Municipal Planning Consulting Services (RFQ)

Agency:	Western Connecticut Council of Governments
State:	Connecticut
Type of Government:	State & Local
NAICS Category:	541330 - Engineering Services 541611 - Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services
Posted Date:	Dec 31, 2025
Due Date:	Jan 19, 2026
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Western Connecticut

COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS

WEST COG

Request for Qualifications (RFQ)

Municipal Planning Consulting Services

Announcement

The Western Connecticut Council of Governments (“WestCOG ”) has issued this Request for Qualifications

(RFQ) for potential selection to perform municipal planning services for municipalities under tasked - based

agreement(s) .

About WestCOG

Founded in 2014, the Western Connecticut Council of Governments is one of nine regional Councils of

Governments established pursuant to Connecticut General Statutes §4 - 124i et seq. WestCOG serves the

Western Connecticut Planning Region, the second most pop ulous and fastest growing region in Connecticut, with

an estimated population of 610,000. With a location connecting New England to New York, Western Connecticut

is an economically dynamic region, with strong cultural, educational, and natural amenities.

WestCOG is governed by a Board consisting of the Chief Elected Officials (Mayors and First Selectmen) of its

member communitie s, comprising three principal cities (Stamford, Norwalk, and Danbury) and fifteen

surrounding towns ( Bethel, Bridgewater, Brookfield, Darien, Greenwich, New Canaan, New Fairfield, New Milford,

Newtown, Redding, Ridgefield, Sherman, Weston, Westport, and Wilton).

Connecticut’s Councils of Governments (COGs), which are now recognized as county equivalents for

government purposes , provide a regional framework for cooperation among local governments and between

them and state and federal agencies . COGs may “accept or participate in any grant, donation or program available

to any political subdivision of the state and may also accept or participate in any grant, donation or program made

available to counties by any other governmental or private entity.” COGs may further more exercise any power

that any political subdivision s of the state (e.g., municipalities and school districts) do 1. Which authorities COGs

exercise, and the extent to which they do so, is the decision of their governing boards.

WestCOG hosts two federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organizations (Southwestern MPO and

Housatonic Valley MPO) that provide transportation planning for the region.

More information on WestCOG is available at http://westcog.org.

Purpose of this RFQ

WestCOG is soliciting Statements of Qualifications (SOQ) from experienced planning consultant s and firms to

establish a list of qualified consultants for municipalities to utilize for their land use planning needs such as:

• Development and update of municipal plans of conservation and development

• Development of district and neighborhood plans

1 Riverside Road, Sandy Hook, CT 06482

Visit us online at westcog.org

Telephone/fax 475 - 323- 2060

• Land use regulation development and update, including zoning and subdivision ordinances

• Creation of modern, user - friendly, and legally compliant regulations

• Technical analyses, mapping, and regulatory interpretation

• Guidance for land - use boards and municipal staff

Qualified firms will be placed on a regional on - call consultant list from which municipalities and WestCOG may

select and contract independently.

Scope of Services

The Scope of Services below highlights the range of various planning disciplines which municipalities have

indicated would be valuable for planning support.

Municipal Planning Services:

• Public meeting facilitation and engagement

• Technical memos and reports

• Training workshops for planning commissions, zoning commissions , and Zoning Board of Appeals,

especially if it meets state training requirements for such boards/commissions.

• Scenario planning and visualizations

• Development of local plans

Municipal Zoning Services:

• Development and update to zoning regulations (text and maps) ,

• Determination of consistency with state and local plans, court decisions, and federal/state law and

regulation

• Abi lity to evaluate consistency of development proposals with municipal planning and zoning regulations.

• Form- based codes and design standards

Submittal Format

Each application must provide the necessary components listed below:

1. Cover Page. Includes name of R FQ services to be provided proposing firm or individual; and name,

telephone number, and e- mail address for the point of contact for the RFQ .

2. Work history. Similar or relevant work conducted by the proposer, past projects and at least five client

references. Name, title, employer, relationship to the project, telephone number, and e- mail address should

be given for each reference including all relevant work conducted for any clients within the Western

Connecticut region.

3. Qualifications . Task assignments and resumes for key staff.

4. Description of organization . Including:

i. Corporate background. Include the history, location(s), length of time in existence, and structure of

the firm; and demonstration of the capacity of the firm to carry out the project.

ii. If a joint venture is proposed, provide the number of projects that have been conducted under

previous joint ventures with the designated firm(s) and the success of those joint ventures as

measured by on- time and under- budget performance and customer satisfaction with the

performance of the work.

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iii. Statement describing the organizational framework, including clear identification of the lead consultant,

project manager(s ), and sub- consultants (if any), the roles and responsibilities of each sub - consultant (if

any), and a clear, concise statement disclosing whether or not there are any shared interests among the

firm and proposed sub- consultants, e.g. parent- subsidiary, joint ventures, formal affiliations, etc.

5. Signature of a representative of the firm having legal authority to contract for the firm, or, in the case of an

individual, said individual’s signature. Statements of Qualifications will be treated as bona fide offers and

must remain open for a period of ninety (90) days from the closing date for submissions.

6. Organizational Conflict of Interest Statement . The statement either warrants that there are no relevant

facts or circumstances that could give rise to organizational conflicts of interest or, as applicable, gives a

full, written disclosure of all such conflicts of interest.

Submittal Process

Proposals are due by Monday, January 19, 2026 at 5:00 PM ET . Submissions should be directed to: Mr. Francis R.

Pickering, Executive Director at ccarpenter@westcog.org.

Submissions should be provided in PDF format, as a single file. The file may be attached to the e - mail, or, in case

of a large submission (larger than 10 megabytes), linked in the e- mail. Recipients should enable delivery and read

receipts in their e- mail client. No other confirmation will be given.

Applicant Evaluation Procedures

Complete responses to this RFQ will be evaluated in accordance with the following criteria:

• Experience in the development, revision, adoption, and implementation of municipal /regional plans and

land use regulations

• Knowledge of relevant federal and state law (statutory and case) and regulation

• Expertise in land use planning and zoning, especially in home environments without county government,

across the range of land use topics encountered by local commissions

• Experience working with municipal staff, commissions , and boards

• Public speaking exper ience representing municipal planning and zoning commissions

• Ability to meet expectations with respect to quality, budget, and schedule

A Consultant Selection Team will be convened to evaluate Statements of Qualifications received by the closing

date stated in this RFQ. The firms whose proposals receive the highest aggregate ranking will be requested to

appear for an interview. WestCOG w ill notify firms, consortia, joint ventures, and teams selected for interviews

with the Consultant Select ion Team within 14days of the closing date. The Consultant Selection Team will rank

the firms, consortia, joint ventures, and teams according to the criteria identified in this RFQ and submit

recommendations to WestCOG.

Award Procedures

The most qualified consultant organizations will be selected and included on a selected (on - call) list. WestCOG

expects to execute contracts with these organizations so that municipalities may, at their discretion and in

accordance with state law (CGS §7 - 148v(b)), contract with any organization selected for inclusion on the list and

contracted with by WestCOG .

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Communications

Location of Posting

This RFQ may be found online at https://westcog.org/procurements/until January 19, 2026. It is the responsibility

of interested parties to retrieve and store a copy of the RFQ beyond this date.

Inquiries

Proposers may submit questions on this RFQ by January 9, 2026 at 114: 5 PM ET . Questions should be directed to

Mr. Francis R. Pickering, Executive Director at ccarpenter@westcog.org. Answers will be posted online where

WestCOG posted this RFQ by January 13, 2026. No questions will be accepted by other forms of communication.

Information about WestCOG

Available at http://westcog.org.

Addenda and Supplements

Should WestCOG amend or adjust this RFQ , such changes will be posted online where WestCOG posted this

RFQ . It is the responsibility of proposers to check for changes to the RFQ .

Legal Requirements

Contracts awarded as a result of this RFQ are subject to all applicable state laws, including those concerning civil

rights, nondiscrimination, and equal opportunity. Any responses to this RFQ , as well as any work resulting from it,

are subject to Freedom of Information. (FOI) laws and regulations.

Insurance Requirements

Proposers must maintain insurance coverage as required by state law.

Consortia, Joint Ventures, and Teams

Proposals from consortia, joint ventures, and teams (“groups”) will be accepted. In such cases, a lead firm must be

identified for contracting purposes. A work history and statement of qualifications must be provided for each

member of the group.

In designating a lead firm, groups should consider the following:

1. The lead firm should have sufficient experience and expertise to perform or supervise all facets of the

project and must have sufficient resources to carry out the contractual responsibilities of the group.

2. The lead firm will be legally responsible to WestCOG for the performance of, and must perform at least

51% of, the total work awarded under any contract issued as a result of thisRFQ .

3. Firms that are subsidiaries may not rely on the experience, expertise, or resources of its parent firm to

meet these requirements.

Nonreimbursement of Proposal Costs

Costs associated with responses to this RFQ , including proposal development and participation in a selection

process, are the sole responsibility of the respondent firms. WestCOG will not reimburse firms for such costs, nor

will any selected firms be permitted to negotiate such costs as part of a c ontract with WestCOG.

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Rejection Rights

WestCOG reserves the right to reject any and all qualifications statements received in response to this RFQ.

WestCOG also reserves the right to cancel this RFQ at any time and to reissue this or a substitute RFQ at a later

date.

Multiple Awards

WestCOG reserves the right to issue multiple awards. WestCOG also reserves the right to retain portions of the

work described in the attached scope of work for performance by its own staff, or to exclude portions of the work

described in the attached scop e of work from negotiated consultant agreements.

Prohibited Interest

No member, officer or employee of WestCOG, or member of a local public body having jurisdiction within

WestCOG ’s service area, during his or her tenure or one year thereafter, shall be permitted to share in, have

interest in or benefit from, directly or indirectly, any contract or agreement resulting from this RFQ.

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This page summarizes the opportunity, including an overview and a preview of the attached documents.

Municipal Planning Consulting Services (RFQ)

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