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The request for qualifications is tentatively scheduled for release on Nov. 5, with submittals from consultants due back Dec. 5. The advisory board would review the submissions and select three firms to interview in January, before making a recommendation to the city council on Jan. 27.

City officials expect to kick off the consultant-led redevelopment planning process in February. The conceptual plan will take about 18 months to complete.

Advisory board members have until Nov. 3 to submit comments for incorporation into the final request for qualifications document.

The draft document includes links to publicly available Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources information, city zoning and infrastructure data, and a SharePoint site with maps, drawings, and environmental documents.

Bill Honea, an environmental consultant with Ayres Associates, a national firm that has several offices in Wisconsin including in Madison, said the aim is to give prospective consultants enough information to understand the magnitude of what redeveloping the GM/JATCO site would entail.

He emphasized that “everybody should receive the same information so that it’s fair and there’s no preferential treatment.”

Among the top qualifications being sought in a consultant, according to the draft document, is the ability to lead public engagement.

Among the project goals they’d be asked to help complete: developing a conceptual redevelopment framework that meets environmental considerations, implementing a phased plan for redevelopment, creating a site brand, engaging the public, and assessing infrastructure and funding needs.

Respondents would be asked to provide examples of three projects of similar scale and complexity, involving environmental concerns like brownfield remediation, that they have consulted on, at least one of which must have been completed. They would also be asked to provide three references from past clients.

Advisory board members on Thursday night asked questions about public engagement, noting that the draft document currently calls for a minimum of four community events.

Advisory board member Erin Klipstein said she would like to see public engagement at every step of the way, and make sure that’s stated as a top priority in the request for qualifications.

Board Chair Mick Gilbertson asked about the weighting of public engagement in the draft document, noting that it was listed as 10% of the total score by which a consultant will be chosen. Gilbertson suggested that be raised to 15%.

Honea said that could be adjusted.

“Whatever you would like to weigh more, that’s at your discretion to decide how to grade,” Honea said.

Honea said that he anticipates strong interest from national firms, noting that respondents will probably mostly be large companies from out of state.

The advisory board on Thursday night also discussed ensuring that alternatives be considered for future development proposals, including alternatives to a data center, and confirmed that responses to the request for qualifications would be public documents.