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 15, 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: Date TBD

download the full RFP register for the pre-bid conference

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 Wednesday, May 15, 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.

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.

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.

RFP Questions Portal

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