Promoting Uptown Bike Infrastructure
Charlotte, North Carolina
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
November 16, 2016
Request for Proposals for Promoting Uptown Bike Infrastructure
A. Purpose
Charlotte Center City Partners (CCCP) seeks to engage a marketing and communications firm to
develop a comprehensive strategy and offer implementation assistance for a Spring/Summer 2017
campaign to promote bicycling Uptown, in hopes of developing a large base of new riders and cycling
advocates in the center city.
CCCP is seeking a firm whose combination of experience and expertise will provide innovative,
timely, cost-effective and quality professional services.
B. About Charlotte Center City Partners
CCCP is a private 501 (c) 4 non-profit corporation. CCCP is a financial partner with the City of
Charlotte, under contract to manage Municipal Service Districts 1-4 (Uptown and South End).
Mission:
CCCP envisions and implements strategies and actions to drive the economic, social, and cultural
development of Charlotte’s Center City.
Vision:
Charlotte’s Center City is viable, livable, memorable, and sustainable, with modern infrastructure, a
tapestry of unique neighborhoods, and a diversity of thriving businesses.
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C. Project Focus Area
This project is focused on promoting cycling to and from Uptown Charlotte, generally defined as the
area within the I-77/I-277 loop. Uptown is in the heart of Charlotte’s center city, which includes the
area inside the highway loop and the adjacent neighborhoods. This is the region’s largest
employment destination. It hosts the highest concentration of stadiums, museums and visitor
attractions, and is home to a growing residential community. With over 211,094 employees that work
in Center City and over 97,431 residents within a 3-mile radius of Independence Square, Charlotte’s
Center City is the economic heart of the region.
The map below is a general representation of Charlotte’s Center City. Respondents should expect to
focus on encouraging cycling to and from the Uptown area, recognizing that many stakeholders will
begin or end their trips elsewhere in Center City and elsewhere in the region. National research
shows that people are most likely to bike for trips that are 4 miles or shorter, so the map below
provides a good illustration of 1-, 2-, and 3-mile rings from Independence Square.
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D. Background and Existing Conditions
OVERVIEW:
As Charlotte continues to grow, the transportation modes used in Center City will become more
diverse. Bicycling, in particular, has become more popular in urban centers around the country as
more people realize the health, sustainability, and convenience benefits. In recent years, cities across
the U.S. have been racing to add more bike infrastructure to accommodate the surge in demand..
Widespread use of bicycles in Center City would benefit the area in a number of ways:
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As more people opt to travel by bike rather than by car, the city will not experience the worsening
traffic congestion and air quality that it would if those trips are made in cars
Studies show that cyclists spend more money supporting local businesses, and they add vibrancy
to city streets.
A culture of cycling has become an important amenity to attract talent and jobs
Bicycling is a great form of exercise, and there are numerous health and wellness benefits to
increased physical activity.
Earlier this year, the Charlotte Department of Transportation (CDOT) engaged the engineering firm
Stewart, Inc. to analyze Uptown streets and rights of way and develop ideas for a network of Uptown
bike facilities that will be comfortable for riders ages 8 to 80. The study is well underway and is
identifying challenges to, and solutions for, cycling through Uptown between existing and future
greenways and urban trail facilities. Though the exact locations are not yet known, a system of urban
trails will begin to be implemented in the Uptown area within the next year.
Charlotte Center City Partners and CDOT realize that it is critically important that the new
infrastructure is widely understood and welcomed by the traveling public and that it becomes rapidly
adopted by cyclists. Therefore, CCCP applied for and was awarded a small federal grant through the
North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) to help promote this new infrastructure when
it’s introduced.
E. Project Participants
Primary project participants include CCCP and the City of Charlotte (including CDOT).
Other key Center City employers, institutions, neighborhood groups and visitor destinations will be
involved as needed. Advocates for cycling, sustainability, health and tourism will also be important
partners to help spread the messages.
F. Target Audiences
The main target audience is Center City residents, employees and visitors who are interested in
cycling more often. This audience will include bike enthusiasts who ride recreationally, but not as a
mode of transportation, as well as individuals who rarely ride because they do not feel comfortable
cycling in a shared environment. Messaging for this target audience should revolve around the notion
that biking in Uptown is cool, cost effective, healthy, convenient, safe, and fun.
Secondary target audiences include the following:
- Retail business owners in Uptown who may be impacted by new bike infrastructure
- Uptown residents who may be impacted by new bike infrastructure
- Uptown employers and property owners
- Drivers who will never ride bikes Uptown but may feel or perceive an impact to the ease and
speed of their vehicle trips
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For these secondary audiences, messages must be crafted that address their concerns and tactics
must be developed to ensure that the messages reach them.
G. Key Tasks
This project is intended to be directly tied to the rollout of new bike infrastructure in Uptown Charlotte.
The selected firm will develop and implement a comprehensive marketing, outreach, and
communication strategy to encourage the use of these new facilities and to foster a more bicyclefriendly culture throughout Center City. Key tasks to achieve this objective are as follows:
1. Develop a marketing, outreach, and communication strategy with a broad range of tactics
2. Develop Marketing Materials such as:
 Posters
 Advertisements
 Maps that highlight the following
o Cycling Routes
o Bike Parking
o Popular Destinations
3. Media
 Leverage CCCP’s long-standing media relationships to achieve significant earned media
 Acquire reduced-cost media buys with partnered news outlets.
 Leverage Social Media assets to create new promotional campaigns:
 Facebook
 Twitter
 Instagram
4. Produce promotional items such as:
 Water bottles
 Stickers
 Bike lights
 Keychains
 T-shirts
5. Other promotional tactics could include:
 Strategic Placement of billboards
 Bus and light rail vehicle wraps
 Novel and interactive signage promoting bicycle infrastructure
 Other ideas developed as part of the marketing strategy
6. Create and assist in the execution of programs and events that introduce the community to urban
bike trails which include an emphasis on:
 Neighbors – Work with neighborhood organizations to spread the word to residents who live
near safe routes to promote directly to them.
 Employees – Partner with business to ensure employees (guests/customers) are aware of
proximity to safe bike facilities
 Destinations – Partner with local business with and destinations, such as 7th Street Public
Market, BB&T Ballpark, Bank of America Stadium, as well as Uptown parks and retail stores
to promote incentives or rewards to visitors who arrive by bike.
 Host pop-up events in key destinations with high pedestrian traffic
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H. Products/Deliverables
1. Kickoff and bi-monthly meetings with client (6 meetings)
2. Minutes and/or summaries of all monthly meetings as well as any interviews with project
stakeholders
3. Written stakeholder engagement/communication strategy and presentation to key project partners
and CCCP stakeholders
4. All marketing materials to support communications strategy including campaign slogan, tagline,
advertisements, flyers, social media etc.
5. Written report and accompanying presentation that summarizes measurement of media reach
and engagement.
a. How many stakeholders are present at programmed events
b. How many unique users/visitors are interacting with digital properties
i. Including likes, comments, and retweets on social media
c. Articles, Segments, etc.
6. Electronic files of all project documents, spreadsheets, data, PowerPoint presentations and
marketing materials
I. Project Funding
The project’s total budget is $87,000, which includes advertising costs. Costs for promotional items
should not exceed $10,000 while cost for printing and reproduction should not exceed $7,000.
J. Timeline
Request for Proposal Posted
Questions about RFP submitted in writing
Proposals Due
Interviews
Consultant Hired
Marketing campaign kick-off
Campaign implementation
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November 18, 2016
November 25, 2016
December 22, 2016
January 9-13, 2017
January 20, 2017
March 2017
Spring/Summer 2017
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K. Proposal Format/Requirements
Proposals should be as thorough and detailed as possible so that the involved parties can properly
evaluate your capabilities to provide the required services. Proposals should be limited to a maximum
of 12 pages, excluding qualifications.
1. Organization, Understanding, and Approach: A written narrative statement describing the
Consultant’s organization and experience in providing services similar to those anticipated with
this study. This should include a description of the firm, its size and organizational structure, as
well as the firm’s background, resources (financial and personnel), and capabilities in the relevant
areas. Provide a brief description of the Consultant’s qualifications for this project including a
short history of the Consultant’s experience in similar projects. Consultant should outline its
approach to completing the work as required by this solicitation. This statement shall illustrate the
Consultant’s overall understanding of the project.
2. Work Plan: Provide a detailed description of the Consultant’s proposed services which explains
how the Consultant will carry out the project. In the work plan, describe each project task and
proposed approach to the task as clearly as possible.
3. Schedule: Include a preliminary schedule for the project. Indicate all work plan tasks and their
durations. The chart should also include a preliminary meeting schedule that clearly identifies all
project deliverable dates.
4. Staffing: Include a staffing plan for the project listing key project team members and
subcontractors by name, field of expertise, specific responsibilities on the project, and estimated
number of hours they will work on the project. Include any relevant experience each project team
member has directly participated in.
5. References: Proposal should include at least three (3) references from recent clients for whom
similar services have been provided. References should include the name, address, email
address and telephone number of the client contact person. Identify when work was performed
and the type of work and services performed. These references may be contacted.
6. Federal, State, DBE and SBO Requirements: Consultant must show that it is certified to do
business in the State of North Carolina and that it can comply with all standard federal and state
contracting requirements. The Consultant should also indicate whether the firm or any SubConsultants for the study have status as a certified minority/women-owned/disadvantaged
business enterprise in the State of North Carolina or the City of Charlotte.
After selecting a consultant for the project, CCCP will request concurrence from the North
Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) recommending award of the project to the
lowest responsible, responsive bidder. NCDOT will review the submitted information and provide
written approval to CCCP.
CCCP is a partner with the City of Charlotte and participates in the Charlotte Business INClusion
(CBI) Program. It seeks to enhance competition and participation of small, minority and woman
owned firms in city contracting and to promote economic growth and development in the City of
Charlotte. Minority, Women, and Small Business Enterprises (MWSBEs) are major contributors to
our state and local economies. The success of our MWSBEs is essential to providing jobs,
promoting economic growth, diversifying our economy, and reaching our goals as a City.
7. Price Proposal: The price proposal should set forth the fee for services and method of calculating
the rates for the different services to be provided. This price proposal shall not exceed the project
budget.
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8. Insurance:
The Consultant must confirm that it meets the insurance requirements outlined below.
General Liability:
 Each Occurrence
$1,000,000
 General Aggregate
$2,000,000
 Charlotte Center City Partners, Inc. shall be named as additional insured with respect to
General Liability
Automobile Liability:
 Any Auto
$1,000,000 Combined Single Limit
Workers Compensation with Employers Liability:
 Workers Compensation – Statutory Limits
 $100,000 Each Accident
 $500,000 Disease – Policy Limit
 $100,000 Disease – Each Employee
Excess Liability:
 Umbrella Form
$1,000,000 / Each Occurrence
All insurance required shall be primary and non-contributory to any other insurance. Consultant
shall obtain and maintain the insurance at its expense for the duration of the engagement.
9. The Consultant is required to conduct a background check on each employee hired and assigned
to work on this project during the effective term of this engagement. Each background check must
include: (a) the person’s criminal conviction record from the states and counties where the person
lives or has lived in the past seven (7) years; and (b) a reference check.
10. The Consultant shall comply with the requirements of Article 2 of Chapter 64 of the North
Carolina General Statutes, and shall require each of its employees working on this project to be
confirmed through E-Verify.
L. Proposal Submittal
11. Please transmit one digital copy by 5pm December 22, 2016 by email to
[email protected]. The digital copy should be either in MS Word or pdf format.
12. Please submit 5 hard copies by 5pm December 22, 2016 to:
Charlotte Center City Partners
Attn: Promoting Uptown Bike Infrastructure
200 South Tryon Street, Suite 1600
Charlotte, NC 28202
13. The outside of the package should be clearly marked “Promoting Uptown Bike Infrastructure.”
Each firm is fully responsible for the timely delivery of its Proposal. Reliance upon mail or public
carriers is at the firm’s own risk.
14. Proposals received after the time and date specified will not be considered.
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15. This RFP does not commit Charlotte Center City Partners to award a contract, to pay for any
costs incurred in the preparation of a proposal, or to pay for any costs incurred in the preparation
of a contract for services.
16. All proposals (including the ideas and materials contained therein) submitted in response to this
RFP shall become the property of Charlotte Center City Partners. They may be reviewed and
evaluated by any persons at the discretion of the organization.
17. Questions regarding clarification of the RFP must be submitted in writing on or before November
25, 2016. Responses will be provided to all parties who request a copy of the RFP. Any questions
should be submitted via email to Charlotte Center City Partners at
[email protected]. Subject line should read, “Promoting Uptown Bike
Infrastructure RFP.”
18. Proposal evaluation: The evaluation team will review and rank the proposals based on the
experience and qualifications of personnel assigned to perform the services (40%), specific plans
or methodology to be used to perform the services (40%), firm expertise and/or references from
other clients (20%). After selecting the preferred Consultant, the price proposal will be checked to
make sure it does not exceed the maximum available project budget. In the event that the
preferred Consultant’s price proposal exceeds the maximum available budget, the Evaluation
Team will select a new preferred Consultant based on the factors listed above. This process will
be repeated until a preferred Consultant whose price proposal does not exceed the maximum
available budget is selected.
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