EXPRESSION OF INTEREST
MULTI-PURPOSE AGRICULTURAL FACILITY
PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITY
TRANSPORTATION AND AGRICULTURE SERVICES
EOI # 15.0132
Issued:
Date:
November 2nd, 2015
A hardcopy submittal will only be accepted by:
Strathcona County
Transportation and Agriculture Services
370 Streambank Avenue
Sherwood Park AB T8H 1N1
Attention: Kelsey Douglas
Closing:
Date:
Time:
December 11th, 2015
14:00:00 Hours, Alberta Time
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Table of Contents
Invitation ....................................................................................................................................................... 4
Overview and Objectives .............................................................................................................................. 4
Background ............................................................................................................................................... 4
Project Principles ...................................................................................................................................... 5
County Expectations for the Partnership Expression of Interest.............................................................. 5
User Partnerships .................................................................................................................................. 5
Funding Partnerships ............................................................................................................................ 6
Operating Partnerships ......................................................................................................................... 7
General Information About Potential Partners .................................................................................... 7
Timing and Key Dates.................................................................................................................................... 8
Submission Requirements ............................................................................................................................ 8
Issuing Office ............................................................................................................................................. 8
Contents of Submission ............................................................................................................................ 8
Submission Outline ................................................................................................................................... 9
Instructions to Proponents ........................................................................................................................... 9
Eligibility .................................................................................................................................................... 9
Receipt of Complete EOI ........................................................................................................................... 9
Addenda .................................................................................................................................................... 9
Inquiries .................................................................................................................................................... 9
No Assignment or Sub-Contracting......................................................................................................... 10
Confidentiality ......................................................................................................................................... 10
Limitation of Liability .............................................................................................................................. 10
EOI Validity .............................................................................................................................................. 10
Evaluation of Submissions .......................................................................................................................... 10
Evaluation Committee ............................................................................................................................ 10
Proponent Interviews ............................................................................................................................. 10
Evaluation Criteria................................................................................................................................... 10
General conditions ...................................................................................................................................... 11
No Contract ............................................................................................................................................. 11
Proponents Costs and Expenses ............................................................................................................. 11
No Claims ................................................................................................................................................ 11
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Accuracy of Information ......................................................................................................................... 11
Irregularities ............................................................................................................................................ 11
Appendices.................................................................................................................................................. 12
Appendix A: Strathcona County Multi-Purpose Agricultural Facility Feasibility Study (2013) ............... 12
Appendix B: Partnership Opportunity Profile (2015).............................................................................. 12
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Invitation
Strathcona County is inviting the submission of Expressions of Interest for potential partnership
opportunities associated with the development of a Multi-Purpose Agricultural Facility in Strathcona
County, Alberta.
Sealed submissions will be received until 14:00:00 hours Alberta time (MST) on December 11, 2015 by:
Strathcona County
Transportation and Agriculture Services
Strathcona Public Service Yard
370 Streambank Avenue
Sherwood Park, Alberta T8A 3W7
ATTN: Kelsey Douglas
Submissions will be accepted at the Transportation and Agriculture Services office between 8:30 a.m.
and 12:00 p.m., and1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. All submissions should be clearly marked “Multi-Purpose
Agricultural Facility Partnership Opportunity EOI #15.0132”. Any submissions received after the closing
date and time, whether by mail or otherwise, will be return without consideration.
Overview and Objectives
Background
Strathcona County is a specialized municipality covering an area of 1,265 square kilometres. It includes
an urban centre- Sherwood Park, and the surrounding rural territory with eight hamlets, acreage
developments, farms and two airports. Agriculture remains an important part of the County’s economic
and cultural fabric, as reflected through the number of agriculture related recreation and social activities
which take place in its boundaries each year.
On January 20, 2015, Strathcona County Council accepted the Strathcona County Multi-Purpose
Agricultural Facility Feasibility Study, which was conducted in order to measure the need, costs, and
benefits of developing such a facility in the County. While a number of agri-related activities are popular
in the County, and continue to utilize a variety of facilities, there is not currently a Multi-Purpose
Agricultural Facility to accommodate the increasing demand.
On May 12, 2015, after the completion of the Feasibility Study for a Multi-Purpose Agricultural Facility,
Council approved that the project move forward and explore the solicitation of potential partnership for
such a facility.
Identified as follows are important project considerations that should be considered by prospective
proponents.
 Although the feasibility study outlines a multi-level concept plan for development, ultimate
facility design and development (should it proceed) may not occur exactly as presented
 A site for the project has not yet been secured
 There are no formal partnership arrangements in place regarding the potential facility as of yet
 The results of this Expression of Interest solicitation process will help Strathcona County
Council and administration determine how the project evolves
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Project Principles
The following project principles have been developed to provide potential partners the ability to
demonstrate alignment with County intentions for a Multi-Purpose Agricultural Facility. It is important
that all potential partners recognize and align with these principles.
1. The facility and site will enable residents to be more healthy, active, vibrant and creative
through participation in agricultural and related opportunities
2. The facility and site will help the County become a champion for advancing diverse agricultural
business
3. The facility and site will help the County to preserve its agricultural heritage
4. The facility and site will create a heightened sense of community throughout the County
5. The facility and site will be available to the general public
6. The facility and site will be multi-purpose, meeting the needs of agricultural recreation groups
(including, but not limited to, 4H, equine, livestock, trade shows, rodeo, etc.), hosting special
events and enabling other non-traditional agricultural activities to occur
County Expectations for the Partnership Expression of Interest
The intent of this Expression of Interest process is to identify potential project partners that could
provide benefit to Strathcona County and help facilitate the development of a new Multi-Purpose
Agricultural Facility.
The County understands that there are a number of potential types of partnerships that could take
shape in the development and/or operations of a new facility and thus is open to discussing all types
including, but not limited to the following:
1) User Partnerships
2) Funding Partnerships
3) Operating Partnerships
User Partnerships
User partnerships can exist for the rental of programmed spaces, the sale of facility access passes and
programming of spaces within the facility. Regular or ongoing rental arrangements with groups can
provide a constant revenue stream for facility operations and can mitigate the risks associated with
having an empty facility. These agreements typically involve a group renting large blocks of time in a
facility and are most attractive during prime time hours. Ideally these agreements work best in facilities
that have a number of floor plates (i.e. riding arena and warm up ring), so that time is still available for
smaller group bookings or spontaneous use for other users.
Strathcona County would like to better understand if there are any program groups or organizations
that would require significant blocks of time for potential facility components on a regular basis.
Expressions of Interest regarding User Partnerships should outline the following:
 Total hours of booking for each facility component
 Any expectations related to user access fee levels
 Nature of facility utilization (and requirements for types of spaces and functionality)
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User partnerships with spontaneous facility users, including day passes and monthly pass holders, need
to balance and consider facility accessibility, convenient hours of operation and spontaneous user
satisfaction. This will ensure a critical mass of facility users will be accessing the facility at periods
throughout the operating day and ensure that the facility remains accessible to the broader community.
Funding Partnerships
Funding for community facilities can come from a variety of internal and external sources. Internal
funding sources can include borrowing through debenture and using existing reserves. A typical
approach for internal fund resourcing for community facility development entails a municipality
sourcing existing reserves and/or borrowing capital funds required for development from the Alberta
Municipal Finance Corporation (which provides financing to Alberta municipalities). This approach
requires ongoing debenture servicing (payments), but spreads out the impact on the tax base over a
number of years, thereby having future generations pay for facilities that they utilize. Municipalities
have limitations on the amount of money that they can borrow for any municipal purpose. It is expected
that the County may have to source a portion of capital and/or operational funding internally for this
project.
The Province of Alberta has a number of grants available for municipalities, some being for overall
municipal purposes (Municipal Sustainability Initiative funding, etc.) as well as some being specific to
community facility development (Community Facility Enhancement Program, Community Initiatives
Program, etc.). Some of these grants are available directly to a municipality while others have to be
accessed by non-profit groups; all of these funding programs are in high demand. Should the County
decide to move forward with this project, it may apply for available provincial and/or federal grant
programs.
Regional municipal cost sharing partnerships occur when adjacent/nearby municipalities pay for a
portion of the capital and/or operating costs of municipal facilities outside of their respective jurisdiction
that are recognized as assets that serve regional markets. As the County is a specialized municipality and
incorporates both rural and urban populations, the ability for this project to gather external regional
funding may be limited. That being said, there are a few other agri-recreation facility projects being
contemplated throughout the Capital Region, any of which may prove to be a partnership opportunity.
When contemplating corporate/non-profit sponsorship and facility fundraising it is important to
understand the nature of the sponsorship market. Fundraising campaigns must provide access for all
budgets, however prominence must be given to those groups that contribute the most. Sponsorship
occurs to accomplish greater good in a community and to promote/affiliate an organization with the
intentions and image of a certain resource. In the case of a multi-purpose agricultural facility, the case
for contribution to quality of life and healthy, agricultural lifestyles is straight forward and the affiliation
is easy to make. The County may entertain sponsorship arrangements in a potential facility.
Philanthropy can also be a significant source of funding for community facility projects. Private
donations, although different from traditional sponsorship opportunities, may entail facility naming
arrangements and other recognition.
Although not pure injection of capital dollars, the potential of site donation or discount on purchase
value would also fall into this category of partnership. As a site for the potential project has not yet
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been selected, site donation would also be entertained by the County with the proviso that the facility
site should include a number of key characteristics as outlined in the 2013 Feasibility Study.
Strathcona County would like to better understand if there are any regional municipalities, individuals
or organizations (non-profit, institutional or private) that would be willing to provide capital and/or
operating funding for a potential facility. Expressions of Interest regarding Funding Partnerships
should outline the following:
 Amount of funding (or range) available to inject into the project
 Any requirements associated with funding received for the facility or project including
recognition, siting, operational control, facility use time allotment, user fees, etc.
Operating Partnerships
Operational partnerships exist in some public community facilities, typically in the form of an
operational service agreement for the entire (or a specific portion of) facility. Successful examples
include private or non-profit sector involvement in the operations of program areas such as an indoor
riding arena, and in the operation of food and beverage concession, and lounge services. Operating
service agreements are different than lease partnerships as an operating agreement outlines a fee for
services as opposed to an exchange for “renting” space.
An operating service agreement can be successful if the agreement enables the municipality’s goals for
the facility to be met. Although these agreements can lead to a decrease in operational revenues for a
facility overall, they can also lessen the operational burden on a municipality (e.g. staff, expertise,
liability, etc.) especially in the case of a new, unfamiliar municipal/public service being offered.
Potential facility lease spaces have been identified in the facility program concept (predominantly in
Level 3), to date and the idea of leasing space in public community facilities has proven successful in a
number of applications. Typical lease tenants in public agriculture recreation facilities include:
 Veterinary services and specialized animal services
 Program/service provision (e.g. boarding, training)
 Food and beverage services, such as restaurant and lounge areas, concession areas and
sandwich/juice shops
 Related retail areas, such as farm equipment and supplies, clothing sales, etc.
Strathcona County would like to better understand if there are any organizations (non-profit,
institutional or private) that would be willing to enter into operating partnerships agreements (either
lease arrangements to rent space or operating service agreement where groups external to the
County would operate all or part of the proposed facility). Expressions of Interest regarding Operating
Partnerships should outline the following:
 Amount of lease space required *if applicable
 General terms of the operating service agreement (e.g. level of suggested public access,
alignment with project intent, etc.)
General Information About Potential Partners
Regardless of what type of potential partnership is being outlined in each Expression of Interest, the
following information on each proponent is required to help the County better understand the interest,
validity, and risk associated with each opportunity.
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1) Organizational history (years in operation, office locations, etc.)
2) Experience with similar partnership arrangements
3) Alignment with project principles as outlined
Timing and Key Dates
The following are the key target dates and events with respect to this Expression of Interest (EOI)
process. Such dates are not guaranteed and may change based on circumstance.
EOI Distribution
November 2, 2015
Submission Deadline
December 11, 2015
Short List of Candidates
January, 2016
Request for Proposals
Spring, 2016
Partnership Negotiation and Agreements
Fall, 2016
Submission Requirements
Issuing Office
Strathcona County
Transportation and Agriculture Services
370 Streambank Avenue
Sherwood Park AB T8H 1N1
Attention: Kelsey Douglas
[email protected]
Contents of Submission
Only complete submissions will be accepted. Partial submissions will not be considered. Proponents are
to submit five (5) printed copies of the submission and one (1) digital copy of the submission in a .pdf
format.
The County requests the Expression of Interest be organized as outlined below in order to facilitate the
evaluation and review process.
If the Proponent wishes to include additional information on any point that is somewhat voluminous or
is not directly relevant to the specific situation described in this EOI, that information should be placed
in Appendix A and referenced in the main body of the EOI.
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Submission Outline
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
Organizational history (years in operation, office locations, etc.)
Experience with similar partnership arrangements
Alignment with project principles as outlined
Type of potential partnership sought
Terms and requirements of potential partnership sought as discussed in the questions
outlined for each type of potential partnership
Instructions to Proponents
Eligibility
The proponents judged to have the most suitable Expressions of Interests (short listed proponents) will
be asked to provide a more detailed partnership proposal once project parameters are better known. It
is not known how many short listed candidates will be asked to do so, nor is the type or tenure of
potential partnerships.
Receipt of Complete EOI
It is the proponents’ responsibility to ensure they have received and reviewed a complete EOI as listed
in the table of contents.
Addenda
Any changes to the EOI shall be in writing in the form of an Addendum.
Any addenda to the EOI shall form part of the EOI requirements. Verbal representation shall not be
binding on the County.
Inquiries
Proponents shall make in writing all inquiries and investigations necessary for the preparation and
submission of proposals. Any inquiries that relate to additional information, discrepancies, errors or
omissions are to be emailed to:
Kelsey Douglas, Transportation and Agriculture Services
Email: [email protected]
However, the proponents acknowledge and agree the County does not have an obligation to provide a
response to any written inquiry, and that it is the sole unfettered discretion of the County to provide any
written response to a written inquiry.
It is also requested that all questions and clarifications be received by the County by 14:00:00 Hours
Alberta Time (MST), November 27, 2015. Although every attempt will be made, the County cannot
guarantee that questions received beyond this time period will be answered prior to the EOI Closing
Time.
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No Assignment or Sub-Contracting
This EOI and any subsequent contract which may be entered into between Strathcona County and a
proponent may not be assigned or sub-contracted in whole, or in part, by the proponent without prior
written permission by the County.
Confidentiality
All documents and other records in the custody of or under the control of the County are subject to the
Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and other applicable legislation.
Limitation of Liability
By submitting the Proposal, the proponent agrees that in no event will the proponent claim damages in
excess of the amount equivalent to the reasonable costs incurred by the proponent in preparing its
Proposal for matters relating to any agreement or concerning the competitive process. By submitting
the EOI, the proponent waives any claim for loss of profits if no agreement is made with the proponent.
EOI Validity
All submissions shall be valid for forty five (45) days following the Closing Date and Time, or shall
indicate the period for the time which the submission is valid.
Evaluation of Submissions
Evaluation Committee
An Evaluation Committee represented by various stakeholder departments will be assembled to review
and evaluate all Submissions. The Evaluation Committee intends to use the criteria in this section to
select short list potential partners and engage in further conversation. The Evaluation Committee may
apply other evaluation criteria which they consider relevant during the evaluation process. The same
criteria will be applied to the evaluation of all Submissions.
Proponent Interviews
The possibility exists that the County will short list the proponents that best align with the intentions of
the County. These short listed proponents may be required to meet with the Evaluation Committee to
further discuss their EOI.
Evaluation Criteria
The Proposal will be weighed according to the following criteria:
1) Intangible benefit to all parties (how will the County and the proponent both benefit from the
partnership?)
2) Fiscal benefit to the County (how does the operating and/or capital costs improve through the
partnership; contribution could include cash, land and in-kind services)
3) Proponent tenure and history (how long has the proponent been in operation? Are current
proponent operations similar to what is being proposed?)
4) For partnerships related to specific spaces within the concept: How will the operations of a
specific space integrate with broader facility and site operations?
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General conditions
No Contract
By submitting and participating in the process as outlined in this Expression of Interest, Proponents
expressly agree that no contract of any kind is formed under, or arises from this Request and that no
legal obligations arise.
Proponents Costs and Expenses
Proponents are solely responsible for their own costs and expenses in preparing and submitting a
submission for this EOI.
No Claims
The County and its officials, employees, agents, Proponents and advisors will not be liable to any
Proponent, or any firm, corporation, or individual member of a Proponent, for any claims, whether for
costs, expenses, losses or damages, or loss of anticipated profits, or for any other matter whatsoever,
incurred by the Proponent, or any firm, corporation or other member of a Proponent, in preparing and
submitting a submission or any other activity related to or arising from this EOI.
Accuracy of Information
The County gives no representation whatsoever as to the accuracy or completeness of any of the
information set out in this EOI, or any other background or reference information or documents
prepared by third parties and made available to the Proponents. Proponents will make an independent
assessment of the accuracy and completeness of such information and will have no claim whatsoever
against the County, or its officials, employees, agents, Proponents and advisors, with respect to such
information.
Irregularities
The County reserves the right to waive irregularities in any submission. The County reserves the right to
reject any or all submissions found to be containing false or misleading information.
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Appendices
Appendix A: Strathcona County Multi-Purpose Agricultural Facility Feasibility
Study (2013)
Appendix B: Partnership Opportunity Profile (2015)
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