38708_Oct_2_26_solicitation_doc.pdf

This is a Request for Proposal (RFP) issued by the Northwest Hills Council of Governments (NHCOG) for planning, engineering, and GIS consulting services to update a multi-jurisdictional natural hazard mitigation plan for twenty-one rural Connecticut towns. The project encompasses 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 solicitation seeks one planning/engineering/GIS consulting services contract with a delivery requirement of Free On Board Destination. The RFP opened on August 27, 2026 at 2:30 p.m. EDT and closes on September 29, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. EDT. Vendor questions are accepted through September 18, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. EDT. NHCOG may shortlist up to three firms for interviews before recommending a preferred consultant to the NHCOG Board. Proposals must be submitted in five paper copies to 355 Goshen Road, Litchfield, Connecticut.

The scope requires development of a FEMA-approvable Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan compliant with the Stafford Act and 44 CFR Part 201, incorporating changes in development and community priorities since the plan's previous approval in July 2022. Deliverables include updated risk and vulnerability assessments with current hazard event data, revised mitigation strategies and goals, plan maintenance procedures, and formal adoption documentation from all twenty-one towns. The consultant must integrate supplementary deliverables from CIRCA's Resilient Connecticut Program without duplicating effort and must retain all work products as property of NHCOG. 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 significantly reduced from previous awards. Consultants must carry $2 million professional liability insurance for errors and omissions and $1 million automobile liability insurance. Payment terms are vendor-specified, and responses are accepted from all vendors.