RFQ #26-0623-01 Unified Development Ordiance

Request for Qualifications for:
Unified Development Ordinance
RFQ #26-0623-01
Issue Date: June 23, 2026
Phase 1 Due Date: July 16, 2026
Phase 2 Due Date: August 17, 2026
City of Dublin
100 S. Church St
Dublin, GA 31021

I. GENERAL PROJECT INFORMATION:
a. Overview
The City of Dublin, (the "City"), is requesting qualifications for professional services
from qualified firms ("Proposers") with experience in developing unified development
ordinances to assist the City with developing, adopting, and implementing a new
ordinance.
This request for qualifications ("RFQ") outlines the requirements and general scope of
work for this solicitation. The City reserves the right to reject any or all Statements of
Qualifications or Technical Approach and to waive technicalities and informalities at
the discretion of the City.
b. History
The City of Dublin, GA is the county seat of Laurens County in central Georgia along
I-16, U.S. 441, U.S. 80, and U.S. 19, nearly equal distance between Atlanta and
Savannah. The city has roughly 16 square miles and a population of approximately
16,000. The community serves as an economic engine for a large rural region of
Georgia, and serves as a hub of commerce, healthcare, and recreation.
The city has two local historic districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places
as well as a large locally designated historic district including downtown Dublin and
the Bellevue Avenue corridor. It is the only city within the region designated as a
Certified Local Government by the National Park Service. The community is garnering
attention for its innovative downtown revitalization and adaptive rehabilitation of its
historic landmarks and building fabric.
The City of Dublin's vision is to be a city where strong and safe neighborhoods flourish,
where streets are walkable, and there is a sense of community. While preserving our
historic places for future generations, we will ensure that new development and growth
reflect our values and amplifies our community spirit. The city's growth is guided by
a steadfast commitment to thoughtful planning and sustainability. By implementing
progressive development and zoning codes, the city will ensure that growth aligns with
our values, fostering a cityscape that is both economically robust and aesthetically
pleasing.
The City's original zoning code was established in 1957. While small changes have
been made over the years, there has not been a major overhaul to the code in almost 45
years. In the 2024 Comprehensive Plan, one of the projects identified was the rewrite
of the zoning ordinance. This was originally planned for 2029, but the Council has
budgeted funds in the FY26 budget to move forward with this project.
The City understands that its zoning code is significantly out-of-date and does not
consider some modern planning and zoning principles. Additionally, the City has
minimal standards with respect to street design and development and the sign
ordinances are complicated and difficult to manage. Finally, the City utilizes a Historic
Review Board for oversight and approval of external changes to properties in the
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Historic Districts with respect to design and sign standards, but desires to expand and
enhance the protections, where appropriate, of those districts.
c. Cone of Silence
There shall be no contact or discussion of any kind regarding any aspect of this RFP
with City of Dublin personnel other than the Purchasing Director, David Sawyer.
Contacts made with anyone outside the Procurement Department from the posting of
this solicitation until approval for award by the City of Dublin may result in
disqualification of the contacting organization.
RFQ Contact Information
David Sawyer, Purchasing Director
sawyerd@dublinga.org
(478)277-5047
d. Communications via BidNet
All general communication of relevant information regarding this solicitation will be
made via BidNet Direct. All proposers are responsible for checking BidNet Direct on
a regular basis for updates, clarifications, and announcements. The City reserves the
right to communicate via electronic mail with the primary contact listed in the
Statements of Qualifications. Other specific communications will be made as indicated
in the remainder of this RFQ.
e. Supplier Ethics and Standards
The City holds itself and its business rela(cid:415)onships to the highest standards and
endeavors to conduct its solicita(cid:415)ons and evalua(cid:415)ons of proposals impar(cid:415)ally.
II. SELECTION METHOD
The selection process will take place in two phases as indicated below.
a. Phase 1 - Selection of Finalists
Details on this process and required submissions are outlined in Section VI below.
Based on the Statements of Qualifications (SOQ) submitted in response to this RFQ,
the Selection Committee will review each submittal per the criteria listed below:
i. UDO Creation & Adoption Experience - 40%
ii. Project Manage & Key Staff Education & Experience - 30%
iii. Past Performance - 30%
b. Phase 2 - Finalists Interviews
The four highest ranking firms with a score of at least 70 will be contacted to provide
an additional response as outlined in Section VII below prior to the interview. The
interview date is set (see Section VIII) and Proposers should ensure project staff
availability as alternate dates will not be provided. The Selection Committee will
review each submittal and conduct interviews based on the criteria below:
i. Technical Approach - 65%
ii. Timeline - 15%
iii. Cost - 20%
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III. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:
a. Phase 1 - 20-page limit (excluding appendices documents)
Statement of Interest
Firm Information
Staffing
Project History and Experience
References
All required appendices listed in Section IX
b. Phase 2 - 15-page limit
Technical Approach
Timeline
Cost page - Must be the last page of the document and cost shall not be listed
anywhere else in the response
IV. SCOPE OF WORK:
a. General
The City of Dublin is soliciting proposals to develop a Unified Development Ordinance
from proposers experienced in planning, zoning, development, historic preservation,
and engineering. The work involved will generally include zoning reform (including
the possible inclusion of form-based zoning principles), historic district regulations and
preservation, public works and engineering as it relates to street development and utility
connection standards, landscaping and buffer requirements, lighting requirements, sign
regulations, parking regulations, and pre-approved design plans for housing and other
development types. Illustrations, when appropriate, are expected to be included in the
final product. The work will include guiding and conducting work sessions with key
stakeholders, including, but not limited to, city staff, elected and appointed officials,
real estate developers, business owners, and other community members to inform the
details of the new UDO. The work will also include ensuring legal compliance with
all applicable laws and successful adoption and implementation, including training for
city staff, appointed boards, and elected officials.
This project is essentially expected to be a complete overhaul of existing development
regulations. The City is interested in incorporating form-based zoning where
appropriate but desires to ensure existing neighborhoods are protected. Additionally,
some areas of town may have zoning designations that are unfavorable to those areas,
and the City desires to evaluate and determine what, if any, changes to designations are
needed.
This project is funded solely by the City of Dublin by the general operating account of
the city and is not being funded with any state or federal grant funds. The overall intent
of this project is to provide a single location for all information related to development
and redevelopment. It is expected that the selected firm is capable of providing legal
review to ensure compliance with all applicable state and federal laws.
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b. Tasks - While not all-inclusive, the following tasks are representative of the
specific work that the City expects the selected consultant to undertake:
Review, analyze, and gather information from existing plans including, but not
limited to, the comprehensive plan, the Comprehensive Traffic Safety Action
Plan recently adopted, and other relevant plans to historical context and future
development goals in order to help inform the development of the final product.
Review and analyze current land use and development regulations and develop
a Unified Development Ordinance, including assessing the strengths and
weaknesses of the existing regulations in terms of structure, organization,
clarity, ease of use, existing zoning districts and district standards, regulations
of general applicability, definitions, and all procedures.
Investigate and document current actual uses of property in the city and in the
immediately surrounding unincorporated areas. It is critical that Proposing
firms plan to dedicate a significant amount of time in the city walking and
driving through all areas of town to collect the most accurate information on
current land uses, conditions, and potential uses. The City believes there is no
substitute for firsthand knowledge of and experience of the land. This should
include areas just outside of the current city limits to provide insight for
potential annexations that are likely to occur in the city's future and what proper
land uses might be for those areas.
Develop updated zoning districts and regulations to incorporate form-based
standards with progressive zoning standards that support walkable,
aesthetically pleasing, and functional development and redevelopment, but in a
way that is not overly complex and difficult to administer. It is also important
that the new zoning regulations achieve context-sensitive design in older
neighborhoods and districts.
Identify and recommend for inclusion, text and procedures that have not been
identified by City staff or haven't been included in the Comprehensive Plan,
and in the opinion of the Consultant, should be addressed to ensure a complete
and effective ordinance that meets local needs. This includes updates to existing
text and procedures.
Develop a user-friendly, simplified, clear, and easily accessible Unified
Development Ordinance (UDO), including:
o Ensure the essential words used in the text of the UDO are properly
defined in the definitions section.
o Ensure all sections are clear and concise, avoiding conflict with each
other and not being overly complex.
o Utilize graphics, illustrations, diagrams, images, charts, and graphs
where appropriate to make interpretation and review of the ordinance
for compliance easier to the end users.
o Prepare multiple drafts of the UDO for review and comment.
o Review and update procedures and regulations.
o Ensure that the ordinance conforms to generally accepted land use law,
state and federal statutes, and case law.
o Ensure UDO consistency with the Comprehensive Plan and other
adopted City plans.
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o Create a table of permitted uses and supplemental regulations.
o Review existing zoning map and comprehensive plan and propose an
updated zoning map that is more consistent with City plans and the new
UDO. It is expected that the consultant will guide the City through the
implementation and legal process for implementing the new zoning
districts.
o Organize, facilitate, and attend public engagement sessions, surveys,
workshops, meetings, and public hearings with various stakeholders to
include the City Council, relevant City boards, residents, and others.
(Virtual meetings for some things are acceptable but should be expressly
identified.)
o Identify all existing ordinances and sections thereof that need to be
amended or repealed to avoid conflicts with the new UDO.
o Present the final draft to the Planning and Zoning Commission, which
meets the second Tuesday of the month, and to the City Council which
meets the first and third Thursdays of the month. These presentations
must be in-person.
o Provide training, assistance, and resources to assist City staff with
implementation of the new code through a "start-up" period not to
exceed three (3) months.
c. Timing - The City expects this project to take no more than 24 months to complete
from the date the contract is signed to acceptance by the City Council. The final
contract will have milestone and completion dates.
d. Final Deliverables - Proposers may include other deliverables they deem relevant
in the response but the following are the deliverables required by the City:
A complete Unified Development Ordinance in electronic format
A training guide to assist staff with understanding key points of the UDO
Report listing all existing ordinances that need to be amended or repealed when
the new UDO is approved.
V. FUNDING:
This project is funded solely by the City and currently there is a budget of up to
$200,000 for this project. Funding is not considered approved until the City Council
awards the contract.
VI. SELECTION CRITERIA - PHASE 1 - STATEMENT OF QUALIFICATIONS:
a. Unified Development Ordinance Experience - 40%
Provide the proposer's previous experience developing a countywide or citywide
unified development ordinances. This includes relevant experience and qualifications
of the principal professional(s) and lead staff, and evidence of relevant competencies
for this project. Provide information on other experience with similar and relevant
projects. Provide any information that distinguishes the proposer from others in terms
of suitability for the project.
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If Proposer has experience with developing a unified development ordinance that
included all of the requirements identified herein within one project, highlight those
projects and prior experience separate from all others. Provide at least three but no
more than six examples of related projects of similar scope. Identify any challenges
faced with projects provided and how the Proposer handled those challenges.
For all projects, please provide client, client contact names, titles, contact information
for each project and any unique features of the projects that are relevant to this RFQ.
Provide information regarding the original budget, final actual cost, original project
schedule, and actual completion timing for the other related projects.
Provide the proposer's business background; years in business, type of business
(incorporated, partnership, etc.), size of business (number of employees, locations,
etc.), listing of principles, design awards won for similar projects, provide CV's for key
functional roles managed internally and describe the proposer's unique value
proposition as it relates to this project.
The aforementioned information must be provided for any portion of the project that
will be subcontracted.
b. Project Manager, Key Staff, and Proposer's Workload Capacity - 30%
The Selection Committee will evaluate the firm on their resource's availability and
workload capacity. Proposer should identify the specific staff that will work on the
project and give information on that staff's current workload and availability and any
other resources that will be dedicated to the project.
Project Manager - Provide information pertaining to the project manager, including but
not limited to:
Education
Relevant project management experience for projects of similar complexity,
size, scope, and function
Current Workload and workload capacity
Percentage of time that will be dedicated to this project
Experience as a Team - Provide information pertaining to the team's experience,
including, but not limited to:
Team members assigned, project roles and responsibilities and relevant
experience including professional references and contact information for the
project lead and key principle responsible for the project
The percentage of time for each that will be dedicated to this project
The experience of this team working together
Current Workload and workload capacity
The aforementioned information must be provided for any portion of the project that
will be subcontracted.
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c. Past Performance - 30%
The Selection Committee will consider information provided via references for
relevant projects and knowledge any selection committee member has of performance
on relevant projects. The Selection Committee will consider all factors in their totality
when arriving at a final score for the Past Performance.
VII. SELECTION CRITERIA - PHASE 2 - PROPOSED WORKPLAN AND
INTERVIEW:
Phase II involves providing a proposal that specifies the technical approach, proposed
timeline, and cost, and participating in an in-person interview. Documents must be
submitted to the city prior to the interview date as indicated in the Schedule of Events
in Section VIII below.
a. Technical Approach - 65%
Information should be sufficient enough for evaluators to fully understand the process,
methods, and workflow to be used to complete the project. This includes specific
information on which and how tasks will be completed as well as the number of public
meetings, stakeholder information gathering sessions, and project team meetings.
Proposers should identify any potential challenges with the project. Any meetings to
be conducted virtually must be expressly identified in the response. Response should
clearly demonstrate an understanding of the project.
b. Timeline - 15%
A complete proposed timeline should be provided that covers the different phases/tasks
of the project, including listing key milestones, public meetings and engagement
sessions, and formal review/adoption dates for the Planning and Zoning Commission
and the City Council.
c. Cost - 20%
Proposers should identify the cost not-to-exceed format that includes but separately
identifies reimbursables.
VIII. SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:
The following Schedule of Events represents City of Dublin's best estimate of the
Schedule that will be followed. All times indicated are prevailing times in Dublin,
Georgia. City of Dublin reserves the right to adjust the Schedule as City of Dublin
deems necessary.
Phase 1 - RFQ
Issued June 23, 2026
Phase 1 Questions Due July 6, 2026 by 4:00 PM
Answers Due July 13, 2026
Statement of Qualifications Due July 16, 2026 at 4:00 PM
Finalist List July 28, 2026
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Phase 2
Questions Due August 5, 2026 by 4:00 PM
Answers Due Aug 10, 2026
Responses Due August 17, 2026 at 12:00 PM
Interview Date August 21, 2026
Anticipated Selection Date August 26, 2026
Anticipated Award Date September 13, 2026
IX. SUBMITTAL INSTRUCTIONS:
Interested Proposers should carefully review the requirements defined herein and pro
vide complete and accurate submissions.
This "SUBMITTAL INSTRUCTIONS" page and all the items listed below are
required to be completed and included as part of this solicitation and your submittal:
Please indicate by placing an in the box next to the items that are included in your
submittal.
Appendix A: E-Verify Affidavit
Appendix B: Conflict of Interest Statement
Appendix C: Officer's Oath
Appendix D: Statement of Assurance, Compliance, and Non-Collusion
Insurance: Evidence of/ability to provide proof or insurance with the following equired
policies and endorsements:
Commercial General Liability of at least $1,000,000 for bodily injury and property
damage with the City of Dublin City Council as additional insured.
Automobile/Vehicle Liability of at least $500,000 each occurrence for bodily injury
and property damage covering owned, non-owned, leased and hired autos/vehicles,
with the City of Dublin City Council as additional insured.
Worker's Compensation in the statutory limits of Georgia and Employers' Liability
with limits of liability of no less than $100,000 of each accident/disease. These
policies must also contain a waiver of subrogation in favor of the City of Dublin City
Council.
All insurance policies must provide that the City of Dublin City Council will be
notified within 30 days of any changes, restrictions and/or cancellation.
If applicable, Professional Liability in addition to the above requirements, of at least
$1,000,000 each claim.
NOTES:
PHASE - 1 actions and deliverables will be SUBMITTED VIA BIDNET. Phase - 2 will
be submitted directly to David Sawyer, Purchasing Director.
The City reserves the right to contact not only those references provided, but may also
use previous performance for the City, other contacts it identifies, and other sources of inf
ormation believed to be viable to evaluate capability, viability and performance.
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