Request for Proposals

The King County Flood Control District (“District”) is accepting proposals for facilitator services to hold meetings with local jurisdictions to create land use policies and create a vision for the Lower Green River Corridor. The goal of this Lower Green River Corridor Visioning Committee (“Visioning Committee”) is to provide an integrated and reasonable long-term approach to reduce flood risks within the Lower Green River Corridor while balancing multiple objectives within the area. This integrated approach is also intended to reduce flood risks while supporting the economic prosperity of the region and improving fish habitats. The project will be approximately one year in duration and the budget is approximately $100,000. The specific services required of the Facilitator are listed in the Scope of Work. Upon review of the proposals, the District will select a Facilitator and make a final decision as to which specific services will be performed and the timeline of performance. Proposals are due to the District by October 10, 2023.

Background Information

The Lower Green River is home to approximately 22,000 people, and 100,000 jobs. It is the 2^nd largest industrial park on the West Coast and the 3^rd largest warehouse distribution center in the country. Over $37 million in annual income is generated from businesses of all sizes, including companies like Boeing, Starbucks, REI, IKEA, and Blue Origin. The Corridor includes major transportation routes and public facilities including hospitals and schools. The Corridor also includes farmland, parks, trails, and natural areas. Threatened salmon and other aquatic animals are dependent on the Lower Green River for survival.

The Corridor is at risk of flooding, which can be dangerous and cause damage. The District wants to ensure this area is a safe place to live, fish, work, farm, and play for generations to come and decided to study ways to protect people and property from flooding. The District prepared a Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (Draft PEIS) that studies three approaches (called alternatives) to reduce flooding and meet other important objectives including equity, environmental protection, community, agriculture, development, water quality and recreation. The District will select a preferred alternative in the next year following public comments and legislative action. The District placed an emphasis on considering multibenefits in formulating the alternatives for the Draft PEIS.

Since the Lower Green River flows through the cities of Auburn, Kent, Renton, SeaTac, and Tukwila as well as Unincorporated King County, it is essential that those local governments define a vision for the land uses along the river in order to create a wholistic and integrated environment that supports multibenefits.

The District will serve as the fiscal agent for this contract with a consultant facilitator. The District is an independent special purpose district of the State of Washington. The King County Council serves as the District’s governing body and is called the Board of Supervisors. They bring a comprehensive approach to flood management with an emphasis on multibenefits and provide funding to improve the County’s aging and inadequate flood protection facilities.

The District is requiring electronic submittals for this solicitation. Electronic submittals shall be delivered through email and addressed to Russell Pethel at russell.pethel@nullkingcounty.gov, and include “Lower Green River Corridor Facilitator Services – Proposal” in the subject line. Proposals must be in MS Word or PDF format and cannot exceed 20MB. Proposals received after 5:00 p.m. October 10, 2023 will not be considered. A copy of this Request for Proposals (RFP) may be obtained from the District’s web site at https://kingcountyfloodcontrol.org.

The District reserves the right to reject any and all submittals, and to waive irregularities and informalities in the submittal and evaluation process. This RFP does not obligate the District to pay any costs incurred by respondents in the preparation and submission of a proposal. Furthermore, the RFP does not obligate the District to accept or contract for any expressed or implied services.

The District assures that no person shall, on the grounds of race, color, national origin, or sex be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under any program or activity. The District further assures that every effort will be made to ensure non-discrimination in all of its programs and activities, whether those programs are federally funded or not. In addition to nondiscrimination compliance requirements, the Facilitator Service Provider awarded a contract shall comply with federal, state and local laws, statutes and ordinances relative to the execution of the work. This requirement includes, but is not limited to, protection of public and employee safety and health; environmental protection; waste reduction and recycling; the protection of natural resources; permits; fees; taxes; and similar subjects.

Tentative RFP Schedule:

About Our Organization

In April 2007, the Metropolitan King County Council created a new countywide special purpose district, the King County Flood Control District (“District”), to provide funding and policy oversight for flood risk reduction capital projects and programs in King County.

The District’s Board of Supervisors is its primary governing body and is composed of the members of the Metropolitan King County Council. The District is responsible for planning, funding, maintenance and repairs of the flood control system.

The District is aimed at protecting lives and property and ensuring that a significant portion of King County’s economic infrastructure is safe from the damage that can be caused by fall and winter storms.

Scope of Work

Below is a list of specific services that may be sought by the District.

1. Create a strategic work plan for the Lower Green River Visioning Committee (Visioning Committee) to achieve a consensus vision for the future of the Lower Green River Corridor.
   1. Facilitate development of a work plan built around advancing collective action toward the objective of developing a consensus vision for the future of the Lower Green River Corridor.
   1. Produce work plan as a deliverable.
2. Facilitate meetings with Visioning Committee in furtherance of the work plan.

2. Within the first month, or as soon as practical, conduct 1:1 meetings with each member of the Visioning Committee to build the work plan described above.
3. Facilitate a series of meetings consistent with the work plan to reach a consensus vision for the future of the Lower Green River Corridor.
4. Coordinate with the Flood District Executive Director.
5. Brief District Executive Director monthly on progress and key issues.
6. Help the Visioning Committee identify opportunities to engage stakeholders to advance multibenefit partnerships in furtherance of a consensus vision for the Lower Green River Corridor.
7.  Create a Report on Visioning Committee Consensus.

Assumptions:

Facilitator is responsible for:

1. Creating contact information for Visioning Committee.
2. Scheduling meetings.
3. Developing draft agendas in coordination with the District Executive Director and Visioning Committee Chair.
4. Distributing agendas to Visioning Committee members.
5. Facilitating meetings virtually and/or in-person, including running the remote meeting platform.
6. Taking minutes and submitting draft minutes for Visioning Committee approval.
7. Maintaining records.
8. Identifying subject matter experts and soliciting their participation as needed to support the work plan.
9. Creating, producing, and distributing materials for Visioning Committee meetings in coordination with the District Executive Director and Visioning Committee Chair.
10. Producing a written report summarizing the results of the Visioning Committee’s deliberations.

Proposal Submission and Evaluation

The proposals submitted shall include the following elements:

1. Executive Summary:

An executive summary letter should include an overview and the key elements of the facilitators proposal. Indicate the address, telephone number, and email of the respondent’s office located nearest to Seattle, Washington, and the office from which the project will be managed.

• Proposal to Meet Scope of Work:

This section should clearly describe the facilitators proposal to meet the scope of work, including but not limited to the methodology or methodologies planned to be used to carry out the specific tasks, short description of how the facilitator would seek a solution for the specific tasks, the staff from the facilitators firm or the facilitator who would be assigned to this project, and the estimate billing rate or fee that would be applicable to each service (or overall).

• Qualifications:

Include resumes of the facilitators firm and/or of the facilitator assigned to this project. Include three references, including two with directly related experience. For each reference indicate the reference’s name, organization, title, complete mailing address and telephone number. The District reserves the right to contact any organizations or individuals listed.

The District will evaluate proposals using the following criteria:

1. Resume of the proposed facilitator. If other staff are proposed, provide resume and proposed roles.
2. List of another current or similar projects on which the facilitator has worked which demonstrate the required expertise for this project including strong facilitation skills, working with action-oriented executive-level workgroups, project management, and communications skills. Include three references.
3. Any relevant experience directly related to the kind of effort this project requires including but not limited to:
4. facilitating executive-level leadership discussions
5. helping public and private leadership groups drive towards a common mission
6. applying an equity lens to public projects
7. conducting remote/virtual meetings
8. working with a multi-agency partnership in the Puget Sound or other urban settings.

The proposals will be the basis from which interested facilitators will be selected for interviews. Upon completion, the District will determine the most qualified facilitator based on all materials and information presented. The District will then begin negotiations for an agreement with the selected facilitator. The District reserves the right to reject any and all submittals at any time with no penalty, or to waive immaterial defects and minor irregularities in any submittal. The District reserves the right to refrain from contracting with any respondent. Facilitators eliminated from further consideration will be notified by the District as soon as practical.

A facilitators response that indicates that any of the requested information in this RFP will only be provided when the facilitator is selected as the apparently successful facilitator is not acceptable, and, at the District’s sole discretion, may disqualify the proposal from consideration.

Selection Process

A selection committee will review all qualifications, select finalists and may conduct interviews prior to making the final selection of the facilitator. If invited to an interview, the facilitator shall make those assigned to work on this project available during this phase of the selection process.

Prior to the commencement of work, the District and the selected facilitator will meet to settle contract details. A letter notifying the facilitator of the District’s award will constitute notice to proceed. The District is not responsible for any costs incurred by the facilitator in the preparation of the proposal. Once submitted to the District, all qualifications will become public information. The selected qualified facilitator will be required to use the District Professional Services Agreement (Attachment A) and accept all language contained within. Any qualified facilitator that has significant reservations concerning using this agreement should not respond to this request.

Submission Requirements

The District is requiring electronic submittals for this solicitation. Electronic submittals shall be delivered through email and addressed to Russell Pethel at russell.pethel@nullkingcounty.gov, and include “Lower Green River Corridor Facilitator Services – Proposal” in the subject line. Proposals must be in MS Word or PDF format and cannot exceed 20MB. Proposals received after 5:00 p.m. October 10, 2023 will not be considered. A copy of this Request for Proposals (RFP) may be obtained from the District’s web site at https://kingcountyfloodcontrol.org

Other Provisions

Pre-Submittal Questions:

The deadline for submitting pre-submittal questions is October 4, 2023. Questions received after this date may not receive a response. There will be no pre-bidders conference. Questions regarding the RFP may be submitted to the District via email as set forth below. The list of submitted questions with their respective answers will be posted to the District’s website as they are received but no later than October 6, 2023.

RFP Amendments:

The District reserves the right to request clarification on any proposal or to ask respondents to supply any additional material deemed necessary to assist in the evaluation of the proposal. The District reserves the right to change the RFP schedule or issue amendments to the RFP at any time. The District also reserves the right to cancel or reissue the RFP.

Rejection of Proposals:

The District reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, to waive any minor informalities or irregularities contained in any proposal, and to accept any proposal deemed to be in the best interest of the District.

Proposal Validity Period:

Submission of a proposal will signify the facilitators agreement that its proposal and the content thereof are valid for 90 days following the submission deadline and will become part of the contract that is negotiated between the District and the successful facilitator.

Disclaimer:

The District reserves the right to share, with any facilitator of its choosing, the RFP and any resultant proposals in order to secure expert opinion.

Non-Obligation:

Receipt of proposals in response to this RFP does not obligate the District in any way. The right to accept or reject any proposal shall be exercised solely by the District. The District shall retain the right to abandon the proposal process at any time prior to the actual execution of a contract with a facilitator, and the District shall bear no financial or other responsibility in the event of such abandonment.

Public Disclosure:

All materials provided to the District by facilitators are subject to State public disclosure laws.

Submittal Disposition:

All material submitted in response to this RFP shall become the property of the District upon delivery and will not be returned.

Questions

Please direct any questions concerning this Request for Proposals to:
Russell Pethel
Administrator / Clerk of the Board
King County Flood Control District
russell.pethel@nullkingcounty.gov