REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL 2019-RFP07

Brockville

Wayfinding Signage Design

CITY OF BROCKVILLE

November 2019

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1.0 Introduction and Background The City of Brockville is seeking the services of a design firm to develop design standards for a family of signs that improve visitor wayfinding within the city.

Known as the "City of the 1000 Islands", Brockville is on the St. Lawrence River opposite Morristown, New York, about halfway between Cornwall and Kingston and 115 kilometers south of Ottawa. Brockville is an access point to the world famous 1000 Islands, seventeen of which are owned by the City of Brockville, and public access to the waterfront is a source of pride amongst residents. Tourism is a major economic driver and the City has made significant investments in developing its tourism assets in the last few years including the Aquatarium at Tall Ships Landing (discovery centre of the 1000 islands) and the restoration and reopening of Canada’s Frist Railway Tunnel. 1000 Islands cruises are offered from Brockville’s marina from May-October each year and are one of the most sought-after tourist activities by visitors to the city. Fresh water scuba diving to our underwater sculpture park and many shipwrecks is also a popular draw.

Many festivals and events are held at waterfront parks each year including Ribfest, 1000 Islands Poker Run, Red Hot & Blue Rockabilly Weekend, Tall Ships Festival, Oktoberfest, Canada Day celebrations and fireworks, 1000 Islands Hydroplane Regatta, and the new Big River Festival. Downtown Brockville hosts over 60 stores and 30 restaurants and a visitor centre is open to the public year round to assist tourists and promote local assets and attractions.

Highway 401 bisects the city and there is a marked difference between the commercialized “north end” and the more historic downtown/waterfront area of the city. Many people pass through the city or may stop briefly for food or gas close to the 401 on their way to other destinations and most do not realize how close the waterfront is to them (just over 2 km).

The city’s historic downtown and beautiful waterfront area has been deemed a significant asset and is a major draw for tourists and for resident attraction. Efforts to increase the flow of traffic to downtown and to improve wayfinding to that area of the city and to the many attractions found there is an identified priority.

1.1 Purpose To create design standards that will allow for consistency in visitor wayfinding signage and that will reduce the variety of signage within the City of Brockville and the volume of signs required.

To increase economic impact on the city by utilizing clear directional signage to increase awareness and visits to our attractions and assets.

1.2 City of Brockville – Background Need In the last few years, there has been significant product development and tourism investment in Brockville such as Tall Ships Festival, Aquatarium, Railway Tunnel, and through private enterprise, and there has been a corresponding increase in visitation and overnight stays in Brockville. These new products have gone a long way in creating the critical mass that Brockville needs in order to be seen as a tourism destination, and while hotel occupancy rates have been increasing, more can be done to

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connect Brockville’s assets in order to become a multi-day tourist destination and not a single-attraction day-trip location.

The Official Plan states that “The City shall support the development and promotion of scenic, recreational and educational parkways with well signed and interesting attractions along the waterfront area and throughout the city that celebrate its cultural heritage resources.” Numerous reports from the last ten years have identified the need for improved entrance and directional signage including: 2008 Premiere Ranked Tourism Destination Report, 2009 Waterfront Master Plan & Urban Design Strategy, 2015 Brockville Economic Development Strategic Directions Update, 2016 Brockville First Impressions Report, and most recently in the observations from the 2017 and 2018 Communities in Bloom Judges Panel and from feedback received during the community consultations in creation of the 2019 Brockville & 1000 Islands Tourism Strategy.

1.3 Current Wayfinding and Entrance Signage Over the years directional signage and site identification signage has been erected by both the City and private stakeholders in order to draw visitors to locations of interest. As the number of attractions has grown, so has the requirement for directional signage. There has been no consistent design standards applied to these signs resulting in inconsistent and uncoordinated wayfinding, often utilizing signs that are too small to be readable by passing motorists. Each individual attraction/site has its own set of signs, resulting in cluttered corners and streets where multiple signs are present, making it more confusing and difficult for visitors to find their destination.

Visitors to the Brockville Tourism Office (visitor centre) continue to stop in requesting assistance finding the Railway Tunnel, Cruise Line, and Aquatarium despite all three attractions being located within 1½ blocks of the tourism office. Rather than increase the number of signs for each individual attraction, a consistent, unified series of signs that include all City-run attractions and sites of interest are desired to simplify the visitor experience and reduce the number of signs required to direct the visitor to each site.

Current welcome signage located at the 3 main roadway entrances in the City of Brockville is outdated, broken, overgrown, and in need of replacement. As the first impression of our community, these signs need to be welcoming and inviting, while reinforcing our sense of place.

1.4 Objectives • To establish a high quality sign family design that is coherent and attractive, and that reinforces

the sense of place of the community. • To reduce visual clutter by reducing the volume of individual signs found on busy corners and

entryways with singular, simplified, consistent signage containing information for multiple attractions/waypoints.

• To increase the ability for visitors to find nearby attractions and discover places of interest.

2.0 Scope of Work The City of Brockville requires a family of signs to be designed that will replace existing wayfinding signage and reduce sign clutter along main entryways and in the downtown waterfront district. The sign family should benefit tourists as well as visiting relatives, business people, and those who are just

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passing through. The sign designs should contribute to our community’s sense of place and pride in our waterfront.

2.1 Deliverables The proponent will develop a set of designs for each of the sign types specified in 2.1.1 that will make up a sign family to replace existing wayfinding signs in the City of Brockville. These sign designs will take into consideration AODA requirements, MTO roadway signage recommendations, legibility at posted road speeds where the signs will appear (for motorists as well as cyclists and pedestrians), as well as the needs of our local attractions and address existing city bylaws. Shop drawings and editable design files will be provided to the City of Brockville from the proponent along with material recommendations and fabrication cost estimates for each design type.

2.1.1 Sign Design Types: • City Welcome/entrance signs • Site identifier signage for individual attractions/places of interest • Wayfinding directional signs with arrow and distance indicators for main entryways/travel

routes into the city– fingerboard style with multiple partners • Wayfinding directional signs for the downtown area with pedestrian walking times top

destinations– visible to cars, cyclists, and pedestrians • Downtown pole mounted directional signs with walking times for along King Street • Smaller, final destination “turn offs” for 1-2 (maximum) destinations in line with overall designs

Develop clear, easy to follow guidelines on sizing, materials, fonts, colours, symbols etc. for all future wayfinding signs within the City boundaries regardless of the department or user group requesting the signs.

2.1.2 Shop drawings and editable files: • The proponent will provide detailed shop drawings for each sign type that can be given to a sign

fabricator so that all future signs will remain consistent regardless of who produces them. • Submit shop drawings clearly indicating construction, materials, finishes, fastening methods,

measurements, installation methods, flashing and sealants where required, and other pertinent details required to ensure complete installation of each sign type.

• Specify all colours, fonts (type, size, spacing), symbols, and other design elements that will be utilized for each sign type.

• Editable working files (digital) for each sign type will be provided so that the text and symbols can be adapted to produce individual signs as needed by the city in support of a city-wide wayfinding plan.

2.1.3 Material recommendations and cost estimates • Provide detailed material recommendations for each sign type for sign substrate, facing,

coatings, posts and fasteners and any other required materials that will be required to fabricate the sign.

• Indicate proposed footings, base support and all proposed mounting structures for free-standing and post-mounted signs.

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• Provide cost estimates for each sign type and mounting system along with expected lifespans for sign facings and mounting systems.

2.1.4 Consultations and Presentations In addition to the work outlined in 2.1.1 to 2.1.3 above, the proponent will:

• Hold a kick off conference call with the City’s visitor signage working group • Communicate regularly (minimum every 2 weeks) with the City by providing email updates and

progress reports • Prepare project materials and designs for the signage working group for review • Prepare final designs and present to the Economic Development, Recreation and Tourism

Committee in early January 2020

2.2 Design Requirements Wayfinding sign design development should take into consideration the City of Brockville’s needs along with accessibility guidelines and Ontario Traffic Manual standards and regulations.

2.2.1: City of Brockville Recommendations City of Brockville Signage Working Group Proposed Sign Design Principles:

• Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) standards: review and meet accessibility standards and provincial guidelines

• Canadian Tourism-Oriented Directional Signing (TODS) colours, fonts, and symbols: recognized throughout the province/country

• Shape of the signs: use of distinctive shape to distinguish signs and make them more noticeable to the visitor (ex. Brock Trail markers have a unique profile)

• Overall brand: “Brockville City of the 1000 Islands” consistent going forward. Important to reference the 1000 Islands and waterfront in some way in designs

• Use of individual panels for each listing: removable in case of changes or damage. Flexibility in design of panels to allow for logos or unique identifiers while maintaining overall consistency was deemed important by attraction partners

• Distinguishing between driving vs. pedestrian signage: o Larger signs on major routes into the city with larger fonts, directional arrows, and

distance to destination indicated o Downtown and pedestrian level signage can be smaller with directional arrows and

walking times • Durable materials for longevity to be used: sign materials and posts • Identifying the heritage district was deemed important, as was incorporating a heritage look for

historic places of interest

Consistency in look of all signs is deemed important, with the ability to add logos or other elements at place identifier signage for greater site recognition at each attraction itself (ie. tunnel, Aquatarium, museum). Reduction in the total number of signs required for wayfinding is a priority, along with increasing ease of use for the visitor to pick out wayfinding signage and follow it to their destination.

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Designs should allow for greater cross-promotion of assets and attractions to encourage people to visit more sites and stay in the city longer.

TODS signs are utilized throughout the province and visitors are familiar with those signs already and know to look for them. There is an opportunity to capitalize on this intrinsic visitor knowledge and design signs that utilize similar colouring (blue background, white text) on wayfinding throughout the city. The City of Brockville’s corporate logo utilizes Reflex Blue, so use of blue and white on signs would be consistent with city branding.

While visitor wayfinding signs do not fall within the City Sign by-law, the Planning department recommended that any city policy and designs be in line with the public policy (Sign By-law) and that heritage points of interest utilize a heritage style and uniform look. Positive comments have been received for the new Brock Trail signage and how the odd shape of them allows them to stand out and be noticed by the public. Longevity of materials should be considered for all signs. The existing finger signs downtown allow for a direction and symbol/logo and keep with the heritage theme, and could be expanded upon to reflect a greater number of businesses and attractions. For greater visibility, reflective lettering for night/winter was suggested.

2.2.2: Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (O. Reg. 165/16, Part IV.1., 80.6) 8. A recreational trail must have at each trail head signage that provides the following information:

i. The length of the trail. ii. The type of surface of which the trail is constructed. iii. The average and the minimum trail width. iv. The average and maximum running slope and cross slope. v. The location of amenities, where provided. O. Reg. 413/12, s. 6.

(2) The signage referred to in paragraph 8 of subsection (1) must have text that,

(a) has high tonal contrast with its background in order to assist with visual recognition; and (b) includes characters that use a sans serif font. O. Reg. 413/12, s. 6.

Reference: https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/110191#BK99 http://www.cedarsignsinc.com/otm-books.cfm

While trailhead design is outside of the scope of this project, general AODA guidelines and readability recommendations found in paragraph 8 subsection (2) should be considered as best practices and be considered for inclusion. The Brockville Municipal Accessibility Advisory Committee (BMAAC) has identified the most accessible routes of travel downtown; symbols or unique identifiers should be incorporated into downtown wayfinding sign design to identify these routes.

2.2.3: OTM Book 2: Sign Design, Fabrications and Patterns, Queen’s Printer for Ontario (2005) The Ontario Traffic Manual Book 2 guidelines for sign patterns and fabrication shall be used for reference and used where applicable. OTM regulations and recommendations from other books should be applied where necessary.

Reference: MTO/Manual/otm/Book2/2005

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3.0 Submission Instructions There will not be a public opening. Proposals will be received at the address listed below and shall be opened as soon as practical and evaluated. All proposals and accompanying documentation submitted shall be the property of the City of Brockville and will not be returned.

The proposal submission shall not exceed 20 pages including schedules, illustrations and charts (excluding resumes). Three (3) printed copies of the proposal along with an electronic version (via USB) shall be submitted and include the following:

● Proposed/alternate approach to the elements described in the Terms of Reference, if appropriate, and in preparing the work plan

● Schedule of work, showing proposed timeframes and milestones ● An upset limit of total project costs provided in a time-allocation matrix which indicates staff

time allocation for key elements, per diem rates and disbursement costs ● The names of staff and any sub-consultants to be utilized in the creation of the designs, their

background and related experiences, and their role in this project ● References and examples of similar projects undertaken by the design firm

The proposal shall be submitted in an envelope and be clearly marked with the Consultant’s name and referencing the proposal. The proposal will be received at:

(courier address) City of Brockville 1 King Street West Brockville, ON K6V 5V1 Attention: Dayna Golledge, Planning Department

(general mailing address) City of Brockville P.O. Box 5000 Brockville, ON K6V 7A5 Attention: Dayna Golledge, Planning Department

Before 4:00pm, local time, Thursday November 21, 2019. Proposals received after this time will not be accepted. For queries during preparation of proposal, contact: Rob Nolan, Director of Economic Development 613-342-8772 x4445 | rnolan@brockville.com

All queries will be complied by the City of Brockville and released via addendum posted to the City of Brockville’s website at www.brockville.com/tenders on November 19, 2019 at 4:00pm. Deadline to submit a query is November 15, 2019 at 3:00pm.

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4.0 Project Schedule Description of Activity Date Release of Proposal November 7, 2019 Deadline for queries November 15, 2019, 3:00pm Posting date of answers to compiled queries November 19, 2019, 4:00pm Proposal Submission Deadline November 21, 2019, 4:00pm Evaluation Period November 22-26, 2019 Award November 27, 2019 Kick off call with signage working group December 3, 2019 Preliminary sign design review with working group December 19, 2019 Final sign design review with working group January 2, 2020 Presentation to City of Brockville’s Economic Development, Recreation, and Tourism Committee

January 7, 2020

5.0 Evaluation Process and Criteria Proponents should have expertise and experience in sign design, wayfinding, sign production, and have an understanding of industry standards and best practices for directional road signs. Proposals should include the following:

• Signed cover page (located in the appendix) • A work plan indicating projected timeline and tasks to be undertaken to complete the project • Proposed fee and disbursement breakdown of budgeted costs. The proposal should include a

fixed price for all services proposed (exclusive of applicable taxes). The City will not pay any cost or expense not identified or included in the proposal.

• The name of each team member committed to the assignment, with bio outlining their relevant experience and examples of previous work

• Three references who can speak to the ability of the proponent to complete the proposed work.

In addition to the requirements listed above, proposals should outline the company’s skills and experience in the following areas:

• Demonstrates ability to provide reliable cost and time estimates, track projects, manage time and control cost;

• Demonstrates experience of the company and staff members involved in the project in Visual Communication Design and/or Industrial Design;

• Minimum 5 years of experience in Environmental Graphic Design, Signage and Wayfinding; • Experience designing for exterior conditions, and an understanding of scale appropriate to

indoor and outdoor environments; • Experience with a wide range of materials, processes and production technologies related to the

development and production of environmental graphics, signage and banners; • Experience developing unique signage solutions for heritage sites; • Demonstrates ability to meet critical deadlines, manage time and control costs; • Fluent with Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop and CAD

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Proposals will be evaluated by a review committee and be awarded points based on the following criteria and scoring system: Category Description Points Experience and Qualifications of Design Firm and Key Personnel

Company history and project management experience

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Relevant experience of the company and key personnel on similar projects

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Examples of comparable projects showing knowledge of wayfinding sign design, graphic design, and visual communication experience

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Project Deliverables and Technical Component

Demonstrated understanding of the City of Brockville and its sign requirements

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Approach to the project and outlined work plan; ability to meet the City’s goals and project timeline

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Demonstrated understanding of, and history of design adhering to, AODA and OTM regulations/recommendations; understanding of Canadian TODS sign program; knowledge of sign design best practices for vehicle/cyclist/pedestrian wayfinding

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Submission Quality & Completeness of Proposal

Completeness of submission, demonstrated willingness to comply with terms of RFP, Quality of the proposal

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References Examples of three previous clients and projects are relevant and comparable to proposed project for the City

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References by previous clients are positive and relate to the proposed project

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Pricing Cost effectiveness of the proposal 10 TOTAL 100

6.0 Budget The total maximum budget available to the proponent, inclusive of all expenses related to the design is $15,000.00 plus HST. Design fees, site visits, shop drawings, other consulting, legal, insurance, project meetings and contingency fees must be covered by this amount.

7.0 General Terms and Conditions

7.1 Certificate of Insurance The successful proponent must, prior to commencement of the services, provide evidence of Errors and Omissions Liability coverage for an inclusive limit not less than $2,000,000 liability for any one occurrence and General Liability coverage for an inclusive limit of not less than $2,000,000 liability for any one occurrence or accident for all claims arising from bodily injury, property damage, personal injury, and non-owned automobile. The Corporation of the City of Brockville shall be added as an additional insured with a cross liability clause on each policy of comprehensive liability insurance with an undertaking from the insurance company that such insurance will not be cancelled or reduced in coverage without thirty (30) days Notice of Cancellation or material change.

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7.2 Indemnification The successful proponent shall at all times hereafter hold harmless and shall fully indemnify the City from and against all claims and demands which may be brought against or made upon the City and against all loss, liabilities, judgements, costs, damages or expenses which the City may sustain, suffer or be put unto resulting from, arising from, or in any way incidental to the performance of this work by the proponent in the performance of services pursuant to the Agreement referenced in Clause 7.6.

7.3 RFP Terms and Conditions The terms and conditions of the Proposal offer shall remain firm and open for acceptance by the City for a period of ninety (90) days from the date of closing.

Final acceptance of the Proposal will be subject to the successful negotiation and execution of a written contract meeting the expenditure limits and required terms and conditions acceptable to the City. The acceptance or rejection of any Proposal will be made pursuant to the policies of the City.

7.4 Rights Reserved by the City The City is not liable for any costs incurred by interested parties in the preparation of their response to this request or subsequent interviews. Furthermore, the City shall not be responsible for any liabilities, cost, loss or damages, sustained or suffered by any interested party, prior or subsequent to, or by reason of the acceptance, or non-acceptance by the City of any response, or by reason of any delay in the acceptance of the response.

7.5 Right to Accept or Reject Proposals The City may accept a proposal in whole or in part, whether the submitted price is lowest or not, and may reject any or all proposals. There will be no requirements of the RFP, implied or otherwise, that the proposal representing the lowest submitted price would be selected or preferred. The RFP process is used as a means of evaluating a number of criteria (one of which is submitted price).

In the event that a favourable proposal does not exactly meet with the City’s requirements, the City reserves the right to enter into negotiations with the Proponent to arrive at a mutually satisfactory arrangement with respect to any modification to the proposal.

Revised proposal will not be called for if only minor changes are contemplated.

7.6 Agreement Prior to commencing work on the project, the successful Firm will enter into an Agreement with the City based on the City’s Request for Proposal information package and the Firm’s submission.

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Appendix

Supplied documents and background material: • GIS existing sign survey – the successful bidder will be given access to the GIS map of existing

wayfinding signage within the Brockville’s city boundaries which includes photos of each sign, location, and condition to aid in design development

• Brockville Sign By-law 84-89 • City of Brockville Economic Development Strategic Directions Update Report (2015) • Brockville & 1000 Islands Tourism Strategy (2019) • City of Brockville Downtown & Waterfront Master Plan and Urban Design Strategy (2009) • City of Brockville Official Plan (2012) • City of Brockville Waterfront Action Plan (2018) – starting on pg. 18 • BMAAC Brock Trail Accessibility Audit (2015) & BMAAC Brock Trail Audit Executive Summary

(2015) • City of Brockville Active Transportation Plan (draft – 2019) • City of Brockville GIS city asset maps • BMAAC downtown pedestrian recommendations • Railway Tunnel Committee sign intent (2019) – starting on pg. 8

Submission Cover Page (found on next page):

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Proposal for: 2019-RFP07 City of Brockville Wayfinding Signage Design

Name of Firm

Address of Firm, including postal code

Telephone number Email address

Name of Person Signing for the Firm

I ____________________________ attest that I have received the 13 page (plus cover) document entitled “Request for Proposals: 2019-RFP07 City of Brockville Wayfinding Signage Design” and Addendum 1.0 related to complied queries and answers to the RFP released on November 19, 2019 and have responded to the Request for Proposals in full as it relates to those two documents.

Signature Date

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Existing signage example photos:

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