REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
PLANNING CONSULTANT SERVICES
Local Law Accessory Dwelling Units
Town of Amenia Dutchess County New York
The Town of Amenia invites the submission of proposals for professional planning consulting services from qualified planning firms or individuals with experience in providing professional planning services . The Planning Consultant will provide support to the Town Board and the Town Attorney for a specific project.
The chosen consultant shall provide the following scope of services:
I. SCOPE OF SERVICES
• Assist the Town Attorney in the creation of a local law allowing for the establishment of accessory dwelling units (ADU) in the Town of Amenia, including a clear statement of intent and a full range of requirements related thereto including connecting the ADU requirements with existing use and dimensional requirements.
• Identify opportunities within the Zoning Code to provide more accessibility and availability for the construction and/or creation of ADUs.
• Review and identify amendments to the Zoning Code to remove any ambiguities and/or inconsistencies when it comes to accessory apartments, clearly differentiating and establishing a divide between an accessory apartment and an ADU.
• Coordinating the current Town Code provisions covering workforce housing with the new ADU provisions to avoid conflicts .
• Providing further assistance to the Town Attorney finalizing a Local Law granting a tax exemption to properly established and permitted ADU including assistance as necessary to properly integrate the new law into the framework of the existing Town Code.
II. AWARD CRITERIA
This Request for Proposals is issued pursuant to the Town of Amenia Procurement Policy adopted in accordance with General Municipal Law §104-b. The Town has determined that planning consulting services constitute professional services for which competitive bidding is not required. Selection shall be based on qualifications, experience, and other factors deemed in the best interest of the Town.
Proposals will be evaluated based on factors including but not limited to experience with similar municipal planning services; qualifications of assigned personnel; familiarity with New York State land use law and SEQR; demonstrated ability to work effectively with boards and staff; and the cost and reasonableness of hourly rates.
The Town of Amenia retains the right to reject any and all submittals with or without cause. The Town also reserves the right to consider and rely upon factors other than pricing in its selection process.
III. CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
The consultant shall avoid conflicts of interest and shall disclose any private representation within the Town. The consultant shall not represent private applicants before the Town boards unless expressly authorized by the Town.
IV. TERMS OF CONTRACT
The selected consultant will be required to sign a consultant services agreement which will be for
the term necessary to complete the identified task. The expected term is to be one(1) year.
The selected consultant will be required to maintain professional liability, general liability, and Statutory workers’ compensation, Employers Liability and NYS Disability Benefits insurance for all employees amounts acceptable to the Town of Amenia. Proof of coverage acceptable to the Town will be required.
This contract will be paid for by a grant. Any contract awarded pursuant to this RFP shall be subject to the availability of those grant funds.
V. PROPOSAL SPECIFICS
Each interested entity shall submit eight (8) copies of their proposal together with one (1) flash drive carrying the entire proposal in electronic format. All submissions shall be received in the Office of the Town Clerk by 2:00 PM on October 29, 2026. Proposals submitted after the prescribed time will not be accepted.
Proposals must be in sealed envelopes addressed to Dawn Marie Klingner, Town Clerk, Town of Amenia, 4988 Route 22, Amenia, NY 12501, clearly labeled “Request for Proposal – Planning Consultant Services – Local Law Accessory Dwelling Units.”
No reimbursement will be made by the Town of Amenia for any costs incurred for the preparation of this proposal and any subsequent interview.
The New York State Freedom of Information Law as set forth in Public Officers Law, Article 6, Sections 84-90, mandates public access to government records. However, proposals submitted in response to this Request for Proposals may contain technical, financial background or other data, public disclosure of which could cause substantial injury to the proposer’s competitive position or constitute a trade secret. Proposers who have a good faith belief that the information submitted in their proposals is protected from disclosure under the New York Freedom of Information Law shall clearly identify the pages of proposals containing such information by typing in bold face on the top of each page “THE PROPOSER BELIEVES THAT THIS INFORMATION IS PROTECTED FROM DISCLOSURE UNDER THE STATE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION LAW.” The Town assumes no liability for disclosure of information so identified, provided that the Town has made a good-faith legal determination that the information is not protected from disclosure under applicable law or where disclosure is required to comply with an order or judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction.
The contents of the proposal, except portions “Protected from Disclosure,” which is accepted by the Town may become part of any agreements resulting from this Request for Proposals.
All inquiries concerning the proposal arising during the process of proposal preparation are to be made in writing addressed to the Town of Amenia Town Clerk, or by email to dmklingner@ameniany.gov, and to be considered must be received at least seventy-two (72) hours prior to the date fixed for the submission of proposals. The response to all such inquiries will be made by mail or email not later than twenty-four (24) hours prior to the date fixed for the submission of proposals. No interpretation or inquiry response will be made to any potential proposer orally.
Each proposal shall contain, at a minimum, the following:
A. Table of Contents
B. Summary
A one-page narrative explaining the firm’s interest in this scope of work, particular abilities, and qualifications related to this assignment. Description of the firm and description of services of a similar type and scope
C. Proposer Description
A full and complete description of the entity submitting the proposal, including a description of the legal status of the entity and demonstration of appropriate licensure in the State of New York. This should further include the name, address, and position of all persons within the firm who are authorized to execute contracts on its behalf.
D. Project Team Breakdown
An organizational chart listing by name each person in each firm, by each discipline, complete with qualifications. Resume of the planner who will be assigned to this scope of work, as well as any assisting planners, if applicable
The assigned planners’ experiences with similar scopes of work
E. Relevant Project Experience
Two (2) examples of recent and relevant Municipal Local Law/ Zoning projects completed by the entity submitting the proposal. Individual experience will be considered. Projects shall be described by type, location, budget, and schedule. A list of contacts with names and telephone numbers should be submitted.
F. General Project Experience
Five (5) examples of recent or ongoing projects engagements in a municipal or governmental setting with specific focus on planning, zoning, and local law development. Projects shall be described by type, location, budget, and schedule. A list of contacts with names and telephone numbers should be submitted.
G. Fee Proposal Compensation
The final fee will be negotiated and will be based upon a clear understanding of the final project and schedule, extent of services required. Each fee proposal shall include hourly rates for all persons who will work on the project, shall provide for a not to exceed fee which covers all services outlined in the RFP, and shall further include an outline schedule indicating how this fee should be paid and tied to project milestones. Please note that all reimbursable expenses (travel, phone, copies, etc.) must be included in the hourly rates.
VI. ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS
A. Non-Collusion – By submission of a proposal, each proposer and each person signing on behalf of that proposer warrants and represents that any ensuing agreement has not been solicited or secured, directly, or indirectly, in a manner contrary to the laws of the State of New York and the Town, and that said laws have not been violated and shall not be violated as they relate to the procurement or the performance of the agreement by any conduct, including the paying or the giving of any fee, commission, gift, gratuity or consideration of any kind, directly or indirectly, to any Town employee, officer or official.
B. In connection with this proposal, the proposer shall not discriminate against any person by reason of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, handicap, social disadvantage or disabled or Vietnam era veteran status.
VII. SELECTION PROCESS
It is the intent of the Town of Amenia to select the Planning Consultant based upon the qualifications of the proposer and its ability to satisfy the project requirements, schedule and approach of the Town of Amenia as described in the proposal. The Town of Amenia reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to reject any and all proposals and waive any irregularities. The Town of Amenia further reserves the right to select any proposal as the basis for negotiating a contract, to exercise its discretion and apply its judgment with respect to any aspect of the RFP, the evaluation of proposals and the negotiation and award of any contract and to weigh its evaluation criteria in any way it deems appropriate.
Each proposer will be evaluated on recent and relevant experience working for municipalities and local government on local law, planning and zoning projects with emphasis and accessory dwelling (ADU) and or housing matters.
The Town intends to narrow the list of proposers to three. Each of the three proposers will be further evaluated and may be subject to a personal interview and presentation to the Amenia Town Board.
Specific criteria to be used in evaluating the various proposers includes, but is not limited to:
A. Experience of the proposer with New York State municipalities and local government Boards with specific attention to zoning and housing matter, including but not limited to the overall resources and staff qualifications of the proposer
B. Ability of the proposer to complete the work in a timely fashion and within an established budget.
C. The ability of the proposer to work with the Town Board, Town Attorney, Town staff and other authorities having jurisdiction.
D. Comprehensive nature and substance of the response.
E. The overall cost and reasonableness of the hourly rate.
Proposal Available: October 8, 2026
Proposal Due: October 29, 2026 - 2:00 PM
Proposals Opened: October 29, 2026 - 2:30 PM
Interviews: Town Board Meeting - November 19, 2026
Award: Town Board Meeting – December 3, 2026
The Town of Amenia reserves the right to accelerate this schedule and may elect to hold a special meeting to make the final selection.
The Town of Amenia hereby notifies all proposers that it will affirmatively ensure that minority business enterprises will be afforded full opportunity to submit proposals in response to this request and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, or national origin in consideration for any award.
END OF REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL