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1 <br /> ORANGE COUNTY <br /> BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br /> Meeting Date: March 24, 2020 <br /> Action Agenda <br /> Item No. 8-e <br /> SUBJECT: Orange County Transit Plan (OCTP) Update Award of Contract <br /> DEPARTMENT: Manager's Office, Planning & <br /> Inspections <br /> ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: <br /> 1. Contract Travis Myren, Deputy County Manager, <br /> 2. Request for Qualifications (RFQ) — 919-245-2308 <br /> Page 9 Craig Benedict, Planning & Inspections <br /> Director, 919-245-2592 <br /> PURPOSE: To award a consultant contract to update the 2017 Orange County Transit Plan. <br /> BACKGROUND: Orange County, with its local and regional transit partners, created adopted <br /> transit plans in 2012 and 2017 (with amendments). The financial basis of these plans was to <br /> augment transit service related to enabling legislation and a county referendum to create <br /> revenue in the form of/2 cent transit tax and vehicle registration and rental fees in 2011. <br /> The existing 2017 plan included the Durham-Orange Light Rail (LRT) proposal, which was <br /> discontinued last year. <br /> In light of the absence of the LRT project, a new transit plan path forward process was <br /> developed last fall to include the hiring of a transit consultant. A countywide transit team (over <br /> 20 people) including local governments, Triangle J Council of Governments, GoTriangle, and <br /> the MPO was informally created to assist in the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) document and <br /> eventual screening of the applicants by a smaller group. <br /> The evaluation team (4 people) heard formal presentations from all three potential vendors and <br /> their sub-consultants and unanimously chose Renaissance Planning Group LP and three sub <br /> consultants; Jarett Walker and Associates, Irma McClaurin Solutions, and Bilingual <br /> Communications. The County's procurement policies are fulfilled by these consultants. <br /> References were checked and found to be positive for the chosen vendors. <br /> The scope of services is extensive and includes the evaluation of existing service, future service <br /> in light of LRT discontinue, outreach, working with the OCTP Policy Steering Committee (PSC), <br /> identifying financial sustainability and, as importantly, the regional connectivity element. This <br /> last element will be coordinated with Durham, Wake, and other adjacent counties in the transit <br />