July 28, 2026

Eighth Avenue Request for Proposals

The Garment District Alliance is seeking proposals from qualified Consultants to conduct a corridor study and create a conceptual master plan to identify short-term and long-term actionable design interventions aimed at improving pedestrian and cyclist safety, circulation, and quality of life on Eighth Avenue between Penn Station and Port Authority Bus Terminal. This study is critical to addressing the deficiencies of existing infrastructure, enhancing connectivity between the transit hubs and the neighborhood, supporting businesses, and improving the experience of tourists, workers, residents, and other users who frequent the Avenue.

Answers to questions submitted to eighthavenueplan@garmentdistrictnyc.com will be posted here on August 31st, 2026. 

To attend the pre-bid conference held virtually at 11:00 AM on August 27th, please register here.

Please find the full RFP at the link below. For further information on Eighth Avenue's current condition, please review the Alliance's "Putting Eighth First" report found here: https://garmentdistrict.nyc/eighthavenue.
 

Questions received by the GDA were compiled, edited, and sorted to provide the answers below. Duplicate questions were consolidated. The GDA also provided direct responses via email to consultants who shared questions prior to the deadline. Answers to questions raised during the Pre-BID Conference that have not been addressed below will be shared here following the conference. Following the conference, the question period for this RFP will be closed. 

RFP Formatting

1. Do front and back covers, section divider pages, tabs, resumes, or appendices count toward the 50-page limit?
   1. Front and back covers, section dividers, and appendices (including resumes) do not count towards the 50-page limit.
2. Do pages need to be 8.5” x 11”, or is a tabloid-size page in landscape orientation allowed?
   1. Tabloid-size pages and landscape orientations are allowed.

Budget

3. Is there an established budget for the project?
   1. The GDA has budgeted up to $300,000 for this project but aims to pick the consultant or group of consultants who can best execute the scope of work at a compelling price point.
4. Should the hourly rates be provided as fully loaded rates?
   1. Yes, fully loaded rates should be provided.
5. With regards to the project budget, would you allow a base fee with optional add-ons?
   1. Yes, we would consider a proposal delivered in such a format as long as the total budget remains within the $300,000 limit. 
6. Are cost estimates desired to be preliminary or something more detailed?
   1. Cost estimates should be as detailed as is reasonable and should accurately represent the final budget of the project. The GDA understands that certain details may be challenging to properly report in a preliminary stage.

Stakeholder Engagement

7. What stakeholder groups does the GDA expect the consultant to engage with?

   1. The GDA expects the Consultant to engage with several different stakeholders for this project and will facilitate connecting the Consultant with these relevant stakeholders. Formats for engagement would be up to the consultant. Some stakeholders would be involved through workshops, while others would be engaged via project updates throughout the process. These include the following:

      1. Elected officials

         1. CM Wilson, CM Maloney, Senator Bottcher, and AM Simone, Mayor Mamdani, Governor Hochul

      2. Community Groups

         1. CB 4, CB 5, Midtown South Community Precinct Council, neighboring Business Improvement Districts

      3. City/State Agencies

         1. DOT, DEP, DDC, DCP, DOB, Deputy Mayors, MTA

      4. Penn Station and PABT Redevelopment Teams

         1. Relevant Project Managers and Designers working on these projects

      5. Local Business Owners & Staff

         1. Retail, office, industrial, and hotel owners and staff

      6. Users

         1. Pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers who use Eighth Avenue to commute, cycle, deliver, and recreate 

      7. Property Owners

         1. Owners of properties adjacent or near Eighth Avenue. Several of these owners sit on our Board of Directors.

      8. Interested Parties 

         1. Urbanist-focused non-profits like Center for an Urban Future, Regional Plan Association, Transportation Alternatives, or the Urban Design Forum

         2. Creative/tourist organizations like the Broadway League, the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts, the Hotel Association of New York City, or NYC Tourism + Conventions

8. Does the GDA anticipate a minimum number or specific formats of stakeholder meetings, interviews, focus groups, workshops or public meetings?
   1. The GDA does not have a minimum number of required stakeholder engagement meetings. The GDA does expect the Consultant to, at a minimum, conduct focus groups with specific stakeholder groups, intercept surveys for users, and project updates for interested parties. We do expect the Consultant to propose an engagement plan including an appropriate mix of focus groups, design workshops, interviews, and/or public meetings. Please see the stakeholder list for more context. 
9. What role does GDA anticipate NYC DOT, PANYNJ, MTA, Amtrak and other agencies playing during alternatives development and review? Does GDA plan to facilitate coordination with these owners/agencies, directly incorporate their design vision, or produce a separate/competing design vision?
   1. The GDA is partnering with DOT on this project and anticipates that DOT will remain actively involved throughout the process. The GDA is in the process of requesting active participation from PANYNJ, MTA, and Amtrak to involve them as stakeholders, but we are unsure at this point about their level of commitment. Their input and feedback will be critical in developing alternative plans, with the intention of developing a design concept aligned with both PABT and Penn Station projects. As possible, the GDA will provide introductions between the Consultant and stakeholders.
10. Is “public engagement” intended primarily as targeted stakeholder engagement, or does GDA expect broader public-facing engagement? Should a Community Board presentation be included as part of stakeholder engagement? 
    1. Yes, a presentation should be prepared by the Consultant to share with stakeholders, including the Community Boards 4 and 5, as part of the stakeholder engagement. Introductions will be made by the GDA. The GDA expects targeted stakeholder engagement via workshops, focus groups, or other formats that the Consultant suggests. Intercept surveys are also expected to gain a better understanding of Eighth Avenue’s everyday user experience. Public meetings are not expected.
11. Is a digital survey for public engagement desired as part of the scope?
    1. While the format of the survey is up to the discretion of the Consultant, the GDA would like the Consultant to conduct an intercept survey to understand user opinions of Eighth Avenue. All survey materials should be pre-approved by the GDA.

Mobility Study

12. What level of traffic analysis does the GDA expect? Is this meant to be an analysis that NYC DOT can use as-is to make changes, or is it meant to provide preliminary findings that inform a future, more detailed analysis? 
    1. The GDA expects the Consultant to conduct a detailed study of vehicle, bicycle, and pedestrian movement in the study area. This is not required to be DOT standard as DOT will likely conduct a later study. The analysis should still be detailed enough to consider current and future levels of service with specific consideration for PABT, Penn Station, and the Lincoln Tunnel. 
13. Is the BID looking for Synchro or another traffic modeling analysis to evaluate current and future level of service? Will supporting data like Streetlight, Replica, or Inrex be needed (e.g. signal timing, traffic volumes, turnstile or ridership data, trip generation and ridership projections from Penn Station and PABT redevelopments, etc)? 
    1. The GDA does not have a preference for a specific method. The GDA does expect that the traffic analysis will identify current and future levels of service as part of the mobility study to inform a redesign of the right of way. The GDA will provide private and public data to the Consultant as available. If other sources are to be used for the mobility study, they should be budgeted into the project.
14. What level of detail does GDA expect for analyzing travel patterns and movements within the study area? If desired, does GDA have access to third-party origin-destination (O-D) data sources, such as StreetLight or Replica, or should we budget to procure these datasets as part of the project? 
    1. The GDA does not conduct in-house traffic analysis and thus does not have existing access to third-party origin-destination (O-D) data sources. If these sources are to be used for the mobility study, they should be budgeted into the project.

Existing Data

15. For the evaluation of multimodal mobility, the RFP specifies an evaluation of “expected future levels of service”. Will future pedestrian activity projections be provided to the consultant, including estimated changes resulting from the Penn Station and Port Authority Bus Terminal planned improvements? What level of traffic analysis is required from this project? Will the consultant be expected to perform new counts, modeling, or other analyses?
    1. The GDA currently holds pedestrian counter data extending back to 2017 for the intersection of Eighth Avenue and West 36th Street and 5 other intersections outside the study area but within the neighborhood.  The GDA is in the process of requesting relevant vehicle and bicycle counts from DOT but we are unsure at this point if these can be obtained. The Environmental Impact Study for the Port Authority Bus Terminal Redevelopment project also contains a detailed study of current and future levels of service for a large portion of the Eighth Avenue study area. The GDA expects the Consultant to study current and future levels of service for the study area as part of the mobility study and will provide private and public data to the Consultant as necessary, assuming it is available.  If existing data is sufficient, the Consultant would likely not need to perform new counts, otherwise the Consultant is expected to collect data to fill in the gaps (such as bicycle or vehicle counts).
16. Will the GDA provide a topographical and utility survey or is this part of the scope and schedule of the RFP?
    1. This would be a work product of the consultant. The GDA does not already have a topographical and utility survey.
17. Does GDA have an as-built, measured survey of 8th Ave’s dimensions, including elements like sidewalk widths, curb cut locations, bike lane alignments, and the like? If not, does GDA want this kind of survey data collection included in the proposal?
    1. No, the GDA does not have engineering drawings of 8th Avenue. The GDA is in the process of requesting these drawings from DOT but we are unsure at this point if these can be obtained. The Consultant will need to conduct a survey of the street’s dimensions, alignments, and utilities.
18. What GIS data and other relevant information does the GDA already have for the Existing Conditions Report? Does it have data on locations of its planters or streetscape elements? 
    1. Yes, the GDA maintains data on the location and condition of all streetscape elements along Eighth Avenue. This data is not precise, but can provide a strong inventory of existing static and non-static streetscape elements including things such as: planters, light poles, tree pits, fire hydrants, LinkNYCs, vendors, bike racks, relays boxes, etc. Other GIS data used by the GDA is supplied by the City.
19. Does the GDA have any data it has collected related to social issues/challenges beyond existing 311 data and available NYPD data?
    1. Yes, the GDA collects data on pedestrian counts, incidents addressed by security staff, GDA Social Service Outreach Officer engagements with chronically homeless individuals, and outreach data from our contracted social service provider, The Bridge. These are in addition to 311 data, NYPD complaint data, and NYPD arrest data. 

Scope of Work

20. Should the scope of work anticipate culminating in a PDC conceptual submission?
    1. The GDA expects the final conceptual plan to be given to DOT for further development before going to PDC. Yes, this project would eventually need PDC approval, but for the scope of work we have laid out, we are not anticipating a PDC conceptual submission.
21. Regarding the Existing Conditions Report, can GDA further define "comprehensive inventory"? Does GDA expect block-by-block spatial inventory/plan drawings of all items or a more synthesized diagnostic of opportunities and challenges? Is there a desired format for this inventory?
    1. The GDA expects the Existing Conditions Report to be a detailed spatial inventory of the study area, complete with plan drawings. The diagnostic analysis of opportunities and challenges is expected to be defined in the Needs Assessment.
22. For the four listed Existing Conditions Report deliverables, what format and what level of public-facing content is the GDA seeking? Who is the intended audience? 
    1. The Existing Conditions Report deliverables are not intended to be public-facing reports. They are intended to be shared with relevant partners and stakeholders, including DOT. The final Conceptual Master Plan is intended to be public facing. 
23. For all Task 1 Deliverables, does GDA anticipate this as one holistic package that integrates existing conditions, traffic/movement study, stakeholder engagement, and needs assessment into one narrative? Or are these all envisioned as separate deliverables?
    1. These are envisioned as separate but related materials. The GDA sees these deliverables as “chapters” within the final Conceptual Master Plan but wants to ensure that each itemized work product could be shared as a stand-alone document.
24. For the "Stakeholder Workshop Materials", is the deliverable to create the engagement plan or to also facilitate or support the actual workshop with the Stakeholders? 
    1. The Stakeholder Workshop Materials are intended to provide a clear methodology for working through concept alternatives with stakeholders to identify a conceptual master plan. The actual workshop component is intended to be part of the Consultant’s work needed to complete task 3. 
25. What level of detail does GDA expect in the Funding and Partnership Framework, like the identification of funding sources or development of a broader funding/governance strategy?
    1. The GDA expects the Consultant to identify “next steps” for the project through the Funding and Partnership Framework. The section should provide clear recommendations for how to continue the project past the conceptual stage, including identifying potential partners, funders (grants, government funds, private investment, etc.), and steps towards a final plan and eventual implementation.

Miscellaneous

26. Would the Alliance consider providing a sample of the contract that would be applicable to the Eighth Avenue Corridor Study?
    1. No, the Alliance cannot provide a sample contract in advance.
27. Is it GDA’s intention to start with a vision plan and search for partners, or to create a plan fully informed by or developed with the participation of partners and stakeholders?
    1. The GDA is already partnered with DOT at this stage in the project. It is our intention that the conceptual plan, developed through this scope of work with participation of partners and stakeholders, will allow for future partnerships with agencies which can fund and implement a final plan. As the conceptual plan is presented to stakeholders, the GDA will ask for letters of support to continue the project.