Seven consultants are vying to be behind the study that may take city parking into the future.

City planner Ben Campbell said in an interview this morning seven proposals were received by the 4 p.m. Wednesday deadline for proposals on the downtown parking management strategy.

"To get seven is pretty exciting,” Campbell said, adding the city typically receives about three in any given proposal.

This also possibly marks the first time a consultant from as far away as Michigan has taken the lead on submitting a proposal.

Rich and Associates is proposing to work with local firm Kobayashi and Zedda Architects on the project.

As Campbell told city council and management at a noon meeting Wednesday, 20 had picked up packages when they were available, including many Outside firms.

"A lot combined their efforts,” Campbell said of those 20.

An engineering firm that picked up the package, for example, may have been included as the engineers in a proposal from another consultant.

A committee of city staff will review the proposals before coming to council with a recommendation on it in mid-March.

Along with Rich and Associates, the proposals came from:

• local firm Yukon Engineering Services;

• Associated Engineering of Burnaby, B.C.;

• MacKenzie Municipal Services Agency of Berwyn, Alta.

• Bunt and Associates Engineering Services of Vancouver, working with another Vancouver company, Urban Forum Associates as well as Sheinberg Associates of Juneau;

• AECOM, an international company with a local office; and

• Boulevard Transportation Group working with the Victoria Transportation Policy Institute (both of Victoria) and local firm Inukshuk Planning and Development Ltd.

The cost of each proposal is still unknown.

As Campbell explained, with tenders, the price is immediately opened and the decision (provided all the technical requirements are met) is based on price.

Conversely, in proposal situations like this, the price is reviewed last as per city policy so that it doesn't colour the rest of the review process.

The amounts are placed in sealed envelopes, and not opened until factors like methodology, experience and others have been assessed by the committee of city staff doing the review.

The city has budgeted $125,000 for the strategy, which has marked the first time the city has looked at its overall parking situation downtown in 13 years.

Other studies since then have focused on more specific parking issues such as whether to go ahead with a multi-level parkade.

Such a structure was suggested for the city parking lot at the corner of Third Avenue and Steele Street many years ago, but never came to fruition.

”This research will assist us in making the decisions that have to be made when meeting the needs of our growing city,” Mayor Bev Buckway said in a statement when the Request for Proposals was released.

"We are looking to take a balanced approach, which takes into consideration the needs of those who use their vehicles with the responsibility we hold to develop and improve alternative transportation.”

Campbell spent much of Wednesday's meeting focusing on the conclusions of the past documents dating back to a 1978 traffic study.

Coun. Ranj Pillai asked whether the city had to even go ahead with the contract.

Planning manager Mike Gau noted that there was a clause placed in the terms of reference on the work that the city doesn't have to move forward.

That is another difference between the tendering and proposal process, Gau explained as he stated in this case council can opt not to go ahead with it.

"It happens occasionally,” he said.

Council members remained quiet about why the city may choose not to go ahead with the study.

Pillai simply stated there may be other priorities to look at that could be discussed in the later portion of the meeting that was set to be in-camera on another issue.

Media representatives were asked to leave as the meeting went in-camera.