RFP539 - Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Planning, Engagement, and Implementation

RFP539
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Planning, Engagement, and Implementation
Introduction
The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) is seeking proposals from firms or teams of firms
experienced in providing program development and pop-up infrastructure planning and
implementation, as well as evaluation and data analysis, in the field of school-based
transportation, roadway safety, or similar/related fields, for metropolitan areas comparable to the
20-county area of Metro Atlanta.
ARC manages the regional Transportation Demand Management (TDM) program, which works
to impact transportation behavior changes through outreach, marketing, and services to
employers, property managers, schools, community partners, and commuters working or living
in the 20-county Atlanta region. Additionally, ARC manages the Regional Safety Strategy,
which aims to improve roadway safety throughout the region through recommendations for
community programs and infrastructure. The joint goals of this work are to improve safety,
education, and access to alternative modes of transportation for schools around the region.
ARC intends to award a two-and-a-half-year contract to one consultant or a team of consultants
who will work with ARC in the design, development, delivery, evaluation and reporting of
supplemental planning and demonstration activities across three metro Atlanta communities.
These projects will supplement regional safety planning through pilot programming and pop-up
infrastructure to support long-range community safety around school zones in three metro
communities: Clayton County, Spalding County, and the City of Brookhaven.
These projects are described in the Scope of Work below. The anticipated available funds for this
contract will be approximately $1,700,000.
The funding for this work is provided through the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A)
program. Matching funds for this project will be provided by the participating localities.
Applicants interested in providing services described in this request must comply with the
requirements described herein and requirements governing the use of SS4A funds. All
documentation associated with SS4A funding must be retained by the Awardee for seven (7)
years without exception.
Please note that contract award for this work is contingent upon ARC receiving adequate funding
for this purpose from the US Department of Transportation (USDOT).
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PROGRAM DESCRIPTION AND BACKGROUND
The goal of this SS4A project is to improve roadway, bicycle, and pedestrian safety for youth
and families by conducting supplemental planning, implementing school-based demonstration
activities, and supporting safety infrastructure improvements in three high-need jurisdictions:
Clayton County, Spalding County, and the City of Brookhaven. The results of these efforts must
reduce the risk of crashes, increase safe access to schools, and foster long-term safety habits
among families and students.
These changes will result in measurable and reportable safety outcomes, including reductions in
youth-involved crashes, improved perceptions of safety, and increased walking and biking trips
to school. These objectives will be achieved by contracting with qualified teams to provide
trained staff to conduct surveys, audits, and outreach; by piloting site-specific safety
demonstration activities; and by monitoring performance for cost-efficiency, effectiveness, and
compliance with federal safety guidelines.
To reinforce the regional nature of the program, activities will be conducted and coordinated
across all three jurisdictions while addressing community-specific conditions. Measures and
performance targets will be determined for each jurisdiction and each participating school to
ensure accountability. These measures will require selected respondents to collect data in the
form of surveys, safety audits, participation counts, and evaluation reports. ARC will maintain
ownership and require access to all data, including participating schools, local partners, audit
findings, and all other items related to the SS4A program.
PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS & TIMELINE
All dates are tentative, provided for planning purposes, and subject to change. ARC anticipates
that a contract will be awarded in June 2026. All work activities must be completed by
December 31, 2028. The successful firm or team of firms should be prepared to begin work on
July 1, 2026. ARC reserves the right to award all or part of the available funds for this project.
Proposals must include the following information:
1. Name of the lead organization and any Sub-Consultants.
2. The point of contact (name, title, phone number, mailing address, and email address) at the
lead organization.
3. Description of relevant experience on similar projects of this type and scale.
a. Include a list of at least three references within the past five years, with current
contact information.
b. Qualifications and technical competence of the consultant/or sub-consultants in
the type of work required, including:
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i. Relevant work with school-based transportation;
ii. Experience with processes related to the National Environmental
Protection Act (NEPA); and
iii. Experience with infrastructure pop-up builds or implementation.
4. List of key personnel, their qualifications and roles related to the contract. Proposals should
include a project manager and deputy or assistant project manager, at least one of whom
should be local to metro Atlanta.
5. The address of the organization's office performing the work.
6. A detailed description of the technical approach including proposed tasks for the
accomplishment of the work described in Exhibit A.
7. A proposed schedule and work plan for the accomplishment of the work described in
Exhibit A. The work plan should include estimated hours by category for each task
identified in Exhibit A. Use the format at Exhibit B-1 for the estimated hours per task.
8. A proposed project budget in the format of Exhibits B and B-1 to this RFP.
9. Provide your firm's (or firms') latest financial statements or audited financial statements.
10. Any other pertinent information.
PROPOSAL SUBMISSION THROUGH WEBSITE
Electronic Submission Requirements
All proposals must be submitted electronically through the ARC procurement website. Proposals
submitted by any other method (including email, mail, fax, or hand delivery) may not be
accepted unless specified in the solicitation document.
Respondents must register and complete the application on the ARC procurement website to
access the solicitation and submit a proposal. It is the responsibility of the respondent to
ensure successful registration and timely submission.
Proposals must be received no later than 5:00 pm EST on Thursday, June 4, 2026. The
procurement system will automatically record the date and time of submission. Late
proposals will not be accepted under any circumstances.
The Respondent(s) is solely responsible for:
* Uploading all required documents;
* Verifying that files are complete, readable, and properly labeled; and
* Ensuring submission is finalized prior to the deadline.
* Only one proposal containing all required information may be uploaded per respondent.
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ARC is not responsible for technical difficulties, internet outages, user errors, or system delays
experienced by the respondent. Respondents are strongly encouraged to submit proposals well
in advance of the deadline.
Upon successful submission, the system will provide an email confirmation. This confirmation
serves as proof of receipt.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS (Q&A)
Questions Regarding Solicitation
All questions concerning this RFP must be submitted electronically through the ARC
procurement website by 5:00 pm EST on Wednesday, May 13, 2026. Questions submitted
after this deadline or through any other means will not be considered.
To ensure fairness and transparency, respondents are prohibited from contacting any ARC staff,
board members, or consultants regarding this solicitation outside of the formal Q & A process.
RESPONSE TO QUESTIONS
Official responses to all timely submitted questions will be posted on the procurement
website as a written addendum by 5:00 pm EST on Monday, May 18, 2026. Only
written responses issued through the website shall be considered official and binding.
It is the responsibility of each respondent to regularly check the procurement website for
addenda, clarifications, and updates. Failure to review posted addenda shall not relieve a
respondent from compliance with any requirements of the RFP.
The review of written proposals and interviews will be based on the following evaluation
criteria, with the relative weights in parentheses:
1. Related experience, qualifications, and references of the firm or project team (40%)
2. Technical approach (40%)
3. Work plan and schedule (10%)
4. Proposed budget (10%)
If interviews are necessary, the short-listed firms will be invited to participate in an interview
process with an evaluation committee, to be scheduled for the week of June 15, 2026. ARC will
confirm a specific interview date and time with short-listed firms by the week of June 8, 2026.
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ARC reserves the right to award this contract based on initial proposals received without formal
interviews and to award all or part of this project to one or more firms.
Proposals shall not exceed a total of 25 pages (8.5 x 11, front and back of sheet counted as two
pages), inclusive of resumes and firm experience. Covers, end sheets, and an introductory letter
shall not count against this maximum. Font size shall be a minimum of 11 point in all cases. The
proposal must be in either Microsoft Word or PDF format.
SUMMARY TIMELINE
RFP posted Wednesday, May 6, 2026
Question Due Wednesday, May 13, 2026
Question and Answers Posted online Monday, May 18, 2026
Proposals due Thursday June 4, 2026
Interviews conducted, if applicable The week of June 15, 2026
Contract awarded Late June, 2026
Work Start Date July 8, 2026
Work completed (2.5 Years) December 31, 2028
Applicants interested in providing services described in this request must comply with the
requirements described herein and requirements governing the use of SS4A funds. All
documentation associated with SS4A funding must be retained by the Awardee for seven (7)
years from award without exception.
RESTRICTION OF COMMUNICATION
From the date of the advertisement of the solicitation through the time the contract award and
selection is announced, respondents are not allowed to communicate about this solicitation or
scope with any staff of ARC, except for submission of questions as instructed in the RFP or as
provided by any existing work agreement(s). In the case of violation of this provision, ARC
reserves the right to reject the submittal of the offending respondent.
CONFIDENTIALITY AND CONFLICT OF INTEREST
ARC is subject to the Georgia Open Records law. All proposals submitted will become public
records to be provided upon request. Any information containing trade secrets or proprietary
information, as defined by state law, must be marked as confidential to prevent disclosure.
Confidential markings must be limited to the protected information. Entire proposals marked
confidential will not be honored. Additionally, conflicts of interest are governed by the ARC
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Standards of Ethical Conduct available here: Standards of Ethical Conduct. Respondents must
disclose any potential conflicts of interest that may arise from the provision of the services
described herein. Such disclosure should include the name of individual(s) with whom there is a
conflict, any relevant facts to the potential conflict, and a description of the internal controls
proposed to mitigate any such conflict. ARC's Staff Legal Counsel will determine whether such
disclosure presents a potential organizational conflict of interest that should preclude award to
the respondent.
CONTRACT REQUIREMENT
Awardees are expected to:
1. Plan and conduct two supplemental planning activities: family surveys and road safety
audits.
2. Plan, implement, and measure the three demonstration activities: community and teen driver
education, school pool pilots, and tactical infrastructure pop-ups.
3. Provide reports to detail data gathered during supplemental planning and outcomes of the
demonstration activities for inclusion in future iterations of the ARC Regional Safety
Strategy.
4. Provide monthly reports on project performance, schedule, and budget as well as a final
report with findings, summaries, and recommendations.
5. Maintain all documentation including e-mails, cost records, procurement documentation,
invoices, audit trails, etc. and provide this documentation as required by this contract. All
documentation associated with this effort must be retained for seven (7) years from award
without exception.
Provide the labor costs necessary for program oversight, financial accounting, and
retention of documentation supporting execution of the work tasks in this contract.
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EXHIBIT A
PROPOSED SCOPE OF WORK
The respondent should provide a detailed description of the technical approach proposed for the
accomplishment of all tasks listed below, which should be based on the respondent's experience
with similar project and/or knowledge of relevant best practices.
Task 1: Supplemental Planning
The goal of this task is to gather and analyze data on school corridor safety, and to provide
reports, recommendations, and next steps for demonstration activities and other long-term
planning and program implementation for stakeholders from the local community, including
families, schools, districts, and city and county planners.
The successful respondent will conduct planning and data collection activities to evaluate
barriers to bicycle and pedestrian safety in and around approximately 90 schools across Clayton
County, Spalding County, and the City of Brookhaven. The awarded contractor should engage
school boards or similar organizations to leverage existing networks to reach as many schools as
possible during this process. Planning will emphasize family-reported perspectives alongside
traditional road safety audit practices to provide a complete picture of barriers and opportunities
for school travel safety. This must include identifying infrastructure gaps through traditional
roadway safety audits and documenting family-reported concerns and barriers to safe travel to
school. This work should be conducted and evaluated in partnership with the contracted safety
audit technology team.
The selected contractor must plan, design, market, implement, and analyze the family survey in
collaboration with ARC staff and project stakeholders. The survey should be available in
languages outside of English as deemed necessary through conversations with community
stakeholders. Where possible, the survey should seek to identify information and data to inform
demonstration activity opportunities and school candidates.
The selected contractor must also plan and execute the traditional road safety audits and draft
findings in collaboration with ARC staff and project stakeholders and should be coordinated with
planning professionals from each locality. The selected firm(s) should demonstrate technical
expertise in roadway and infrastructure safety evaluation.
Contractors will be expected to aggregate, analyze, and report survey and audit data in ways that
can directly inform demonstration activities and recommend long-term planning. The work must
prioritize safety considerations and youth-involved crash data, and collaborate with ARC staff,
community stakeholders, and other identified stakeholder parties.
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Recommendations should include next steps for updating safety action plans for each school
based on the data uncovered through the supplemental planning phase. Specific
recommendations for demonstration activities and locations should also be included. Contractors
should demonstrate familiarity with ARC's existing Regional Safety Strategy and provide
recommendations for integration of supplemental planning project findings into this broader
strategy by the agency.
The selected contractor is expected to present findings and recommendations to ARC and project
stakeholders, including the jurisdictions.
Specific sub-tasks will include, but are not limited to:
1. Review the current Atlanta Regional Safety Strategy to identify places to incorporate data
and findings from this project.
2. Hold meetings to coordinate with the community safety audit technology contract team to
ensure alignment of activities, at a cadence to be determined in conversation with ARC staff.
The selected contractor will produce meeting minutes for each of the meetings.
3. Develop the school family survey and associated target metrics, to be translated as necessary,
and associated marketing and communications materials to support its distribution.
4. Produce a draft report of supplemental planning findings and recommendations for review
and comment by ARC.
5. Design and produce a final report of supplemental planning findings and recommendations,
separated into the following categories: project next steps and demonstration activities,
longer-term recommendations for jurisdictions, and recommendations for ARC Regional
Safety Strategy updates.
6. Evaluate and recommend a list of schools for school pool and tactical infrastructure pop-up
demonstration activities.
7. Produce a data summary, describing the analysis methodology for review of the survey(s)
and detailing the outcomes of the road safety audits.
8. A presentation of findings to ARC, jurisdiction partners, and other relevant stakeholders.
Deliverables:
1. Coordinated evaluation technology meeting minutes
2. Supplemental planning schedule and plan
3. School family survey and corresponding data methodology and findings summary
4. Road safety audit timeline, outline and corresponding audit reports
5. Draft supplemental planning report
6. Final supplemental planning report with outlined recommendations
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7. Community-specific recommendations for school safety action plans
8. Demonstration activities school selection criteria rubric selection and subsequent
recommendation list
9. Supplemental planning presentation
Task 2: Outreach Demonstration Activities: Community and Teen Education and School
Pool Pilots
The goal of this task is to design, implement, and evaluate demonstration activities that improve
safety, awareness, and participation in active and shared school travel among students, families,
and school communities. This task will translate findings from the supplemental planning
activities into on-the-ground education, engagement, and pilot programs that directly address
identified safety barriers and opportunities.
Outreach activities will focus on bicycle, pedestrian, and teen driver safety, combining
education, hands-on engagement, and safety equipment distribution to support safer school travel
behaviors. School pool pilots will further reinforce these goals by organizing groups of students,
families, and/or staff to walk, bike or ride together, increasing safety through visibility, numbers,
and community support.
The successful respondent will lead coordinated teen and community education around
vulnerable road users to students across approximately 15 high schools throughout the three
communities, as well as be accessible to other K-8 schools from the three localities.
Additionally, the successful respondent will plan and execute school pool pilot programs in at
least 10 selected schools.
All outreach and pilot activities must be informed by supplemental planning results from
activities outlined in Task 1, in addition to stakeholder input, and should be designed and
implemented in close collaboration with ARC staff, school districts, community-based
organizations, healthcare and safety partners, and local jurisdictions. The work under this task
will prioritize culturally and linguistically appropriate engagement, robust marketing and
outreach, and clear evaluation methods to measure participation, knowledge transfer, behavior
change, and safety outcomes. Additionally, plans for the demonstration activities should allocate
time and budget to respond dynamically to local needs or changes, and allow for some degree of
adjustment as deemed necessary in conversation with ARC.
The community and teen driver education and outreach activity should include an audit of
existing resources on driver education on vulnerable road users. With existing information and
informed by conversations with stakeholders and transportation educators, a course or lesson
should be designed to reach the teenage students across the three jurisdictions. This education
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should target teen drivers and other members of the community to educate on the critical role of
drivers as vigilant and safe roadway users. Its content should work to increase safety education
and result in improved roadway safety for cars, pedestrians, and cyclists.
Implementation of these courses, their length, content, exact location, cadence, and rollout
timeline will be determined in conversation with ARC staff and local stakeholders.
The selected contractor should engage in conversation with local school districts to determine the
best route for implementing this education in the communities, and plan and conduct the
trainings in partnership with local stakeholders and ARC staff. The selected contractor should
develop a report on the outcomes of the trainings, recommendations for continued program
implementation, material improvements, and regional scaling.
The school pool pilot locations should be planned in accordance with the recommendations
provided from the supplemental planning activities outlined in Task 1. Pilot programs should
prioritize bike buses and walk buses with the intention of enhancing the safety and visibility for
students traveling by bike or on foot to their school campuses. The type of school pool, routes,
materials, and other planning elements should be informed by the data collected in Task 1 and
tailored to each target school. Selected contractors should work to develop, plan, and implement
the school pools with the goal of leveraging school communities, including administration,
parents, and caregivers, to help organize and execute. The selected contractor should produce
marketing and outreach materials to help address concerns and attitudes, educate on barriers
identified through the family survey and from the report produced by the evaluation technology
contractors, and encourage participation and leadership by the school communities.
The selected contractor should work in collaboration with ARC staff, project stakeholders, and
the local communities, including school administration, parents, and caregivers, to plan, market,
implement, and evaluate school pools across these localities.
Findings from this task will be documented and reported to inform future demonstration
activities, long-term program expansion, and regional safety and school travel strategies.
Specific sub-tasks will include, but are not necessarily limited to:
1. Develop an outreach, implementation, and evaluation plan and targets for engaging
schools, students and families for each demonstration activity.
2. Conduct community and teen driver vulnerable road user education audit.
3. Design vulnerable road user education materials and plan, market, and conduct
workshops in collaboration with local community and health partners.
4. Develop a report on the safety and transportation outcomes of community and teen driver
education and provide recommendations for improvement and scaling.
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