Home Business Bid Opportunities Request for Proposals No. SP1-15 Strategic Planning Consultant services

Bid/RFP Due Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2015 - 2:00pm

Bid/RFP Status: Closed - no longer accepting bids and proposals

To request a copy of the proposal documents, please contact:

Bryce Ward

Mayor City of North Pole

Telephone: (907) 488-7314

Email: Bryce.ward@NorthPoleAlaska.org

When requesting a proposal package, the City will need contact information in order to provide all any addenda should they be issued.

The City of North Pole is seeking proposals for a qualified consultant to develop a comprehensive strategic plan. The consultant will be responsible to the mayor. Further, the City expects the consultant to gather input from stakeholders that include, but are not limited to, the city council, city staff, local organizations, businesses and the public. Beyond development of the strategic plan, the City expects the consultant to provide the City with limited on-going support for a minimum of one year after the City’s acceptance of the plan to assist the City to begin implementation of the strategic plan. The successful candidate must have extensive strategic planning experience, including the ability to conduct all required research and coordination and facilitation of strategic plan development.

The City’s objective is in a strategic plan that produces a long term vision for the community with a series of measurable short, medium and long-term goals that will put the City on the path to achieving the vision generated by the strategic planning process.

The City is located in the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the heart of interior Alaska. The City has an estimated population of just over 2,100 within a footprint of approximately four square miles. The larger North Pole area within a 10 mile radius has a population of over 25,000. The North Pole area includes two military bases—Fort Wainwright and Eielson Air Force Base. Also located within the Borough is the City of Fairbanks. Due to its location, the City is a bedroom community. Housing is relatively affordable in North Pole including single-family homes and rental housing. The high cost of energy in the interior and severe winter with temperatures that can drop to -500 F or colder, that add to a high cost of living.

 

North Pole is a convenient takeoff point for many outdoor activities any time of the year including visiting a local hot springs, skiing, dog mushing, hiking, fishing, hunting and exploring. The Chena Lakes Recreational Area is located just east of the City; the Tanana River borders the City to the south and the White Mountains where there are numerous recreational resources are to the north of the City.

 

The main economic activities in North Pole include oil field support, oil refining, tourism, construction, retail, and food services. North Pole is considered a bedroom community to the City of Fairbanks 12 miles to the north and Eielson Air Force Base to the south where a majority of residents work.

 

The City has 40 full-time employees in five departments—Fire & Ambulance; Police; Public Works; Water and Sewer Utility; and Administration. The Utility is an enterprise fund while the general fund supports the remaining four departments. The workforce is not unionized.

 

The City does not currently have a comprehensive strategic plan. The most recent planning effort involving the community was when the City engaged in a thematic visioning effort in 2005-2007. This effort spanned two administrations, involved a vista volunteer and community meetings; however, no action was taken by the council in relation to thematic visioning.

 

The city council is responsible for approving the consultant that will conduct the strategic planning project. The major will be the city’s project director with support from senior staff. Applicants’ proposal should provide a detailed plan of how they propose to satisfy the requirements of the RFP. The project plan in the proposal shall explain the proposed strategic planning process, timeline, consultant staff assigned to the project and any required contributions by the city.

 

Developing a strategic plan is a priority for the City. The selected consultant will be required to begin the project within 60 days from receipt of the Notice to Proceed. The proposal shall include a “kick-off” session with the city council to detail the strategic planning project. In addition, the project plan shall include a schedule of periodic sessions with the city council to provide the council with project updates. The proposal should include a cost estimate for the city to determine the reasonableness of the proposal.

 

The selected consultant will work with the mayor, city council and senior staff to finalize the strategic planning process that should include long-range components (e.g. vision, mission, values), medium term aspects (e.g. objectives and priorities) and short term components (e.g. action plans and measureable goals). The City understands that there are a variety of strategic planning models and approaches that can be used to develop a comprehensive strategic plan. The selected consultant will need to be able to adapt or customize an approach that will best meet the City’s needs.

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