38708_Oct_8_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 consultant will prepare a FEMA-approvable Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan compliant with the Stafford Act and 44 CFR Part 201 that addresses changes in development and community priorities since the previous plan's approval in July 2022, delivers updated risk and vulnerability assessments incorporating current hazard event data, revises mitigation strategies and goals, establishes plan maintenance procedures, and obtains formal adoption documentation from all member 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 RFP opened August 27, 2026 at 2:30 p.m. EDT with a deadline for proposal submission of September 29, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. EDT. Questions from vendors are due by 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.

Project funding is primarily from 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 carry professional liability insurance of $2 million for errors and omissions and $1 million automobile liability insurance, with proof included in the proposal. The consultant is required to integrate and build upon supplementary deliverables provided by CIRCA under the Resilient Connecticut Program, including town meetings, hazard and climate vulnerability assessments, critical facilities reviews, and Zones of Shared Risk and Climate Change Vulnerability Index maps, without duplicating effort. All work products, including data, maps, GIS files, and digital documents, become property of NHCOG. Delivery terms are Free On Board Destination with vendor-specified payment terms. Contact Sarah Better at 860-491-9884 x104 or sbetter@nhcogct.gov for additional information.