Lanie Hurdle, Commissioner, Community Services. Sheldon Laidman, Director, Housing Department

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1 CITY OF KINGSTON REPORT TO COUNCIL Report No.: TO: FROM: RESOURCE STAFF: Mayor and Members of Council Lanie Hurdle, Commissioner, Community Services Sheldon Laidman, Director, Housing Department DATE OF MEETING: SUBJECT: Award of RFP No. F31-CS-HD Consulting Services Rideau Heights Regeneration Strategy EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The purpose of this report is to seek Council approval to award Request for Proposal No. F31- CS-HD Consulting Services - Rideau Heights Regeneration Strategy. The Regeneration Strategy results from the recommendations of the Municipal Housing Strategy which provides direction for the Housing Department to lead an exercise in social housing asset renewal by using Rideau Heights as a pilot project. The Regeneration Strategy will seek to overcome the existing challenges present within the neighbourhood which relate to the complexities that arise from a concentration of social housing units in addition to poor neighbourhood and building design practices. In order to commence the Regeneration Strategy, a Request for Proposals was issued asking for proposal submissions from organizations with expertise in: urban planning and design; civil, transportation and building engineering; public consultation; sustainable neighbourhood design; land economics and land development financial analysis; and social/affordable housing development. In order for the implementation of the strategy to be feasible, it will require a financial plan which will incorporate contribution and financing sources from various sectors and partners as it is not realistic to expect that the City and Kingston Frontenac Housing Corporation will have sufficient financial resources to implement the final regeneration strategy. Five (5) bids were received; however, the Purchasing By-Law requires Council approval when the lowest priced proposal is not recommended. RECOMMENDATION: THAT Council approve the awarding of RFP No. F31-CS-HD to the consulting team led by Urban Strategies Inc. for consulting services to undertake the preparation of the Rideau Heights Regeneration Strategy for a total price of $442,444, excluding HST; and Council Meeting 15 31

2 - Page 2 - THAT the Mayor and Clerk be authorized to enter into an agreement with Urban Strategies Inc. in a form satisfactory to the Director of Legal Services. AUTHORIZING SIGNATURES: Lanie Hurdle, Commissioner, Community Services Gerard Hunt, Chief Administrative Officer CONSULTATION WITH THE FOLLOWING COMMISSIONERS: Cynthia Beach, Sustainability & Growth Denis Leger, Transportation, Properties & Emergency Services Jim Keech, President and CEO, Utilities Kingston N/R N/R Council Meeting 15 32

3 - Page 3 - OPTIONS/DISCUSSION: Background The Rideau Heights Regeneration Strategy consists of a neighbourhood renewal exercise that will involve a comprehensive analysis resulting in a land development plan and a financially sound business plan to achieve the objectives of renewal. The motivation for the Regeneration Strategy comes from the recommendations of the Municipal Housing Strategy that directs the City to use the Rideau Heights community as a pilot project for social housing asset renewal. Given the large number of social housing units in the neighbourhood, the large area of land involved and the contiguity of public ownership of the lands, an appropriately scaled renewal planning process was previously outlined within Council Report No.: To this end, staff issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for consulting services to undertake the preparation of the Rideau Heights Regeneration Strategy. In accordance with the City s Purchasing By-Law, RFP No. F31-CS-HD was advertised on Biddingo and closed on March, Five (5) submissions were received. Evaluation of Submissions The Request for Proposals established an evaluation framework that assigned a weighted value to each of the following elements of the proposal submissions: Project Approach/Methodology/Final Products Consultant Team Experience and Capability Project Cost Quality of Proposal Submission Ontarians with Disabilities Act 30 points 25 points 25 points 17 points 3 points The submissions were evaluated by a panel comprised of the Director and the Housing Programs Administrator from the Housing Department; Manager Policy Planning, Planning and Development Department; and General Manager, Kingston and Frontenac Housing Corporation. Individual reviews were conducted by the panel members in addition to an evaluation deliberation meeting with oversight provided by the Legal Services Department. The following table summarizes the rankings of the five proposals received: Proponent Total Score Ranked Order Urban Strategies Inc Brook McIlroy 75 2 MHBC Planning 72 3 Gladki Planning Associates 64 4 The Planning Partnership 61 5 Council Meeting 15 33

4 REPORT TO COUNCIL. Report No.: Page 4 - The proposal review process revealed the proposals demonstrated a wide range of experience (from limited direct experience to substantial related experience), proposed cost, level of understanding of the project requirements and level of detail provided within the proposed work plan. Based on the review of the proposals, the review team determined it was appropriate to interview the two highest ranking consultant teams. The consultant teams were asked to present on the following key topic areas: experience delivering a similar work plan and the long term success of the project; an outline of the key deliverables for the project describing the general content and purpose of each component; anticipated challenges and how they will be addressed; how the consultation program will meet the unique socio economic characteristics of the subject community; and past partnerships between the proposed consultant team and successes of those projects. Considering the proposal submission and subsequent interview process, the team led by Urban Strategies Inc. was determined to demonstrate the greatest level of direct experience and presented a work plan that included a concise and logical approach that builds successively to meet the final objectives of the project. Urban Strategies Inc. is an urban planning and design firm with public housing renewal experience in Ontario and other parts of Canada in addition to multiple past and ongoing international public housing renewal projects. Urban Strategies and their team members have worked on similar projects such as Toronto Community Housing Corp s (TCHC) Alexandra Park Redevelopment Strategy, TCHC Allenbury Gardens Redevelopment, TCHC Lawrence Heights Revitalization Program, TCHC Regent Park Redevelopment, and the Hulme Redevelopment Strategy in Manchester, England. Urban Strategies Inc. will be supported by the following consultant team members: Altus is a business planning, costing and real estate analysis firm that has experience analyzing social housing developments with respect to financial feasibility and legislative requirements; Public Interest is an organization specializing in community engagement, research and social policy development and has established experience working with the residents of the project area; and Stantec will provide engineering oversight for the technical building and infrastructure assessment and planning components of the project. The cost of this work will be $499,961 including all consulting fees, disbursements and HST. This cost was not the lowest fee proposal; however, it represents the best value when comparing submissions against the evaluation criteria set out in the RFP. The Council Meeting 15 34

5 - Page 5 - proposal evaluation process determined that the lowest bidder did not have direct experience with the type of project being undertaken and allocated less than half the staff time of the Urban Strategies proposal. Since Urban Strategies is one of only a few firms who have ever carried out such a regeneration strategy in Ontario, it was a concern that the lowest bidders had proposed work plans that did not appropriately grasp the level of effort and deliverables required to successfully complete the project. Furthermore, on an hourly fee basis, the lowest bid proposal was actually the highest cost when considering the average hourly rate. In compliance with the Purchasing By-Law No , Section 3.4, staff is required to present a recommendation to City Council for their approval to award this contract as this proposal was not the lowest cost proposal received. This contract will cover the consulting cost requirements to undertake the Rideau Heights Regeneration Strategy as directed to be completed within the City of Kingston Strategic Plan EXISTING POLICY/BY LAW: By-Law A By-Law to Establish Purchasing Policies and Procedures Kingston s Strategic Plan Developing Proactive Community Plans 6.2 Consider cultural, social, and neighbourhood demographics to inform future community planning, initiatives and services. o Develop a community renewal plan for Rideau Heights City of Kingston and County of Frontenac Municipal Housing Strategy Phase 3: Housing Strategy Implementation Plan Recommendation 29 o That the City use Rideau Heights as an initial pilot community for testing asset renewal strategies that can be applied elsewhere. Kingston & Frontenac Housing Corporation Strategic Plan Provide and Maintain Affordable, Quality Homes for the Future III. Partner with the City in Community Pilot for Asset Renewal Strategies and Community Development Innovations o Actions Work closely with the City to establish a building development, community rejuvenation and community engagement strategy. Provide leadership to a feasibility and planning phase in conjunction with City s Municipal Housing Strategy. Partner with City to develop a strategic and generative funding strategy to enable Rideau Heights development. o Timing Council Meeting 15 35

6 - Page KFHC to work in partnership with City to undertake feasibility study detailed development plan ready to roll. CEO and senior management to take lead in this process. o Outcomes/Deliverables KFHC provides leadership role in developing plans to rejuvenate the Rideau Heights Community. Within 3 years a plan will be ready for implementation to provide additional housing and support to residents of Kingston in a rejuvenated community that is currently depressed. This will provide a framework for the development of a 10 year housing and community engagement strategy for Rideau Heights to be undertaken in partnership with the City in next strategic planning session. NOTICE PROVISIONS: N/A ACCESSIBILITY CONSIDERATIONS: This report is available in alternate formats upon request. FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS: The Housing Department Capital Budget for 2013 includes $550,000 for this project. KFHC has committed to provide $100,000 to offset the total cost. The recommended bid is within this budgeted amount. CONTACTS: Lanie Hurdle, Commissioner, Community Services 1231 Sheldon Laidman, Director, Housing Department ext ext. OTHER CITY OF KINGSTON STAFF CONSULTED: John Henderson, Housing Programs Administrator, Housing Department Alan McLeod, Senior Legal Counsel, Legal Services Department Cherie Mills, Manager Policy Planning, Planning & Development Department Janis Morrison, Purchasing Coordinator, Financial Services Department EXHIBITS ATTACHED: N/A Council Meeting 15 36