Public Engagement and Planning Services

The Vendor is required to provide public engagement and planning will be responsible solely for the planning, preparation, execution, and reporting of all public and interested party engagement activities that inform the inter municipal development plan (IDP).
- Engagement consultant:
1. Public and interested parties engagement
•    Landowners and businesses within inter municipal interface areas 
•    Residents with interests related to growth, land use compatibility, servicing, and infrastructure 
•    Agricultural operators, developers, and local industry 
•    Shared environmental features and natural assets 
•    Transportation networks, municipal services, and development expectations 
•    Community values associated with growth, character, and long-term planning
2. Scope of responsibilities
a. Engagement planning and preparation
•    Participate in a project start-up meeting with the project administration team.
•    Prepare a comprehensive engagement plan that reflects local and inter municipal context, project objectives, and statutory requirements.
•    Identify key interested parties and audiences, including landowners, businesses, residents, and industry representatives.
•    Coordinate with municipal communication leads to align engagement activities with communications and marketing requirements.
•    Identify potential engagement risks and develop mitigation strategies.
•    Develop a detailed work plan outlining roles, responsibilities, timelines, and sequencing of engagement activities.
•    Prepare a detailed engagement budget and cost breakdown.
b. Event planning and coordination
•    Identify and assess appropriate venues for engagement activities, including site visits where required.
•    Confirm venue selection with the joint administrative working group.
•    Coordinate venue bookings, equipment rentals, catering (if required), and all logistical arrangements. 
•    Any third-party or pass-through expenses shall be charged to the city at actual cost only, with no mark-up, overhead, profit margin, administrative fee, or premium applied by the consultant, and shall be supported by original receipts or invoices upon request.
•    Manage event setup, on-site coordination, and takedown.
c. Engagement delivery and materials
•    Develop and print clear, accessible, and audience-appropriate engagement materials for both in-person and online use, including maps, display boards, surveys, handouts, and digital content.
•    Deliver a range of engagement activities, such as open houses, workshops, facilitated meetings, coffee chats, and targeted interested party sessions.
•    Provide qualified facilitators and facilitation tools to support inclusive, respectful, and productive dialogue.
•    Coordinate all logistics related to engagement events, including staffing, equipment, venue management, and on-site support.
•    Monitor and maintain online engagement platforms to ensure ongoing accessibility, clarity, and transparency.
d. Engagement reporting
•    Collect, transcribe, code, and analyze qualitative and quantitative feedback from all engagement channels.
•    Coordinate and monitor online engagement activities through the city engagement portals.
•    Respond to or direct inquiries received through online engagement tools, as appropriate.
•    Maintain and update online engagement content in collaboration with municipal communications staff.
•    Identify key themes, issues, and insights across interested parties.
•    Prepare interim and final engagement summary reports, including clear and accessible “what we heard” reports for public release.
•    Collaborate with the city project team to ensure engagement findings are accurately integrated into the broader IDP process.
- Planning advisor
1. Technical research and analysis
•    Reviewing applicable municipal, inter municipal, regional, and provincial legislation, policies, and plans. 
•    Identifying areas of policy alignment requirements, inconsistencies, and potential gaps. 
•    Analyzing and interpreting demographic, growth, land use, infrastructure, environmental, and economic data. 
•    Preparing technical memoranda, background papers, summary materials, and briefing materials to support policy development and inter municipal decision-making.
2. IDP policy development and review
•    Drafting new IDP policies or revising existing policies. 
•    Reviewing draft policy content prepared by municipal staff or other consultants. 
•    Providing professional planning advice, technical commentary, and recommended revisions. 
•    Supporting policy refinement in response to inter municipal direction, committee feedback, or engagement outcomes, where applicable and as provided by the city. 
•    Reviewing engagement materials, surveys, or “what we heard” reports.
3. Project coordination and advisory support
•    Supporting coordination among municipal partners and the joint administrative working group. 
•    Attending regular project meetings, including weekly coordination meetings, or engagement sessions as required. 
•    Assisting with task sequencing and alignment of technical inputs across work streams. 
•    Identifying project risks and advising on potential mitigation strategies. 
•    Providing professional planning advice and technical clarification as required.
•    Request attendance at workshops, open hours, or meetings involving the public or external interested parties.