Request for Proposal - Saint John for Proposal ... – a great place to meet for lunch and / or pick...

Request for Proposal

2010‐092205P MANAGEMENT SERVICES SAINT JOHN CITY MARKET

Sealed proposals addressed to Chris Roberts, Buyer, 2nd Floor, Municipal Operations Complex, 175 Rothesay Avenue, Saint John, N.B., E2L 2BJ, and marked on the envelope:

“PROPOSAL 2010‐092205P MANAGEMENT SERVICES SAINT JOHN CITY MARKET”

will be received until 4:00 p.m. A.D.T., Thursday, September 9, 2010. Proposals will be opened publicly in the office of the Purchasing Agent, 2nd Floor, Municipal Operations Complex, 175 Rothesay Avenue, immediately following the proposal submission deadline. The lowest or any proposal will not necessarily be accepted. Chris Roberts, CPP Buyer

Request for Proposal (2010-092205P) Management Services Saint John City Market

The City of Saint John is inviting a fee proposal from your firm for the provision of management services for the Saint John City Market.

1.0 BACKGROUND AND VISION FOR THE CITY MARKET The Saint John City Market is the centerpiece of the uptown. This historic building survived the great fire of 1877, a buyout attempt from a consortium of private investors in the early‐mid 1900s, and structural issues in the mid‐1980s. In recent years, the challenges have been operational and management focused. Since 2002, major steps forward have been taken and significant changes to the City Market’s management approach have been implemented in an effort to address the needs of the tenants and improve the management, operation, maintenance, merchandising, and positioning of the City Market. In March of 2004, Common Council resolved to adopt the following statements as being reflective of the City’s Vision for the City Market:

The City Market is the heart of a vibrant and thriving uptown shopping community. People from the greater Saint John region are drawn to the Market by its unique atmosphere of history and tradition; a special place to gather with friends and family and engage with the community at large. The Market is known as a hub of activity particularly on weekends and special occasions. The Market has a reputation for a wide selection of high quality, fresh foods and great service. The Market is also famous for a great selection of unique eateries and quality craft and gift shops – a great place to meet for lunch and / or pick up a special gift for a special person. The City Market also serves as the premier tourist attraction in the greater Saint John region. Visitors are drawn to the Market by its unique combination of a first rate, vibrant and modern market operating in an immaculately preserved, historically significant building. Guests can enjoy a unique dining or shopping experience or simply stroll around and take in all the history of this exceptional landmark by viewing the interpretation stations located throughout the Market that tell the stories of the Market in words and pictures. The constant bustle in the Market caused by the strong local trade adds greatly to the appeal for visitors. Guests are delighted by the warm and welcoming atmosphere created by merchants and local customers alike who obviously appreciate their presence in the Market. The Market is comprised primarily of small, well‐run operated businesses. The majority of merchants are food related – either fresh or prepared. Food vendors are complemented by a

2010‐092205P Management Services Saint John City Market of 24

variety of interesting merchants and crafters/ artisans selling quality giftware, art, crafts, clothing, and flowers and so on. A large stable of part‐time tenants rotate through a number of temporary locations throughout and around the Market on weekends.

2.0 OBJECTIVES The objectives of the City of Saint John include:

Identify and contract with a third‐party organization for management services for the City Market; Build upon the successes of the City Market, while maintaining the direction outlined in the Vision

for the City Market; Move forward with the goal of financial self‐sufficiency; Provide seamless delivery of service to the merchants and tenants of the City Market and to the

public through cooperation and coordination of City of Saint John staff and third‐party management personnel; and

Implement means to improve transparency and accountability for the management of the City Market.

In addition to the above, the City of Saint John is considering the inclusion of building maintenance services in this contract. The objective would be to reassign existing, in‐house staff that currently perform this role and move forward with a third‐party organization who can provide this service in addition to general management services. The scope of work for these two roles are described in Section 4.1: Part A – Management Services and Section 4.2: Part B – Operational Management / Building Maintenance Services. The City of Saint John is requesting a fee proposal for the scope of work included in Part A as well as a separate fee proposal as if the scope of work included in Parts A and B were awarded as a single contract.

3.0 EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS Proposal submissions must include all information requested in this section and demonstrate how the proponent differentiates themselves in the marketplace. Any additional qualifications should be described in detail and include a description of the relevance of the qualification to this role. 3.1 Corporate Profile Proponents are to describe their current corporate/organizational profile including, but not limited to, history of organization, philosophy, principles, locations, organizational structure, number of local employees, summary of services, and target market.

2010‐092205P Management Services Saint John City Market of 24 3.2 Relevant Experience of Organization Proponents are to demonstrate their experience and/or expertise in each of the following areas:

Development, marketing, business, and retail management; Comprehension of the retail industry, including retail trends; Understanding of unique local product availability from crafters / artisans; Tourism industry in the Greater Saint John Area and beyond; Heritage buildings and governmental incentive programs; Leasing and tenant relations; Economics of small business, including supply and demand, margins, volumes, and overhead costs; Viability of small business – understanding the needs, costs, and issues; Business plan development; Comprehension of landlord best practices; Merchandising, including complementary uses and products, tenant differentiation, synergy

creation among merchants/uses; Marketing, including consumer trends, behaviors, and habits; Communication and mediation; Promotions, including promoting of a City Market or other similar facility; and Operational management and building maintenance management.

In addition, proponents shall provide a summary of the organization’s current and/or past building management portfolio and the relevance to a facility such as the City Market. 3.3 Team Composition A description of the key team members that will have proposed roles in the provision of management and building maintenance services for the City Market shall be provided. Each team member’s name, qualifications, years of experience, and proposed role shall be summarized in detail. Proponents shall clearly identify how each team member will contribute to the scope of services outlined in Section 4.0. An overview of how the team members will work together to provide seamless service delivery shall be presented. Curricula vitae for each proposed team member shall be appended to the proposal. If sub‐contractors are proposed for any reason, this must be very clearly identified in the proponent’s submission. The proponent (as prime contractor) must specify in its proposal the name of each sub‐contractor and the object and details of all the sub‐contracts it proposes to enter into with each of them. The sub‐contractor(s) will be expected to meet the same standards and quality of work as those required from the prime contractor. The prime contractor will be held responsible for all aspects of the work carried out by the sub‐contractor(s). The prime contractor shall be responsible to co‐ordinate all activities related to their sub‐contractor(s). The City of Saint John retains the right to approve or reject all sub‐contractors. However, any approval of sub‐contractors by the City of Saint John shall not diminish the responsibility of the prime contractor.

2010‐092205P Management Services Saint John City Market of 24 3.4 References Proponents are to provide a minimum of three (3) references that are relevant to this role. At least one (1) of these references should be a current or recent client. Include contact name, company, organizational role, phone number, fax number, email, and address. Client references from other markets should be included, if applicable. 3.5 Qualifications of Proposed Deputy City Market Clerk The Deputy City Market Clerk holds a permanent seat in the City Market. It is the primary point of contact for merchants/tenants, City staff, the public, and other stakeholders. It is very customer and people oriented, and very enthusiastic about the City Market. The Deputy City Market Clerk has a broad range of experience in the areas of communication; planning; organization; tenant relations; leasing; building management; merchandising; marketing and promotions, and building maintenance management. They have a solid team of experts in each of these areas at their disposal. They are able to consult with their fellow team members and leverage their expertise at any given time to maximize results, efficiently and collaboratively. Proponents shall provide the name, qualifications, and years of experience of the proposed Deputy City Market Clerk as it relates to the requirements identified above and in Section 4.0. Proponents shall clearly identify how the proposed Deputy City Market Clerk will accomplish the requirements described herein and how they will work with the other proposed key team members on certain tasks. A curriculum vitae for the proposed Deputy City Market Clerk shall be appended to the proposal.

4.0 SCOPE OF SERVICES Proponents are to fully describe their understanding of the project objectives and discuss how they intend to achieve them. There are various minimum requirements, which are presented in the following section. At a minimum, these items should be included in the scope of services presented in your proposal. Any additional services not requested here, but recommended by your organization, should be described in your proposal in detail.

4.1 PART A – MANAGEMENT SERVICES 4.1.1 Administration Proponents shall summarize all anticipated administrative equipment (e.g. cell phones, computer, printer, fax, etc.) and dollar value of supplies (e.g. paper, pens, envelopes, etc.) that may be required and specify whether such items are included or excluded in the proponent’s fee for service.

2010‐092205P Management Services Saint John City Market of 24 4.1.2 Leasing Up until 2003, rents were historically set at by‐law rates treating all space as equal and failed to tie the rent structure to the sales generated by the space. This model was not successful in generating an adequate revenue stream and contributed to the need to defer building maintenance activities, and further to the physical deterioration of the City Market. Lease agreements were out of date and did not meet current day standards. Since the implementation of a third party operational management model in 2004, annual revenue has increased approximately 18%. The increase is attributed to increased rents achieved through lease negotiation combined with a revamped bench merchandising program. Currently, there are approximately 40 long term tenants/merchants in the City Market, along with an additional inventory of bench merchants who are rotated in, out, and around the City Market. In addition to the merchants of the City Market, the second through fourth floors of the City Market Tower are currently occupied by four (4) major non‐profit organizations. These organizations have differing agreements (some of which have never been formalized) with the City of Saint John for the use of their respective spaces, which have occurred over time. The current management services model does not include the management of these agreements, nor does it include managing tenant relations or expectations. Although these tenants have historically only required a minimal amount of management, when required, it is generally accomplished ad‐hoc through the City of Saint John Real Estate and Facility Management Divisions. Proponents are to include the formalization and management of these agreements with the understanding that the management of these tenants would generally require only a minimal amount of time. The City of Saint John would like to move forward with the goal of financial self‐sufficiency. Proponents are to describe their approach to the management of the existing leases and the negotiation of future lease agreements with this goal in mind. This includes the merchants of the City Market as well as the non‐profit organizations that occupy the City Market Tower. Proponents should describe how they intend to maintain an acceptable occupancy rate as well as their approach to the introduction of new tenants/merchants into the City Market. Proponents should discuss their approach to this undertaking considering the nature of the tenants (non‐profit) and their existing arrangements with the City of Saint John. 4.1.3 Bench Merchandising The bench merchandising program encourages shoppers to shop the entire City Market. There are over 100 vendors annually who are rotated through approximately 30 bench spaces. These vendors could potentially occupy bench space on a daily, weekly, seasonal, and/or annual basis. The vendors are rotated as much as possible so their customers cannot simply source them out and leave. Shoppers should be encouraged to visit different areas of the City Market and explore all of the offerings in order to find their favourite vendor. The Saturday international food fair is only one example of this methodology. This program features food from 10 to 15 different countries and draws a clientele not previously secured at the Market. The smells of

2010‐092205P Management Services Saint John City Market of 24 the offerings combined with the character and charm of the vendors creates a special “je ne c’est quoi” in the Market. Proponents are to describe their understanding of the current bench merchandising program and demonstrate how they will add value to the program. Specific ideas and/or strategies should be presented in general terms, but sufficiently enough to illustrate that the proponent can contribute to the success and innovation of the program. 4.1.4 Marketing, Promotions, and Programming There exists an agreement between the City of Saint John and the Tenants of the City Market which creates a cost sharing fund earmarked for the programming and promotion/marketing of the City Market . At present, each and every tenant, licensee, or vendor pay a premium of 6% of their rent in the form of a Promotions Fund. The City of Saint John matches these contributions on a dollar for dollar basis. The Promotions Fund is administered on behalf of the Tenants with the leadership of an appointed three (3) person executive who work with the Deputy Market Clerk’s office in creating and executing an aggressive year round marketing and programming campaign. This arrangement ensures that the print, radio, and electronic medium are utilized so that promotions are successful and effective in reaching the public. The City Market website and its use of Twitter are two examples of marketing strategies that have been deployed in recent years. Each and every week of the year there is an event at the City Market: advertised, promoted, coordinated, and executed. This work is very detail‐oriented and requires a significant amount of diligence and coordination. The successful proponent must work closely with the tenants and licensees, and more particularly the promotions committee executive to fulfill duties which include, but are not limited to, chairing meetings, budgeting, administration, coordination, communication, and execution of this aggressive programming schedule. Proponents are to describe how they will maintain and enhance the success of the weekly programming and promotions efforts and illustrate how they will keep it fresh by adding new initiatives to draw in new customers from the Atlantic Canada region and beyond. Proponents should also demonstrate that they have the resources and skill sets to execute such initiatives. In addition, proponents are to describe how they will provide tourists with an experience that they will not forget. This may include the development of the framework for a City Market interpretation program, such as, a self‐guided walking tour of the City Market, highlighting historic aspects of the building, City Market facts, and points of interest. The successful proponent will also develop and implement a method for collecting feedback from visitors to the City Market. The successful proponent will also be responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive marketing plan and budget on an annual basis that is in line with the Vision for the Saint John City Market and representative of the direction provided by the promotions committee executive. Proponents should describe their key ideas and/or strategies to the development of this marketing plan for the City Market. This will include the maintenance of existing strategies that have been successful, such as the City Market

2010‐092205P Management Services Saint John City Market of 24 website, as well as the implementation of new strategies to bring in new customers. A budget analysis and report will be generated on a quarterly basis and presented to the City of Saint John. 4.1.5 Communication and Coordination Communication and coordination is vital to the seamless delivery of service to the merchants/tenants of the City Market and to the public who visit the establishment. The Deputy Market Clerk’s office is a liaison between the City, merchants/tenants, public, staff, economic development agencies, and other organizations with an interest in the City Market. The successful proponent will report directly to the Facility Management Division of the City of Saint John, and at times through to Common Council. Unionized building maintenance staff employed by the City of Saint John in the City Market may provide assistance to the successful proponent as required in areas such as cleaning, general maintenance, and set up for promotional events. These staff members report directly to the Facility Management Division, and the successful proponent should be sensitive to this arrangement. Proponents are to present their approach and expectations with respect to communication and collaboration with the various stakeholders, including merchants/tenants and City of Saint John personnel (management and building maintenance personnel). Specifically, proponents are to describe how they will collaborate and communicate with existing, unionized staff who are responsible for the cleaning and general maintenance in the City Market. Routine meetings are to be scheduled with the Facility Management Division and City Market building maintenance staff in an effort to improve coordination of ideas and efforts, and to improve efficiency and communication. Proponents shall also describe how they will collaborate and communicate with existing merchants/tenants, including frequency/type of routine communication, methods of communication, etc. It is important to note that should Part B – Operational Management / Building Maintenance Services be awarded in addition to Part A – Management Services, the City of Saint John would no longer provide building maintenance staff at the City Market. Proponents are to describe how this would impact their proposed communication and coordination strategies. 4.1.6 Reporting The successful proponent will submit a report to the City of Saint John on a quarterly basis. The report will review key items such as (but not limited to): traffic; sales trends and analysis; revenue; receivables; budget analysis; marketing events and programming; miscellaneous income generated; operational undertakings; and capital program updates. An annual report will be presented to Common Council. This report will include all of the aforementioned items, but also present some of the successes of the previous year and the challenges with which the City Market will be faced on a go‐forward basis. The report will also provide recommendations for increasing revenue / decreasing expenses to move towards attaining the goal of financial sustainability as well as any other business improvement initiatives that should be implemented.

2010‐092205P Management Services Saint John City Market of 24 Proponents are to describe how they will accomplish the above‐noted requirements. In addition, proponents will describe how they will track and analyze traffic through the City Market. Proponents shall also present some ideas for the tracking and analysis of sales, taking into consideration the sensitivities surrounding merchant sales information. Further to the above, proponents are to provide specific measureable (quantifiable) goals in their proposals that will assist the City of Saint John in assessing the on‐going performance of the successful proponent. These goals would be directly related to key items listed above and progress summarized in report submissions. An example of the proponents’ proposed reporting framework shall be appended to their proposals. 4.1.7 Availability The hours of the Saint John City Market are currently Monday through Friday, 7:30am to 6:00pm and Saturday, 7:30am to 5:00pm. It is also open on many Sundays and holidays that correspond with days in which cruise ships are scheduled to be in the City. The Deputy Market Clerk currently has office space at the top of the City Market. Based on their experience with other similar facilities, proponents are to describe specifically what office hours they intend to have staff available at the City Market. These hours do not necessarily have to cover all regular hours of the City Market, however, they must be adequate enough to provide a high level of service to merchants/tenants, the public, and other visitors. The hours of availability must also be consistent and transparent. Staff will be equipped with a cell phone (provided by the successful proponent) and email account and will be available to respond to emergency calls afterhours. Contact information will be provided to appropriate City staff and merchants/tenants. There will also be a means to contact staff of the successful proponent outside regular office hours. Proponents are to describe how they will meet the availability requirements described above. 4.1.8 Merchant/Tenant Relations There exists a set of by‐laws for the City Market, which shall be understood and enforced in a consistent manner by the successful proponent. The successful proponent will also make recommendations for by‐law amendments as required. The merchants and tenants are the primary reason that the City Market offers a unique shopping experience for locals and visitors alike, which makes merchant/tenant relations vitally important to the success of the City Market. The Deputy Market Clerk’s office is the primary point of contact for the merchants and tenants of the City Market. The role of the Deputy Market Clerk’s office from a

2010‐092205P Management Services Saint John City Market of 24 merchant/tenant relations perspective is multi‐faceted and includes communication, transparency, equality, consistency, interest in the business of the merchants, engaging merchants/tenants, and being knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Proponents shall describe how they will approach merchant/tenant relations. In addition to regular merchant/tenant relations, the successful proponent will develop and implement a method for merchants/tenants to provide unsolicited feedback and ideas to the Deputy Market Clerk’s office and to City staff. This may take the form of merchant surveys, exit interviews, etc. The City of Saint John intends to engage merchants/tenants on a regular basis and administer satisfaction surveys to gather feedback and input with respect to the approach to merchant/tenant relations adopted by the Deputy Market Clerk’s office. 4.1.9 Value Added Services Although optional, proponents are invited to describe value added services that are relevant to the management of the City Market that may not have been requested specifically in the RFP, but will add value to the proponent’s submission or enhance their proposed methodology. Proponents must be clear as to whether or not costs for these value added services or solutions are included in the proponent’s financial proposal. If it is not clear, it will be assumed that the costs are included. If a proponent offers a value added service or other solution that is outside the scope of work presented herein or enhances their proposed methodology for which the cost is NOT included in the proponent’s financial proposal but would result in a capital cost or other investment by the City of Saint John, a cost estimate shall be provided as a separate item in their financial proposal.

4.2 PART B – OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT / BUILDING MAINTENANCE SERVICES Building maintenance requirements in the City Market are currently identified and addressed by in‐house staff who hold full time positions in the City Market. More details on the specific responsibilities of building maintenance staff are described below. The City of Saint John is considering contracting out these building maintenance services and reassigning in‐house staff to other areas within the organization. As such, the following section describes the scope of work that would be in addition to the scope of services described in Section 4.1: Part A – Management Services. The City of Saint John is requesting a separate fee breakout for the scope of services described in this Section combined with the scope of services described in Section 4.1: Part A – Management Service (i.e. Part A + Part B).

2010‐092205P Management Services Saint John City Market of 24 4.2.1 Operational Management / Building Maintenance Services As previously described, the City Market is currently managed by a third party and operated and maintained by City of Saint John staff. Contracted cleaning staff is responsible to clean the eating areas and public washrooms during most regular operating hours of the City Market. There are currently three (3) fulltime employees and one casual employee that are employed by the City of Saint John who are responsible to operate and maintain the building, including cleaning, routine maintenance, building security, facilitating building maintenance activities with Facility Management staff and service contractors, etc. The maintenance of the facility includes the whole City Market building including the common areas of the Tower, as well as the City Market Pedway that is located between the City Market and Brunswick Square. Proponents are to describe how they would provide operational management and building maintenance services for the City Market. This shall include, but not be limited to, a description of the scope of services such as: how the City Market would be staffed, how staff would respond to afterhours requirements, what skill sets would be provided/available, as well as any other additional information that would be relevant to this role. Proponents shall demonstrate they have an understanding of the human resources required to maintain and operate the facility to a standard acceptable to the City of Saint John. The following roles and duties are examples of those required:

Building operations, including opening/closing of the facility and having an appropriate number of staff on site to cover the regular operating hours for the City Market;

Building maintenance, including minor repairs/ maintenance, painting, identifying maintenance issues/concerns, coordinating maintenance work with the Facility Management Division of the City of Saint John and a number of contracted service providers (i.e. electricians, plumbers, HVAC contractor, etc.);

Cleaning – maintaining an excellent level of cleanliness of the facility at all times including washrooms, eating areas, common areas of the City Market Tower, Pedway located between City Market and Brunswick Square, windows, compost/garbage rooms, floors, and in‐floor grates;

Ensuring a safe public facility, including grounds maintenance, snow and ice control, maintaining exits and exit paths;

Security of facility, including issuing trespass notices, dealing with shoplifters and ensuring the facility is free of disturbances; and

Preparing facility and coordination for special events, such as event set‐ups, holiday decorating, media events, and other promotional activities.

Please note that proponents are to exclude the cost of cleaning supplies and washroom restocking supplies, as well as the cost of pest control services from their fee proposal. These will be supplied by the City of Saint John. Proponents shall provide a list of exclusions in their written proposal.

2010‐092205P Management Services Saint John City Market of 24 5.0 FORMAT OF PROPOSALS Proponents shall present their proposals in the following format. Points will be deducted for variances from this format. A cover page and table of contents may also be included before the Executive Summary. Pages should be numbered sequentially starting with the Executive Summary. Appendix pages need not be numbered, but should be referred to in the table of contents.

1. Executive Summary 2. Understanding of Project Objectives (proponents are to articulate their understanding of the

objectives of this project as they relate to the Vision for the City Market)

3. Experience and Qualifications

3.1. Corporate Profile 3.2. Relevant Experience of Organization 3.3. Team Composition 3.4. References 3.5. Qualifications of Proposed Deputy City Market Clerk 3.6. Additional Experience and Qualifications (if applicable this section can be added to capture

information that is relevant to the management of the City Market that may not have been requested specifically in the RFP, but will add value to the proponent’s submission)

4. Scope of Services

PART A – MANAGEMENT SERVICES 4.1.1 Administration 4.1.2 Leasing 4.1.3 Bench Merchandising 4.1.4 Marketing, Promotions, and Programming 4.1.5 Communication and Coordination 4.1.6 Reporting 4.1.7 Availability 4.1.8 Merchant/Tenant Relations 4.1.9 Value Added Services (if applicable this section can be added to capture services that

are relevant to the management of the City Market that may not have been requested specifically in the RFP, but will add value to the proponent’s submission)

PART B – OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT / BUILDING MAINTENANCE SERVICES 4.2.1 Operational Management / Building Maintenance Services 4.2.2 Detailed employee information (provide resumes of proposed staff)

2010‐092205P Management Services Saint John City Market of 24 4.2.3 Value Added Services (if applicable this section can be added to capture services that

are relevant to the operation of the City Market that may not have been requested specifically in the RFP, but will add value to the proponent’s submission)

5. Exclusions (if applicable, proponents are to describe any particular exclusions or conditions of their

proposal whether or not requested specifically in the RFP)

6. Conflict of Interests (proponents shall provide a statement disclosing any perceived, potential, or actual Conflict of Interests)

7. Financial Proposal (completed on provided Financial Proposal form and included in separate sealed

envelope labeled “Financial Proposal”)

Appendices (proponents are to provide additional information as requested and as deemed necessary and relevant to the proponent’s submission)

6.0 PRESENTATION / INTERVIEWS Proponents who are short‐listed based on their experience, qualifications, and proposed scope of services may be required to complete a presentation or participate in an interview process to the Evaluation Committee to clarify any questions that may have arisen from the Evaluation Committee’s review of the proposals. This presentation will be completed subsequent to opening the Financial Proposals.

7.0 FINANCIAL PROPOSAL Proponents are to submit their financial proposal in a separate, sealed envelope as described further detail in Section 11: Instructions to Bidders. All normally expected expenses and disbursements required to complete the scope of services should also be included. Fees should be exclusive of HST. If a proponent offers a value added service or other solution that is outside the scope of work presented herein or enhances their proposed methodology for which the cost is NOT included in the proponent’s financial proposal but would result in a capital cost or other investment by the City of Saint John, a cost estimate shall be provided as a separate item in their financial proposal.

2010‐092205P Management Services Saint John City Market of 24 8.0 EVALUATION CRITERIA PART A – MANAGEMENT SERVICES The following criteria will be used to evaluate how well the proponents address the requirements of Part A only. DESCRIPTION RFP REFERENCE POINTS GENERAL 10 Presentation/Format of Proposal and Completeness Sections 5.0 & 11.0 5 Understanding of Project Objectives Section 2.0 5 EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS 60 Corporate Profile Section 3.1 5 Relevant Experience of Organization Section 3.2 15 Team Composition Section 3.3 15 References Section 3.4 10 Qualifications of Proposed Deputy City Market Clerk Section 3.5 10 Additional Experience and Qualifications Section 3.6 5 SCOPE OF WORK 80 Administration Section 4.1.1 5 Leasing Section 4.1.2 10 Bench Merchandising Section 4.1.3 10 Marketing, Promotions, and Programming Section 4.1.4 10 Communication and Coordination Section 4.1.5 10 Reporting Section 4.1.6 10 Availability Section 4.1.7 10 Merchant/Tenant Relations Section 4.1.8 10 Value Added Services Section 4.1.9 5 PRESENTATION / INTERVIEW 10 Presentation / Interview Section 6.0 10 FINANCIAL PROPOSAL (SEPARATE ENVELOPE) 40 Lump Sum Fee Section 7.0 & 11.0 40

TOTAL 200

2010‐092205P Management Services Saint John City Market of 24 PART B – OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT / BUILDING MAINTENANCE SERVICES The following criteria will be used to evaluate how well the proponents address the requirements of Part B only. DESCRIPTION RFP REFERENCE POINTS GENERAL 10 Understanding of Project Objectives Section 2.0 10 EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS 40 Corporate Profile Section 3.1 5 Relevant Experience of Organization Section 3.2 15 Team Composition Section 3.3 15 References Section 3.4 5 SCOPE OF WORK 40 Operational Management / Building Maintenance Services Section 4.2.1 40 PRESENTATION / INTERVIEW 10 Presentation / Interview Section 6.0 10 FINANCIAL PROPOSAL (SEPARATE ENVELOPE) 100 Lump Sum Fee Section 7.0 & 11.0 100

TOTAL 200 The City of Saint John will combine the points from Part A – Management Services and Part B Operational Management / Building Maintenance Services to form the basis of the overall rating for the entire proposal (i.e. Part A + Part B).

9.0 EVALUATION PROCESS An Evaluation Committee will be assigned to evaluate the proposals submitted. The proponents will be evaluated on each of the evaluation criteria as outlined in Section 8.0. Based on this review, proponents may be short‐listed for presentations / interviews as described in Section 6.0. Information contained in the “Financial Proposal” envelope will be secondary and will be opened after the proposals have been reviewed by the Evaluation Committee. How the Evaluation Committee uses that information is at their discretion. An award recommendation by the Evaluation Committee will be based on merit, relying on the information in the proposal and presented to Saint John Common Council for approval.

2010‐092205P Management Services Saint John City Market of 24 10.0 INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS

Each Proponent shall deliver 5 copies of their proposal submissions consisting of 1 signed (unbound) original and 4 (bound) photocopies of the Written Proposal and supporting information, and 1 signed original copy of their Financial Proposal, (in a separate sealed envelope) to the following address no later than the Submission Deadline of 4:00p.m. A.D.T., Thursday, September 9, 2010 to:

Chris Roberts, CPP

Buyer Materials and Fleet Management, 2nd Floor

City of Saint John 175 Rothesay Avenue Saint John, NB, E2J 2B4

The Written Proposal shall be sealed in an envelope, clearly indicating the Proponent’s name and address and marked: “Written Proposal: 2010‐092205P – Management Services – Saint John City Market” The Financial Proposal shall be completed on the form provided and sealed in a separate envelope and inserted inside the written proposal package, clearly marked: “Financial Proposal: 2010‐092205P – Management Services – Saint John City Market” Please note that:

1. Late proposals or proposals by e‐mail or facsimile will be rejected. 2. The City assumes no responsibility for improperly addressed or delivered proposals. 3. The City of Saint John does not, by virtue of this proposal call, commit to an award of this bid, nor

does it commit to accepting the lowest or any proposal submitted, but reserves the right to award this proposal in any manner deemed to be in the best interest of the City.

4. Immediately following the closing time, proposal packages will be publicly opened in the office of the purchasing manager. Only the names and addresses of the proponents will be made public at this time. No other information about the proposals will be disclosed at that time. Proposals will then be forwarded to the Evaluation Committee for review and recommendation.

5. By submitting a proposal, the Proponent is deemed to have acknowledged all the undertakings, requirements, specifications, terms, and conditions contained in the RFP and to be bound by them if the proposal is accepted. All expenses incurred by the proponent in connection with the preparation of its proposal are to be borne by the proponent, and the City of Saint John shall not incur any obligation whatsoever toward the proponent whether such proposal is accepted or rejected. An authorized signing officer must sign all proposals. The proposal must indicate an individual who is authorized to negotiate and sign on behalf of the proponent if other than the signature found on the proposal submission.

2010‐092205P Management Services Saint John City Market of 24 11.0 PRIVILEGE CLAUSES The Request for Proposal (RFP) does not constitute an order or an agreement. Submission of a proposal or response by a proponent is voluntary. The City of Saint John reserves the right to reject or accept any proposal. The City of Saint John reserves the right to proceed with the implementation of any work, in whole or in part, as described in the proposal(s). The City of Saint John will be the sole judge with respect to the proposals. As such, any proposal deemed incomplete, unsatisfactory, or failing to conform to the requirements or format of the Request for Proposal may be rejected by the City of Saint John. The City of Saint John reserves the right to engage in discussions with any proponent to clarify response within the proposal or presentation, or discuss certain elements with regard to the proposal or services requested by the City of Saint John. The City of Saint John has no obligation to notify the other proponents of the discussions, clarifications, or other information provided by a proponent. The City of Saint John reserves the right to award the proposal based on experience, qualifications, scope of services, presentation, and other criteria as stated in the RFP, and not necessarily to the lowest cost proposal. Based on available funding, the City of Saint John reserves the right to delete components from the RFP and negotiate changes to fully meet the City of Saint John’s needs. The issuance of this RFP or any negotiations with a company after the closing date does not bind or commit the City of Saint John to enter into a contract. The City of Saint John reserves the right in the event that the successful Contractor fails to comply with the terms and conditions as listed, to cancel this contract and award it to another Contractor without penalty or action against the City of Saint John.

12.0 DURATION OF AGREEMENT It is the intent of the City of Saint John to enter into a five (5) year contract with the successful proponent for the services presented in this RFP with an option to extend for an additional two (2) years, followed by the option to extend for an additional two (2) years (i.e. the possibility exists for a nine (9) year agreement).

2010‐092205P Management Services Saint John City Market of 24 13.0 ENQUIRIES

All enquiries and communications regarding this RFP (including notification of any discrepancies or errors or omissions) must be submitted in writing, no later than five (5) business days prior to the Submission Deadline, only to the attention of: Chris Roberts, CPP Materials Management City of Saint John Email: [email protected] Fax: (506) 658‐4742 The City reserves the right not to respond to enquiries. Responses by the City to enquiries will be made in writing and distributed by fax to all Proponents registered as having received the RFP as of the date the response is prepared by the City. The City will not identify the source of the question in the response. Orally communicated information shall not be binding upon the City. Enquiries after the foregoing deadline will not receive a response.

14.0 ADVISORY/ADDENDUM Periodically, the City of Saint John is required to issue notification of changes or corrections to a bid document. Normally these notifications will have direct bearing on the cost of a project and will influence a vendor’s bid. Therefore, it is important that the City of Saint John have assurances that vendors have in‐fact received the notification. In the case of an advisory notice, these are faxed to the vendor and are accompanied by a cover sheet. Vendors are instructed to sign the cover sheet and return it either by fax or in person, to the Purchasing Agent, prior to the tender closing. Addendums are either faxed, mailed, or hand delivered. Each addendum contains a notification which requires bidders to sign and include the addendum with their tender bid. Failure to comply with the instructions on an advisory or addendum will result in rejection of your proposal, regardless whether the changes noted in the advisory or addendum are included in the proposal or not.

15.0 INSURANCE The successful proponent shall provide evidence of the following insurance coverage, listing the City of Saint John as “Additional Named Insured”. 1) General liability with minimum limits of two million dollars ($2,000,000.00). This policy shall include:


Operations of the Contractor in connection with this tender; Products and completed operations coverage; Contractual liability with respect to this tender; City of Saint John added as an additional insured; Cross liability clause; Non‐owned automobile; and Thirty (30) days notice of cancellation of this policy “will” be give to the City of Saint John by the

insurers. In addition to the above, the Contractor shall obtain and keep in force for the duration of the project an Errors and Omissions Liability policy with a minimum limit of two (2) million dollars, and one (1) million dollars per claim. The policy shall include a clause stating that thirty days notice of cancelation of this policy will be given to the City of Saint John, by the insurers. The Contractor is to provide evidence of such policy prior to the start of the work.

16.0 FORMALITY CLAUSE In order for the City of Saint John to consider any proposal submission as a legally binding offer, on behalf of the Contractor, it is necessary for the Contractor to communicate this formality to the City of Saint John in the form of an offer which contains the original signature of the individual or representative of the firm who is authorized to act on behalf of the Contractor. In order to meet this requirement, all proposal submissions to the City of Saint John must be prefaced with a covering letter which contains an original signature of the individual authorized by the Contractor to submit proposals on their behalf. The covering letter must be on official company letterhead, be dated and be addressed to the attention of the City of Saint John representative specified in the request for proposal document. Additionally it must make reference in the body of the letter to the request for proposal number and project title, as well as to the fact that the enclosed documents constitute a formal proposal offer and finally, the letter must contain the original signature as indicated. Failure to include the required covering letter as a preface with your proposal will be grounds for immediate rejection on the basis that it is not formal.


APPENDIX A – ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

2010‐092205P Management Services Saint John City Market of 24 Q01: What maintenance/service/supply contractors does the City of Saint John currently have

agreements with? A01: The City of Saint John has service/supply contracts in place for plumbing, electrical, pest control,

solid waste removal, roof maintenance, HVAC, control systems, alarm monitoring, elevating devices, etc. In the case that Part B of the contract is awarded, the successful proponent will be required to contact the individual responsible for Building Maintenance in the Facility Management Division for any maintenance or repairs that are identified or required. In the case of an emergency or special circumstance, the successful proponent will have a list of service/supply contractors whom they can contact directly. However, the City of Saint John has specific procurement policies and procedures which must be followed. Upon award, the successful proponent will become familiar with the applicable policies and procedures and work with Facility Management to develop an understanding of how particular situations will be dealt with. The successful proponent will be responsible to coordinate with Facility Management and outside contractors to schedule maintenance and repairs. Proponents should describe in their proposals how they intend to manage these situations with respect to communication, coordination, etc.

Q02: What maintenance services are to be the responsibility of the successful proponent? A02: In general, proponents are expected to provide cleaning, general maintenance (e.g. painting, light

bulbs, minor repairs, etc.). However, Proponents should describe in their proposals what expertise they have available and will be providing as part of their proposal with consideration that major maintenance and repairs will be completed by service/supply contractors who currently have agreements with the City of Saint John.

Q03: Who makes the final decision on new tenants? A03: Firstly, Saint John City Market By‐Laws should be referred to for all matters related to the City

Market, including new tenants. In general, the City of Saint John would rely upon the third party manager to seek and evaluate potential new tenants with some consultation with various City departments including Facility Management. The third party manager would provide a recommendation for new tenants, including the terms and conditions of the offer to lease. Terms and conditions would be vetted through various departments within the City of Saint John (including the Legal Department). All new tenants, including the lease agreements, must be approved by Common Council before it becomes official.

Q04: Who’s name would be on the lease agreement (and eviction notices if applicable)? A04: The City of Saint John is the “Lessor” for all lease agreements. As previously mentioned, the third

party manager would be responsible to provide advice and recommendations to the City of Saint John for these types of items.

2010‐092205P Management Services Saint John City Market of 24 Q05: Is the building locked afterhours? A05: Yes. Q06: Is there a requirement for personnel to monitor the building on a 24/7 basis? A06: Currently the building is equipped with an alarm system monitored by an outside organization, but is

not staffed by security personnel on a 24/7 basis. Proponents are encouraged to provide their input into the current situation in their proposals and how they would intend to deal with security if they were the successful Proponent. Proponents should have personnel available on a 24/7 basis in the case that a response to an emergency is required.

Q07: How many Sundays is the City Market open on an annual basis? A07: The number of Sundays varies on an annual basis dependant on the cruise ship schedule and

holidays, etc. Q08: Are tenants required to maintain certain hours at the City Market? What about on holidays and

Sundays? A08: Yes, the standard lease agreement for the City Market mandates that the tenant be open all hours

that the City Market is open. Q09: What types of leases currently exist at the City Market? A09: The leases are all gross leases. Q10: Provide the current rent roll with specifics on each tenant for the lease terms (type of lease), start

date and next renewal date? A10: There are 23 leases currently in place at the City Market. On average, one‐quarter to one‐third of

the leases will turn over each of the next 3 to 4 years. Gross rents range from $20 gross to mid $30’s psf. Leased areas range from 300 sq.ft. to as much as 1658 sq.ft. The majority of leases in place have 5 year renewal options. All negotiated leases/renewals are taken through staff to Common Council for approval.

There are 8 to 10 annual licensees who occupy a variety spaces and there are another 50 to 75 daily, weekly, monthly, or seasonal licensees. These licensees are papered on a Temporary Occupancy Agreement (TOA). TOA’s do not require the approval of Common Council.

2010‐092205P Management Services Saint John City Market of 24 Q11: How many man hours have gone into the positions that are now expected to now be provided by

the third party management company? A11: Part A – Management Services – The City of Saint John expects proponents to provide the personnel

hours necessary to meet the requirements outlined in the RFP. As such, it is up to proponents to describe what level of service would be provided and how they intend to accomplish that level of service.

Part B – Operational Management / Building Maintenance Services – Historically the City of Saint John has been successful having four (4) full‐time equivalents to cover the hours and perform required duties in the City Market. However, the City of Saint John expects proponents to provide an adequate number of personnel to meet the requirements outlined in the RFP. As such, it is up to proponents to describe what level of service would be provided and how they intend to accomplish that level of service.

Q12: What is the current budget for expected expenditures? A12:

Year Operating A Capital DE 2009 B $884,000 $155,000 2010 B $881,773 $250,000 2011 C $921,272 $250,000 2012 C $941,927 $250,000

A Includes management, salaries/benefit (maintenance staff), utilities, advertizing, insurance, solid waste collection, cleaning supplies, office supplies, property taxes, and maintenance

B Approved by Common Council C Projected (subject to change) D Projected (subject to change) E The City of Saint John manages the Capital Program and the successful proponent will not be responsible for this aspect, with

the exception of the management of tenant expectations, identification of major capital projects related to landlord work, etc.

Q13: Can an organization bid on Part B only? A13: No. Proponents can bid on Part A only. In addition, if proponents wish to bid on the entire scope of

work (Part A + Part B), they must also bid on Part A separately. Q14: In Part B of the RFP, are there any contracts with sub‐contractors that need to be continued of

any kind? A14: Yes, refer to Q01 and A01 above. Furthermore, the terms of existing service/supply contracts for all

trades vary and are publically tendered at the end of their respective terms.

2010‐092205P Management Services Saint John City Market of 24 Q15: Can we get a copy of the contractual agreements now in place with the facility’s current nonprofit

tenants? A15: The City of Saint John will provide these agreements to the successful proponent. Q16: To what extent if any will the City’s union workers be accessible? A16: In general, all requests for assistance from unionized employees (Carpentry Shop, etc.) will be

directed through the Facility Management Division. Q17: Can a partnership be formed by two separate companies if they both only submit separate

proposals consisting of only one part each? A17: If two organizations wish to form a partnership to meet the requirements of this RFP, they must

submit a single proposal describing the specifics of this partnership as well as how the work will be divided. If the partnership was the successful proponent, the two organizations would be required to provide a legal agreement to the City of Saint John for approval describing the specifics of the partnership.

Alternatively, if two organizations wish to bid each on separate, specific elements of the RFP (e.g.

Part A and Part B), one organization could take the role as the Prime Consultant, and enter into a Sub‐Consultant agreement with the other organization. The contract with the City of Saint John would be with the Prime Consultant only and they would be fully responsible for the Sub‐Consultant. In this case, the Prime Consultant would have to provide a legal agreement to the City of Saint John for approval describing the specifics of the Consultant/Sub‐Consultant arrangement.

Q18: If the above mentioned (Q17) is allowed where do liabilities of the contract fall for each

company? A18: Refer to A17. Furthermore, the specifics of the contractual arrangements would have to be

described in full in a legal agreement and provided to the City of Saint John for approval prior to the City of Saint John entering into a contract with the successful proponent.

Q19: Will the individual that currently holds the role of Deputy Market Clerk need to be hired by the

successful proponent or is this an option? A19: No, this is not a requirement. The City of Saint John is not in a position to say whether or not this is

an option.

Request for Proposal - Saint John for Proposal ... – a great place to meet for lunch and / or pick...

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