Professional Planning Consultant Services

The City of East Orange, located in Essex County, New Jersey, is actively seeking proposals from highly qualified, licensed, and certified individuals or firms to provide specialized Professional Planning consulting services. This comprehensive engagement requires expertise in a broad range of areas, including intricate land use planning, strategic redevelopment planning within designated Redevelopment Areas, and extensive community development initiatives suchoring, public outreach, and active public engagement. A critical component of the scope involves assisting with the timely update of the City's Master Plan, alongside providing essential Affordable Housing services and contributing to economic development strategies. The selected consultant will be pivotal in advising the Mayor, City Council, Planning Board, and Zoning Board commissioners on planning matters influencing the City's physical growth, including recommending necessary changes to the City's Zoning Ordinance. Services will be procured on an as-needed basis, demanding the ability to prepare Area Investigations and Redevelopment Plans, offer professional planning testimony to land use boards, and provide ongoing advisory support to the Department of Policy, Planning and Development staff. Prospective contractors must meet stringent mandatory minimum professional qualifications, including holding a valid Professional Planners (PP) license issued by the State of New Jersey and possessing certification from the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP). Firms are required to demonstrate a minimum of ten (10) years of extensive experience in providing land use planning, economic and community development, and redevelopment planning services, specifically emphasizing prior engagements with other governmental entities. Applicants must also possess a deep knowledge of planning and redevelopment initiatives particular to the City of East Orange. Essential submission requirements include detailing the education, qualifications, experience, and titles of all key personnel assigned to the engagement, providing samples of previous work in relevant planning areas, and furnishing contact information for at least three municipal clients who have received similar services within the past five years. A valid New Jersey Business Registration Certificate is also a mandatory prerequisite for all submissions. Complete proposals must be submitted in the specified format: one (1) bound original, two (2) physical copies, and a digital file of qualifications. Submissions are to be addressed to the City of East Orange, Procurement Division, 44 City Hall Plaza, East Orange, NJ 07018, marked for the attention of Racquel C. Ferguson, QPA, Purchasing Agent. Required proposal contents include a detailed description of professional planning experience with municipalities, particularly urban environments, a corporate ownership statement, firm's operating history, disclosure of any judgments or bankruptcy, comprehensive resumes of project staff, a 2022 Fee Schedule, copies of all licenses and certifications (PP and AICP), an Affirmative Action Statement, a Non-Collusion Affidavit, one-page project profiles, and detailed reference information. Successful proposers will be required to submit proof of General Liability (Errors and Omissions) insurance with minimum limits of $1,000,000 per claim and $3,000,000 aggregate upon contract award. The definitive deadline for proposal submission is **Tuesday, April 5, 2022, at 12:00 p.m.** No specific bid security or performance bonds are required as part of the initial proposal submission.