Request for Proposals Historic Officer Consultant For The North Bethlehem, South Bethlehem and Mount Airy Local Historic Districts

The Historic Officer will provide the following services to the City:

1. Gather information and history on structures and improvements related to HARB, HCC, Mount Airy and City Council reviews. Reports and information shall be submitted to city staff and review board members at least five days prior to a scheduled public meeting;

2. Attend and prepare minutes for all HARB and/or HCC meetings;

3. Provide guidance to the Board or Commission on the limits and scope of authority of historic board or commission, ensuring the motion incorporates appropriate historic recommendations;

4. Record motions and actions of the HARB and/or HCC;

5. Prepare HARB and/or HCC recommendations on Certificate of Appropriateness requests for City Council;

6. Inspect properties in ensure work is being done according to the HARB, HCC and City Council approval;

7. When requested, appear in court as a witness relative to compliance issues facing the City and HARB or HCC;

8. Provide evidence of design review advice;

9. Meet and consult with property owners or applicants prior to application submissions to answer questions or provide guidance, as appropriate;

10. Similar additional duties that may be related to the Historic Officer position, as applicable.

In order to eliminate any potential conflicts of interest, selected historic officers will be required to refrain from professional work within the districts that will later require HARB or HCC review.

INFORMATION AND DATA REQUIRED IN EACH PROPOSAL

All Proposals shall be submitted exclusively in electronic format through PENNBID at https://pennbid.bonfirehub.com/ no later than November 13th, 2026, at 4:00 PM. Proposals provided by any other means will not be accepted. Incomplete proposals and those received after the specified date and time will not be considered. Hand delivered, mailed, courier, faxed and/or emailed responses will not be accepted. The City will handle proposals confidentially during the pre-award period.

The proposal shall contain responses to the following:

1. Qualifications, capacity and experience of the consultant (See attached Appendix “A” – Professional Qualifications Standards).

2. Identify the key personnel to be assigned to render the services required. Describe their related experience.

3. Describe any support staff that may be available administratively or in instances of absence, etc.

4. The City is proposing a budget of $50,400 for Historic Officer services for 2027, with $25,200 allocated for services to the north side Historic Architectural Review Board and $25,200 allocated for services to the south side Historic Conservation Commission. Responding firms must clarify within the proposal whether the proposal is related to one particular historic review board or both.

FACTORS FOR AWARD

The City will evaluate each written proposal based on the requirements and scope of work outlined in the Request for Proposals. The City may hold interviews for the position as deemed necessary by the City staff. The City of Bethlehem is not responsible for costs incurred by any firm for the costs to prepare a proposal.