MUNICIPALITY OF ARRAN-ELDERSLIE
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
RECREATIONAL TRAILS MASTER PLAN
RFP No. REC-2026-04
Item: Details
Issue Date: October 20, 2026
Closing Date and Time: November 20, 2026
Submission Method: Electronic submission to jmcallister@arran-elderslie.ca
Municipal Contacts: Joel McAllister, Manager, Facilities, Parks and Recreation jmcallister@arran-elderslie.ca; Jennifer Isber-Legge, Economic Development and Communications Officer jlegge@arran-elderslie.ca
Anticipated Contract Award: December 2026
Project Completion: March 31, 2027
1. Procurement Summary
Item: Details
Owner: The Corporation of the Municipality of Arran-Elderslie
Assignment: Preparation of a municipality-wide Recreational Trails Master Plan
Study Area: Arran-Elderslie, including Chesley, Paisley, Tara, Allenford, rural areas, municipal parks and relevant regional trail connections
Mandatory Requirements: Municipal trails planning experience; community and stakeholder consultation; GIS-supported mapping; implementation and costing; accessible final documents
Proposal Validity: 90 days following the closing date
2. Invitation and Intent
The Municipality of Arran-Elderslie invites proposals from qualified consulting firms to prepare a practical, community-informed Recreational Trails Master Plan. The Plan will establish a long-range vision and implementation framework for a connected, accessible and sustainable recreational trails network that reflects the Municipality's rural character, settlement areas, river systems, existing parks and financial capacity.
The Municipality is seeking a right-sized and adaptable plan. The final Plan must be clear, visually engaging and practical for use by Council and staff. It should guide short- and long-term planning, respond to future growth and changing community needs, and support capital planning, partnerships and funding applications.
The Plan will also identify economic development opportunities associated with trail development, including tourism growth, business attraction and community revitalization. It will position trail infrastructure as a strategic community asset that can support investment readiness, stronger local and regional partnerships, and long-term rural economic resilience.
3. Municipal and Project Context
Arran-Elderslie is a rural municipality in Bruce County that includes Chesley, Paisley, Tara and Allenford, as well as extensive rural and agricultural lands. Existing trail opportunities include municipal trails and walkways, community park connections, river corridors, the Bruce County Rail Trail, and potential connections through public lands, unopened road allowances and future development areas.
The Municipality's 2021 Recreation Master Plan identified trail development and expansion as a community priority. A 2026 staff report subsequently identified the Trails Master Plan as a highest-priority initiative and highlighted stakeholder engagement, trail hierarchy, design guidance, wayfinding, amenities, accessibility and implementation planning as core elements.
The Municipality has secured grant funding and committed municipal budget funding to complete the Plan. The grant-supported project is intended to strengthen rural economic development capacity, build regional partnerships, and modernize community trail assets that support economic growth and resiliency. The assignment must therefore integrate economic development, tourism, land-use planning and community revitalization considerations throughout the work.
4. Purpose and Objectives
Identify opportunities for future trail routes and improvements to existing trails.
Improve connections among communities, parks, downtowns, recreation facilities, river corridors and existing trail systems.
Provide an inclusive framework that considers a variety of users, abilities and trail experiences.
Establish practical guidance for trail classification, accessibility, safety, wayfinding, amenities and maintenance.
Identify realistic priorities, preliminary costs, partnerships, funding opportunities and implementation responsibilities.
Provide a professional final Plan and GIS mapping package that can guide decisions and support future funding applications.
Identify trail-related opportunities that may support tourism growth, business attraction, housing and community development, downtown vitality and community revitalization.
Strengthen municipal capacity to integrate trail planning with economic development, land-use planning, tourism, capital planning and future funding applications.
Support alignment with Bruce County tourism, economic development, growth and transportation priorities, including regional routes, visitor experience and community connections.
Establish practical measures that will allow the Municipality to report on the project's three grant outcomes and demonstrate how the Plan advances economic growth and resiliency.
5. Guiding Principles
Practical and right-sized: Recommendations must reflect the Municipality's scale, staffing, geography and financial capacity.
Connected: Trails should connect people with parks, community destinations, downtowns, natural features and regional routes.
Accessible and inclusive: The Plan must consider a broad range of ages, abilities and trail experiences and meet applicable accessibility requirements.
Safe and understandable: The network should use clear classifications, wayfinding, crossing guidance and risk-informed design principles.
Environmentally responsible: Recommendations should respect rivers, flood-prone areas, natural heritage features, agricultural lands and other sensitive settings.
Partnership-based: The Plan should identify appropriate roles for the Municipality, County of Bruce, conservation authorities, landowners, service clubs, community groups and other partners.
Adaptable and future-focused: The Plan should be flexible enough to respond to future growth, emerging opportunities, changing recreation trends and available funding.
Implementable: Recommendations must include clear priorities, phasing, preliminary costs, operational considerations and manageable next steps.
Economic development focused: The Plan should identify realistic ways trail investment can support tourism, business and investment attraction, housing and community development, downtown vitality, community revitalization and regional economic resiliency.
6. Scope of Work
The Proponent may refine the methodology, provided the following tasks and deliverables are addressed in a manner proportionate to the project budget and schedule.
6.1 Project Initiation and Background Review
Confirm the work plan, schedule, engagement approach, decision points and information requirements with the municipal project team.
Review relevant municipal documents, accessibility plans, available mapping and other background information.
Identify applicable legislation, standards, guidelines and current municipal best practices for recreational trails in Ontario.
Establish concise criteria to assess existing trails, future route opportunities and implementation priorities.
6.2 Existing Conditions Inventory and Assessment
Prepare an inventory of existing municipal, partner and regional trails, active transportation connections, amenities and key destinations.
Review available mapping, municipal information and other relevant data sources.
Conduct site visits, as appropriate and as seasonal conditions permit, to verify key features, connections, opportunities and constraints.
Identify gaps, accessibility and safety concerns, maintenance considerations, and opportunities for improved connectivity, wayfinding and amenities.
Prepare mapping of existing trails, key destinations, connection opportunities, constraints and regional linkages.
Distinguish between existing trails, planned projects and conceptual future opportunities, and document key assumptions or data limitations.
6.3 Community and Stakeholder Engagement
Community and stakeholder consultation is a central component of this assignment. The engagement program must be practical, accessible and proportionate to the project while providing meaningful opportunities for input.
Prepare an engagement plan identifying audiences, methods, timing and how feedback will inform the Plan.
Engage Council and municipal staff at key milestones.
Engage residents and trail users through at least one public survey and three public engagement sessions, with one session in each of Chesley, Paisley and Tara.
Undertake targeted consultation with relevant user groups and partners, which may include the Accessibility, Diversity, Inclusion and Equity Advisory Committee, community working groups, ATV and snowmobile clubs, service clubs, community organizations, the Arran-Elderslie Community Business Association, local businesses, developers, tourism operators, conservation authorities, Bruce County and other groups identified during the project.
Provide opportunities to identify current uses, barriers, priorities, desired connections and potential partnerships.
Include targeted questions for businesses, developers and community partners to identify opportunities and constraints related to tourism, investment, housing and community development, downtown connections, private-sector activity and trail-supportive partnerships.
Prepare a concise engagement summary describing activities, participation, key themes, differing perspectives and how feedback influenced the recommendations.
6.4 Future Trail Network and Recommendations
Develop a vision and guiding principles for the future trail network.
Identify and map recommended improvements, missing links, community connections and future opportunities.
Consider land ownership, agricultural operations, natural features, accessibility, constructability, maintenance and cost.
Clearly distinguish recommendations from conceptual opportunities and avoid implying municipal approval, land acquisition or public access where no agreement exists.
Prioritize recommendations for short-, medium- and long-term implementation.
Identify locations or corridors where trail connections, amenities or visitor improvements may support tourism activity, business visibility, community development, investment readiness or revitalization, while clearly distinguishing strategic opportunities from approved projects.
6.5 Trail Design and User Experience
Develop a simple trail hierarchy appropriate for Arran-Elderslie.
Provide general guidance for trail types, permitted uses, accessibility, surfaces, amenities, wayfinding and user experience.
Consider pedestrians, cyclists, persons with disabilities, families, dog walkers and other suitable recreational users, including motorized or equestrian uses on designated routes where appropriate.
Provide practical guidance for managing shared-use trails, crossings and user conflicts.
6.6 Implementation and Partnerships
Identify municipal, community and regional partnerships that may support trail development and enhancement.
Coordinate with Bruce County staff to align recommendations, where practical, with county-wide tourism routes, marketing initiatives, land-use planning, transportation connections, growth objectives and economic development priorities.
Provide high-level guidance for landowner engagement and land access tools where non-municipal lands may be involved.
Prepare a prioritized implementation plan for the next 10 years, including a manageable list of near-term projects.
Provide order-of-magnitude costs, key assumptions, potential grants and funding sources, and general operating and maintenance considerations.
Recommend a practical approach for monitoring implementation and updating the Plan over time.
Identify opportunities to pursue future grants, partnerships and coordinated investments, and describe how the Plan can reduce project risk by improving readiness, evidence and implementation clarity.
6.7 Economic Development Outcomes and Performance Framework
The consultant shall incorporate an economic development lens throughout the assignment and demonstrate how the Trails Master Plan supports:
· Increased capacity and effectiveness for rural economic development;
· Regional partnerships that strengthen local economies and resiliency; and
· Transformed or modernized community assets that support economic growth and resiliency.
The final Plan shall include a simple performance framework identifying practical measures, data sources, reporting responsibilities, and reporting frequency to support grant reporting requirements. The consultant is not expected to undertake a formal economic impact assessment.
7. Required Deliverables
No. 1: Project work plan and community and stakeholder engagement strategy — Following project initiation
No. 2: Existing conditions review, inventory and preliminary mapping — Early project stage
No. 3: Public and stakeholder consultation materials, including survey and session materials — Before each engagement activity
No. 4: Consultation summary, including key themes and how feedback informed the Plan — Following engagement activities
No. 5: Draft vision, trail network, recommendations and implementation strategy — For municipal review
No. 6: Draft Recreational Trails Master Plan — For municipal and public review
No. 7: Council presentation and revisions — Following review
No. 8: Final Recreational Trails Master Plan and concise public summary — Project completion
No. 9: Final GIS data, mapping and editable source files — Project close-out
No. 10: Economic development outcomes and performance framework, including recommended measures, data sources and reporting approach for the three grant outcomes — Included with the Draft and Final Plan
7.1 Final Document Standards
The Plan shall be concise, professionally written and suitable for print and digital use. The main body should favour clear recommendations, maps, summary tables and implementation tools. Supporting technical information may be placed in appendices. The final Plan shall be provided as an accessible PDF and in an editable source format acceptable to the Municipality. Final mapping shall be legible at common print sizes and supplied in PDF and high-resolution image formats. The consultant shall provide presentation slides and a concise public summary.
7.2 GIS and Data Requirements
Provide all project-created GIS data, mapping layers and spatial information in non-proprietary or commonly used formats compatible with the Municipality's ArcGIS environment. Provide complete, editable spatial data for trail alignments, trailheads, amenities, destinations, crossings, proposed connections and other mapped features developed through the assignment. Provide associated attribute data, layer descriptions and metadata sufficient for municipal staff to understand, use, update and maintain the information. Provide editable map layouts and the source data used to produce final maps and figures. Clearly distinguish verified existing features, planned projects and conceptual opportunities within the data structure. Disclose any third-party data, licensing limits or use restrictions before incorporating that information into the deliverables.
7.3 Ownership and Use of Deliverables
Upon payment, the Municipality shall own all project-specific reports, GIS data, databases, mapping, graphics, photographs and editable source files created for the assignment. The Municipality may use, reproduce, update, adapt and share these materials for municipal purposes. Pre-existing intellectual property and third-party licensed materials must be identified in the proposal and licensed to the Municipality to the extent necessary for ongoing use of the deliverables.
8. Municipal Responsibilities
Designate a municipal project manager and project team. Provide available background documents, mapping and existing municipal data. Coordinate access to municipal properties and assist with stakeholder contact information where appropriate. Review deliverables and provide consolidated municipal comments. Arrange Council meeting dates and municipal communication channels. Make final decisions regarding acceptance of deliverables and recommendations.
9. Consultant Qualifications
The Proponent shall identify a project team with demonstrated experience appropriate to the assignment, including: municipal recreation, trails, parks, landscape architecture, active transportation or related master planning; community and stakeholder consultation; GIS and mapping; accessibility and inclusive design; implementation planning and order-of-magnitude cost estimating; and rural economic development, tourism, community revitalization or related economic opportunity assessment. The Proponent may identify subconsultants or specialist resources as required. The proposal should clearly identify each team member's role and availability.
10. Project Schedule and Meetings
The Proponent shall submit a realistic schedule that recognizes the winter project period and the March 31, 2027 completion date. At minimum, the schedule shall identify: project initiation and confirmation of the work plan; background review and existing conditions assessment; community and stakeholder consultation activities; preliminary network and recommendations review; draft Plan submission and municipal review; Council presentation; and final Plan, GIS data and close-out files. Proponents shall identify any timing or seasonal limitations and explain how these will be managed without delaying the final Plan.
11. Proposal Submission Requirements
Proposals should be clear and concise and include the following information in the order shown: Cover letter signed by an authorized representative, confirming commitment, availability and proposal validity; understanding of the assignment, local context, grant outcomes, economic development objectives and right-sized approach; methodology and work plan, including consultation, economic development analysis, field review, route evaluation, GIS, performance measurement and quality assurance; project schedule, milestones, municipal review periods and engagement activities; project team, roles, qualifications, availability and subconsultants; up to five comparable projects, with preference for Ontario rural or small-municipal assignments; three client references for comparable work; fixed upset fee excluding HST, inclusive of meetings, travel, field work, engagement, design, accessibility and file delivery; exceptions, assumptions, exclusions, optional services and value-added items; conflict of interest disclosure and confirmation of the ability to meet insurance and contractual requirements.
12. Evaluation of Proposals
Proposals will be evaluated on best overall value. The lowest-priced proposal will not necessarily be selected. The Municipality may clarify proposals, verify references, interview shortlisted Proponents or request a presentation before award.
Evaluation Criterion and Weight:
Methodology, work plan, economic development lens and right-sized approach — 20%
Community, business, developer and stakeholder consultation approach — 20%
Project team, relevant experience and references — 15%
Schedule and ability to complete the work — 20%
Fee proposal and overall value — 25%
13. Procurement Terms and Conditions
13.1 Questions and Addenda
All questions shall be directed in writing to the municipal contact by the deadline stated in the procurement schedule. Responses affecting the RFP will be issued by addendum. Proponents are responsible for confirming receipt of all addenda.
13.2 Proposal Costs
All costs associated with preparing and submitting a proposal are the responsibility of the Proponent. The Municipality will not reimburse proposal, interview or presentation costs.
13.3 Rights of the Municipality
The Municipality reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, cancel or modify the process, waive minor irregularities, request clarification, verify information, negotiate where permitted, and award all or part of the work in accordance with applicable procurement requirements.
13.4 Confidentiality and Access to Information
Proposals become records of the Municipality and may be subject to disclosure under applicable access and privacy legislation. Proponents should clearly identify information they consider confidential, recognizing that such identification does not guarantee it will be withheld.
13.5 Conflict of Interest
The successful Proponent shall avoid and immediately disclose any actual, potential or perceived conflict of interest arising during the procurement or contract.
13.6 Accessibility
The successful Proponent shall comply with applicable accessibility legislation and municipal accessibility requirements in its services, consultations, presentations and deliverables.
13.7 Health and Safety
The successful Proponent is responsible for the health and safety of its personnel and subconsultants during field work and shall comply with applicable legislation and municipal site requirements.
13.8 Insurance and Indemnity
The successful Proponent shall provide certificates of insurance in the amounts and forms required by the Municipality, including commercial general liability, automobile liability and professional liability or errors and omissions coverage.
13.9 Ownership and Use of Work
Ownership and use of reports, GIS data, mapping and source files shall be as set out in Section 7.3. Any pre-existing intellectual property or third-party restrictions shall be disclosed in the proposal.
13.10 Agreement
Award is subject to successful negotiation and execution of the Municipality's consultant agreement, required approval, insurance and other documentation. The proposal and RFP will form part of the agreement.
13.11 No Lobbying
Proponents shall not contact members of Council or municipal employees other than the designated contact regarding this procurement. Unauthorized lobbying may result in disqualification.
13.12 Accessible Procurement Documents
The Municipality will provide procurement documents in an accessible format upon request in accordance with applicable requirements.
14. Reference Documents
Municipality of Arran-Elderslie Recreation Master Plan, February 2021; Applicable Official Plan and zoning information; Municipal accessibility plans and policies; Available municipal GIS and asset information; Relevant Bruce County trail, transportation, tourism or active transportation information; Relevant conservation authority mapping and policies; and Other municipal policies, agreements, maps and background information identified during project initiation.
Appendix A: Suggested Final Plan Structure
Executive Summary; Introduction and Planning Context; What We Heard; Existing Trail Network and Conditions; Vision and Guiding Principles; Recommended Trail Network and Community Opportunities; Trail Hierarchy, Design Guidance, Wayfinding and Amenities; Partnerships and Implementation Tools; Economic Development Opportunities and Grant Outcome Performance Framework; Implementation Plan, Priorities and Costs; and Appendices containing consultation details, inventory, technical guidance and mapping.
Appendix B: Fee Submission Form
Fixed upset fee for completion of the Recreational Trails Master Plan, including all work required by the proposed methodology and Scope of Work: $____________________________
Optional item, if any: $____________________________
The fee shall include project management, meetings, travel, site visits, consultation, mapping, document production, accessibility work and delivery of all draft and final files. No additional fees will be paid unless approved in writing by the Municipality in advance.
Appendix C: Proposal Checklist
Signed cover letter; Understanding of assignment; Methodology and work plan; Community and stakeholder consultation approach; Detailed schedule; Project team and availability; Relevant experience; Three references; Fixed upset fee; Assumptions, exclusions and optional items; Conflict of interest disclosure; Insurance confirmation; Demonstrated approach to economic development outcomes and performance measurement; Acknowledgement of addenda; Authorized signature.
