RFP - Consultant Services for the Development of an Organics Management Plan

Agency:	City of Rochester
State:	New York
Type of Government:	State & Local
NAICS Category:	541611 - Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services
Posted Date:	Mar 11, 2024
Due Date:	Apr 9, 2024
Bid Source:	Please Login to View Page
Contact information:	Please Login to View Page
Bid Documents:	Please Login to View Page

Introduction

The City of Rochester is seeking proposals from qualified Consultants to develop a citywide Organics Management Plan. These services will include completion of an Organics Management Plan with public outreach and engagement at various stages of the project. This project is funded by the New York State Climate Smart Communities (CSC) program, and must be completed according to the requirements of the CSC Certification PE5 Action. To download the RFP, click here .

Questions

Please email questions related to this RFP to Shalini Beath, Energy & Sustainability Manager at shalini.beath@cityofrochester.gov by March 22, 2024 at 3:00 PM. To ensure that all Respondents have a clear understanding of the scope and requirements of the RFP, the City will post responses on this web page by March 28, 2024 at 4:00 PM.

Proposal Submission Deadline

One (1) electronic pdf version of your proposal for this RFP must be received by Shalini Beath ( shalini.beath@cityofrochester.gov ) by 4:00 PM on April 9, 2024.

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City of Rochester

Department of Environmental Services

Division of Environmental Quality

Request for Proposals

Consultant Services

Organics Management Plan

Release date: March 12, 2024

Date Due: April 9, 2024

Submit Proposals to:

Attn: Shalini Beath

Energy & Sustainability Manager

City of Rochester – Division of Environmental Quality

shalini.beath@cityofrochester.gov

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

The City of Rochester is seeking proposals from qualified Consultants (“Consultant(s)”) to develop an

Organics Management Plan according to the requirements of the NYS Climate Smart Communities

Certification PE5 Action. These services will include completion of an Organics Management Plan with

public outreach and engagement at various stages of the project. Details are listed in the Work Scope

section of this RFP. The anticipated budget for this project is approximately $60,000.

BACKGROUND

The City of Rochester provides solid waste management services including refuse and recycling collection

for residential and commercial customers. Aside from refuse collection, the City has been providing a

recycling program since the late 1980s

In 2013, the City released its Municipal Operations Climate Action Plan. The plan called for strategies for

keeping waste out of landfills, including measures such as expanding existing municipal recycling and

composting program, and expanding employee education and engagement initiatives. The plan proposed

a number of projects and initiative to be implemented by the City to achieve these goals.

In 2016, the City converted to Mixed Recycling, offering larger wheeled collection containers, with every

other week service that is a more efficient operation, more convenient for customers, and better for our

environment.

In 2017, Rochester City Council officially adopted a Climate Action Plan, which acknowledged the role that

landfill materials have on increasing GHG emissions, and listed a community-wide composting program

as an implementation item.

In 2020, the City released its Source-Separated Organics Feasibility Study, which was the first report

completed with its primary focus on organics management. The objective of the Study was to identify the

feasibility of a source-separated organics (SSO) program in Rochester, and included a thorough evaluation

of the flow of organics in the City, as well as in comparable cities across the country. The Study

recommended a pilot program for a SSO program in Rochester.

The Roc City Compost pilot program was launched in 2021, and was expanded in 2022 due to the

program’s initial success. The program is open to all city residential households to be collect food waste

and other compostable materials. New registrants are provided a kit, which includes a compost guide and

a 5-gallon bucket to bring to drop-off locations in the City. The organic waste is transported to a third

party composting facility. The program provides a finished compost giveback to registrants. The program

has over 1,600 registrants and, as of December 2023, has collected 260 tons of food.

In 2021, the City launched its Food Waste Education Outreach program to inform residents, youth, and

families about the on the many options, opportunities, and ways to prevent food waste, increase food

donations, and promote organics recycling. The program included the wide distribution of educational

material around food waste, as well as a number of implementation strategies designed to engage the

community in reducing food waste.

The City also manages a Materials Giveback program, which provides various recycled materials to city

residents free of charge. Individuals use these materials for household landscaping or other improvement

projects. For example, after fall leaves are collected at curbside in the fall, they are composted and offered

to the public. Holiday trees are sent through a wood chipper and converted into mulch. Scrap wood and

brush is collected and ground or chipped and is available for residents as wood chips. Finally, excess

chipstone from the City's chip seal program, buildable fill, and scrap lumber pieces are also made available

to the public for their use.

In 2021, City Council voted to support the Rochester Food Policy Council (FPC), which is a coalition of

community and institutional partners aimed with the goal of improving their local food system. The FPC

is working across three priority areas to accomplish this goal; municipal plans and policies, urban

agriculture & community Gardens, and youth and food.

TIMELINE

Activity

Time

RFP Release

Deadline for questions

3:00 p.m.

Responses to questions will be posted at

http://www.cityofrochester.gov/bidandrfp/

Scroll down to “In this category” section and click on RFP-Organics

Management Plan

4:00 p.m.

Proposals due

4:00 p.m.

Consultant Selection and Award Notification

Date

3/12/2024

3/22/2024

3/28/2024

4/9/2024

Estimated June

2024

The dates shown above may be subject to change within the City of Rochester’s sole discretion and upon

written notification as set forth herein.

Communications

All communications by parties who intend to submit or have submitted a proposal in response to this RFP

(“Respondents”), including any questions or requests for clarifications, submission of the proposal,

requests for status updates about the proposal selection process and any other inquiries whatsoever

concerning this RFP shall be sent, via email, to the following City staff person (“City Contact”):

Shalini Beath, Energy & Sustainability Manager

shalini.beath@cityofrochester.gov

City of Rochester

DES/Division of Environmental Quality (DEQ)

30 Church Street, Room 300B,

Rochester, New York 14614

No contact is permitted with any other City staff member with regard to this RFP during the RFP process

unless specifically authorized in writing. Prohibited contact may be grounds for disqualification.

To ensure that all Respondents have a clear understanding of the scope and requirements of this RFP, the

City will respond to all timely questions submitted via e-mail to the City Contact by the question deadline

stated above. Questions and the responding answers will be sent via e-mail to all Respondents who have

provided an e-mail address to the City Contact and will be posted on the City’s web page for this RFP. The

City’s failure to timely respond or provide responses to any questions shall not delay or invalidate the City’s

right to make a decision to award an agreement pursuant to this RFP.

The City will make every reasonable effort to keep Respondents informed about the RFP process.

Notifications about Timeline date changes, amendments to the RFP and other information about the RFP

will be sent by e-mail to Respondents who have provided an e-mail address to the City Contact and will be

posted on the City’s website for this RFP. The City’s failure to provide such information shall not delay or

invalidate the City’s right to make a decision to award an agreement pursuant to this RFP.

SCOPE OF SERVICES

The Respondent’s proposal shall address each of the requested services, using the same identifying

language, including any or section numbers as used in the RFP.

The City is seeking the services of a Consultant to complete an Organics Management Plan that includes

elements as defined by the Climate Smart Communities Action PE5:

1. Stakeholder team and opportunities to partner with local groups

2. Goals to be achieved

3. Review of best practices and materials used by other communities

4. Strategies for organics management in Rochester

5. Identification of program participants

6. Strategies for successful community outreach and engagement

7. Methods for collecting appropriate data

8. Process to evaluate strategies

9. Budget and resources needed for accomplishing strategies in the plan

10. Implementation steps and timeline.

Additionally, the proposed Organics Management Plan will provide recommendations and strategies to

obtain up to 14 points towards the PE5 action for up to seven tiers:

1. Preventing food waste

2. Encouraging food donation

3. Expanding the organics recycling drop-off program to include citywide residential and

commercial participants

4. Organics recycling in municipal buildings

5. Feasibility of implementing a curbside organics pick-up pilot

6. Feasibility of implementing a curbside organics pick-up program

7. Feasibility of implementing a municipally operated organics recycling facility.

Program Deliverables

1. Create a public outreach and engagement plan that includes a list of relevant stakeholders to be

included in the planning project, including but not limited to: students, elderly, advocacy groups,

neighborhood associations, chambers of commerce, and low income, minority, and vulnerable

populations.

2. Execute the public outreach and engagement plan through leading community meetings and

other outreach methods. Provide copies of committee, workshop, and public meeting

schedules. Provide summaries of each meeting, including public meeting materials and

presentations.

3. Create a baseline assessment. Gather data and/or conduct studies to determine food waste

content in the municipal waste stream as well as an assessment of the number of residents that

could benefit from an organics program.

4. Draft an Organics Management Plan and submitted to the City for review that includes, at

minimum, the four required elements:

a. Record of community and stakeholder engagement

b. Goals of the program

c. List of the proposed organics management strategies

d. Implementation timeline

5. Final Organics Management Plan following requirements of CSC PE5 Action for the City to

submit and post publically.

For all abovementioned actions, provide draft and final public engagement and outreach plans as well as

copies of stakeholder lists, meeting schedules, agendas and notes.

The City will review all project plans, review and approve draft reports, be included in meetings and

coordination with other parties, and will provide information related to City operations, etc.

PROPOSAL PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION PROCESS

An electronic copy must be submitted no later than 4 p.m. on April 9, 2024 to Shalini Beath, Energy and

Sustainability Manager via email to shalini.beath@cityofrochester.gov.

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RFP - Consultant Services for the Development of an Organics Management Plan

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