Flagstaff staff selects consultant candidate, aims for 15-month parks and open-space master plan

Flagstaff staff told the Open Space Commission that the city has chosen a top-ranked consultant candidate for its Parks, Recreation & Open Space master plan and expects a roughly 15-month project timeline.

"We received I think 11 proposals," Rebecca Sayers, the PROS director, said during the commission's meeting. She said an internal city review team and two other divisions scored proposals and found the top firm's proposal fit the adopted budget and had no exceptions to the contract or scope of work. "Their proposal's top firm was within our budget," Sayers said.

Staff is working with procurement and the finance office to finalize a contract and plans to present a staff summary and the contracting item to City Council in early March. Sayers said procurement must clear the disclosure of the vendor; once council approves, the vendor typically signs and the city issues a notice to proceed.

Sayers also highlighted a feature staff valued: the selected firm included a statistically valid public survey in the base proposal rather than listing it as an add-on. "It included in their cost proposal a statistically valid survey, which is huge," she said, adding that the consultant indicated flexibility to extend public engagement if needed to gather adequate responses.

The master plan will be phased to invite participation from the Open Space Commission and other divisions; Sayers said commissioners will get updates at their February meeting and during the joint meeting with the Parks and Recreation Commission. The estimated timeline from start to final product is roughly 15 months, though Sayers allowed the schedule may shift if additional community engagement is necessary.

Next steps: staff will finalize procurement clearance, place the staff summary on the March 3 City Council agenda, and circulate the consultant proposal and scope as procurement allows.