The Susquehanna Greenway is a 500-mile corridor of of paddling, walking, and biking trails, boat launches, conserved lands, and communities that runs along the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania. With such a far-reach geography and vision, the Susquehanna Greenway Partnership (SGP) often works with external consultants to bring in additional skill sets, capacity, and technical support to help advance projects and keep our vision progressing. Open RFPs will be listed on this page.

Open Requests for Proposals (RFP):

The Susquehanna River Water Trail Wayfinding Program – Phase II Pilot

  • Proposal Deadline: May 16, 2024 at 5:00 PM
  • Project Timeline: 12 months
  • Project Type: Wayfinding & Signage
  • Key Skillset: Google Maps, GIS, or a similar program
  • Budget: Not to exceed $60,000
  • Contact: [email protected]

Overview:

The goal of the Susquehanna River Water Trail Wayfinding Program (Wayfinding Program) is to unify the four sections of the Susquehanna River Water Trail in Pennsylvania under one cohesive wayfinding system, communicate the assets and hazards of the water trail consistently across sections, and create an appealing and intuitive paddling experience.

The Wayfinding Program has been split into three phases for ease of implementation and replication by the water trail managers of the Susquehanna River Water Trail. Phase I was completed in 2023 with the production of the “Susquehanna River Water Trail Branding and Wayfinding Guide” (Wayfinding Guide). The Wayfinding Guide details the logos, brand, and identity of the trail, as well as includes a signage suite, preliminary construction and engineering drawings, and sample location plans for wayfinding along the water trail.

Phase II will:

  1. Transition the Wayfinding Guide (produced in Phase I) into implementable wayfinding location plans for all public access sites (boat launches) based on site conditions and signage needs along the West and North Branches.
  2. Transition the Wayfinding Guide into implementable wayfinding location plans for known hazards (low-head dams) along the West and North Branches to improve user knowledge and safety.
  3. Identify signage opportunities between access sites at landmarks, points of interest, and/or vehicular routes to provide information between access sites and ensure continuity of experience.
  4. Utilize the wayfinding guide to design and finalize all signage content based on the individual location plans. The goal is to prepare a design file for fabrication.
  5. Determine final engineering specs and material costs for each signage type detailed in the Wayfinding Guide. Preliminary engineering plans and associated costs are detailed within the Wayfinding Guide.
  6. Create a comprehensive wayfinding map to encapsulate Wayfinding along the West and North Branches.

Phase II – Pilot will be completed within a 12-month time period during 2024-2025. The procedures and findings of Phase II will be shared with the remaining two Pennsylvania sections of the Susquehanna River Water Trail to aid in their future facilitation of Phase II. The products of Phase II will produce ‘shovel-ready’ plans to arm the water trail managers and site owners with the needed information and designs to move to fabrication and installation within Phase III. Phase III will follow the completion of Phase II; therefore, it is not included in this request for proposals.

Virtual Pre-Bid Conference: Friday, May 10, 2024 at 10 am

download the full RFP   pre-bid conference recording

Questions Addendum

Can I review a copy of Phase I of the Wayfinding Program?

Yes, a copy of Phase I is available here.

How should I submit my proposal?

Proposals shall be submitted electronically to the [email protected] email address no later than Thursday, May 16, 2024, 5:00 P.M. EST. Please name your documents with your firm’s name and “Wayfinding Phase II Proposal (example: Good Firm; Wayfinding Phase II Proposal)  The Bidder warrants the proposal price(s), terms and conditions stated in his/her proposal shall be firm for a period of 60 days from the date of the proposal submission.

Is attendance at the information session required to submit?

No. A recording of the conference is available here.

How will proposals be evaluated?

Proposals will be evaluated in accordance with the required scope of work as listed in this RFP. At the SGP’s discretion, a proposal may be eliminated from consideration for failure to comply with any required specification, depending on the nature and extent of noncompliance. In addition to meeting mandated specifications, proposals will be evaluated for the ability of the Bidder to provide, in the SGP’s opinion, the best overall solution to meet the SGP’s objectives.

Accepted proposals will be reviewed by an evaluation team and scored against the stated criteria. This scoring will determine the ranking of proposers based upon their written proposals.

What constitutes disqualification?

A proposal that is incomplete, obscure, conditioned, or contains additions not called for or irregularities of any kind, (including alterations or erasures), which are not initialed, may be rejected as non-conforming.

The SGP reserves the right to waive a proposal’s minor irregularities if rectified by the Bidder within three (3) business days of the SGP’s issuance of a written notice of such irregularities. The SGP reserves the right to disqualify proposals, before or after opening, upon evidence of collusion with intent to defraud or other illegal practices upon the part of the Bidder. Issuance of this RFP in no way constitutes a commitment by SGP to award a contract. SGP reserves the right to accept or reject, in whole or part, all proposals submitted and/or cancel this solicitation if it is determined to be in SGP’s best interest.

When will a proposal be awarded?

Award of any proposal is contingent upon available grant funds from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources & the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.

SGP will award the contract(s) to the best responsible, responsive Bidder who meets all terms, conditions, and specifications of the RFP, within 60 days of the proposal deadline.

Submitted proposals shall remain valid during this 60-day period. SGP reserves the right, in its sole and absolute discretion, to accept or reject any and all proposals or parts thereof, or to accept such proposal as they deem to be in the best interest of the SGP. An official letter of acceptance will be forwarded by the SGP to the successful Bidder after proposal selection and prior to contract award.

Do the location plans need to be drawn in Adobe Illustrator?
No, location plans need to be formatted in a graphic manner and compiled in a format that is easily understood. Alternate programs such as GIS maps can be used as long as the information is logically laid out and represents the location plan in its entirety. Please not in your proposal if you are utilizing an alternative program and what the end product will look like.
Can we sub-contract out aspects of the scope of work?
Yes, you may sub-contract out tasks within the Scope of Work. Please highlight the areas that are being completed by the partnering consulting firm in the proposal and budget. Please also provide information on their experience and project team.
Will any in-person meetings or travel be required?
No, the SGP and its partners will be completing all on-the-ground site visits and providing collected information and images to the consultant for the location plans. A meeting with the selected firm prior to the site visits will allow both parties to outline needed information prior to the team conducting the visits. All project meetings will be held virtually.
What level of engineering specs and material costs are expected in this project?

Ultimately, we are looking for specs & material costs, so that we have good ballpark estimates to help write up future grant requests associated with Phase III. We would like to have the package at a biddable stage upon completion of this phase, ready to hand off to a fabricator.

Who will provide the content for the interpretive panels?

The information kiosks and interpretive panels need to be designed to a stage that allows each location to customize that specific kiosk at a later stage. SGP and partners will provide input for those graphics and photos at that time. You will not be responsible for gathering photos and information.

Will the consultants be required to procure permits from the site owners of the locations where the signs are located?

No. Permits will be secured at the time of install as applicable.

Will the consultant have to propose a removal plan for the existing outdated signs?

Demo/removal plan will not be required for inconsistent and outdated signs. That will be addressed as signage is implemented.

Is the signage suite firm for Phase II?

Yes, the signage suite has been approved and adopted by all water trail section managers.

Can additional signage types be proposed if the site warrants the need for an adjusted or new sign?
Yes, additional new signage or adjusted signage can be proposed if a need arises. While all efforts were made to address water trail needs during Phase I, SGP and partners understand that additional needs may arise when developing the location plans. Any added signage should follow the frameworks established in the Phase I signage menu.
How many municipalities are involved?
Pennsylvania is a township, borough, and city framework. As such, there is a landscape of small municipalities within this system, as well as large governing agencies such as the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation & Natural Resources, and the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Access sites many be owned and managed by any one, or a combination, of these agencies. These entities will be engaged as needed within the public input process.
For the purposes of this RFP, it is best to focus on each individual access site instead of the owner when developing the location plans.
Is there a desire to have a more detailed/specific site maps for each area?
Yes, the goal of Phase II is to remove some of the guess work and unknowns for installation of the signage within Phase III. So, details of the site and specifics for sign locations are desired. The location plans outlined within the Phase I Wayfinding and Branding Plan are examples to help show water trail managers next steps; they are not comprehensive, nor to the level needed for Phase II. SGP and its partners will work with the selected vendor to establish a template for the location plans. Site visits will be completed along with photo inventories to illuminate site conditions and restrictions.
While every possibility does not need to be included, a level of detail that enables SGP and water trail managers to pass off the location plans to partners in Phase III for installation should be integrated.
Are you requiring engineered stamped drawings or designs with specifications?
Stamped engineering drawings are not required as part of Phase II. However, SGP and partners request specs & material costs for all sign types. The goal is to be able to take location plans and cost estimates to a municipality or funding partner to help facilitate signage fabrication and installation in Phase III. The engineering package should be ready to hand off to a fabricator at the end of Phase II.

Additional Questions? Please fill out the form below. Questions must be received no later than Friday, May 10, 2024, 5:00 P.M. EST. Answers will be emailed to the submitter and made available via the Questions Addendum above.