Project Information

Bid Title

2026 Transit Development Plan Request for Proposals

Issuing Agency

City of Bismarck

Location

North Dakota

Published Date

Feb 19, 2026

Closing Date

Mar 16, 2026

Government Level

State & Local

Status

Closed

Original Source

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Bid Documents

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Project Description

Bid Title:	2026 Transit Development Plan Request for Proposals
Category:	Metropolitan Planning Organization
Status:	Open

Description: The Bismarck-Mandan Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) request proposals from qualified consultants for the 2026 Transit Development Plan. Qualifications based selection criteria will be used to analyze technical proposals and interviews from responding consultants. The MPO reserves the right to reject any or all proposals. This project has a not to exceed budget of $180,000. All proposals received by 5:00 PM (Central Time) on Monday, March 16, 2026, will be given consideration for an interview. The Bismarck-Mandan MPO reserves the right to limit the interviews to a maximum of five (5) firms whose proposals most clearly meet the RFP requirements. Firms will be notified in writing or by phone of shortlist results. Successful candidates will receive date, time and location information for the interviews. It is the responsibility of the consultant to ensure all required elements of the proposal are submitted. Proposals missing required elements will be rejected and consultants will be denied interviews. Respondents must submit one (1) electronic copy of the proposal. The full length of the proposal shall be no more than eight (8) pages. Appendix material is not counted toward the eight (8) page limit. Submittals must be received no later than 5:00 PM (Central Time) Monday, March 16, 2026. Publication Date/Time: 2/19/2026 12:00 AM Closing Date/Time: 3/16/2026 5:00 PM Submittal Information: Interested firms should contact, Paulette Jacobsen, Transit Planner, at the Bismarck-Mandan MPO Contact Person: Paulette Jacobsen, Transportation Planner Bismarck- Mandan MPO 221 N 5th St Bismarck ND 58506-5503 701-355-1473 Related Documents: Transit Development Plan_RFP_Final_FEB2026 WEBSITE(2.19.26)

Attachment Preview

REQUEST

FOR PROPOSALS

FOR

TRANSPORTATION PLANNING SERVICES

The Bismarck-Mandan Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) request proposals

from qualified consultants for the following project:

2026 Transit Development Plan

Qualifications based selection criteria will be used to analyze technical proposals and

interviews from responding consultants. The MPO reserves the right to reject any or

all proposals. This project has a not to exceed budget of $180,000.

Interested firms should contact, Paulette Jacobsen, Transit Planner, at the Bismarck-

Mandan MPO, 221 N 5th Street P.O. Box 5503, Bismarck ND 58506. Contact can

also be made via phone 701.355.1473 or by email: pjacobsen@bismarcknd.gov

All proposals received by 5:00 PM (Central Time) on Monday, March 16, 2026,

will be given consideration for an interview. The Bismarck-Mandan MPO reserves

the right to limit the interviews to a maximum of five (5) firms whose proposals most

clearly meet the RFP requirements. Firms will be notified in writing or by phone of

shortlist results. Successful candidates will receive date, time and location information

for the interviews.

It is the responsibility of the consultant to ensure all required elements of the proposal

are submitted. Proposals missing required elements will be rejected and consultants

will be denied interviews.

Respondents must submit one (1) electronic copy of the proposal. The full length of

the proposal shall be no more than eight (8) pages. Appendix material is not counted

toward the eight (8) page limit. Submittals must be received no later than 5:00 PM

(Central Time) Monday, March 16, 2026, and may be emailed to:

pjacobsen@bismarcknd.gov

Once submitted, the proposals become the property of the MPO. Proprietary

information must be clearly noted in the proposal, or it will be subject to open records

laws.

1

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

TO PERFORM PLANNING SERVICES FOR:

Transit Development Plan

BISMARCK-MANDAN METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION

Paulette Jacobsen

Transit Planner

PROPOSALS MUST BE DELIVERED TO

BISMARCK-MANDAN MPO

BY 5:00 P.M. Central Time, Monday, March 16, 2026

2

Contents

I: PURPOSE OF THE REQUEST ..............................................................................................4

II: GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS................................................................................................ 4

III: CONTENT OF PROPOSALS .............................................................................................. 6

IV: ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS AND MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION .............7

V: EVALUATION CRITERIA AND PROCESS....................................................................... 8

VI: REGIONAL CONTEXT AND EXISTING CONDITIONS .................................................8

VII: OBJECTIVE.......................................................................................................................10

VIII: STUDY AREA.................................................................................................................. 11

IX: SCOPE OF WORK..............................................................................................................12

X: REVIEW AND COMPLETION PROCESS......................................................................... 14

XI: PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT PLAN......................................................................................15

XII: INFORMATION AVAILABLE TO THE CONSULTANT .............................................. 16

Appendix A: Proposed Sub-Consultant Request Form

Appendix B: Consultant Self Certification of Government-Wide Debarment and Suspension (Nonprocurement) Form

Appendix C: Certification and Restriction on Lobbying Form

Appendix D: Federal, State and Local Clauses

3

I. PURPOSE OF THE REQUEST

The purpose of this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to provide interested consulting firms with enough information about

the professional services desired by the Bismarck-Mandan Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the following

project:

2026 Transit Development Plan

The MPO is requesting services to complete an evaluation and operational analysis of the transit system managed by Bis-

Man Transit, which serves Bismarck, Lincoln and Mandan, ND. This study will be in cooperation with the cities of

Bismarck, Lincoln and Mandan; the Bis-Man Transit Board, the North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT),

the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).

II. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

A. Any questions or comments regarding this proposal should be submitted to:

Paulette Jacobsen

Bismarck-Mandan MPO

221 N 5th Street

P.O. Box 5503

Bismarck, ND 58506-5503

Phone: 701-355-1473

pjacobsen@bismarcknd.gov

B. Proposals shall be submitted to:

Paulette Jacobsen

pjacobsen@bismarcknd.gov

C. All Proposals must be clearly identified and marked as follows:

NAME OF SUBMITTING FIRM

Proposal for:

2026 Transit Development Plan

Bismarck-Mandan MPO

D. The MPO will only consider proposals received prior to 5:00 PM (Central Time) on Monday, March 16, 2026.

One (1) electronic copy must be received by the deadline. Electronic copies may be emailed to:

pjacobsen@bismarcknd.gov. Proposals received after the 5:00 PM deadline will be considered unresponsive and will

not be considered for an interview. The MPO reserves the right to reject any or all proposals.

E. Proposal Cut Down:

The Selection Committee intends to interview between three (3) and five (5) consultants, depending on the

number and quality of proposals received. Strength of the written proposals will be the basis for awarding an

interview. Consultants who are awarded an interview will be notified by phone or email between March 24-26,

2026. Consultants not selected for an interview will be notified in writing.

4

F. Selection Committee:

The Selection Committee will consist of a five (5) person panel; four (4) voters and one (1) moderator.

Committee members represent the following entities: City of Bismarck, City of Lincoln, City of Mandan, Bis-

Man Transit. The MPO Project Manager will moderate the interviews. In the case of a first ranked tie, the

moderator’s ranking will provide the tie-breaking score.

G. Interviews:

Consultants will be evaluated on both the written proposal and interviews, which may be conducted either in-

person or remotely (TBD). Ranking is based on the criteria listed in Section V: Evaluation Criteria and Process.

Interviews are planned to be held April 13 – 16, 2026. Consultants will be given forty-five (45) minutes for their

proposal and Q&A. Consultants manage their own time and are encouraged to leave space at the conclusion of

their presentation for questions and answers. If remote, the MPO project manager will provide a TEAMs link for

the interview.

H. Selection and Approvals:

Selection will be based on the interview committee’s recommendation. All interviewees will be notified of the

selection results in writing. Approval of the top ranked consultant will be requested of the MPO’s TAC and

Policy Board on April 20 & 21, 2026, respectively.

I. Contract Negotiations:

Contract development will begin immediately after Policy Board approval of the top-ranked consultant. The

MPO has a template contract which will be used for the study. Consultant will be required to prepare a scope

of work and final fee schedule, which will be included in the contract. The draft contract is reviewed by MPO

Staff, its partners, and legal counsel(s). After negotiations, the MPO intends to execute the contract upon staff

authority. (Disclaimer: This contract will be subject to a financial assistance contract between the state of

North Dakota and the USDOT).

Final negotiations will include submission of:

1) Prime Consultant scope of work and final fee schedule not exceeding $180,000 (programed in 2026 to spend up

to $99,338 & programed in 2027 to spend remaining balance of the not to exceed $180,000 total study budget)

2) Scope of work and fee schedule for ALL Subconsultants

3) Prime Consultant Certificate of Liability Insurance

4) Prime Consultant Indirect Cost Form (blank form will be provided by MPO)

5) SFN 60233: Prime Consultant Request to Sublet Form (blank form will be provided by MPO)

6) Up-to-date SF330 Form for NDDOT (See Section III: Content of Proposals).

5

Commodity Codes

• NAICS 541330Engineering Services
• NAICS 541611Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services

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