Request For Proposals Rail Station Area Plan

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)
CITY OF CRAIG
RAIL STATION AREA PLAN
City of Craig
300 West 4th Street
Craig, CO 81625
www.ci.craig.co.us
Issue Date: May 6, 2026
Closing Date: June 16, 2026

INSTRUCTIONS FOR PROPOSERS
Proposals for the "City of Craig Rail Station Area Plan" project will be received by the City of
Craig (Owner) via Bidnet Direct at https://www.bidnetdirect.com/colorado/cityofcraig or mailed,
emailed, or hand delivered to City Hall at 300 West Fourth Street, Craig, Colorado 81625, until
2:00 P.M. prevailing time on June 16, 2026. Late proposals will not be considered and will be
returned to the proposer unopened.
Questions regarding the scope of work must be submitted in writing to the City Clerk at
kcarmody@cityofcraig.org, no later than 5:30 P.M. on May 29, 2026. Responses to all
questions shall be issued in the form of an Addendum to be issued by the City of Craig by no
later than 11:30 A.M. on June 5, 2026.
The Owner may waive any informalities or minor defects or reject any or all proposals. Any
proposal may be withdrawn prior to the above scheduled time for the opening of proposals or
authorized postponement thereof. Any proposal received after the time and date specified shall
not be considered. No proposer may withdraw a proposal within 60 days after the actual date of
the opening thereof. Should there be reasons why the contract cannot be awarded within the
specified period the time may be extended by mutual agreement between the Owner and the
proposer.
The party to whom the contract is awarded will be required to execute the agreement. The
notice to proceed shall be issued within ten (10) days of the execution of the agreement by the
Owner. Should there be reasons why the notice to proceed cannot be issued within such period,
the time may be extended by mutual agreement between the Owner and the proposer. If the
notice to proceed has not been issued within the ten (10) day period or within the period
mutually agreed upon, the proposer may terminate the agreement without further liability on the
part of either party.
The Owner may make such investigations as they deem necessary to determine the ability of
the proposer to perform work, and the proposer shall furnish to the Owner all such information
and data for this purpose as the Owner may request. The Owner reserves the right to reject any
proposals if the evidence submitted by, or investigation of, such proposer fails to satisfy the
Owner that such proposer is properly qualified to carry out the obligations of the agreement and
to complete the work contemplated therein.
All applicable laws, ordinances, and the rules and regulations of all authorities having
jurisdiction over the project shall apply to the contract throughout.
This project is exempt from Sales Tax requirements. The party to whom the contract is awarded
will be required to complete all necessary forms to document the exemption.
Instructions for Bidders
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I. Objective:
The City of Craig is soliciting proposals from qualified consultants to prepare a Rail
Station Area Plan (herein referred to as "the plan") that will analyze two locations within
the City of Craig city limits for the feasibility and economic impacts associated with
creating a passenger rail depot station for future passenger rail service to the City of
Craig.
II. Background and Purpose:
Passenger rail has become a priority for the State of Colorado to address increasing
traffic congestion and a desire to see alternative transportation options for travel to
connect the Northwest Colorado region to the Denver Metropolitan Area. The Colorado
Department of Transportation (CDOT) has studied inter-city passenger rail using Union
Pacific Railroad's (UPRR) Moffat and Craig subdivisions through a Service Development
Plan (SDP) process. UPRR's mainline in the region is currently used for transporting
coal to power plants for electric generation. Due to the impending closure of several
coal plants in this region and CDOT securing a recent 25-year Access Agreement lease
with UPRR, provides the opportunity to repurpose the rail lines for passenger trains
between Craig, Steamboat Springs and Denver.
Two rail station locations have been previously identified and studied by CDOT at a high
level as part of the SDP. Those locations are near the Moffat County fairgrounds and at
the southern end of Yampa Avenue (CO 13) near 4th Street (Hwy 40). The fairground
location offers connectivity for rodeos, and to the future event center that is planned by
Moffat County but is less walkable to the downtown core area and other transportation
infrastructure. One of the noted challenges with the Yampa Avenue and 4th Street
location is that there is an existing industry track that is actively being used and may
need to be reconfigured if that location is chosen. The plan should consider these two
locations as well as other locations that have not been studied.
The City of Craig received Multimodal Transportation and Mitigation Options Funds
(MMOF) from CDOT to complete a Rail Station Area Plan study.
III. Scope of Work:
The city is seeking to hire a professional consulting firm that specializes in rail station
planning and conceptual design. The city has a $150,000 budget to complete all work
described herein.
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Two identified station locations will be evaluated within city limits keeping in mind
various attributes, such as connectivity to activity centers (e.g., downtown commercial
center), accessibility (e.g., near transit, walking, biking, driving, parking), and
availability of land with economic and residential development potential. The study will
analyze each of the potential sites individually to determine the feasibility to serve as
the City of Craig's station for passenger rail. Additionally, as Craig serves as the
terminus for the proposed Mountain Rail project, exploration of train maintenance and
layover facilities will also be identified as a part of the station study process.
The Study shall evaluate potential station locations using the following considerations:
1. Land Use Planning: A vision for how the area within a minimum of 12 mile of the rail
station(s) could be used to support appropriately scaled development that fits
within the vision and goals of the City of Craig and how this area will assist the city in
providing workforce housing and local connectivity.
2. Fiscal Preparedness: A feasible fiscal strategy for supporting both the station area(s)
and the proposed land uses in the area(s). Strategies could include Tax Increment
Financing (TIF) districts, special taxing districts, or grant opportunities available,
including the establishment of a Neighborhood Center through DOLA, the Colorado
Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT), or others.
3. Infrastructure Preparedness: The feasibility of identified development based on
current and potential infrastructure, and feasibility of future layover and
maintenance facilities to store and repair trains.
4. Railroad Track Useability: Consideration of existing leases and/or use agreements
for other industry track that are actively being utilized and any necessary
modifications to accommodate passenger trains.
IV. Work Tasks and Deliverables
1. Task 1: Project Management and Coordination
a. Host a kick-off meeting with the City of Craig and the CDOT Division of Transit
and Rail. The lead consulting firm shall be prepared to attend the meeting in
person and will include visits to potential sites.
b. Provide project team goals and objectives.
c. Establish points of contact and communication methods and chains.
d. Hold regular coordination meetings with the city and CDOT.
e. Develop a project schedule that identifies key milestones, deliverables,
meetings, and activities.
f. Deliverable: Detailed project schedule.
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2. Task 2: Project Initiation and Data Collection
a. Review existing transportation plans, land use plans, and other relevant and
available information.
b. Identify key stakeholders such as residents, businesses, community groups,
transit users, advocacy groups, Chamber of Commerce, etc. to review with
the City and CDOT.
c. Conduct site visits to evaluate existing conditions.
d. Deliverable: Initial findings report.
3. Task 3: Public and Stakeholder Engagement
a. Establish engagement goals and level of engagement.
b. Identify team members allocated to each engagement strategy and meeting
type.
c. Develop a public engagement plan that may include surveys, focus groups,
open houses, workshops, etc.
d. Meetings may be held in person and virtually with a preference for most
engagement to occur in person.
e. Organize and attend public meetings and workshops.
f. Develop materials for meetings and workshops in partnership with the City of
Craig and CDOT.
g. Gather feedback from community members and stakeholders.
h. Incorporate feedback into site selection and concept designs.
i. Deliverable: Public engagement plan and stakeholder engagement summary
report.
4. Task 4: Preliminary Site Evaluation
a. Basic Site layouts for the two chosen sites for study shall be informed by
community involvement and site constraints.
i. Site layouts should also include maintenance and layover facility
conceptual designs.
b. Define evaluation criteria such as multimodal accessibility, land use and
zoning, operations and maintenance, constructability, environmental
impacts, and impacts to surrounding areas.
c. Conduct preliminary analysis for each site based on evaluation criteria.
d. Integration with CDOT's Mountain Rail Service Development Plan.
e. Deliverable: Preliminary site evaluation findings.
5. Task 5: Conceptual Station Designs
a. Develop preliminary site layout and station design concept for two sites to
approximately 10% level design to include:
i. Platform and access
ii. Maintenance and layover facilities for trains to be stored and repaired
iii. Passenger circulation and amenities
iv. Safety and security
v. Parking
vi. Integration with the Steamboat Springs Transit regional and circulator
route
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vii. Integration with existing and future multimodal facilities
viii. Development of adjacent properties
ix. Incorporation of the historical Marcia Car
x. Evaluate reconfiguration of existing railroad's customers tracks if
needed to accommodate the new station
xi. Other
b. Evaluate each site to determine what level of environmental assessment will
be required to move forward with future design phases and construction (e.g.
NEPA documentation is not anticipated in this scope of work).
c. Estimate costs for construction, operations, and maintenance.
d. Analyze the performance of each site based on conceptual designs and final
evaluation criteria.
e. With input from the city and stakeholders identify a preferred alternative from
the two study sites.
f. Deliverable: Conceptual station designs and cost estimates.
6. Task 6: Final Site Evaluation
a. Define final evaluation criteria such as site availability, potential
environmental impacts, multimodal accessibility, land use and zoning,
proximity to other modes of transportation and destinations, economic
development opportunities, crossing impacts, funding considerations,
operational feasibility, constructability, cost, and interdependency on other
stations located along the same railroad tracks (e.g. Steamboat Springs and
Hayden).
b. Refine the chosen station location and develop a site layout and design to
approximately a 30% design level.
c. Deliverable: Final site evaluation findings and 30% design plan.
7. Task 7: Final Report and Recommendations
a. Compile findings from all study tasks.
b. Provide a final site recommendation and implementation plan.
c. Present findings to stakeholders and decision-makers.
d. Deliverable: Final rail station area plan study report.
V. Desired Schedule:
Milestone Start End
Advertise Request for Proposals (RFP) May 2026 June 2026
Consultant Selection June 2026 June 2026
Award Approval by City Council July 2026 July 2026
Consultant Contracting July 2026 July 2026
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Kickoff Meeting August 2026 August 2026
Task 1: Project Management & Coordination 8/24/2026 Completion
Task 2: Project Initiation & Data Collection 8/31/2026 10/2/2026
Task 3: Public & Stakeholder Engagement 8/24/2026 Completion
Task 4: Preliminary Site Evaluation 10/5/2026 11/20/2026
Task 5: Conceptual Station Designs 11/30/2026 1/29/2027
Task 6: Final Site Evaluation 2/1/2027 4/30/2027
Task 7: Final Report & Recommendations 5/3/2027 6/30/27
Project Wrap-Up 7/1/2027 7/31/2027
VI. General Proposal Requirements:
The submitted proposals must follow the format outlined below. Proposals that do not
adhere to this structure may be considered non-responsive and grounds for rejection.
1. Introduction, Team Experience, and References - Introduce your consultant
team and summarize your qualifications and understanding of the project. Include
a minimum of three (3) examples of relevant experience with similar master plans,
with emphasis on public sector plans and/or work completed in Colorado. For each
example, briefly describe the scope, key outcomes, and your team's role. Identify
any subcontracted services or subconsultants and describe their role, integration
into the team, and relevant experience. Provide three (3) verifiable references from
these or comparable master plans, including name, title, organization, phone
number, and email address.
2. Project Approach, Scope of Services, and Schedule - Describe your team's
approach to delivering this work, including an overview of how you plan to manage
the scope, schedule, and coordination with staff. Clearly outline the anticipated
services required for successful completion, including any specialized expertise
your team will bring to the project. Include a proposed schedule that outlines major
milestones and deliverables, to be aligned with the objective and scope of work in
this RFP.
3. Fee Proposal - Provide a fee proposal detailing the proposed work tasks and
proposed costs for each schedule and task outlined in the scope of work. The cost
proposal should reflect a clear understanding of the required services and include
labor hours, rates, and any anticipated reimbursable expenses.
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VII. Evaluation Criteria:
The City of Craig reserves the right to select the proposal that, in its sole discretion, is
determined to be in the best interest of the City. Proposals will be evaluated based on
the following criteria, which may be weighted as indicated but are not necessarily
limited to these categories:
Team Experience and Capabilities - 35%
* Relevant experience of the consultant team
* Qualifications and expertise of key personnel and project leads
* Demonstrated success on similar projects, particularly in public sector
work and/or in Colorado
Project Approach - 40%
* Demonstrated understanding of the project scope and objectives
* Alignment of the proposed approach with the City's objective and
priorities
* Clarity and feasibility of the proposed project schedule and methodology
Fee Proposal - 25%
* Overall cost-effectiveness of the proposal
* Clarity, completeness, and transparency of the cost breakdown as
submitted
* Alignment of proposed fees with the scope of work and project
requirements
This Request for Proposal (RFP) is not a competitive bid based on price only. The
request for proposal allows the city to select the proposer that best meets the needs of
the City of Craig, taking into consideration proposer qualifications, price, products, and
service capabilities and other factors relevant to the city's policies, programs,
administrative resources, and budget. The City of Craig reserves the right to:
1. Reject any and all proposals received as a result of this RFP.
2. Waive or decline to waive any informalities and any irregularities in any proposal or
responses received.
3. Adopt all or any part of the consultant's proposal.
4. Negotiate changes in the scope of work or services to be provided.
5. Withold the award of contract.
6. Request additional information or clarification from proposal, or to allow correction
of errors and omissions.
7. Select the proposer it deems to be most qualified to fulfill the needs of the city. The
proposer with the lowest priced proposal will not necessarily be the one most
qualified, since several factors other than price are important in the determination
of the most acceptable proposal.
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VIII. Attachments:
1. CDOT Division of Transit and Rail Memorandum date February 14, 2025
2. Depot Concept near Yampa Avenue (CO 13) and 4th Street (Highway 40) by Ayres &
Associates dated February 13, 2025
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