Washington State legislation passed and signed into law in 2023 (HB 1181) adds a climate goal to the Growth Management Act (GMA) and requires local comprehensive plans to have a climate element with resilience and greenhouse gas emissions mitigation sub-elements.  In tandem with a recently drafted Climate Action Plan, the City is beginning a process to develop and include a Climate Element as part of a planned 2025 Comprehensive Plan amendment.  This will be a new Element, along with resilience and greenhouse gas emissions mitigation sub-elements, developed with financial assistance from the Washington State Department of Commerce through their Climate Planning Grant Program.  The city has been awarded a grant by the Department of Commerce in an amount not to exceed $500,000 to assist with the climate planning policies and development regulations work needed to comply with the climate planning requirements of the legislation.

This climate planning work is distinct and separate from the ongoing periodic update of the Comprehensive Plan, due by December 2024.  Under GMA, Lake Forest Park is required to complete the climate planning work by 2029.   However, due to grant funding award and opportunity, Lake Forest Park can move forward its obligation and begin the climate planning work at this time, through June 2025.

The Climate Element will provide the City another tool to address climate impacts by providing guidance on the City’s long-range vision, goals and policies that impact decision making regarding ordinances, regulations, and public facility investments relevant to climate action. The Climate Element will consolidate existing climate policies, such as those in the Climate Action Plan, with other City and regional plans that include climate, environmental and sustainability related policy.

As part of this proposal, the consultant will assist City staff with several required deliverables identified that fit within the timeline of the grant, including:

· Form a Climate Policy Advisory Team and engagement strategy that supports environmental justice.

· Explore climate impacts, identify community assets (including environmental assets and environmental system benefits for climate impacts and resiliency), and consider environmental justice.

· Audit existing plans and policies for climate gaps and opportunities.

· Assess vulnerability and risk.

· Pursue pathways to adapt/expand existing goals and identify policy co-benefits.

· Gather local greenhouse gas (GHG) emission and planning data.

• Inventory and estimate GHG emissions.
• Perform a vehicle mile travel (VMT) study.
• Establish emission reduction targets.
• Produce a final review draft of a climate element with resilience and greenhouse gas emissions goals and policies.

• Prepare informational materials for the public, Planning Commission and City Council meetings.

The SOQ shall be limited to no more than 10 pages (not including cover pages). The electronic copy shall be in PDF format. Supplemental information, such as brochures, photos, or videos, may be submitted if desired. The following format and content shall be adhered to by each firm:
A. Executive Summary: An executive summary letter should include the key elements of the respondent’s SOQ and an overview of the consultant team (provide an organization chart showing all proposed team members). Indicate the contact address, E-mail address, and telephone number of the respondent and the location of the office from which the project will be managed.
B. Project Approach: Describe the approach and methods proposed for implementing this project. Explain your quality assurance/control process.
C. Firm/Key Staff Experience: The consultant is required to provide evidence of experience with environmental/climate/sustainability planning documents. The experience provided must have been performed by the consultant and team members and must be similar in nature to the work listed above. If a team member’s experience is not with your company, provide additional examples of that team member’s experience. Describe the responsibilities of each person on the project team.
D. Additional Information: Any additional information you wish to share about your company or why the City should consider your qualifications may be presented here.
The City’s Evaluation Panel will use the above criteria to evaluate each SOQ.
Following the City staff evaluation of the qualifications received, selected firms may be invited to make oral presentations before the City’s Evaluation Panel. The Qualifications will be the basis from which interested firms will be selected for interviews. The City’s Project Manager will provide additional details outlining the preferred content of the presentation to each firm or team of firms that are invited to participate. Upon completion of the evaluations, the City’s Evaluation Panel will determine the most qualified firm based on all materials and information presented. The City will then begin the negotiations for an agreement with the selected firm. The City reserves the right to interview in person or not. The City reserves the right to interview as many firms as it wishes. Interview criteria for the evaluation will be:
• Team’s experience working together
• Team’s project approach
• Team’s communication skills
Compliance with Laws and Policies: In responding to this RFQ, all Consultants shall comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations, and by submitting agree to hold the City harmless against any and all claims arising from the consultant’s violation thereof. The successful party must comply with the City’s equal opportunity requirements. The City is committed to a program of equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, creed, sex, age, sexual orientation, nationality or disability. It is the City’s policy to assure that no person shall, on the grounds of race, color, national origin or sex, as provided by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise discriminated against under any of its federally funded programs and activities. The City encourages disadvantaged, minority, and women-owned consultant firms to respond.
RFQ Addendums: The City reserves the right to change the RFQ schedule or issue addendums to the RFQ at any time. The City also reserves the right to cancel or reissue the RFQ. All such addenda will become part of the RFQ. If it becomes necessary to revise any part of this RFQ, the City will issue the addenda on the City’s website: http://www.cityoflfp.gov
It is the Consultant’s responsibility to confirm whether any addenda have been issued.
Contract: The City’s Standard contract (available upon request) will be used for this work.
RFQ Responses May Be Public Record : Persons responding to this RFQ should be aware that their response will be considered a public record and may be subject to public disclosure under the Public Records Act, Chapter 42.56 RCW. If you believe that any part of your response to this RFQ should be exempt from public disclosure under Chapter 42.56 RCW as a trade secret or otherwise, please segregate the information that you maintain should you not be disclosed in a separate file or folder and include with your RFQ response an explanation of why you believe such information is exempt from disclosure. The City will make an independent determination as to whether information received as a part of RFQ responses is required to be disclosed but will consider requests for exemption submitted as a part of an RFQ response prior to releasing requested records.