| What is the Valley Partnership? The Valley Partnership is a multi-governmental entity created by local governments. Through the partnership and assistance by private economic development initiatives, the member of the Valley Partnership pulls together resources and benefits from special incentives. |
| What makes up the Valley Partnership? 6 Counties and 3 Municipalities to include: the cities of West Point and Manchester, Georgia and Phenix City, Alabama and the Georgia counties of Chattahoochee, Harris, Marion, Muscogee, Talbot and Taylor. |
| Does the Fort Benning, Regional Growth Management Plan (RGMP) effort end on September 30, 2008? The RGMP effort is supported through September 30, 2008. The Valley Partnership Joint Development Authority (VPJDA) intends to apply for continued federal funding, on a year by year basis, for five (5) additional years. However, it must be stressed there is NO, repeat NO commitment for continued federal funding beyond September 30, 2008. |
| The RFP does not specifically ask for a detailed scope of work. Does the client want us to provide them with a cost estimate to deliver the work tasks they’ve identified or do they want our approach to how we would deliver the work products included in the RFP? Methodology demonstrating how tasks are to be accomplished is the responder’s decision. RFP, page 20, Form IV Project Budget has been provided to allow a methodology to present total budget cost. |
| The project schedule calls for the delivery of the first 5 county plans by January 2008. Given the fact that the consultant is not likely to be under contract until late September or October, and the local data needs for the project are significant, this does not seem to be an achievable deadline. What flexibility is there in the project schedule – either internal milestones or project completion date? The schedule is a guideline but should be adhered to as closely as possible. The end date of September 30, 2008 is firm. |
| Task 1 – Should we assume that the consultants are responsible for identifying and mapping the region’s sensitive environmental features and development constraints (i.e., wetland, wildlife habitats, etc.), or are we simply relying on available mapped information from the feds, state, regional planning, and local governments? Creating these mapping layers from scratch would be extremely labor intensive. Providing current information is important. One cannot develop a county level and regional database of value, if the information base is not current. |
| Task 2 - The RFP calls for land use based modeling of future growth scenarios. Developing individualized growth scenarios for each county will require considerable GIS mapping, localized data, and community input. In the interest of meeting the Sept. 2008 deadline, is there flexibility on when the local modeling can be completed. The schedule is a guideline but should be adhered to as closely as possible. The end date of September 30, 2008 is firm. |
| Task 3 – Given that growth will impact local and county governments differently, at what level would you want the fiscal impact analysis and for how many jurisdictions? In Task 3, the first bullet under Deliverables states by county and region. |
| Task 9 – Does the consultant have some discretion on how to map these features for the region? In some counties, it may not be necessary or the mapping features may not be available? The respondent is expected to produce the Deliverables noted in Task 9. Logic will apply and method of presentation must be acceptable to Client. |
| The Valley Partnership web-site depicts a total of eight-two schools (82). Is this an accurate picture of the ten (10) county area covered by this RFP? If not, how many school districts are located in the 10 county region? How many by type? Elementary? Middle? High School? Private/Independent? It is assumed the respondent has the capacity to determine the answer to this question. |
| What is the anticipated contract type: Firm Fixed Price (FFP), Time & Materials (T&M), or Cost Reimbursable with Fixed Fee (CRFF)? The contract type will be Firm Fixed Price (FFP). Also, in the body of the awardees' proposed Regional Growth Management Plan (RGMP) Contract, awardees will provide for The Valley Partnership Joint Development Authority to consider, an established specified rate and/or cost prior to formal contractual signing for any possible additional work to be accomplished at a later point in time. |
| In the Fort Benning Regional Growth Management Plan, Request For Proposals, in SECTION II Project Overview, Paragraph D: Approach, On-Site Project Staffing, page 7 states in part ''The VPJDA will provide the Consultant Staff with office space...'' The question is how much office space, for the Consultant Staff, is the VPJDA prepared to provide? The VPJDA will provide office space at 1200 6th Avenue, Columbus, Georgia to accommodate up to five (5) Consultant Staff. If Consultant determines the work effort needs are more than five (5) Consultant Staff, Consultant would, for that number of Consultant Staff in excess of five (5), provide for a separate Consultant worksite, at Consultant expense. |
| If I have questions about the web site, need technical assistance or am having trouble downloading the document, who should I contact? Tiffani Cunningham at tcunningham@thevalleypartnership.com |
