1. Background

The Township of Greater Madawaska is situated within the scenic Ottawa Valley in the southern part of the County of Renfrew. The Village of Calabogie, situated on the north side of Calabogie Lake, is the Township’s largest settlement area and contains the majority of the Township’s commercial, institutional and service businesses as well as residential dwellings on private services. The Village features frontage on Calabogie Lake, as well as recreational trails and facilities, and is located in close proximity to lakes and rivers which draw numerous seasonal residents to the area.  In addition, there are several large tourist commercial operations within a short drive of the Village which bring residents and visitors and help to support local businesses. 

In recent years the Township has experienced population growth that is greater than the Provincial average and has highly competitive housing prices and tax rates in Eastern Ontario. The Growth Readiness Action Plan prepared by the Township in 2022 highlighted three key focus areas to support growth: planning and development, infrastructure and economic development.  A Secondary Plan for the Village of Calabogie is one tool the Township can use to support and encourage growth, combining planning and infrastructure analyses with an economic focus on the Township’s primary settlement area. 

Through an evaluation of the existing conditions and constraints and a robust public engagement strategy, the Township intends to develop a Secondary Plan for the Village of Calabogie, under the Official Plan of the County of Renfrew.  The Plan is intended to provide a road map to guide future growth and development within the Village and abutting lands, while respecting the existing character of the Village, and will be implemented in conjunction with a waterfront master plan and a recreation master plan which are part of the Township’s Strategic Initiatives within this term of Council.    

2. Purpose & Objectives

The purpose of this RFP is to solicit proposals from qualified consultants to undertake a Secondary Plan for the Village of Calabogie, including the required background and supporting studies, public consultation at key intervals in the project, and presentations of the findings to Council and the public. The final Plan should include clear mapping and implementation policies. 

The study area for the project shall include all of the lands within the boundaries of the Village Community of Calabogie as shown on Schedule A to the Official Plan of the County of Renfrew. Notwithstanding this, consideration should also be given to lands immediately abutting the Village Community in order to address land use compatibility and evaluate the potential for an expansion of the settlement area.  

The study should build on the existing studies and reports that have been completed for the Township, including the Development Charges Background Study, the Asset Management Plan, the Growth Readiness Action Plan, the Housing Needs Assessment and the Township’s Strategic Plan.  All existing reports are available on the Township’s website at www.greatermadawaska.com. The background analysis should evaluate the existing conditions and potential constraints within the Village, and identify key opportunities for improvement, and at a minimum should include the following:

• Stage 1 Archaeological Assessment / Archaeological Management Plan

• Cultural Heritage Resource Assessment

• Natural Heritage Features Assessment

• Master Drainage Assessment

• Transportation Assessment including active transportation 

The study should include a robust public engagement strategy to obtain input from seasonal and year round residents regarding the future of the Village, as well as consultation with Council, staff and other stakeholder groups, including local First Nations groups.  The proponent should provide a general approach to the public consultation strategy in their RFP submission, with the detailed strategy and associated timelines to be finalized with the successful proponent in the early stages of the project. 

In addition, the Township will be retaining a creative facilitator to lead an illustrative design exercise concurrent with the Secondary Plan project.  It is anticipated that the creative facilitator will generate an existing conditions drawing of the Village, and will then utilize information and findings from the first round of open houses and survey results, led by the successful proponent, to develop targeted questions that the creative facilitator will then use to guide the illustrative design exercise.  The successful proponent will be expected to work collaboratively with the creative facilitator, whose goal will be to prepare a illustrative design of the Calabogie area using guided input from the public at a series of design meetings with stakeholder groups.   The successful proponent will be required to participate in the design exercise to gather information to inform the Secondary Plan, and the illustration is anticipated to provide an important visual representation of residents’ vision for the future of the Village. 

The final Secondary Plan should include, at a minimum:

• Vision and guiding principles for the Village and appropriate land use policies 

• GIS mapping depicting constraints and land uses which can be incorporated into existing Township/County mapping

• Recommendations on potential adjustments to the settlement area boundary 

• Climate change and sustainability policies

• Cultural heritage, natural heritage and archaeology policies and recommendations to guide development 

• Strategies for encouraging affordable / attainable housing in the Village

• Design guidelines for future development including public space improvements 

• Design and accessibility standards for the transportation system including active transportation 

• A Master Drainage Plan which can form the basis of a CLI-ECA application 

• Incentives and implementation plan 

• Draft wording and figures for Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendments

The project should include a minimum of two drafts of the Plan and policies for public and Council review. 

3. Scope of Work

The project is proposed to progress in five general phases as outlined below.  Proponents are requested to comment on the feasibility and appropriateness of the proposed tasks, phases and timelines in their submission.   

3.1 Project Start Up (Phase 1)

• Establish project readiness and confirm the project timelines
  • Establish any working groups or leadership groups 
  • Review existing background reports and plans to confirm additional requirements and studies and their associated scope
  • Begin background research on existing conditions and constraints in the Village   
  • Finalize a detailed public consultation strategy for the project 
  • Provide an update to Council

3.2 Public Consultation and Background Work (Phase 2)

• Engage the community through surveys, open houses, etc. based on the public consultation strategy 
  • Participate in the illustrative design exercise to be facilitated by others
  • Continue background research in transportation, servicing / stormwater management, natural heritage, cultural heritage and archaeology, and other disciplines as identified by the proponent 
  • Provide an update to Council

3.3 Background Report (Phase 3)

• Summarize the findings of the public consultation and background research into a summary report and plans 
• Present the findings to the public

• Provide an update to Council

   

3.4 Secondary Plan Preparation (Phase 4)

• Develop first draft of Secondary Plan for the Village
• Develop first draft of Secondary Plan policies for the Village
• Present the findings to the public based on the public consultation strategy 
• Revise the Plan and policies as required 
• Present the final Plan and policies to Council 

3.5 Approvals Process (Phase 5)

• Draft the Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendments
• Participate in the statutory public meeting for final approval 

4. Project Timeline

The project is intended to be completed within the following timelines: 

5. Eligibility

The proponent should be a single legal entity that, if selected, intends to negotiate and enter into the contract with the Township. The proposal may include work to be completed by sub-consultants; however, they will be required to work under the proponent and the proponent will be solely responsible for the performance of the Deliverables.  To be eligible to respond to the RFP, the proponent should demonstrate that it has experience in developing secondary plans, particularly in rural areas.

6. Budget Details

The Townships has a budget not to exceed $125,000 plus HST for this project.   Any additional items or tasks that the proponent feels should be included in the project should be described along with associated costs as extras, for consideration by the Township. 

7. Proposal Details

The Township will consider proposals based on the proponent’s overall approach to the creation of the Secondary Plan, as well as the experience of the team, references, creativity, and other criteria as detailed in Section 9 below.  The proposal must be guaranteed for a minimum of 90 days from the closing date of the RFP.

7.1 Cost of Proposal

This RFP does not commit the Township of Greater Madawaska to pay any costs incurred by any respondents in the submission of a proposal or in making studies or designs for the preparation, or for procuring or contracting for the services to be furnished under the RFP.

7.2 Rejection of Proposals

The Township does not guarantee that any proposal will be accepted and reserves the right to reject any or all responses to the RFP without incurring any liability. Submissions received after the due date will be automatically rejected. Incomplete proposals will not be considered.

7.3 Proposal Format

Proposals should include all information outlined below in the following order:

• A cover letter containing the company name, contact information and signature of a duly authorized officer of the company submitting the proposal.
  • Identification of the Project Manager and team member names and resumes and in what capacity they will be involved with the project.
  • Company profile(s) for the proponent team and team experience providing similar services to municipalities. 
  • Description of the project process, methodology, and anticipated timelines including important milestones during the project.
  • Proposed public consultation strategy. 
  • References from three past projects of a similar size / scope.
  • Estimated cost for each phase of the project. 
  • Identification of and cost for any additional items or tasks the proponent feels are important for the project success. 
  • Identification of any potential conflicts of interest. 

8. Proposal Evaluation

The Township is seeking a comprehensive and creative proposal from qualified companies/teams to fulfill these objectives to complete a Secondary Plan. Applicants are expected to show a demonstrated capacity to complete this type of work within the desired timeline. The Township will evaluate proposals as follows:

• Understanding of the purpose and objectives (10%)
  • Summary describing project overview and goals 
• Qualifications of project team (30%)
  • Demonstration of considerable direct expertise with similar projects and associated references 
  • Appropriate staffing resources 
• Overall Approach (35%)
  • Overall strategy and approach to the project and demonstrated capacity to complete the tasks at the highest level within the prescribed time frame 
• Public Consultation Strategy (15%)
  • Proposed methods of public consultation (with a detailed strategy to be finalized later)
  • Experience with successful and creative engagement strategies 
• Project Cost and Timeline (10%)
  • Cost of services with details as to the method, basis and schedule of compensation
  • Identification of any a la carte services or extra tasks not included in the identified project scope 
  • Demonstration of effective and efficient delivery of the service in relation to the budget for the project.

9. Additional Information

Additional information about this RFP, such as updates or amendments to it, and answers to questions submitted by proponents, will be added to the RFP page on the Township’s website.