The County is preparing a new ten-year Facilities Master Plan that will identify strategic and policy objectives for improving the delivery of services and guide real estate and facility asset decisions over a ten-year planning period. The last County wide facility plan was completed in FY1999-2000. The plan will examine County processes and policies around the use and maintenance of County owned and leased facilities. This plan will not examine HSD facilities or detention facilities at this time as other planning efforts are ongoing with respect to those facilities at present. The Master Planning process will begin in August 2021 and is expected to last nine to ten months and conclude with presentation to the Board in June 2022.  
  
On April 27, 2021, the Public Works Department issued a Request for Qualifications to solicit Statements of Qualifications ("SOQs") for the Comprehensive Master Plan Services. The Public Works Department received 7 SOQ's from interested firms. A selection committee comprised of various County staff conducted evaluation of SOQs and unanimously ranked and selected Gensler as the top ranking firm. It is recommended that Gensler be awarded the agreement for the subject services.  
  
The planning process will include extensive outreach to County departments including employee surveys, department head interviews and a County steering committee of senior staff from departments and the County Administrator’s Office. In addition to specific site visits the team will also evaluate the Facility Condition Assessment reports being prepared separately under an already existing contract currently in process across the County. Gensler will examine the County’s existing facilities staffing and organization in light of County best practices and benchmarks and make suggestions accordingly for any proposed alterations. The consultant will evaluate the County’s remote work policies and alternative service delivery models and prepare alternatives based on those policies for Board consideration regarding proposed new construction, consolidation of existing facilities and/or facility closures/disposals to help the County meet its future service needs. Gensler will also examine facility location and distribution from a number of equity lenses to see if alternative locations/structures could improve access to services for underserved populations, decrease employee miles traveled, decrease miles traveled to access services and in light of recent State legislation related to opportunities for traditionally underserved communities.

If the agreement is not approved and the master planning study cannot be conducted, County will not be able to achieve and identify real estate and facility assets which could continue to be underutilized resulting in higher maintenance costs and continued service delivery challenges.