The County will notify all proposers of the outcome of their proposal in writing upon completion of the evaluation process.

This RFP does not obligate the County to contract for services specified herein.

The County reserves the right at its sole discretion to reject any and all proposals received without penalty and not to issue a contract as a result of this RFP.

PROPOSERS WHO REGISTER AND DOWNLOAD RFP DOCUMENTS will be automatically added to the FOLLOWERS' list in the County's eProcurement Portal. Notifications for solicitation updates, addenda, and other procurement information will be sent to all who register on the Pierce County eProcurement Portal.

An Application Evaluation Committee (AEC) will review the bidding documents and evaluate all responses received based upon the criteria listed herein. The County may request clarifications or additional information, if needed. The proposer determined to be most qualified through the initial evaluation phase may be interviewed and the final determination will also consider reference checks and interviews.The County intends to select the Contractor most qualified for this pursuit/solicitation and begin the negotiation and award process based on the requirements of this solicitation.Selected Proposer(s) will be invited to enter into contract negotiations with the County. Should the County and the selected proposer not reach a mutual agreement, the County will terminate negotiations and move to the next ranked contractor and proceed with negotiations. A Proposer’s inability to agree to the terms of the County’s standard contract may be a basis for the County to terminate negotiations and begin negotiating with one or more other Contractors.

The initial period of performance of any contract resulting from this procurement is 12 months. Amendments extending the period of performance, if any, shall be at the sole discretion of the County. The County reserves the option to extend the contract for 1 additional term of 12 months. However, no Contractor will be guaranteed an extension.

Pierce County is soliciting proposals from firms interested in providing strategic planning to lead the completion of a Ferry Financial Sustainability Plan (FSP). The performance period will be 9 to 12 months.

“Apparently Successful Proposer (ASP)” means a proposer selected as an entity to perform the anticipated services, subject to completion of contract negotiations and execution of a written contract."Applicant," "Bidder," and "Proposer" mean an organization, agency or provider that submits a formal response to this procurement."Application," "Bid," or "Proposal" mean a formal response to this solicitation. “CFR” means Code of Federal Regulations.“Client,” "Participant," "Household," or "Member" means an individual (or individuals) who receives services, or is eligible to receive services, under this procurement. “Contractor” means an individual or organization whose proposal has been accepted by the County and has been awarded a fully executed, written contract.“Procurement” means the process by which the County obtains services.“Request for Proposal (RFP)” or "Solicitation" means this document and its attachments in which needed goods and/or services are identified and organizations are invited to provide information as to how they propose to meet the County's needs. “RCW” means Revised Code of Washington.“WAC” means Washington Administrative Code.

The Washington State Interlocal Cooperation Act, Ch. 39.34 RCW, authorizes public agencies to cooperatively purchase goods and services if all parties agree. By responding to this RFP, Consultants agree that other public agencies may purchase goods and services under this procurement or contract at their own cost and without Pierce County incurring any financial or legal liability for such purchases. Pierce County agrees to allow other public agencies to purchase goods and services under this procurement or contract, provided that Pierce County is not held financially or legally liable for purchases and that any public agency purchasing under such procurement or contract file a copy of this invitation and such contract in accordance with RCW 39.34.040.

Welcome to Pierce County's eProcurement System. This system is inclusive to the procurement process, including submission of any questions and/or clarifications, the release of any addenda/notices, and submission of proposals. It is strongly encouraged that organizations responding to any procurement first read the entire procurement, paying close attention to the timelines, scope of work, eligibility, submission requirements, and specifically to the questionnaire section, which may include required attachments (when applicable), and ask for any clarifications regarding content and instructions early in the process.

A virtual or in-person Procurement Workshop will be conducted by Pierce County staff at the time, date, and location as indicated in the Procurement Schedule section of this RFP.Pre-proposal meeting attendance is not required but is highly encouraged for all organizations considering a response to this solicitation. It is the County’s belief that attending the meeting will assist proposers in presenting the best possible request for funding. During the Pre-Proposal Meeting Workshop, Pierce County staff will give an overview of the procurement, the procurement process, an overview of the requirements, and will also be available to answer questions and provide technical assistance. Please have the instruction/proposal packet available as well as any questions that the organization may have related to the procurement. The County will be bound only to written answers provided in response to questions. Questions arising during the Procurement Workshop will be documented and answered in the eProcurement Portal.

The County reserves the right to make an award without further discussion of the proposal submitted. Therefore, the proposal should be submitted initially on the most favorable terms which the Proposer can offer. There will be no best and final offer procedure.The ASP should be prepared to accept this RFP for incorporation into a contract resulting from this RFP. Contract negotiations may incorporate some or all of the Proposer’s proposal. It is understood that the proposal will become a part of the official procurement file on this matter without obligation to the County.

Protests may be made only by Proposers or authorized representative of a Proposer who submitted a response to this solicitation document and who have participated in a debriefing conference. Upon completing the debriefing conference, the Proposer is allowed five (5) business days to file with the Procurement Coordinator a protest of the award decision. Protests must be received by the Procurement Coordinator no later than 3:30 PM, local time in Tacoma, Washington on the fifth business day following the debriefing. Protests must be in writing, addressed to the Procurement Coordinator, and submitted by email to PCPURCHASING@piercecountywa.gov. The protest must state the RFP number, the grounds for the protest with specific facts and complete statements of the action(s) being protested. A description of the relief or corrective action being requested should also be included.Protests that do not follow these procedures shall not be considered. This protest procedure constitutes the sole administrative remedy available to Proposers under this procurement.Only protests stipulating an issue of fact concerning the following subjects shall be considered:A matter of bias, discrimination, or conflict of interest on the part of an evaluator.Errors in computing the score.Non-compliance with procedures described in the procurement document or County policy.Protests not based on procedural matters will not be considered. Protests will be rejected as without merit if they address issues such as: 1) an evaluator’s professional judgment on the quality of a proposal, or 2) County’s assessment of its own needs or requirements.Upon receipt of a protest, a protest review will be held by the County. The Finance & Enterprise Services Department Director or an employee delegated by the Director who was not involved in the procurement will consider the record and all available facts and issue a decision within five (5) business days of receipt of the protest. If additional time is required, the protesting party will be notified of the delay. In the event a protest may affect the interest of another Proposer who also submitted a proposal, such Proposer will be given an opportunity to submit its views and any relevant information on the protest to the Procurement Coordinator. The final determination of the protest shall:Find the protest lacking in merit and uphold the County’s action; orFind only technical or harmless errors in County’s procurement process and determine County to be in substantial compliance and reject the protest; orFind merit in the protest and provide the County options which may include:Correct the errors and re-evaluate all proposals, and/orReissue the solicitation document and begin a new process, orMake other findings and determine other courses of action as appropriate.If a protest is filed, the County will wait to execute the contract until a final determination on the protest is made.

This procedure is available to potential Proposers who are contemplating submitting a proposal in response to this RFP. Only Concern Resolution submissions (Submissions) concerning the following subjects shall be considered:A claim that the solicitation unnecessarily restricts competition.A claim the solicitation evaluation or scoring process is unfair or flawed, orA claim the solicitation requirements are inadequate or insufficient to prepare a response.Proposers submitting a concern about this procurement shall follow the procedures described below. Submissions that do not follow these procedures shall not be considered. If a Proposer registers a concern against this solicitation, the issue(s) cannot be raised again during the protest period.All submissions must be in writing and signed by the submitting party or an authorized Agent. The submission must be sent to the Procurement Coordinator, or designee, and needs to be received no later than 3:30 pm, local time, Tacoma, WA, per Section 2.2 Timeline, and must clearly articulate the basis for the submission. The Proposer submitting a concern must also include a proposed remedy.Upon receipt of a submission, a submission review will be held by the County. The RFP coordinator will respond to submissions in writing and the Finance & Enterprise Services Department Director will be notified of all submissions and provided a copy of the County’s response. A copy of the response to the submission, including any changes to the solicitation, will also be posted in County's eProcurement Portal.The concern resolution process does not include an appeal process.

Any Proposer, who was not disqualified, who has submitted a proposal and been notified that they were not selected as an ASP may request a debriefing. The request for a debriefing conference must be received by the Procurement Coordinator within 5 days of having been notified that they were not selected.Discussion at the debriefing conference will be limited to the following:Evaluation and scoring of the Proposal.Critique of the requesting Proposer’s Proposal based on the comments made by the Application Evaluation Committee or individual comments made by an evaluator; andReview of Proposer’s final score in comparison with other final scores without identifying the other firms.Comparisons between proposals or evaluations of the other proposals will not be allowed. Debriefing conferences may be conducted in person or remotely and will be scheduled for a maximum of one (1) hour.

The County complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Bidders should contact the RFP Coordinator to request an accommodation.

Proposal Release Date:September 9, 2026Question Submission & Concern Resolution Request Deadline:September 24, 2026, 3:30pmProposal Submission Deadline:October 7, 2026, 3:30pm The County reserves the right to revise the above timeline.

Pierce County is developing a Ferry Financial Sustainability Plan (FSP) to establish a roadmap to achieve long-term financial sustainability for Pierce County Ferry (PC Ferry), with a planning horizon of 2060. In the past years, the County has prepared the following studies that can be used as reference documents:2013 Ferry Service Evaluation2015 Waterborne Transportation Study2023 Pierce County Ferry System Financial Assessment2026-2039 Fourteen-Year Ferry ProgramDraft 2027-2040 Fourteen-Year Ferry Program.These documents and the general ferry information are available on the County website.Pierce County Ferry System Projects | Pierce County, WA - Official Website and http://www.piercecountywa.gov/TIPIn addition, the following documents are available upon request:2022 Pierce County Ferry Comparative Analysis,2026 Planning and Public Works Fiscal Review, and theM/V CHRISTINE ANDERSON Lifecycle Cost Analysis (2026)M/V STEILACOOM II Lifecycle Cost Analysis (draft 2026)To support the development of the FSP, the County has begun several related tasks.Long-Term 2060 Expenditure Forecast: The costs from the various categories between 2028 and 2060Vessel major rehabilitation and replacement schedule and cost - underway, to be completed by September 30, 2026. Annual Operations and Maintenance (O&M) cost projection by the milestones: to be prepared by County staff by September 30, 2026. Major terminal capital projects schedule and cost - new task under a different contract to be completed by December 31, 2026. Administration, fuel and support costs: underway, to be completed by December 31, 2026. Infrastructure and service costs to Anderson Island compared to other islands and County average, on a per capita basis: to be prepared by County staff by December 31, 2026. Funding Projections: Revenue beyond the Fourteen-Year Ferry Program will be projected by County staff and grouped in three categories:More predictable revenue sources: estimate the revenue of State and federal formulaic funds, including FTA funding, FBP funding: to be prepared by County staff by December 31, 2026. Funds that are within the County’s control to some extent, such as the County Road Fund: to be prepared by County staff by December 31, 2026. Potential revenue: competitive grants, to be prepared by County staff by December 31, 2026.

The County will not be liable for any costs incurred by the Proposer in preparation of a proposal submitted in response to this RFP, in conduct of a presentation or interview, or any other activities related to responding to this RFP.

In the event it becomes necessary to revise any part of this RFP, addenda will be published in the County's eProcurement Portal.All amendments and notifications of cancellation shall be posted in the County's eProcurement Portal. If you did not receive this solicitation via the County’s eProcurement Portal, please register there to receive further notifications.The County also reserves the right to amend or add to, retract from, or cancel this Procurement at any time, in whole or in part, and without penalty.In the event of a conflict between amendments or between an amendment and this Solicitation Document, the document issued latest in time shall control.

Proposers may submit questions through the County's eProcurement Portal, under the Question & Answer Section, no later than 3:30 pm on the date set forth in Section 2.2. Proposers must be registered in the eProcurement Portal software to submit questions, receive addenda and notifications, and ultimately submit a proposal. Proposers may only rely on written statements issued by the County. Any oral communications are unofficial and are not binding on the County.

Pierce County, in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 78 Stat. 252, 42 U.S.C. 2000d to 2000d-4 and Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, Department of Transportation, subtitle A, Office of the Secretary, Part 21, nondiscrimination in federally assisted programs of the Department of Transportation issued pursuant to such Act, hereby notifies all Proposers that it will affirmatively ensure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprises as defined at 49 CFR Part 26 will be afforded full opportunity to submit proposals in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, or national origin in consideration for an award.

The RFP Coordinator is the sole point of contact in the County for this procurement. All communications between the Proposer and the County upon release of this RFP shall be with the RFP Coordinator.Lauren DaseProcurement and Contract Specialist 2Email: lauren.dase@piercecountywa.govPhone: (253) 798-7501Department:Finance and Enterprise ServicesUntil the County has completed the evaluation process and issued notices to Proposers, the following communication restrictions apply to this RFP:Proposers are to rely solely on written statements issued by the RFP Coordinator.Any communications other than written statements issued by the RFP Coordinator will be considered unofficial and non-binding on the County.Communication directed to parties other than the RFP Coordinator may result in disqualification of the Proposer.

The ASP will be expected to enter into a contract which is substantially the same as the Sample Contract and its General Terms and Conditions attached as Exhibit D. In no event is a Proposer to submit its own standard contract terms and conditions in response to this solicitation. If a Proposer has a concern regarding a certain General Term & Condition, they can raise the issue per the Questions and Answers section of this solicitation.

Proposers who do not meet these minimum qualifications will be considered non-responsive and their proposal will not be evaluated or scored.Registered to do business in Washington State as evidenced by an active Unique Business Identifier (UBI) number.Has a valid federal tax identification number.

Organizations should be aware that any records they submit to the County or that are used by the County even if the organization possess the records, may be public records under the Washington Public Records Act (RCW 42.56). The County must promptly disclose public records upon request unless a statute exempts them from disclosure. Organizations should also be aware that if even a portion of a record is exempt from disclosure, generally, the rest of the record must be disclosed. Exemptions are narrow and specific.Organizations should clearly mark any record they believe is exempt from disclosure.

All proposals will be reviewed by the RFP Coordinator to determine compliance with administrative requirements and instructions specified in this solicitation. The Proposer is specifically notified that the County may reject or withdraw a proposal at any time as nonresponsive for any of the following reasons:Incomplete proposal,Failure to comply with any part of this solicitation or any Attachments to this procurement,Submission of incorrect, misleading, or false information.The County also reserves the right, however, at its sole discretion to waive minor administrative irregularities, which are defined as variances which do not provide a proposer an advantage or benefit over other proposers.

Pierce County Planning and Public Works, Office of the County Engineer (County) is requesting strategic planning and stakeholder engagement services to develop the FSP. The selected consultant is expected to develop multiple financial scenarios and build consensus among the stakeholders on a funding strategy to support a sustainable ferry service level. The funding projections shall be built on sources that are realistic to obtain and sustain long-term.Most ferry agencies set a farebox recovery target as the basis to adjust fares, but this approach doesn’t take into consideration the substantial capital costs. In the County’s current Fourteen-Year Ferry Program, all capital projects are preservation and replacement projects essential to supporting services long-term. For budgeting purposes, the County places expenditures into categories; however, the FSP is not meant to include an artificial separation of O&M and capital costs.The Consultant shall propose a different approach based on the total long-term costs in all categories. The Consultant shall develop several options to build consensus, on both cost and revenue sides, and guide the discussions with County Council and other stakeholders. While State and Federal funds are likely to be consistent, expenditures will continue to increase and vary widely depending on the capital project needs. The consultant shall consider various expenditure footprints (scenarios), depending on funding and service levels, to support the County in deciding the funding strategies. At a minimum, County staff is suggesting three scenarios:Business as usual: current service level and infrastructure (two vessels and three terminals)Lean times: scalable service level and infrastructure to match revenue levelReimagined: different service delivery models, revenue sources, and institutional organizationThe consultant shall estimate the expenditure and funding mechanics for these three and other scenarios, and support the County to explore the following questions:What long-term financial solutions can be implemented to cover the current funding gap?What does the decision-making process look like for the upcoming M/V Christine Anderson repower project scheduled for 2028? How will the choice of scenarios affect this decision before 2028? What immediate and long-term impacts do fare/revenue increases have on both ridership and revenue?What is the revenue potential of a ferry district under Engrossed House Bill 2588 County Ferry Districts, and what would that business model look like? What are the fare revenue projections if utilizing fare increase assumptions that are different from what is included in the adopted Fourteen-Year Ferry Program?The Consultant shall develop a strategic communications plan to thoughtfully engage a broad range of community stakeholders and local leaders throughout the process. Working closely with Pierce County’s Communications department, the consultant will create materials that clearly describe findings, options, and outcomes to a diverse audience. The scope of work should include:Identify stakeholders and evaluate their roles. At a minimum, the stakeholders should include the ferry riders, the communities of Anderson and Ketron Islands, Anderson Island Fire Department, Anderson Island Citizens' Advisory Board (AICAB) and elected officials.Develop and implement a comprehensive communications plan for stakeholder engagement.Develop effective materials to present information that engages stakeholders in discussing tradeoffs and brainstorming solutions.Develop effective outreach materials including surveys, factsheets, presentations, flyers/posters for identified milestones through the study.Facilitate at least one community open house. Develop a communications plan for the engagement event and develop associated materials.

Each evaluator will score the Proposals separately. The scores of all the evaluators will be averaged to determine the Proposer’s score.

The proposal must be received by the time/date as indicated in Section 2.2.

Follow instructions carefully - if attachments are provided under this solicitation, they are to be utilized as part of the proposal - do not replace or use the organization's own format, as the proposal may be deemed "non-responsive" or "not eligible."

The total value of this procurement is estimated between $275,000.00 and $325,000.00. The County anticipates awarding a single contract from this procurement. The County reserves the right to make fewer awards or no awards, based on the quality and scope of proposals received, available funding, and identified service needs.The total funding available under this Request for Proposals (RFP) is limited. Proposers are encouraged to scale their funding requests proportionally to the scope and geographic reach of their proposed services. The County may negotiate budgets and service levels to ensure the most effective use of funds. The County reserves the right to adjust award amounts at its sole discretion.Additional federal, State, or local funds may become available during the contracting cycle and allocated through this solicitation. Funding may only be awarded for the same scope of services as described in this solicitation. It is important to note, any contract awarded as a result of this procurement is contingent upon the availability of funding. If at any time during the term of the contract the funding relied upon for the contract is reduced, modified, or eliminated, or if the funding terms are modified, Pierce County reserves the right to amend the contract as appropriate or to terminate the contract.

All proposals are evaluated on the completeness and quality of the content. Only those Proposers providing complete information as required will be considered for evaluation. The County is not obligated to contact the organization for correction of proposals, and Proposers are strongly encouraged to carefully review their proposals for completeness and accuracy before submitting. For proposals to be considered responsive and move to the review process, the Proposer must, under Section 3, RFP Questionnaire:Acknowledge all required “confirmations.”Complete all required attachments, including uploading any supplemental documents requested in attachments; and Submit the following materials as part of the proposal. A letter of interest (cover letter) from the prime firm, the principal professional, intended to lead the project effort. The letter needs to include contact information, the number of years the firm has been in business under current or previous names or additional assumed business names, and the name and title of the person authorized to execute a contract on behalf of the firm. Provide similar information concerning each proposed subcontracted firm. The name and resume of key individual(s) who would be assigned to this project and an individual assigned to back up the key person in their absence, together with similar information for each individual to be provided under any subcontract. The name and title of the person authorized to execute a contract on behalf of the firm. Any additional services or procedures of benefit to the County not specifically required by this RFP, which the Contractor offers to provide. References listing client contracts of similar services. A statement outlining any proposed exceptions to the County’s requirements or requested clarifications to the requirements, including any exceptions to the terms of the County’s standard Services Agreement, a sample of which is attached hereto as “Attachment A.” Firms should understand, however, that the County is typically unwilling to change the terms of its standard Services Agreement. A firm’s inability to agree to those standard terms may be a basis for the County to instead negotiate with one or more other firms.The caption, cause number, Court, Counsel, and general summary of any litigation pending, or judgment rendered within the past three (3) years involving the proposer. (if applicable)

This section provides a curated list of help articles addressing common questions and challenges proposers may encounter during the Request for Proposal process. The resources below are intended to offer clear guidance, practical solutions, and relevant information to support a smooth and successful submission. Proposers are encouraged to review these materials as needed to better understand requirements, resolve issues, and navigate the process with confidence.Vendor RegistrationFollowing a ProjectGetting Started with SubscriptionsHow to Submit a Question in OpenGovHow to Submit a Proposal Response in OpenGovHow to Edit or Withdraw a Proposal after Submission in OpenGov

The table below presents a tentative schedule. The Consultant will be responsible for the Strategic Planning and Engagement tasks. Pierce County will coordinate the other tasks, which are included to provide perspective on the overall FSP work.July 20 – 23, 2026Terminal dive inspection by WSDOT September 30, 2026 Complete 2060 expenditure forecast for vessels and O&M September 2026 Engineering Consultant to prepare terminal cost forecast Oct/Nov 2026Execute Strategy Consultant agreement October 2026 2027 service schedule discussion with stakeholders Sept. – Dec. 2026Revenue projections Spring 2027 Funding partnership recommendation for internal discussion Spring 2027 2060 expenditure forecast for terminals Summer - Fall 2027 Council engagement Spring – Summer 2027 Budget discussion Fall 2027 Budget adoption and implementation Tasks by Function:Strategic planning and engagement Terminal capital project engineering Service level and budget Vessel cost forecast Tasks across all functions

Only electronic submittal via the County's eProcurement Portal shall be accepted for this procurement. No hard copies, emails, or fax submittals shall be accepted. The accepted forms of submitted materials are .pdf, png., jpeg., and MS Office formats such as docx. and xlsx.

Proposers must acknowledge and confirm each addendum and notice issued under this solicitation. The system will not allow final submission unless all required confirmations are checked.

Proposers should allow sufficient time to ensure timely receipt of the proposal by the County’s e-procurement System, OpenGov. Late responses will not be accepted and will be automatically disqualified. The County assumes no responsibility for delays caused by Proposer's technical related system errors.

All proposals and any accompanying documentation become the property of the County and will not be returned.