Request for Proposals: Stakeholder Engagement and Transit Oriented Development Supportive Strategies

Knoxville-Knox County Planning (Planning) is soliciting proposals from qualified firms for assistance in engaging stakeholders and providing Transit Oriented Development (TOD) planning expertise in the City of Knoxville (COK).

Request for Proposals

Submissions

Proposals are due Tuesday, October 1, 2024 by 4:30 pm EST and can be submitted electronically. More detailed instructions are outlined in a later section of this document.

Questions

Questions or inquiries about the proposal are to be made in writing (email) prior to September 20, 2024, and answers may be posted to the website. Origin of the questions will not be identified.

Please direct questions via email to Doug Burton at doug.burton@knoxplanning.org.

Mobility Plan 2050 Update

The Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) is a federally required organization that is responsible for the transportation planning process in Knox County and parts of Anderson, Blount, Loudon, Roane and Sevier counties.

We recently began an update to our long-range transportation plan, Mobility Plan 2050, which will examine the current state of transportation in and around the Knoxville region and make recommendations for future investments. Regional transportation planning involves roads, public transportation, sidewalks and bicycle paths, and freight movement (rail, water, or air), all of which will be considered for update under Mobility Plan 2050. To better understand how these modes can be accommodated, the planning process looks at  job forecasts, commuting patterns, congestion trends, crash patterns, pedestrian and bicycle facilities, transit use, and more.

We encourage community feedback throughout the update, as it guides the decisions we make and the transportation projects that are prioritized. Each person in our region has unique needs and interacts with transportation differently, and we want to know the transportation issues you face.

Our first round of community engagement concluded in February, after receiving feedback from a survey, an interactive map, and community meetings. The findings from those efforts have been published in an Outreach Summary.

As the update to Mobility Plan 2050 is set to conclude in May 2025, there is still an opportunity to provide input.  The public is encouraged to continue taking the survey and commenting on the interactive map and to share these opportunities with others. Information regarding future community engagement meetings and update announcements will be available at knoxmobility.org.

Request for Proposals: Knoxville MSA Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Regional Outreach Consultant

We are soliciting proposals to conduct outreach throughout the Knoxville MSA in association with a Climate Pollution Reduction Grant issued by the United Stated Environmental Protection Agency. Additional information can be found within the document below.

Request for Proposals

Submissions

Proposals are due March 15, 2024 by 4:30 p.m. EST and can be submitted electronically.

Questions

Ally Ketron
Strategic Planning and Communications Manager
Knoxville-Knox County Planning
865-215-3234
ally.ketron@knoxplanning.org

Questions and Responses
Questions received by the March 4 deadline, as well as staff responses, can be found below. 

Question: What portion of the $1 million grant is designated as the budget for the Regional Outreach Consultant to be chosen in this RFP process?
If possible, could you please supply a budget ceiling or estimated cost range. We can imagine different cost scenarios to complete the work but don’t want to risk being too comprehensive with our approach and proposing a budget that is beyond what TPO is expecting/has planned for. We could also prepare 2-3 budget scenarios that are somewhat tiered in what we could do or offer (e.g., budgets with and without software/other things that can be omitted/extracted; different types and number of outreach events for different populations, etc.).

Answer: The City of Knoxville contracted with Knoxville-Knox County Planning for regional outreach throughout the MSA. The total amount of that contract was $350,000, though the total amount designated for an outreach consultant will be less than the total contract amount. The final budget for the outreach consultant will be dependent on the scope of work proposed. We encourage respondents to assign costs to each task so that the budget can be adjusted if necessary during refinement of the scope.

Question: Are you looking for letters of support from partnering organizations?
Answer: Letters of support from partnering organizations are welcomed but not required.

Question: If there are only a couple of applicants, we are open to partnering with other organizations/sharing work. Is there an opportunity for this?
Answer: We are unable to comment on potential partnerships between applicants prior to seeing full responses.

Question: Are the tasks included in the scope of work expected to be performed in the order given?
Answer: There will likely be overlap of the tasks listed within the scope of work, and the consultant does not have to complete them in the order listed.

Question: Will the PCAP be completed and available to share with respondents to the RFP before the deadline of March 15?
Answer: The PCAP was submitted to the EPA on March 1, 2024 and was posted on the Breathe website on March 5, 2024.

Question: The RFP states “Proposals should provide a schedule for accomplishing all tasks for Phase II related to the CCAP.” Is there no outreach required by respondents to the RFP for Phase I?
Answer: Phase I, or the Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP), was the first deliverable due under the planning grant and was submitted to the EPA on March 1, 2024. This effort included outreach to stakeholders, identification of LIDAC communities, and a general plan for future outreach during the CCAP. Because the PCAP has already been submitted, respondents do not need to incorporate the phase into their responses.

Question: Does Knoxville MSA/Knoxville-Knox County Planning currently work with an agency? If so, is that agency anticipated to respond?
Answer: Knoxville-Knox County Planning does not currently work with an agency.

Question: Do we need to be an existing vendor?
Answer: You do not need to be an existing vendor in order to submit a proposal.

Question: Which population segments do you wish to survey? How are they defined?
Answer: Low-income and disadvantaged communities (LIDACs) will be a focus of outreach efforts. The PCAP includes a list of measures aimed at reducing GHG pollution throughout the Knoxville MSA region, and aims to provide 40% of the benefits of the measures to LIDACs identified through the federal Justice40 Initiative in Executive Order 14008. Additional population segments will also be surveyed.

Question: Should the response include scope and cost associated with fielding, analyzing, and reporting on the survey results or only the development of a proposed tool and approach for distribution?
Answer: The response should include a full scope and all costs associated with surveys, which may include tools, distribution, fielding, analyzing, and reporting.

Question: Is the expectation that subsequent surveys would be tracking surveys to measure changes in awareness and perception, or would subsequent surveys have unique goals?
Answer: While it is likely that there would be more than one survey with unique goals, there is not a defined expectation at this point. Planning would look for guidance on additional surveys and whether tracking is beneficial. If scope and budget is dependent on the type of survey, that should be noted in the proposal. 

Question: Are you open to other recommendations for capturing target population input to inform the development of communications tools and content and to identify trusted community groups? 
Answer: Knoxville-Knox County Planning welcomes all ideas, recommendations, and best-practices suggested by respondents to engage in this work throughout the region.


TPO Adopts Regional Roadway Safety Action Plan

The TPO completed work in June on a Regional Roadway Safety Action Plan. This plan is the first of its kind for the Knoxville region. It builds on the work we’ve been doing for years to analyze, share, and put to use traffic crash data. It also recognizes the movement across the U.S., including within the U.S. Department of Transportation, to take a Safe System approach to traffic violence. The Safe System approach acknowledges that humans make mistakes, and that deaths and serious injuries are not acceptable and can be prevented.

The safety plan serves as a blueprint for the TPO and our partners as we work toward the ambitious goal of reducing fatalities and serious injuries in our region by two-thirds by the year 2045. 

The plan process included a regional survey, which found that:

  • 92% of respondents were willing to add at least a few minutes to their commute in order to achieve safer streets
  • 90% supported creating more sidewalks and high-visibility street crossings to make walking safer in our region
  • 86% favored adding Complete Streets elements such as bikeways, street trees, and lighting to our roadways
  • 76% supported removing traffic lanes and/or on-street parking to help create Complete Streets
  • 53% favored reducing speed limits to boost roadway safety

The plan identifies projects, strategies and action steps that the TPO and our partners can take to reduce and, ultimately, eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries. 
Members of the public play a role as well. Drivers can seek out education, such as driver’s ed for young drivers and this class for teens offered by the Knoxville Police Department, classes through AAA and AARP for experienced drivers, and classes offered by Bike Walk Knoxville. Drivers can also explore other ways to get around – including transit, carpooling, and bicycling – through Smart Trips. And bicyclists – or those curious about bicycling – can learn about riding safely with tipsheets, videos and links to local classes through the League of American Bicyclists.

Request for Qualifications for Travel Demand Forecasting Model Update Services

Knoxville-Knox County Planning, an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer, is soliciting qualifications from professional consultant/engineering firms in relation to “Travel Demand Forecasting Model Update Services”. The purpose of this effort is to result in selection of a consultant to perform multiple services under separate task orders for progressive updates to the travel demand forecasting model used by the Knoxville Regional TPO staff for various transportation planning purposes.

Applications are due to Knoxville-Knox County Planning on or before 4:00 p.m. EDT on Friday, July 21, 2023. More information is available at knoxplanning.org/rfq.

Public Review and Comment Period for Air Quality Conformity Determination on Amendments to the Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization FY 2023 – 2026 Transportation Improvement Program

The Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) announces a 30-day public review and comment period (March 27, 2023 through April 25, 2022) for amendments to the FY2023 – 2026 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) involving existing project ID’s #23-2014-025 (Pellissippi Pkwy Extension) and #23-2020-005 (Foothills Mall Dr Extension Ph. 2). The TPO is soliciting public comments on the Air Quality Conformity Determination made for this amendment package. You are invited to comment by phone, email or in-person at 400 Main Street, Suite 403, Knoxville, TN. Additionally, public comments may be made at the TPO Technical Committee meeting on Tuesday, April 11, 2023 held at 9 a.m. in the Small Assembly Room of the City-County Building, 400 Main Street, Knoxville, TN. Comments can be made to Mike Conger at 865-215-3813 or at Mike.Conger@knoxtpo.org.

Short Conformity Report for April 2023 Knoxville Regional TPO TIP Amendments

Transit Program of Projects Public Hearing Scheduled

The Executive Board of the Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) will hold a Public Hearing at its regular meeting on Wednesday, April 26, 2023 at 9:00 a.m. in the Small Assembly Room of the City-County Building, 400 Main Street, Knoxville, Tennessee, for the purpose of considering public comment both written and oral on the proposed Program of Projects (POP) funded by Fiscal Year 2023 Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Section 5307 Urbanized Area Formula, Section 5339 Bus & Bus Facilities, and Section 5310 Enhanced Mobility for Seniors & Individuals with Disabilities grant funds.

The City of Knoxville is the designated recipient of the Section 5307 & 5339 funds.  Knoxville Knox County Planning is the designated recipient of the Section 5310 funds.  The times established for public review and for allowing public comment on the POP follow the TPO’s Transportation Improvement Plan public involvement process.  If there are no changes, the POP will be considered final. 

Proposed Program of Projects

Interested persons, agencies, and private transportation providers are encouraged to participate.  To be mailed or faxed a copy of the POP or to provide comments contact Doug Burton at 400 Main Street, Suite 403, Knoxville, TN 37902 or at (865) 215-3824 or at doug.burton@knoxtpo.org.  Comments must be submitted by 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 25, 2023 to be read during the meeting.   

Call for Projects: Federal Transit Administration, Knoxville Urban Area Section 5310 Funding

The TPO is soliciting projects to be funded through the FTA Section 5310-Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities Program.  Projects can include both operating services and vehicle purchases.  Non-profits who serve the elderly or persons who are disabled may be eligible to apply for funding for vehicles to serve their clients.  Projects are selected through a competitive process.  The TPO Executive Board determines final awards.  Funding is through Knoxville-Knox County Planning, the contracting agency for the TPO.      

Submissions

Submit applications and/or supplemental materials below by 4:00 p.m. EST on Friday, April 21, 2023

Application Submissions

Questions or concerns

Mr. Doug Burton
Knoxville Regional TPO
400 Main Street, Suite 403 – Knoxville, TN 37902
865-215-3824 or doug.burton@knoxtpo.org

Check this site frequently for updates.