Request for Proposals Local Hazard Mitigation Planning Services for the Town of Castleton, Vermont

Date of Issue: 10-27-2022

Closing Date: 11-5-2022, 4:00 p.m.

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The Town of Castleton, in Rutland County, Vermont, is seeking the services of a qualified consultant to create a new Local Hazard Mitigation Plan for the Town of Castleton (2020 pop. of 4458). The plan will be submitted to FEMA for approval.

The selected consultant(s) shall 1) demonstrate the ability to identify various hazard mitigation strategies that will eliminate or greatly reduce the impact of hazards that may affect the municipality and 2) have experience related to mitigation planning work.

Funding Source:

This work is funded by a Hazard Mitigation Assistance grant from FEMA. The selected consultant must be available and willing to complete the required work within 18 months of the date of the award of this contract, including FEMA approval.

It is anticipated that the FEMA grant funds will cover all of the consultant expense, which will account for 75% of the entire project cost. The Town of Castleton will be responsible for the remaining 25% of project cost, through a combination cash and in-kind hours. Tasks that will be undertaken by the Town of Castleton staff and officials include:

General printing, photocopying, and other direct meeting expenses such as public notices.

Public outreach and publicity efforts.

Research (e.g. listers’ data, flood levels and loss data).

The consultant will assist the Town of Castleton in tracking and helping to maximize in-kind hours towards the required match.

The amount available for consultant expense is capped at $10,150 Cost-effectiveness and efficiency will be given very serious consideration. The selected consultant will be expected to propose a budget and timeline that makes the most cost-effective and expedient use of all in-kind resources, as well as other cost-saving measures, such as teleconferencing.

Project Proposal

The project proposal should be organized along the following steps (some discretion is allowed as long as the proposal is in line with the requirements of the FEMA Review Tool). Each step should indicate the consultant’s role and responsibility, proposed date for completion, number of consultant hours required for each step, hourly rates and any associated direct expense. The Town of Castleton brings to this project a willingness to align its resources in the most cost-effective manner possible, so consultants are strongly encouraged to suggest strategies for delegating responsibilities.

Step

Description

1.Assemble planning team and meet with consultant(s) to review the planning process and confirm outreach strategy.

2.Establish work plan with deliverables, timelines for completion and confirmed roles and responsibilities.

3.Review information on hazards based on best available data.

4.Review hazard data in one public meeting.

5.Complete vulnerability assessment to quantify the extent of each hazard.

6.Identify mitigation strategies.

7.Review mitigation strategies in a public meeting.

8.Submit plan to Vermont Emergency Management (VEM) and revise accordingly.

9.Submit revised plan to FEMA, revise if necessary, and adopt plan.

The final plan document developed by the consultant will be available to the Town of ­­­­­Castleton in an accessible format (e.g. Word) to be used in future plan updates.

This plan is funded through a FEMA planning grant under BRIC 2020. The Period of Performance (POP) for the grant funding this work is through 12/22/24, and no expenses related to this project can be charged beyond this date. In limited circumstances, grant extensions may be feasible through VEM and will require contract amendments.  

Qualified, interested individuals should submit the following information no later than November 5, 2022, 4:00 p.m.:

Consultant’s qualifications and resume. Please include references and contact information for similar emergency management or hazard mitigation planning projects.

Description of experience with grant-funded projects, especially FEMA or Vermont Emergency Management programs.

Project and cost proposal, itemized by project steps as identified above. Proposal should include all consultant hourly rates and any associated direct expenses.

Evaluation of Proposals:

Selection of a consultant(s) will be based on the proposal and:

Documented experience in mitigation planning

Technical staff capability to assess risks based on identified hazards

Experience working with local, state, and/or federal government

Ability to recommend viable mitigation actions

References of past work in mitigation planning

Cost

Timeliness

The Town of Castleton encourages responses from disadvantaged, women-owned, minority-owned and small local firms. Selected candidates should be prepared to execute a contract that contains pass-through provisions regarding Federal programs and assurance related to this grant-funded work, including policies regarding conflicts of interest, equal opportunity, non-discrimination, retention of and access to records, and audit requirements, when applicable. The Town of Castleton reserves the right to reject any or all responses.

Please deliver responses and inquiries to:

Town Manager, Michael A. Jones, Town Office, 263 Route 30 N, Bomoseen, VT 05732