38708_Oct_15_26_solicitation_doc.pdf

This is a Request for Proposal (RFP) solicitation issued by the Northwest Hills Council of Governments (NHCOG) for planning, engineering, and GIS consulting services. The NHCOG seeks a qualified consultant to prepare a multi-jurisdictional natural hazard mitigation plan update for twenty-one rural Connecticut towns: Barkhamsted, Burlington, Canaan, Colebrook, Cornwall, Goshen, Hartland, Harwinton, Kent, Litchfield, Morris, New Hartford, Norfolk, North Canaan, Roxbury, Salisbury, Sharon, Torrington, Warren, Washington, and Winchester. The project requires development of a FEMA-approvable Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan compliant with the Stafford Act and 44 CFR Part 201. Key deliverables include updated risk and vulnerability assessments incorporating current hazard event data, revised mitigation strategies and goals, plan maintenance procedures, and formal adoption documentation from all twenty-one member towns. The RFP was issued August 27, 2026, with a vendor question submission deadline of September 18, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. EDT and a proposal submission deadline of September 29, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. EDT. Proposals must be submitted in five paper copies to 355 Goshen Road, Litchfield, Connecticut. The NHCOG may shortlist up to three firms for interviews before recommending a preferred consultant to the NHCOG Board.

The consultant must integrate supplementary deliverables provided by CIRCA under the Resilient Connecticut Program without duplicating effort and shall carry professional liability insurance of $2 million for errors and omissions and $1 million automobile liability insurance. All work products, including data, maps, GIS files, and digital documents, become property of NHCOG. Project funding is provided through a Federal Emergency Management Agency hazard mitigation planning grant administered by the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, with available funding expected to be significantly reduced from previous awards. The consultant must address changes in development and community priorities since the previous plan approval in July 2022. Delivery terms are Free On Board Destination, with payment terms to be specified by the vendor.