Middletown Township Seeking Proposals for Public Works Operational Assessment

1. Introduction
Middletown Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, is requesting proposals from qualified firms to conduct a
streamlined organizational and operational assessment of the Township Public Works Department.
The Township wants a practical review that identifies the most important opportunities to improve service delivery,
staffing alignment, workflow, supervision, use of technology, fleet and equipment planning, and budget/capital
planning. The final product should be concise, action-oriented, and usable by Township management and the
Board of Supervisors.
The selected consultant should focus on clear findings, achievable recommendations, and a realistic
implementation plan.
2. Project Intent
The purpose of this assessment is to answer several direct questions:
* Are Public Works responsibilities, staffing, and supervision aligned with current service needs?
* Are daily work intake, scheduling, crew assignments, and follow-up handled in a consistent way?
* Is there the ability for staff to be tasked with crew-assigned long-term tasks (i.e. sidewalk or concrete work)
* Are there near-term changes that would improve efficiency, accountability, communication, or service
response?
* Are fleet, equipment, and capital needs being planned in a practical way?
* What equipment and/or resources can be prioritized to increase efficiency and have the greatest return?
* What should the Township do first, what can wait, and what may require Board policy or budget direction?
The process should rely on existing information whenever possible. The Township is not seeking extensive new
data collection, a full time-and-motion study, or a broad public engagement process.
3. Background
Middletown Township Public Works supports core municipal services, including roadway maintenance, snow and
ice operations, stormwater system maintenance, street sweeping, public works programs, maintenance of
municipal infrastructure and equipment, and coordination with other departments, contractors, utilities, and outside
agencies.
The Township is seeking a focused review to help determine how the Department can continue to meet current and
future service demands in a cost-conscious and organized manner.
4. Scope of Services
The following scope is intended to be focused and manageable. Proposers may suggest refinements that reduce
cost, shorten the timeline, or improve usefulness, provided the core objectives are met.
A. Project Kickoff
* Conduct one kickoff meeting with the Township Manager and designated staff.
* Confirm project goals, timeline, interview list, data needs, and final report format.
* Provide work plan and document request list.
B. Limited Document and Data Review
Review available documents and data relevant to the assessment. The review should be limited to materials
already maintained by the Township, such as:

* Public Works organizational chart, job descriptions, and staffing information
* Operating and capital budget information
* Fleet and equipment inventory or replacement information
* Work order, service request, or complaint data, if available
* Snow operations, street sweeping, roadway, stormwater, or MS4-related records
* Relevant policies, procedures, contracts, and prior reports
C. Focused Interviews and Site Review
Conduct a limited number of interviews or small group discussions. The Township anticipates no more than 8 to
10 total interviews or meetings unless both parties agree that more are needed.
* Township Manager
* Public Works Director and/or senior Public Works leadership
* Selected Public Works supervisors and employees
* Finance, Human Resources, Township Engineer, or other staff as needed
* Board of Supervisors representative input, if directed by the Township
The consultant shall also conduct one site visit of Public Works facilities and selected operations. The site visit
should be used to understand operations, not to conduct a full facility condition assessment.
D. Targeted Operational Review
The consultant shall review the following areas at a practical level:
* Department organization, staffing, supervision, and role clarity
* Work intake, prioritization, scheduling, assignment, and follow-up
* Resident service requests and internal communication practices
* Road maintenance, snow and ice operations, stormwater maintenance, street sweeping, and other core
functions
* Use of work order systems, GIS, mobile tools, or other management technology
* Fleet and equipment planning, utilization, downtime concerns, and replacement practices
* Budget alignment, overtime drivers, contracted services, and capital planning needs
* Training, safety, cross-training, and succession concerns
E. Practical Benchmarking
Provide a limited comparison to similar municipalities only where the information is readily available and useful.
Similar municipalities would have similar miles of roadway, number of residents, and Township facilities (buildings
and parks). The Township is not seeking an extensive benchmarking study. Comparisons may include staffing
structure, service practices, technology use, fleet planning, or selected workload measures.
F. Recommendations and Implementation Plan
Prepare clear recommendations that distinguish between immediate operational adjustments, near-term
management improvements, and longer-term budget or policy decisions. Recommendations should identify
responsible parties, priority, timeframe, estimated cost level, and whether Board direction is needed.
5. Items Outside the Intended Scope
To keep the process simple, timely, and affordable, this RFP does not seek the following unless proposed as
optional add-on services:
* A full engineering condition assessment of roads, stormwater systems, buildings, or facilities
* A full asset inventory or GIS mapping project

* A comprehensive classification and compensation study
* A detailed labor relations or collective bargaining analysis
* A broad resident survey or public engagement process
6. Deliverables
The selected consultant shall provide the following deliverables:
* Brief project work plan and document request list
* Preliminary findings discussion with Township Manager and designated staff
* Concise draft report, targeted at approximately 15 to 25 pages excluding attachments
* Final report with prioritized recommendations
* One-page or short-table implementation matrix
* One presentation to the Board of Supervisors, if requested by the Township
The final report should be written in plain language and should avoid generic best-practice discussion unless
directly tied to a Middletown Township recommendation.
7. Project Schedule
The Township expects the assessment to be completed within approximately 8 to 10 weeks from notice to
proceed. Proposers should identify any schedule assumptions or ways to shorten the process.
Milestone Expected Timing
Kickoff meeting Week 1
Document review and interviews Weeks 1-4
Site visit Weeks 2-4
Preliminary findings discussion Weeks 5-6
Draft report Weeks 6-8
Final report Weeks 8-10
8. Proposal Submission Requirements
Proposals should be brief and practical. The Township prefers proposals of no more than 10 pages, excluding
resumes, project examples, and required forms.
A. Cover Letter
* Firm name and primary contact
* Statement of interest
* Confirmation of availability and proposed schedule
B. Relevant Experience
* Recent municipal public works or local government operational assessments
* Experience with Pennsylvania municipalities or similar communities
* Experience producing implementation-focused recommendations

C. Project Team
* Key personnel and roles
* Brief resumes or biographies
* Identification of subcontractors, if any
D. Proposed Approach
* How the firm will keep the process simple and direct
* Proposed interview and site visit approach
* Data needed from the Township
* Report format and implementation planning approach
E. Fee Proposal
* Lump-sum or not-to-exceed fee
* Hourly rates for any optional or additional work
* Identification of optional add-on services, if any
F. References
* Three relevant references from municipal clients
9. Fee Proposal
The Township prefers a fixed fee or not-to-exceed fee for the base scope. The fee should include all meetings, site
visits, travel, report preparation, and one Board presentation if included in the proposer scope.
Optional services should be priced separately and should not be included in the base fee unless clearly identified.
10. Evaluation Criteria
Criterion Suggested Weight
Understanding of the Township desire for a simple, direct process 25%
Relevant public works and municipal experience 25%
Practicality of proposed approach and deliverables 20%
Qualifications and availability of project team 15%
Fee and overall value 15%
The Township may interview one or more firms but reserves the right to select a consultant based on written
proposals alone.
11. Questions and Submission Instructions
All questions shall be submitted in writing to:
* Stephanie Teoli Kuhls, Interim Township Manager at steoli@middletownbucks.org
Proposals shall be submitted by Monday, August 3, 2026 via email. Late proposals may not be considered.

13. Township Rights and Conditions
Middletown Township reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, waive informalities, request clarification,
negotiate scope and fee, modify or cancel the RFP, and award a contract in the best interest of the Township.
The selected consultant shall enter into a professional services agreement acceptable to the Township and shall
maintain insurance coverage acceptable to the Township. Final contractual, insurance, public records, and
indemnification language shall be subject to Township solicitor review.