How To Budget for a Plan or Code Update

To ensure sufficient funding for a plan or code update, the first step is to prepare a  budget estimate.

If you intend to publish an RFQ or RFP, it is important to establish a rock-solid budget for a plan or code update. You’ll want to ensure that you’ll have an adequate budget to accomplish the scope of the project and to receive the desired deliverables. This is also important if you want to attract a healthy number of respondents.

Check out these tips from our experts to build a budget for a plan or code update:

1 – Outline a tentative project scope and decide on the type and format of deliverables.

Of course, it is not necessary to draft a comprehensive scope of work as this is what you will request of consultant proposal submissions. However, to ensure you receive an apples-to-apples comparison of proposals and reliable costs, sufficient details are needed, and expectations must be known.

Here is a list of questions to ask yourself when preparing a scope outline:

1. Is this a plan or code update or is it a full-scale rewrite?
2. What is the expected duration of the project and of each phase, if applicable?
3. What documents or portions of documents are to be addressed or included?
4. What reports, studies or maps are available as resources for the project?
5. Are there separate phases to the project: background studies, purpose and needs, existing conditions assessments, project scoping, drafting, staff and public review, implementation, etc.?
6. What level of public input is necessary (e.g., types and numbers of meetings, methods of outreach, and both pre- and post-preparations and deliverables)?
7. What are the elements or components of the project and do they require different disciplines?
8. What and how many deliverables are required, at which milestones, and in what format must they be produced (e.g., hard copies, electronic files, or an interactive web-based format)?

2 – Decide how documents will be reviewed and shared with staff, citizens and public officials; both during the project and upon adoption.

The development of plans and codes is inherently a public process. Such processes warrant transparency, provision of interim drafts, and opportunities for providing input. How might these be best accomplished and what budgetary impact could they have?

In the past,  deliverables were drafted and circulated for comment as PDFs or MS Word files.

But times have changed!

Today, it is expected that web and social networks will be used. How are these networks used and what’s required for the use of these technologies? What needs to be known, and how is this requested of proposers?

Common best practices require collaboration in a web-based format via the cloud, providing for real-time commenting, idea exchange and editing.

The ideal software is powered with agile tools that support auto-archiving, version control, and self-publishing of interim and final documents. An approach like this ensures collaboration and efficiency, and will deliver final documents that are easily managed, securely stored and updated.

3 – What is the best use of technology to maximize collaboration and communicate with the public?

There is a long list of software options from which to choose. The best answer to this question is to do your homework. Research your options and ask around.

What are your peers using to generate public engagement and feedback? Are the commenting tools seamlessly integrated into the relevant plans or codes? Is the presentation easy for the public to use and understand? Is the system intuitive and efficient for staff to manage?

What are other communities doing to promote collaboration among their team as they draft, edit and publish their plans and codes? Are there built-in tools to streamline collaborative drafting and editing? Is there effective version control to reduce confusion? Are there commenting tools that foster clear communication among editors? Can you publish, amend and republish in real time?

Bottom line: determine which system offers the most robust, flexible, feature-rich tools to produce next-level plans and codes that both reflect public opinion and are easy to create and manage.

It’s worth it to invest in the system that not only delivers the best codes and plans today, but also creates a complete, integrated resource for all your plans, codes, regulations, guidelines and related documents well into the future.

4 – Request peer review and seek insight through an RFI.

More often than not, you have  colleagues or peers who have been through comparable efforts. Tap into their experience for constructive review and input.

Post a question to LinkedIn or a Listserv to identify experienced peers willing to share advice about how to budget for a plan or code update.

Distributing a Request for Information (RFI) is another good way to request added details to the scope outline, clarify processes and deliverables, and provide a reasonable budget range by phase, task, or project. An RFI is specifically intended to gather information warranted to finalize an RFQ or RFP, and is not for the purpose of soliciting qualifications or quotes.

Still have questions about how to budget for a plan or code update?

If these questions leave you curious about how you might modernize your processes by adding new technology to your toolbox, your next step is to ask more questions. Reach out directly to enCodePlus to explore scalable products and services that addresses your unique needs.

We’ll help you nail down a reliable figure for your budget. We can even provide RFP language so you can be sure your next consultant is implementing it.

To explore more about:

• enCodePlus pricing, click HERE
• Project websites, click HERE
• Sample FRP language, click HERE

Explore More About Our Zoning Tool Kit

• Modernizing your zoning tool kit, click HERE
• Publishing plans, codes and by-laws online, click HERE
• Integrating codes, ordinances and by-laws with GIS, click HERE
• enCodePlus’ innovative user tools and features, click HERE

About enCodePlus – Intelligent Planning, Zoning and Codification Software
enCodePlus is a unique web-based technology platform delivering a full suite of codification, planning and zoning tools and features. Serving clerks, attorneys, consultant partners, economic developers, managers, planners and zoning administrators, it allows local governments to modernize planning and zoning ordinances and streamline code and by-law management.