Cheboygan County Request for Qualifications and Proposals ? Facility Construction Study
| Agency: | Cheboygan County. |
|---|---|
| State: | Michigan |
| Level of Government: | State & Local |
| Category: |
|
| Opps ID: | NBD16649087909272349 |
| Posted Date: | Dec 1, 2023 |
| Due Date: | |
| Source: | Members Only |
Cheboygan County Request for Qualifications and Proposals – Facility Construction Study
Straits Regional Ride Transportation Study
Certification of Compliance With Federal Contract Clauses
Cheboygan County Notice Request for Proposals Facility Construction Study
Cheboygan County Transit Facility Study RFP
Professional A&E less than $150,000
Addendum A Facility Construction Feasibility Study
Question to Straits Regional Ride from a company interested in submitting a proposal:
Thank you for the opportunity to submit on the Feasibility Study, before we can confirm that we will be submitting we will need you to confirm with your MDOT Manager that the AE firm that performs the Study will be allowed to bid on the AE services needed for the implementation of the study. My understanding is that the FTA procurement guidelines do not allow AE firms that provide services for studies to provide the services necessary to implement the work as they have an unfair advantage.
Answer:
This question raises the issue of unequal access to information. FTA Circular 4220.1F defines unequal access to information as when “The contractor has an unfair competitive advantage through obtaining access to nonpublic information during the performance of an earlier contract.” In this situation, FTA C 4220.1F says FTA would expect Cheboygan County “to identify and evaluate potential organizational conflicts of interest as early in the acquisition process as possible, and avoid, neutralize, or mitigate potential conflicts before contract award.” In the question being asked, the firm conducting the feasibility study could obtain unequal access to non-public information that could be used to the firm’s advantage when competing for future A&E services. Whether that firm would be allowed to compete for the future A&E services would depend largely on how willing the firm was to share information to neutralize or mitigate this.
MDOT is not making the determination on the subject of unequal access, The FTA is.
The following are questions we have regarding the RFP named above.
- Under the Scope of Work on page 2 of the RFP you indicate there is a Transportation Needs Study attached. We did not see a copy of the Study in the RFP. Can we receive a copy of the Transportation Needs Study?
- Under the Scope of Work on page 2 of the RFP you indicate that Cheboygan County may identify a specific site location. Without knowing the specific site location, we would have to make assumptions on setbacks, maximum lot coverage and storm water retention requirements among other things. Should we plan on making assumptions or will the site be identified?
- Under the Scope of Work on page 2 of the RFP you indicate that we are to include estimated environmental site assessment cost. Should we include cost for a Phase One and Phase 2 Environmental Site Assessment?
- Under the Proposed Timeline on page 3 of the RFP you indicate that our work could start as late as February 14, 2024, and should be completed
Attachment Preview
FINAL
REPORT
TRANSPORTATION NEEDS STUDY AND SERVICE PLAN
Submitted to: Cheboygan
County - SRR
Submitted by:
Mp2planning, LLC
May 2023
Cheboygan County/Straits Regional Ride Transportation Needs Study and
Service Plan
Executive Summary
The Consultant for the study, Mp2planning LLC met with Straits Regional Ride and Cheboygan
County administration staff and set up a schedule which would begin the study in October of
2022 and tentatively be completed in April of 2023. The study was completed in May of 2023
and the final report was presented to the Cheboygan County Board of Commissioners on May
23, 2023.
The study began with evaluating the current status and service of the Straits Regional Ride
(SRR). Background info in the study indicated that Regional transit system (Cheboygan,
Emmet, and Presque Isle) formed in 2000 after study by NEMCOG. Cheboygan County acted as
the fiduciary and applicant for funding to the Michigan Department of Transportation and
continues to present as the lead agency. Service began in 2001, encompassing portions of
Emmet, Cheboygan and Presque Isle Counties. Service is overseen by a collaborative board of
the the three counties which is known as the Stairs Regional Transportation Committee. SRR
provides primarily route service and demand response service, and operates Monday through
Friday from 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. SRR’s vehicle fleet is fairly new, and is comprised of 14
vehicles, primarily light duty cutaway buses. Fares are from $4 to $8 per trip, depending on
distance from the City of Cheboygan. Fares are ½ of regular fares for seniors over age 60,
persons with disabilities, and children under 4 years of age.
SRR’s cost per hour was $68.45, which was in the lower portion of peer systems in Northern
Michigan. Its cost per mile was also among the lowest, and it’s annual expenses were the lowest
among peer systems.
SRR has evolved to provide a range of services in three county area. Their costs are reasonable
and in line with other similar providers in Northern Michigan, and ridership has been consistent.
As part of the study, the Consultant initiated a survey of residents, current riders, and the general
public to determine the use and support of transit, primarily in Cheboygan County. The survey
was distributed via mail to property owners who had the option to respond online or by
completing and mailing back. The majority of property owners mailed their responses. Riders
and general public were able to take surveys while on the vehicles via paper survey, or by a QR
code which took them to an online survey. The results for the two groups were kept separate.
The majority of the mail back responses indicated that transit was not used by their household
(92%), but a large majority indicated that affordable transit was supported for seniors and
disabled persons (89%). Over half of the respondents indicated support for a millage or special
assessment for transit service (51.6%).
A higher percentage of general public and rider responses indicated that transit was used (37%),
and a large majority indicated support for a millage or special assessment for transit service
(81.5%).
Service Options
A number of service options were presented with two options; first, using the current regional
operations, and second, placing more emphasis on service within Cheboygan County. Cost and
service delivery options were presented for each of the options and both scenarios. Due to the
current makeup of the system, decisions would have to be made on which model of operations
Cheboygan County wishes to pursue.
Going Forward
The Board of Commissioners can presently determine the amount of transit service in
Cheboygan County. Though Straits Regional Ride was established as a 3-county system,
Cheboygan County is the fiduciary of the system and could commit more funding to support
additional transit services in the County. The County Board could also make the determination to
change its service area to just Cheboygan County and withdraw from Straits Regional Ride and
expand service in Cheboygan County without a significant increase in costs. If expansion in-
county is desired, regardless of whether Cheboygan County remains a part of SRR, a transit
millage may be the best option for the Board to explore, as it would remove the local burden
from the County’s general fund. Alternatively, forming a 196 Authority for just Cheboygan
County could allow for Emmet and Presque Isle Counties to join the Authority at a later date by
providing funding commensurate with Cheboygan’s.
Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 1
2. EXISTING CONDITIONS........................................................................................... 3
Background ..................................................................................................................... 3
Operations ....................................................................................................................... 3
Staff................................................................................................................................. 5
Operations support systems ............................................................................................ 5
Funding ........................................................................................................................... 5
Local Revenues ............................................................................................................... 5
Demographic Information............................................................................................... 8
3. SURVEY RESULTS .................................................................................................. 13
Mail back Survey .......................................................................................................... 13
General Public Survey .................................................................................................. 21
Observations ................................................................................................................. 25
4. SERVICE ANALYSIS ................................................................................................ 26
Route Performance........................................................................................................ 26
Summaries of Route Statistics ...................................................................................... 34
4. FUTURE SERVICE DESIGN AND COST................................................................ 35
Regional Option ............................................................................................................ 35
Cheboygan County Options .......................................................................................... 37
Cost Analysis ................................................................................................................ 44
Finance options ............................................................................................................. 47
Organization Options .................................................................................................... 48
Recommendations......................................................................................................... 48
APPENDIX A: SURVEY FORM .................................................................................... 52
i
1. INTRODUCTION
Straits Regional Ride is conducting a Transportation Needs Study and Service Plan with
funding from the Michigan Department of Transportation. This section provides the
results of the initial data collection effort for the study. The study is being conducted by
Mp2planning working with county staff.
The Straits Regional Ride (SRR) is a multi-county bus system connecting communities in
Cheboygan, Emmet and Presque Isle Counties. Bus stops are located in communities
along the many routes and several of the buses accommodate the transport of bicycles.
The SRR buses run flexible routes with selected stops for your convenience in many
communities along each route. Because routes are subject to change, residents call 24
hours in advance to find out times and locations of a bus stop in your community.
Figure 1 presents the proposed project schedule. Following the schedule, the maps for
each of the current flex routes are presented.
1
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