Consulting FAQs

We work with a variety of clients. We work with the heads of municipalities’ transportation planning, traffic engineering or economic development departments, and with mayors’ offices. We work with universities to reconfigure their master plans or to provide simulations within the classroom. We also frequently work with commercial developers and large-scale employers.

The first thing you need to do is contact us.

The process always begins with an initial intake conversation, in which we gather high-level information about your needs. We will then come back to you with a more detailed request for information, focused on collecting the data that we need in order to do a preliminary analysis. After this preliminary analysis is complete, we will present you with an exploratory report defining the problems that you face, describing potential solutions and analyzing the feasibility of those solutions.  We always focus on the feasibility of a project before jumping into planning or implementation, because we want our clients to have an honest assessment of whether their problems are truly fixable, and, if the problems are fixable, how much time and money will truly be needed.

We typically provide a flat rate for each phase of the project: For example, the cost for producing an exploratory report would be X dollars, the cost for post-feasibility analysis planning and design would be Y dollars, and the cost for actual implementation would be Z dollars. We will provide you with a proposal for each phase based upon the anticipated staff hours and any outside resources that we may need, and then set an hourly rate for anything requested beyond the scope of that proposal.

It depends on each client’s situation. If we are working with a city or town’s economic development department, they typically have their own funds for encouraging the community’s growth. If we’re working with a transportation department, they typically use Transportation Demand Management (TDM) funds from the state government and assessments from local real estate transactions or taxes.

Sometimes! We keep in touch with the Massachusetts Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), which offers grants and other opportunities, some of which our clients may qualify for. We also may be able to tap into grant funds or capital dollars from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). In either case, we can help clients make connections with the relevant grant-funding agency or, in some cases, help put together the application materials. We can also sometimes facilitate private deals by negotiating with vendors or with connections in other states. Whatever happens, we never move forward with a project until we’ve helped our client ensure that there is a clear plan in place for funding.

We never want to eliminate potential sources or types of data by limiting accepted formats. We will take data in any form. Whatever we get, we make it work. Period.

One of the great things about 12BC is whom we know. We maintain relationships with a wide variety of local, national and international resources to whom we can refer potential consulting clients. Our goal is always to get you what you need at a price that will work for you. If we aren’t the right team for a project, we will find you a group that is.