On-Call Transit Planning Services

CITY OF MADISON
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
RFP #: 15036-0-2026-BG
Title: On-Call Transit Planning Services
City Agency: Metro Transit
Due Date: Friday, August 28th, 2026
2:00 PM Central Time
Our Madison - Inclusive, Innovative, & Thriving

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS RFP 15036-0-2026-BG
1 OPPORTUNITY AND WELCOME
Thank you for your interest in bidding on a City of Madison contract opportunity. The City's mission is to
provide the highest quality service for the common good of our residents and visitors.
The City of Madison Metro Transit is seeking proposals from qualified vendors for On-Call Transit
Planning Services.
Metro Transit, a division of the City of Madison's Department of Transportation, seeks a consultant team
to provide on-call planning and related services on a task order basis for Metro and other parts of the
Department of Transportation. The city expects a multidisciplinary team led by a prime consultant, with
subconsultants that together provide the capabilities required. The city will select one team.
Metro Transit operates under the leadership of the General Manager. Alongside the Parking and Traffic
divisions and a transportation planning team, Metro Transit is part of the Department of Transportation,
led by the Director of Transportation, who reports to the Mayor. The Transportation Commission and
Common Council provide policy oversight. Funding is provided through federal and state sources, local
vehicle registration fees, fare revenues, and the City's General Fund. Service outside of the City of
Madison's municipal boundary, as well as additional service for the University of Wisconsin and Madison
Metropolitan School District, is funded through partnership agreements.
As planning needs arise, the city will define scopes for specific task orders and negotiate fees and
schedules for those individual task orders. Each Task Order must be mutually agreed upon, in writing,
between the city and the consultant and identify the detailed scope of work, schedule and cost for a
specific activity. The number of task orders and the budgets involved are not set and will be determined
based on need.
The on-call contract will be awarded for a three-year period, with a city option for a 1-year extension.
Thank you for considering this opportunity to work with the City and further our mission!
2 IMPORTANT INFORMATION
DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: Friday, August 28th, 2026 at 2:00 PM Central Time.
The City will not accept late proposals. Any changes to the deadlines will be posted as an addendum on
the bid distribution websites listed below. See Section 3.1 for instructions for using these websites.
RFP NAME: On-Call Transit Planning Services
OPTIONAL To be held virtually on August 5th, 2026 at 12:00pm CDT.
PRE-BID The location will be:
https://cityofmadison.zoom.us/j/81171285450?pwd=0M29yrCEM7YitLktU0l67qJSqbrtmg.1
MEETING
DEADLINE The deadline for questions is Monday, August 10th, 2026 at 2:00 PM Central Time.
FOR Questions and/or inquiries must be submitted by email.
QUESTIONS:
CITY'S The City's answers to your questions will be posted as an addendum by Tuesday, August
ANSWERS 18th, 2026. You must check the bid distribution websites for any addendums.
POSTED BY:
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RFP 15036.docx

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS RFP 15036-0-2026-BG
DUE DATE Friday, August 28th, 2026
FOR 2:00 PM Central Time
PROPOSALS:
BID https://vendornet.wi.gov/Bids.aspx
DISTRIBUTION https://www.demandstar.com/
WEBSITES:
Brittany Garcia
Purchasing Services
210 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. Room 407 City-County Building
CONTACT
Madison, WI 53703-3346
INFORMATION:
Phone: (608) 608-243-0529
Email: bids@cityofmadison.com
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RFP 15036.docx

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS RFP 15036-0-2026-BG
Table of Contents
1 OPPORTUNITY AND WELCOME .................................................................................................... i
2 IMPORTANT INFORMATION ........................................................................................................... i
3 HOW TO FIND RFP DOCUMENTS AND CONTACT THE CITY OF MADISON ............................ 1
Official Bid Distribution Websites - IMPORTANT ............................................................... 1
Contact Information ............................................................................................................. 1
4 OUR PURCHASING VALUES ......................................................................................................... 2
Equity in Contracting ........................................................................................................... 2
Equitable Hiring & Affirmative Action Plan .......................................................................... 2
Limitations on Nuclear Weapons Producers ....................................................................... 2
Sweatfree Purchasing ......................................................................................................... 2
5 SCOPE OF WORK AND REQUIRED INFORMATION ................................................................... 3
Scope of Work ..................................................................................................................... 3
Requirements ...................................................................................................................... 5
Required Information and Content of Proposals ................................................................. 5
Basis for Selection .............................................................................................................. 6
6 HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSAL ........................................................................................... 7
Proposal Checklist .............................................................................................................. 7
Submit your Proposal by the Deadline................................................................................ 7
Format ................................................................................................................................. 8
Questions ............................................................................................................................ 8
Addendum (Changes or Clarifications to this RFP) ............................................................ 8
Multiple Proposals ............................................................................................................... 8
Changing or Withdrawing your Proposal ............................................................................ 8
Correcting Errors in your Proposal after the Due Date ....................................................... 8
No Exceptions from Bidders ............................................................................................... 9
You are Responsible for all of your Costs in Making a Proposal ........................................ 9
Public Records and Trade Secrets ..................................................................................... 9
7 RULES FOR THE SELECTION PROCESS .................................................................................. 10
8 LEGAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS ........................................................................................ 11
Sample Contract ............................................................................................................... 11
Affirmative Action Requirements for Contractors .............................................................. 11
Insurance .......................................................................................................................... 11
Sample Contract
Form A: Price Proposal and Signature Affidavit
Form B: References
Form C: Vendor Profile
Form D: FTA and Local Certifications
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REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS RFP 15036-0-2026-BG
3 HOW TO FIND RFP DOCUMENTS AND CONTACT THE CITY OF MADISON
Official Bid Distribution Websites - IMPORTANT
The City of Madison posts all requests for proposals (RFPs), addendums, updates, awards, and
announcements on two websites: VendorNet and DemandStar. Both sites are free to register for City of
Madison bids.
These two websites are the only places to get the official RFP and updates to the RFP.
Updates and addendums will only be posted on these websites. It is your responsibility to check the
websites for updates and "addendums." An addendum is a document that answers questions from
bidders. It could make important changes to the RFP. If the addendum requires a response, and you
fail to respond to it, you could be disqualified.
State of Wisconsin State of Wisconsin and local government bid network. Registration is
VendorNet System free. Search for City of Madison in the Agency search field.
VendorNet link https://vendornet.wi.gov/Bids.aspx
DemandStar by Onvia National bid network. Free subscription is available. Sign up for the
free "Basic Plan" and select Wisconsin Association for Public
Procurement (WAPP) as the agency to access City of Madison RFPs.
DemandStar link https://www.demandstar.com/app/agencies/wisconsin/city-of-madison-
purchasing-services/procurement-opportunities/573ff565-ce2b-4c75-
86ec-401cd5abf736/
Register on DemandStar www.demandstar.com/app/registration
Contact Information
City of Madison Purchasing Brittany Garcia
Contact (Buyer) Purchasing Services
210 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. Room 407 City-County Building
Madison, WI 53703-3346
PH: (608) 608-243-0529
bids@cityofmadison.com
Questions about Affirmative Contract Compliance, Department of Civil Rights
Action Plans 210 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. Room 523 City-County Building
Madison, WI 53703
PH: (608) 266-4910
dcr@cityofmadison.com
Email note Some email to the City gets lost in "spam."
If you send the City an email and you do not hear back within 3 days,
please call the Buyer at (608) 608-243-0529.
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REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS RFP 15036-0-2026-BG
4 OUR PURCHASING VALUES
Equity in Contracting
The mission of the City of Madison is to provide the highest quality service for the common good of our
residents and visitors. The City's values include
* Equity - fairness, justice and equal outcomes for all, and
* Shared prosperity - where all are able to achieve economic success and social mobility.
It is our goal to spend money equitably, including among businesses owned by women, people of color,
and small businesses. Our contractors should reflect shared dedication to equity in their work and
employment practices, and we invite you to become part of this mission!
Equitable Hiring & Affirmative Action Plan
Affirmative Action Plan The City of Madison values diversity in hiring and contracting. We expect our
contractors to do the same. Contractors with 15 or more employees and more than $50,000 in annual
contracts with the City (each calendar year) must submit an Affirmative Action Plan.
Information about the Affirmative Action Plan and how to comply is found here:
https://www.cityofmadison.com/civil-rights/contract-compliance/affirmative-action-plan/vendors-suppliers
Or call the Affirmative Action Division at (608) 266-4910.
See Section 13. B. of the Sample Contract for Affirmative Action Plan requirements.
Job Openings in Dane County You must notify the City of openings for jobs in Dane County, Wisconsin
if you have 15 or more employees. You must agree to interview candidates that we refer to you through
our Referrals and Interviews for Sustainable Employment (RaISE) program. Information is here:
http://www.cityofmadison.com/civil-rights/programs/referrals-and-interviews-for-sustainable-employment-
raise-program
The job posting requirement is found in Section 13 A. of the Sample Contract.
Limitations on Nuclear Weapons Producers
It is the City's policy not to make purchases from companies that produce nuclear weapons, or their
subsidiaries. See Common Council Resolution 79719 for more information.
Sweatfree Purchasing
It is the City's policy not to purchase apparel (clothes made from textiles, shoes, footwear) from vendors
who source their materials from sweatshops, where labor practices are inconsistent with international
standards of human rights. See Madison General Ordinances Section 4.25
(https://library.municode.com/wi/madison/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=COORMAWIVOICH1--
10_CH4FI_4.25PRITAP) for more information.
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REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS RFP 15036-0-2026-BG
5 SCOPE OF WORK AND REQUIRED INFORMATION
Scope of Work
Work within the scope of these planning services may include:
1. Transit planning
a. Analysis of transit demand
b. Transit service planning and development of alternatives for fixed route service, including
refinements of existing routes, new service areas, and service reduction or expansion
scenarios, including costs and fiscal impact
c. Complementary ADA paratransit planning
d. Planning of on-demand and other flexible service models
e. Implementation support for experimental and demonstration services
f. Transit corridor planning, including corridor identification and high-level concept-level
planning
g. Analysis of access modes and routes
h. Ridership forecasting
i. Implementation plans
j. Fixed route service scheduling
k. Fleet and maintenance planning
2. Data analysis
a. Analysis of ridership, speed, reliability, and service data, including data from CAD/AVL
systems, as well as other transportation data
b. GIS programming, coding, and scripting to support analyses and communications
c. Development of new apps, dashboards, or other tools to communicate adherence to its
performance objectives
3. Infrastructure planning
a. Inventories of bus stops and facilities
b. Concept-level design of transit priority, roadways and intersections
c. Transit stop location studies
d. Plans for the improvement of bus stops
e. Plans for end-of-line facilities
f. Evaluation and assessment of ADA standards
g. High-level feasibility assessments
h. Support for NEPA processes
4. Pedestrian/Bike Planning
a. Pedestrian and bike network planning
b. Station and stop access planning
c. First mile/last-mile connection strategies
5. Neighborhood and land use planning
a. Transit-oriented development planning
b. Neighborhood and district plans
c. Land use plans
d. Conceptual urban design for stop areas
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REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS RFP 15036-0-2026-BG
e. Economic analysis of TOD potential
6. Reporting and tracking
a. Performance-Based Planning targets, data tracking systems, and reports.
b. Reviewing and updating Title VI plans and related data collection and reporting systems.
c. Update of Transit Asset Management Plan and State of Good Repair strategy.
d. Update of Safety Plan, Public Transit Agency Safety Plan, Risk Management System,
and performance tracking systems.
e. Responding to expanded National Transit Database (NTD) reporting requirements and
other federal reporting.
f. Ride checks for validation of passenger counters and other systems
g. Support for the Federal Transit Administration's Triennial Review processes
h. Preparation of grant applications
7. Organizational planning
a. Validation and calibration of financial models
b. Development of alternate economic forecast scenarios and recommendations.
c. Analysis of and recommendations for governance structure and funding
d. Assessment of organizational needs and tools
e. Process improvement
f. Review and development of development of standard operating procedures
g. Facilitation of work planning and organizational improvement
h. Support for staff engagement efforts
i. Development of contract structures, methodologies, and terms for partner agreements
j. Evaluation, analysis, management framework, programs and project identification,
procedures, and policy development for fixed route, BRT, and paratransit service.
k. Development of operations and maintenance plans
8. Public outreach
a. Design and implementation of community outreach and education campaigns.
b. Design and deployment of telephone, mail-in, and/or internet surveys with analysis,
report, and documentation
c. Design and deployment of on-board rider surveys and origin-destination surveys with
analysis, report, and documentation
d. Focus group design and implementation
e. Creation of materials for public meetings and other outreach in multiple languages
f. Staffing of public meetings and other events
g. Creation of reports
9. Training
a. Training of staff in transit best practices, technologies, tools, procedures, policy, and
regulatory requirements
No engineering or architecture design work will be done under this contract.
The consultant team will bring national experience and specialized expertise, while City staff will play an
integral role given their knowledge of local conditions. Responsibilities will be shared, with specific roles
defined in the project work plan and individual task orders.
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REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS RFP 15036-0-2026-BG
Requirements
The consultant team must demonstrate:
* Experience performing the services listed in this scope
* Experience working with transit agencies and cities of a similar scale and character
* Strong technical capability, including the use of software, tools, and data to support analysis and
decision-making
* Experience working with the Federal Transit Administration and meeting federal requirements
* A multidisciplinary team including planners, outreach specialists, economic/financial analysts, and
data specialists
* The ability to respond to task orders in a timely manner and manage multiple assignments
concurrently
* The ability to collaborate with City of Madison staff across multiple departments in a variety of
ways depending on the needs of each task order
* The ability to perform site visits and attend meetings in person; advance notice will typically be
provided, with flexibility for occasional short notice needs
* The ability to quickly understand and apply local context, constraints, and community needs
* A knowledge of national best practices and peer agencies, with the ability to apply them
appropriately to Madison
* The ability to bring new ideas and innovative approaches
The Consultant will:
* Provide a single Point of Contact to provide overall contract management, including coordination,
invoicing, and receive and respond to task order requests
* Assign an appropriate task lead to manage each task order and appropriate staff from the prime
consultant and/or subconsultants
* Provide regular status updates on all task orders
* Perform quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) on all deliverables prior to submission
Required Information and Content of Proposals
Applications should be as thorough and detailed as possible so that the City may properly evaluate your
capabilities to provide the required services; however, proposals may not exceed 30 pages. Responses
must be organized into the sections shown below, in the order shown, with each section numbered as
shown. Covers, dividers, resumes, and forms are not counted towards the 30-page limit.
1. Project Firm Experience. (20%)
a. Provide a brief profile for each firm on the team. Detail the firm's local presence and
which locations will be working on the project.
b. Describe at least 3 relevant projects including tasks under an on-call contract for transit
planning that demonstrate the team's qualifications for this work, including demonstrating
management projects of similar size and scope. Provide contact information for
references for clients on at least three relevant projects in Form B
in Section 5.
2. Project Team Qualifications (20%)
a. Provide resumes for key project team members. Resumes will not count toward the
30-page limit.
b. Provide an organizational chart and describe the roles of each member.
c. Provide assurance that the team members shown will be committed to the project.
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REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS RFP 15036-0-2026-BG
3. Project Understanding (15%)
a. Demonstrate an understanding of Madison and Metro Transit planning and operations
and how your team would approach Madison's challenges.
4.Approach to planning on-call (15%)
a. Describe approach to task orders - team formation, management, communication,
integration with staff.
5. Submit the forms shown in Section 6.1. These are not counted towards the 30 page limit.
Basis for Selection
Project Firm Experience 20%
Project Team Qualifications 20%
Approach to planning on-call 15%
Project Understanding 15%
Cost 30%
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