Skagit River Park Master Plan

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)

Skagit River Park Master Plan

Anchor Outdoor Sports, Events, and Recreation Facilities

Issued by: City of Burlington, Washington

RFP Number: RFP 2026-001

Issue Date: April 24, 2026

Proposal Due Date: May 26, 2026, 4:00 p.m. PDT

Pre-Proposal Meeting: May 5, 2026, 10:00 a.m. PDT via Zoom

Link: https://zoom.us/j/95914573051

Webinar ID: 959 1457 3051

Contacts: Sarah Ward, Enrichment Services Director

sarahw@burlingtonwa.gov

215.208.0508

Andy Parks, Interim City Administrator

andyp@burlingtonwa.gov

541.913.9779

1. INTRODUCTION AND PROJECT BACKGROUND

The City of Burlington, Washington, invites qualified consultant teams to submit proposals for the preparation of a comprehensive Skagit River Park Master Plan. Burlington is strategically located on Interstate 5, approximately one hour north of the Seattle metropolitan area and 90 minutes south of the Vancouver, British Columbia metropolitan area. This prime I-5 corridor location provides access to a combined market population exceeding 7 million residents within a three-hour drive.

The 80-acre Skagit River Park Sports Complex currently hosts numerous summer tournaments and community events, serving soccer, lacrosse, baseball, softball, and other field sports requiring large, flat grass surfaces. However, the park’s natural-turf fields require periodic rest for recovery and become unusable during wet weather, limiting tournament scheduling and overall utilization.

Sports tourism is viewed as a key driver for economic success for the City of Burlington and the surrounding Skagit Valley region. Burlington and the immediately surrounding area offer a robust inventory of hotel and motel accommodations, including major chains such as Hampton Inn & Suites, La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham, Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites, Comfort Suites, and others, providing convenient lodging for tournament participants and visitors.

The City seeks a visionary, phased Master Plan that transforms Skagit River Park into a premier anchor outdoor sports and events facility capable of supporting regional and national tournaments, multi-sport athletic events, musical concerts, festivals, and other large public gatherings. The City will collaborate closely with key partners including the Skagit Tourism Bureau, Burlington Edison School District, cities of Mount Vernon, Sedro-Woolley and Anacortes and Skagit County.

Project Budget: $150,000 (all-inclusive, including reimbursables).

Project Oversight: Mayor’s Office, with primary support from the City Administrator and Enrichment Services Director.

The Master Plan will provide a defensible, actionable roadmap for future improvements that balances sports-tourism opportunities with local community access, environmental constraints, equity, and long-term fiscal sustainability. The resulting plan and supporting studies must withstand rigorous scrutiny by state and federal granting agencies, auditors, and elected officials.

2. PROJECT OBJECTIVES

The Master Plan must deliver a realistic, phased development strategy that:

• Maximizes year-round usability through turf conversion, drainage improvements, lighting, and weather mitigation.

• Supports multi-sport programming (soccer, lacrosse, baseball, softball, and flexible flat-field uses).

• Incorporates complementary amenities for concerts, festivals, and large gatherings. • Provides an objective (non-outcome-driven) assessment of market demand and economic impacts.

• Includes detailed operating and maintenance cost projections.

• Ensures long-term sustainability, environmental stewardship, equity, ADA accessibility, community balance between resident use and tournament activity, and grant-ready deliverables.

3. SCOPE OF SERVICES

The selected consultant shall provide all professional services necessary to complete the Master Plan within the proposed fixed fee. Scope is organized in five phases with mandatory City approval gates before proceeding (to eliminate overlap risks and lock assumptions). Proposers may suggest minor refinements.

Phase 1 – Existing Conditions & Visioning (Weeks 1-10)

• Comprehensive site analysis (topography, environmental constraints).

• Mandatory regulatory integration: Consultant shall explicitly assess and map constraints under the Washington Shoreline Management Act (SMA), SEPA, FEMA floodplain regulations, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers requirements, wetlands, riparian buffers, and all applicable local critical-areas ordinances.

• Stakeholder engagement (see Section 4 below).

Phase 2 – Community & Stakeholder Engagement (Weeks 4-12, concurrent with Phase 1 data collection only)

• Minimum of: (1) online survey (minimum 500 responses targeted), (2) two (2) in-person public workshops, (3) one (1) virtual stakeholder focus-group session, and (4) targeted interviews with sports organizations, residents, and equity-focus groups.

• Facilitated (not merely presented) sessions. All materials and summaries provided to City for review.

Phase 3 – Market Analysis & Objective Economic Assessment (Weeks 7-16, overlaps Phase 2 only; complete by December 15, 2026)

The consultant shall conduct an independent, objective sports-tourism market analysis and economic-impact evaluation using industry-standard, transparent methodologies (e.g., IMPLAN or equivalent). The analysis shall not be framed or scoped to “justify” capital investment. Instead, it must:

• Establish a credible “no-build / minimal-build” baseline. • Present at minimum three scenarios: conservative (base), moderate, and high (with explicit justification and sensitivity analysis on all key variables).

• Rely on defensible, peer-reviewed comparables from similar Pacific Northwest river-adjacent sports facilities.

• Quantify incremental (not gross) demand and impacts only.

• Include full documentation of assumptions, data sources, and limitations so findings can withstand grant-agency and auditor review.

• Deliver the complete model, spreadsheets, and data sets in native, editable format.

Phase 4 – Conceptual Master Plan & Phasing (Weeks 17-28)

• Alternative development concepts (up to three at 10% design level) that fully integrate regulatory constraints identified in Phase 1.

• Recommended phased implementation plan (short-, mid-, long-term).

• Conceptual designs for turf conversion, additional fields, spectator amenities, event infrastructure, parking, and multi-use spaces.

• High-level order-of-magnitude capital cost opinions (±30% Class C), phased implementation plan, and funding strategy (explicitly formatted for state/federal grant applications).

• High-level operating & maintenance pro-formas (10-year horizon, conservative assumptions).

Phase 5 – Final Master Plan & Implementation Tools (Weeks 29-34)

• Polished final Master Plan document with renderings, cost opinions, and phasing schedule.

• Prioritized capital improvement program.

• Draft design guidelines and maintenance standards.

• One formal presentation to City Council and public.

Approval Gates: City must provide written approval of Phase 1 Existing Conditions Report and Phase 2 Engagement Summary before consultant proceeds to detailed analysis or concept development.

4. REQUIRED CONSULTANT TEAM EXPERTISE & QUALIFICATIONS

The City seeks a multi-disciplinary prime consultant team with demonstrated experience preparing master plans for comparable anchor outdoor sports and events facilities. Required expertise includes:

• Lead Consultant / Project Manager – Minimum 10 years’ experience leading park/sports complex master plans.

• Sports Facility Designers – Proven work on multi-sport tournament venues.

• Sports Tourism & Economic Consultants – Expertise in objective feasibility studies and economic impact analysis for tournament facilities.

• Turf & Drainage Specialists – Experience converting natural turf to synthetic or hybrid systems and managing wet-weather playability.

• Financial/Economic Analysts – Operating cost modeling and funding strategy development.

Minimum Qualifications (Prime and all subconsultants):

• At least three (3) comparable master-plan projects completed in the last seven (7) years, preferably involving natural-to-synthetic turf conversion and tournament-level facilities.

• Strong familiarity with Pacific Northwest climate, I-5 corridor market dynamics, and Washington State public-procurement requirements.

• All team members must be licensed/registered in Washington where required.

5. DELIVERABLES

All deliverables scaled to proposed fixed fee:

• Existing Conditions Report (including regulatory constraints map).

• Engagement Summary Report.

• Objective Market & Economic Assessment Report (with full model).

• Three conceptual alternatives + one preferred Master Plan (PDF and GIS).

• Limited visualization: Three to five (3-5) high-quality perspective renderings or 3D views only.

• Capital cost opinions (±30%), O&M pro-formas, and implementation/funding matrix explicitly formatted for grant use.

• Digital master plan document suitable for public distribution and future RFP/procurement.

Ownership: All data, models, and deliverables become sole property of the City of Burlington. Consultant grants perpetual license for grant, bond, and implementation use.

6. PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS & FORMAT

Proposals must be submitted electronically in PDF format via the City’s designated procurement portal or email (as specified in addenda). Limit total response to 25 pages (excluding resumes, examples, and forms).

Required sections:

1. Cover Letter (1 page).

2. Team Qualifications & Experience (include 3–5 relevant projects with client references).

3. Project Approach & Work Plan (address phased scope, innovation, risk identification, and realism within budget).

4. Team Organization & Resumes.

5. Cost Proposal (lump-sum or not-to-exceed fee by phase; separate reimbursables).

6. Required Forms (see Section 8).

7. EVALUATION CRITERIA (TOTAL 100 POINTS)

Criteria	Points
Qualifications & Relevant Experience	35
Project Approach & Understanding (including scope-to-fee realism and risk management)	30
Team Composition & Local Knowledge	15
Cost Proposal & Value	10
References & Past Performance	10

The City reserves the right to conduct interviews with short-listed firms. Lowest price alone will not determine award; best value to the City will govern.

8. SCHEDULE (TENTATIVE)

• RFP Issued: April 24, 2026

• Pre-Proposal Meeting: May 5, 2026, 10:00 a.m. PDT via Zoom

• Proposals Due: May 26, 2026, 4:00 p.m. PDT

• Short-List Notifications: June 2, 2026

• Interviews (if held): June 16-17, 2026

• Contract Award: June 25, 2026

• Notice to Proceed: July 1, 2026

• Final Master Plan Delivery: February 28, 2027

9. CITY OF BURLINGTON PROCUREMENT REQUIREMENTS & TERMS

This RFP is issued under Burlington Municipal Code Chapter 2.84 (Procurement). Key requirements include:

• Non-Discrimination / Equal Opportunity – Proposers must comply with all federal, state, and local laws.

• Insurance – Minimum $2M general liability; professional liability; auto; workers’ comp (certificate required upon award).

• Washington State Business License – Required.

• Conflict of Interest – Disclosure required.

• Public Records – All proposals become public records upon award (redact proprietary information per RCW 42.56).

• Contract – Award will be based on best value; City reserves right to reject any or all proposals.

• Addenda – All changes issued in writing only.

10. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Submit one (1) electronic PDF to: jenniferr@burlingtonwa.gov

Subject Line: RFP 2026-001 – Skagit River Park Master Plan

Questions due by end of the day May 10, 2026. All questions and answers will be posted as addenda on the City website.

The City of Burlington reserves the right to waive minor irregularities, reject any or all proposals, or cancel this RFP at any time.

Approved by: Mayor Bill Aslett City of Burlington

Thank you for your interest in enhancing Skagit River Park for the benefit of Burlington and the greater Northwest region.

Attachments (to be provided with final RFP packet):

• Site maps and aerials of Skagit River Park

• Current tournament schedule

• Relevant Comprehensive Plan excerpts

• Sample professional services agreement