Linkage Fee Nexus Study

The City of Wheat Ridge is soliciting proposals from qualified individuals, institutes, firms, or organizations to complete a Nexus Study for a Housing Impact (Linkage) Fee. The goal is to assess the demand for affordable housing generated by both residential and commercial development and to explore a legally defensible fee structure. The study should evaluate the potential impact on future development activity in Wheat Ridge and whether a linkage fee would be economically viable.

This study will directly support the implementation of the City's Affordable Housing Strategy and Action Plan (AHS) by exploring a linkage fee as a secondary revenue source for the City’s Housing Fund. City Council provided this direction based on the results of a consultant-led Inclusionary Housing Zoning (IHZ) Feasibility Analysis, which indicated that an IHZ program may not be the most appropriate tool for Wheat Ridge at this time due to market constraints and development patterns.

Background

In January 2023, the City of Wheat Ridge adopted the Affordable Housing Strategy and Action Plan, which recommended exploring both an IHZ program and other recurring funding sources to support the City’s Housing Fund.

In fall 2024, the City commissioned a feasibility study of an IHZ program. The study identified potential challenges in applying inclusionary requirements to small- and mid-size residential developments and found that many projects could not absorb the added costs, particularly under the City’s charter-imposed density limitations and current market volatility.

As a result, on July 7, 2025, City Council directed staff to pause work on a traditional IHZ ordinance and instead explore a Housing Impact (Linkage) Fee as a more equitable, legally defensible, and stable approach to generating revenue for affordable housing. This RFP seeks a qualified consultant to conduct the required Nexus Study to move this policy forward.

The City of Wheat Ridge (the “City”) Municipal Building is located in the northwest Denver metropolitan area, with municipal offices at 7500 W 29th Avenue, Wheat Ridge, CO 80033. The City’s area consists of about nine square miles of rolling land adjacent to the Interstate 70 transportation corridor between Denver and the Rocky Mountains.  The topography is somewhat unique, with a natural ridge traversing the City. The City is a suburban community of approximately 33,000 residents. Wheat Ridge is a home-rule municipality with an elected mayor and eight council members, and a Council- Manager form of government. Wheat Ridge recognizes the Best Value procurement model which allows the City to appoint suppliers that best meet the needs of the City, taking into consideration proposer qualifications, price, products, and service capabilities and other factors relevant to the City’s policies, programs, administrative resources, and budget.

Project Details

• Reference ID: 26-29
• Department: Comm Dev.
• Department Head: Lauren Mikulak (Community Development Director)

Important Dates

• Questions Due: 2026-06-30T20:00:00.000Z
• Pre-Proposal Meeting: 2026-06-23T16:00:00.000Z — Microsoft Teams Join: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/279609991581399?p=Ror3GfKTec7ZHE5h0T Meeting ID: 279 609 991 581 399 Passcode: V4rE6nz3

Evaluation Criteria

• Understanding of the Scope of Work (25 pts) —
  1. Demonstrate your understanding of the technical requirements of a nexus study, including the methodologies, data sources, and analytical frameworks typically employed.
  2. Demonstrate familiarity with nexus study legal frameworks, including applicable case law and statutory authority in Colorado, and describe your approach to ensuring the nexus study produces a legally defensible fee structure.
  3. Describe how the objectives identified in the RFP will be achieved, and identify any foreseeable challenges in the implementation of the scope.
  4. Discuss your firm's familiarity with the project area, local market conditions, and experience working with the City of Wheat Ridge or other Jefferson County and metro Denver area municipalities.
  5. Demonstrate familiarity with Colorado Proposition 123 and the Local Planning Capacity Grant program requirements, including any applicable reporting, deliverable, or compliance obligations tied to state grant funding.
• Qualifications (20 pts) —
  1. Provide an overview of your company's history, including management structure, firm size, number of employees, years in business, location of working office, and any DBAs.
  2. Identify all team members and their respective roles, including any sub-consultants. Provide resumes for essential staff indicating credentials, training, education, certifications, and length of time with the company. Describe individual team member experience with similar nexus studies or related work for municipal or regional clients in Colorado.
  3. Outline the project manager's qualifications and experience leading similar nexus studies or housing policy projects in the same capacity.
  4. Demonstrate experience producing nexus studies that have withstood legal scrutiny or been successfully adopted into ordinance. Describe the outcome of any nexus study your firm has completed, including whether the resulting fee program was adopted and implemented.
  5. Demonstrate experience working on projects funded by state or federal grants, including familiarity with grant compliance, documentation, and reporting requirements. Experience with Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) or other Colorado state agency grants is preferred.
  6. Describe your firm's experience conducting stakeholder outreach with private developers and real estate professionals in the context of impact fee or affordable housing policy studies.
  7. State any MBE/WBE or disadvantaged business enterprise participation.
  8. Provide a brief summary of your firm's financial stability. Disclose whether your firm or any affiliates have filed for bankruptcy or reorganization under bankruptcy laws.
  9. Disclose any relationships that could be construed or perceived as personal or organizational conflicts of interest.
  10. Provide a statement agreeing to maintain insurance per RFP requirements if awarded.
• Proposed Approach to Providing Services (20 pts) —
  1. Detail your proposed phased work plan aligned with the project timeline of August 2026 through June 2027, including how you will structure and manage the project within the grant performance period.
  2. Describe your methodology for conducting both the residential and non-residential nexus analysis, including the demographic and market analysis and feasibility analysis.
  3. Describe your approach to stakeholder outreach with developers and real estate professionals active in the Wheat Ridge market, including how findings will be integrated into the final study and policy recommendations.
  4. Describe your experience supporting municipal clients through the public hearing and ordinance adoption process, including preparation of draft ordinance language related to housing impact fees or similar policy tools.
  5. Describe your approach to grant compliance and documentation, including how you will support the City of Wheat Ridge in meeting all state reporting and deliverable requirements tied to Proposition 123 funding.
  6. Discuss your quality control methodology, including adherence to widely accepted professional and legal standards for nexus studies.
  7. Detail your firm's billing procedures, invoicing schedule, and reporting practices, including documentation practices for grant-reimbursable expenses. 
• Related Experience and References (20 pts) —
  1. Provide references for nexus studies or projects of similar size and scope completed for municipalities comparable to Wheat Ridge in size, market context, and proximity to a major metro area. Please include contact information for each reference and whether the study resulted in an adopted fee program and its current implementation status.
  2. Describe experience with projects completed using state or federal grant funding, specifically highlighting experience with Proposition 123, DOLA grants, or other Colorado state-administered programs.
  3. Provide examples of projects where your firm prepared draft ordinance language or supported a public hearing process related to housing impact fees or similar housing policy tools.
  4. Describe any experience with projects involving the intersection of inclusionary zoning feasibility and linkage fee analysis, particularly if market constraints drove a policy shift similar to Wheat Ridge's situation.
  5. Describe any prior client relationships with Colorado municipalities, counties, or state agencies, including the City of Wheat Ridge or neighboring Jefferson County jurisdictions.
  6. Describe any prior client relationships that were not renewed following the agreed-upon term, and explain the circumstances.
  7. Describe any instances in the past five years of client-firm dispute resolution, whether resolved to the satisfaction of both parties, and if not, be prepared to explain why.
  8. Describe the unique strengths and relevant experience your firm brings to this specific engagement.
• Price (15 pts) —
  1. Provide a detailed fee schedule including individual hourly rates for all partners and support staff. Include all reimbursable expenses, which should be assumed to be billed at cost, without mark-up. If the scope of work exceeds $50,000, please provide a separate itemized list of additional tasks or deliverables, with cost estimates and a brief justification for each. 
  2. Outline all rates/fees for staff including fringe benefits, payroll taxes, insurance, and overhead costs. 
  3. List pricing for each element of the requested scope of work, including the nexus analysis, feasibility analysis, stakeholder outreach, policy recommendations report, draft ordinance language, and City Council and public hearing presentations.
  4. Note any pricing considerations or constraints related to the grant-funded nature of this project, including alignment with Proposition 123 Local Planning Capacity Grant eligible expense categories.
  5. Rates are negotiable. 

Submission Requirements

• ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
• Non-Discrimination Assurance Title VI Regulations at 49 CFR Part 21 (required) —

  Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination of the basis of race, color or national origin by any entity receiving Federal financial assistance.

  The City of Wheat Ridge is a recipient of Federal financial assistance and as such, it—as well as all of its responsible agents, contractors and consultants—is required by the United States Department of Transportation Title VI Regulations at 49 CFR Part 21 (the Regulations) to assure nondiscrimination. The City of Wheat Ridge assures that no person shall be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination on the grounds of race, color, or national origin under any program or activity conducted by the City.

  All bidders are hereby notified that the City of Wheat Ridge will affirmatively ensure that disadvantaged business enterprises will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to all invitations and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color or national origin in consideration for an award.  This applies to all solicitations for bids for work or material subject to the Regulations, and for all proposals for negotiated agreements.

  By clicking "Please confirm" below, the bidder agrees as follows:

  1. The bidder shall comply with the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
  2. The bidder assures the City of Wheat Ridge that disadvantaged business enterprises are afforded full opportunity to submit bids as sub-contractors or sub-consultants and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color or national origin in consideration for award.
  3. The bidder shall comply with all reasonable requests made in the course of an investigation of Title VI, the Regulations and this assurance by the Colorado Department of Transportation, the US Department of Transportation or the City of Wheat Ridge, as a sub-recipient of Federal financial assistance.
  4. The bidder agrees that the United States has a right to seek judicial enforcement with regard to any matter arising under Title VI, the Regulations and this assurance.
• Non-Collusion Affidavit (required) —

  The Contractor, of lawful age, being duly sworn, on oath says that (s)he is the agent authorized by the Bidder to submit the attached bid. Affidavit further states that the Bidder has not been a party of any collusion among Bidders in restraint of freedom of competition by agreement to bid at a fixed price or to refrain from bidding; or any Federal, State or Municipal official or employees as to quantity, quality, or price in the prospective Contract, or any other items of said prospective Contract; or in any discussions between bidders and any Federal, State or Municipal official concerning exchange of money or other thing of value for special consideration in the letting of a Contract.

• Contractor acknowledges they: (required) —
  1. Have read the RFP documents thoroughly prior to submitting a proposal,
  2. Will fulfill the obligations in accordance to the scope of work or specifications, terms, and conditions,
  3. Are capable of performing quality work to achieve the City objectives, and
  4. Are submitting without collusion with any other individual or firm.

  By clicking "Please confirm" the contractor agrees to the above.

• OWNERSHIP/MANAGEMENT, PROJECT MANAGEMENT, SUPERVISORS, AND RELATED ENTITIES
• Principle In Charge Name (required)
• Principle in Charge Email (required)
• Type of Business Organization (required)
• State in which incorporated
• Joint Venture
• Contact Information (required) —

  Name, position, and address of contract person regarding the information on this form.

• Number of years your firm has done business under current name? (required)
• Previous Names or Partnerships —

  Previous firm names and / or partnerships (or firms you have had any interest in), and number of years of each name

• CONTRACTING HISTORY
• Major Account History (required) —

  Attach a list of all major accounts for the past two (2) years. For each account indicate the following:

  • Original contract bid amount
  • Owner (address, telephone number, and contact name)
  • Account services provided
  • Litigation or claims related to each project—state nature of claim(s), the parties, the dollar value, the status and outcome—including the value of any judgment(s) or settlement(s)
  • Name, address, and phone number(s) of reference(s)
• Company Availability (required) —

  List major equipment, facilities, number and type of employees available for City contract work. Specify type of work normally done by your forces, and type of work you normally subcontract.

• Have you ever terminated or abandoned any work prior to completion, or had work completed by others? (required)
• If yes, describe the situation (required)
• Has your firm—or any firm you have had any interest in—ever been debarred or prohibited from contract work with any government or private institution? (required)
• If yes, describe the situation: (required)
• City Staff will evaluate all qualification forms. The evaluation will include the following: (required) —
  • Verification of statements and information provided
  • Ability to perform work of similar nature
  • Financial stability and capability
  • Any pattern of controversy, poor management, delayed claims, late completion, inferior service or equipment, or other undesirable characteristics

  This qualification process is not intended to restrict competition. The intent is to protect the City’s legitimate interests by ensuring that vendors are competent, capable of quality work, and financially able to complete the work awarded.

• COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS AND OTHER REGULATIONS —

  If “Yes” is answered to any of the following questions in Sections IV, V, or VI, please provide details—including a brief summary of cause(s) of action, indicating if applicant firm, owner, or affiliate firms were plaintiffs (P) or defendants (D); define charges explicitly, identifying by what authority, court, or jurisdiction charge(s) were made. Complete details are required.

  NOTE: For Sections IV and V below, the definition of an “investigation” includes:

  • An appearance before a grand jury by representatives of the firm
  • Any oral or written inquiry or review of the firm’s documents by a governmental or law enforcement agency or investigative agency
  • Questioning of employees concerning the general operation or specific activities of the firm
• Public Benefit —

  I, the vendor, swear or affirm under penalty of perjury, and under the laws of the State of Colorado, that: (select an option below)

  I understand that this sworn statement is required by law because I have applied for a public benefit. I understand that State law requires me to provide proof that I am lawfully present in the United States prior to receipt of this public benefit. I further acknowledge that making a false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or representation in this sworn Affidavit is punishable under the criminal laws of Colorado as perjury in the second degree under C.R.S. 18-8-503 and it shall constitute a separate criminal offense each time a public benefit is fraudulently received.

• Acceptance of Conditions Statement (required) —

  City of Wheat Ridge prohibits contracting with firms that employ certain relatives of City employees, unless the City Council determines that the making of such a contract is in the City’s best interest. No City Council member, member of a City Board or Commission, Municipal judge, City Manager, City attorney(s), or employee of the City of Wheat Ridge—or any such person’s spouse, child, parent, brother, sister, dependent or person assuming a relationship being the substantial equivalent of the above—has an existing or pending (direct or indirect) financial, pecuniary, or personal interest in the proposing firm or this Request for Proposal (RFP)

• References
• Reference Authorization (required) —

  I authorize the City of Wheat Ridge to contact the following listed references.

• Reference #1 (required) —

  Reference Contact Name

• Company Name (required)
• Email (required)
• Phone Number (required)
• Project Information (required) —

  Brief overview of projected completed.

• Reference #2 (required) —

  Reference Contact Name

• Company Name (required)
• Email (required)
• Phone Number (required)
• Project Information (required) —

  Brief overview of projected completed.

• Reference #3 (required) —

  Reference Contact Name

• Company Name (required)
• Email (required)
• Phone Number (required)
• Project Information (required) —

  Brief overview of projected completed.

• ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED —

  Additional document copies to be submitted with this application:

• Pricing Proposal (required)
• Contract Term (required) —

  Enter the contract term for your project.

  Example: one (1) year with the option to renew for four (4) one-year periods 

• Pricing (required) —
  • Choose Option 1 when you have set line items, for example:
    • This is a quote for goods or commodities
    • This is a public works bid, with a pricing table that can be uploaded into OpenGov Procurement from an Excel spreadsheet.
    • Seeking services for hourly rate schedules.
  • Choose Option 2 when you need vendors to provide you with the line items.