagement Plan and Outreach; and,
WHEREAS,the City Council provided direction to staffto proceed with soliciting proposals;
with the project envisioned to take 18 months; and,
WHEREAS, the RFP was issued to 55 firms and five bid services with responses received
from seven firms; and,
WHEREAS, an evaluation team composed of 11 staff members representing City
Administration,Sustainability Coordinator,Planning,Public Works,Water&Pollution Control,and
Electric Service ranked the seven returned proposals using a uniform ratings matrix; and,
WHEREAS, each proposal was evaluated based on a combination of the following criteria:
1. Understanding of the project requirements
2. Qualifications and experience of the principal consulting staff and sub-consulting
staff.
3. Quality of representative work for similar CAP documents
4. Project approach/methodology in completing the scope of services
5. Ability to develop GHG emission reduction goals that are relevant, achievable, and
cost-effective strategies to achieve the goals
6. Building support and motivating commitment to the CAP through community
engagement
7. Experience with similar projects
8. Cost and the proposed timeline for the completion of the Plan
WHEREAS, the score of these criteria was based on a scale of 1 to 5 and then assigned a
corresponding weight factor with the maximum possible score, combining all ten evaluators was
5000 (note - one member was not able to participate in this phase of the evaluation); and,
WHEREAS,the evaluation team invited the top three firms for interviews and all three were
asked to provide a brief presentation introducing their team members,their roles,and demonstrating
their understanding of the scope of services; and,
WHEREAS, after scoring, Sustainability Solutions Group Workers Cooperative (SSG)
emerged as a top contender based on their work with other university communities,an emphasis on
engaging diverse and disenfranchised participants, and success during the pandemic with non-
traditional outreach methods; and,
WHEREAS, SSG self-identifies as a large enough firm to tap into a variety of subject matter
experts, but small enough to be responsive to the custom needs of the City; and,
WHEREAS, SSG will be the primary consultant for the project and the subcontractors
supporting the project are Whatif? Technologies (WT) and Confluence; and,
WHEREAS, Whatif? Technologies will provide energy and emissions modeling, energy
system analysis, financial and economic modeling, and data collection; and,
WHEREAS,Confluence,which has local experience in other projects involving the City of
Ames, will lead the development and facilitation of community engagement activities in
coordination with SSG; and,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Ames, Iowa,
that the Contract with Sustainability Solutions Group Workers Cooperative of Vancouver, British
Columbia, Canada, for the development of a Climate Action Plan in an amount not to exceed
$120,915 USD is hereby approved.
ADOPTED THIS 27`'' day of April, 2021.
Diane R. Voss, City Clerk John A. Haila, Mayor
Introduced by: Beatty-Hansen
Seconded by: Junck
Voting aye: Beatty-Hansen, Betcher, Corrieri, Gartin, Junck, Martin
Voting nay: None Absent: None
Resolution declared adopted and signed by the Mayor this 27t'day of April, 2021.