h&h study rfp.pdf

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License & Inspections— Inspections, Compliance & Safety

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR

SMALL ORDER PURCHASE

FOR EVALUATION OF TECHNICAL GUIDANCE & REQUIREMENTS

FOR HYDROLOGIC & HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING STUDY

Cherelle Parker, Mayor Ralph DiPietro, Commissioner Inspections, Compliance & Safety Division Philadelphia Dept of License & Inspections The City of Philadelphia

RESPONSE DEADLINE:

No later than 5 pm Local Philadelphia Time on 10/30/2026

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:

All proposals must be submitted electronically to the correct contract opportunity established for this RFP (identified by opportunity number) through eContract Philly at https://philawx.phila.gov/econtract/

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Values

1.2 Contracting with the City of Philadelphia

1.3 Contacting Us

2. SERVICES WE ARE LOOKING FOR

2.1 Overview

2.2 Project Details

Services

Compensation

Project Schedule

3. HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR RESPONSE

3.1 RFP Schedule

3.2 What You Must Include in Your Response

Online Submission Required by the Application Deadline

4.1 Overview

4.2 Selection Process

4.3 Award

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1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Values

The City of Philadelphia is committed to ensuring all businesses have access to contracting opportunities with the City and seeks to promote the economic development of small and local businesses.

1.2 Contracting with the City of Philadelphia

The City of Philadelphia (“the City”) has two primary categories of contract opportunities:

Consistent with our values, the City requires that all contractors and subcontractors be in compliance with our laws, regulations, and polices, including:

Please closely review the City’s contract attachments including the standard terms and conditions.

Any contract resulting from this RFP will incorporate and be governed by these documents. You must raise any objections to these standard terms and conditions in your proposal.

Objections are not favored and may be weighed against your proposal and negotiation of proposed objections may extend the contracting time. Additionally, the City need not consider later-raised objections.

IF ELIGIBLE, YOU ARE ENCOURAGED TO:

Apply for Local Business Entity (LBE) certification with City’s Procurement Department.

If you provide your LBE status and/or promise to have a Local Impact, this must be used as a positive factor in evaluation and potential selection. Additionally, some opportunities are exclusively reserved for LBE certified businesses.

Includes consulting, legal or creative services and other service types

Includes supplies and equipment and public works

PROCUREMENT PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

CITY BUSINESS

LICENSES AND

PERMIT

REQUIREMENTS

PAYMENT OF CITY

BUSINESS TAXES

OR OTHER

INDEBTEDNESS

OWED TO THE CITY

CHAPTER 17-1300.

PHILADELPHIA 21ST

CENTURY MINIMUM

WAGE AND BENEFITS

STANDARD

1 2 3

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1.3 Contacting Us

For technical questions or concerns connected to this RFP, email eContractPhilly@phila.gov or call

(215) 686-4914.

Please note the phone number provided is not a live helpline.

Allow for enough time prior to any application deadline to receive a response to your request. The City will not extend a deadline even if it has not responded to your question or request.

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2. SERVICES WE ARE LOOKING FOR

2.1 Overview

Department Issuing

The Department of License & Inspections’ role (Inspection, Safety & Compliance) is to enforce the city codes for the safe and lawful construction and use of buildings/developments.

Term The term of the contract is expected to start on or about 1/15/2027.

(The City may, at its sole option, amend the Contract to add up to three (3) additional terms, each not to exceed one year.)

Compensation Compensation cannot exceed a total of $99,000.

Local Business Criteria

Both Local Impact and certified Local Business Entity status can be considered positive factors in evaluation. Local Impact is considered employing City residents or performing work in the City.

Services

Through this RFP, the City is seeking a contractor to perform the following services:

The Department of License & Inspections will be seeking services to provide technical guidance on requirements for Hydrologic & Hydraulic Engineering Report submissions associated with Flood Development in Riverine & Coastal flooding areas in alignment with the Philadelphia Code. Services to be provided shall include audit review of H&H study submissions, development of minimum submission standards, best practices, and supplemental plan review collateral documents. In coordination with technical guidance development, external public & internal staff training shall be developed and provided to communicate the minimum standard requirements and best practices associated with H&H study submissions.

The resulting contract(s) may be funded in part by federal CDBG-DR funds and are subject to all applicable laws, regulations, and funding source terms and conditions included with the executed contract.

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2.2 Project Details

Services

Overall goals and objectives

The Department oversees and enforces the Local Floodplain Ordinance of Philadelphia that governs development in Special Flood Hazard Areas and Floodways in alignment with FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program. Within the boundaries of the City of Philadelphia, our Special Flood Hazard Areas are affected by both Tidal and Riverine flood sources. The regulatory framework of the Philadelphia local floodplain ordinance is enforced through Title 14, Section 704 of the Philadelphia Zoning Code and the adoption of Appendix G within the International Building Code.

Where development is proposed in Special Flood Hazard Areas and Floodways, requirements for engineering analysis are established through IBC Section G103 in a number of scenarios that include floodway encroachments, floodway revisions, watercourse alterations, alterations of coastal areas, and developments that may alter the flood carrying capacity along a watercourse.

Through this contract, we intend for the contractor to provide an assessment of external applicant and internal staff capacity to address compliance with Flood Protection code requirements associated with Hydraulic & Hydrologic (H&H) engineering analysis submissions. Compliance standards should be established in alignment with FEMA’s Instructions, Technical Guidance documents and best practices that will provide criteria for the review and submission of H&H engineering models and analysis reports for complete and accurate assessments of flood risks within justifiable reason. Internal staff & external public guidance documents will need to be developed to clearly identify minimum submission requirements and minimum acceptance criteria for H&H engineering analysis. Where changes in processes are recommended to accommodate increased compliance standards, an evaluation of business process feasibility, technical expertise, staff capacity, and economic impacts to projects shall also be considered.

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Tasks, milestones, or deliverables

Services and/or tangible work products that must be completed and accepted by the department as a condition of payment.

Vendor shall conduct an evaluation of current L&I administrative and technical capacities to ensure compliance, completeness and accuracy of H&H study submission. This evaluation shall be based on the review of the Department’s current standards for report submissions, performing audit review of submitted reports on record with the Department and through L&I administration staff interviews to gauge capacity, skillset & technical knowledge competency.

Following the completion of process reviews, H&H report auditing, and staff interviews, an Audit & Recommendations Report shall be generated based on the findings to include areas of improvement with H&H report submission and review standards. Work to support Audit & Recommendations Report findings shall begin within 30 days of contract award.

Following the final Audit & Recommendation Report issuance, vendor shall work to develop H&H Engineering Analysis report Submission Guidance documentation & Plan Review Checklist Development for internal staff and external public stakeholder.

Guidance documentation to be developed shall be based on report recommendations and Department feedback.

Vendor shall develop educational training content based on H&H engineering report guidance documents and plan review checklists, to be delivered in two separate course offerings:

A virtual course, not to exceed 4 hours, and presented in whole or in-parts, for L&I technical review & administration staff, including plan examiners. The course shall be delivered to an audience up to 40 participants.

A virtual course, not to exceed 4 hours, and presented in whole or in-parts, for contractors, project managers, City of Philadelphia officials, and design professionals. The course shall be delivered to upwards of 200 participants.

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Prior to course presentation content development, vendor shall provide a list of training objectives and goals associated with each training course offering to be used for Continuing Education Credit eligibility through the Department’s provider status.

Where training offerings are required, vendor shall make use of recording tools at internal staff training course sessions, with the recorded content made available to the Department for distribution limited to the Department’s internal staff use only.

Vendor may offer recording as an option for any external public participant presentation, to include the Vendor’s permission to distribute such recorded content for external public use.

The selected vendor will start development of the educational content and prepare to deliver coursework to the target audience within 30 days of final Recommendations Report acceptance.

Organization and personnel requirements

Vendor shall be well versed in the engineering, design, and construction process for developments in the Special Flood Hazard Area, Regulated and Non- Regulated Floodways, and Coastal/Tidal Impact Areas, including Flood Insurance Rate Map resources and FEMA’s processes for MT-1 & MT-2 Letter of Map Change applications.

Vendor must be familiar with code requirements of the IBC 2018 and IRC 2018 editions, to include provisions of the IBC 2021 & IRC 2021 editions referenced in the PA UCC code modification adoption.

Vendor must be knowledgeable with engineering principles, industry standards, and past & current technological (software) capacities associated with Hydrologic & Hydraulic Engineering studies and modeling required to develop effective and proposed models, to include coastal analysis studies and modeling. Provider must also be familiar with FEMA technical guidance content associated with H&H Engineering analysis reporting.

This work, or portions thereof, will be funded through Community Development Block Grant – Disaster

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Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds. As such, all work performed must adhere to applicable CDBG-DR regulations and requirements. The project will address assessment of mitigation needs from potential revisions to the Special Flood Hazard Area due to development activities, to help the City prepare for future flood events and mitigate risk from other climate impacts by studying water movement, volume, and rate of flow to prevent unintended flooding.

Provider must be capable of facilitating and presenting high-level technical information to internal Department Staff and external public stakeholders for audience varying from small (< 25 persons) to large (> 100 persons).

Technological requirements

Vendor shall be able to hold and join any virtual meetings required to coordinate project scoping & deliverables, and to conduct staff interviews.

Vendor shall be able to present coursework with A/V equipment in person or virtually. Vendor shall utilize virtual meeting and delivery software such as Zoom, Go-to-Meeting or equal Coursework. Use of video to demonstrate and support educational content is encouraged.

Vendor may require access to Hydrologic & Hydraulic modeling software for any demonstration purposes, where audit and recommendations report and technical training workshops recommends technical aptitude of staff and external stakeholders to be familiar with such modeling software for submission reviews.

Reporting requirements

All work performed must adhere to applicable CDBG- DR regulations and requirements, including any reporting requirements.

Vendor will provide draft reports associated with Audits & Recommendation findings for Department review prior to issuance of final draft reports.

Vendor will provide a progress report on the development of the coursework 10 days before delivery of the workshops. Vendor shall propose the appropriate length of the coursework. Vendor shall

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Compensation Applicants are required to provide a cost proposal in their response which includes:

A line-item breakdown of the costs for the specific services and work products proposed.

A price that includes all costs, such as administrative or fringe costs, proposed to be charged to the City.

Cost proposals typically are:

Fixed price, where payment is not based on time or resources expended, or Hourly rate, where payment is based on time or resources expended.

Compensation Not to exceed $99,000 for a contract resulting from this RFP.

Cost Proposal Type Fixed Price

Terms of Payment

Payment Upon Approval of Specified Work, to include:

Draft H&H Audit & Recommendations

Report H&H Report Submission Guidance

Documents & Plan Review Checklists Training Course Delivery to Internal Staff &

External Public Stakeholders

Please note travel costs are reimbursable only if approved by the Department and in accordance with current City policies; commuting costs are not reimbursable. The City has adopted the Federal Government Maximum Per Diem rate.

Project Schedule H&H Report Audit & Recommendations Report o L&I Technical & Administrative Staff Interviews [4/28/2027] o H&H Engineering Analysis Report Audit Review [4/28/2027] o Draft H&H Audit & Recommendations Report for L&I Review [5/26/2027] o Final H&H Audit & Recommendations Report [6/23/2027]

Development of H&H Engineering Analysis Report Submission Guidance Documents & Plan Review Checklists o Draft for L&I Review [7/30/2027] o Final Draft Issuance [8/27/2027]

Training Content Course Development for H&H Report Submissions Guidance Documents & Plan Review Checklists o Training Course Objectives & Goals [6/30/2027] o Training Course Content DRAFT Review [8/27/2027]

July 2026 revision 11 o Training Course Delivery Internal Technical & Administrative Staff Training [9/30/2027]

Training Attendance Reports Public External Stakeholders Training [9/30/2027]

Training Attendance Reports

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3. HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR RESPONSE

3.1 RFP Schedule

RFP Posted 9/25/2026

Pre-Proposal Meeting Not Applicable

Site Visit Not Applicable

Applicant Questions Due 10/13/2026, 5:00pm Local Philadelphia Time to Theresa.baker@phila.gov

Answers Posted on eContract Philly 10/23/2026

Proposals Due 10/30/2026, 5:00pm Local Philadelphia Time

Applicant Interviews, Presentations

11/16/2026 through 11/20/2026. Via Virtual Meeting.

Applicant Selection 12/1/2026

Contract Execution 1/15/2027

Commencement of Work 1/15/2027

The above dates are estimates only. Notice of changes in the pre-proposal meeting date, time or location, and due date for Applicant questions will be posted on eContract Philly. Should the Department change the date for the Application submission, a notice/Addendum will be posted on eContract Philly.

3.2 What You Must Include in Your Response

1. Introduction

2. Company Profile

3. Company contact information

4. Proposed Scope of Work, addressing all items in Section 2 and describing how the

Applicant will meet project requirements

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5. Proposed Schedule

6. Cost Proposal

7. Project Personnel Statement of Applicant’s Qualifications/Relevant Experience

8. References

9. Written Statement of Financial Capacity from independent source and at least one current financial document (audited or unaudited financial statements, bank statements or references, Form 990)

10. Stated exceptions to terms and conditions, if any, and reasons for the request

11. Local Business Certification and justification and/or documentation

12. Provide the following statement: “If awarded this contracting opportunity and this contract opportunity is valued at or over $99,000 or the amount expected to be realized by the Applicant is at or over $99,000, the Applicant will provide all Transparency in Business disclosures required by Section 17-1402(1)(b)(.4) of the Philadelphia Code prior to contract conformance.”

Applicant Proposed Scope of Work responses should be limited to 5 pages.

3.3 Response Requirements

Online Submission Required by the Application Deadline You must apply online through eContract Philly to be considered for this contract opportunity. The City will not accept responses in any other format.

If you are not already registered with eContract Philly, you must first register for an account before you can apply to this opportunity. Note that each legal entity must have a separate account; you may not utilize or repurpose another entity’s account for this application.

A Complete Application is Required Please give yourself as much time as possible to start and complete your online application. The City will not consider proposals that are submitted late.

Use the Below Submission Checklist This is a tool to help you to submit a complete, accurate, responsive, and on time application.

DOES MY RESPONSE MEET THE PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS?

Did you submit the proposal before the stated deadline in RFP Section 3.1?

Did the proposal explain how Applicant meets the goals and objectives, tasks, milestones, and deliverables, and other requirements described by the Department under “Services” in RFP Section 2.2?

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Does your cost proposal meet the requirements under “Compensation” in RFP Section 2.2?

Does your cost proposal meet the requirements under “Project Schedule” in RFP Section 2.2?

Does your proposal meet the overall format and content requirements described in RFP Section 3.2, including the independent Statement of Financial Capacity” and the page limit?

If applicable, was the Local Business Certification and justification and/or documentation provided in the proposal?

Does your application provide the mandatory statement: “If awarded this contracting opportunity and this contract opportunity is valued at or over $99,000 or the amount expected to be realized by the Applicant is at or over $99,000, the Applicant will provide all Transparency in Business disclosures required by Section 17-1402(1)(b)(.4) of the Philadelphia Code prior to contract conformance.”

Did you review the entire RFP and Contract Attachments, including the Terms and Conditions?

Did you state any objections to these document Terms and Conditions? You must raise any objections to these standard terms and conditions in your proposal. Objections are not favored and may be weighed against your proposal;

additionally, the City need not consider later-raised objections.

Was the proposal submitted electronically through eContract Philly?

Was the proposal submitted under the correct opportunity number?

Was the application signed by clicking on the “submit” button at the conclusion of the eContract Philly submission process?

Was the individual who signed the application an authorized signatory for the Applicant?

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4. HOW WE SELECT A CONTRACTOR & AWARD

THE CONTRACT

4.1 Overview

After the proposal deadline, a diverse panel will review the submitted, complete and eligible proposals. In some cases, the finalists may be contacted for an interview or other final selection step. Once the department managing the RFP selects an Applicant, the Applicant will be notified and will enter into negotiations with the department.

4.2 Selection Process

Although, cost to the City is a material factor, it is not the sole, or necessarily the determining factor, in proposal evaluation. If the City chooses to make an award of a contract from this RFP, the City may, at its sole discretion, award such contract to a person or entity other than the responsible Applicant submitting the lowest price when the City determines, in its sole discretion, it is most advantageous to the City and in the City’s best interest to do so.

To select an Applicant for this contract opportunity, the City uses the below standard criteria in its selection process.

1. Superior ability or capacity to meet particular requirements of contract and needs of City Department and those it serves

2. Eligibility under Code provisions relating to campaign contributions

3. Superior prior experience of Applicant and staff

4. Superior quality, efficiency and fitness of proposed solution for City Department

5. Superior skill and reputation, including timeliness and demonstrable results

6. Special benefit to continuing services of incumbent, such as operational difficulties with transition or needs of population being served

7. Benefit of promoting long-term competitive development and allocation of experience to new, local, or small businesses

8. Lower cost

9. Administrative and operational efficiency, requiring less City oversight and administration

10. Anticipated long-term cost effectiveness

11. Meets prequalification requirements

12. Applicant’s certification of its Local Business Entity/Local Impact status

The Department cannot communicate with other Applicants not selected for the opportunity about their proposals until after an agreement is finalized

The Department is not obligated to debrief an unsuccessful Applicant on why we’ve made the decision not to select them for award.

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4.3 Award

The City will post a notice on eContract Philly once the City decides which Applicant will be awarded the contract. There is no waiting period before the contract may be executed.

If selected for award, the Applicant will have to comply with laws, regulations, polices in order to be eligible for award of the contract and to maintain the contract after award.

WHAT ARE MY RESPONSIBILITIES IF I’M AWARDED THE CONTRACT?

Have an active Business Income and Receipts Tax (BIRT) Account Number.

REGISTER HERE.

Have an active Commercial Activity License (CAL) Number REGISTER HERE

Obtain a Philadelphia Tax and Regulatory Status and Clearance

OBTAIN A TAX

CLEARANCE

CERTIFICATE HERE

Meet the Campaign Contribution Disclosures Requirements

INFORMATION ON

DISCLOSURE/ELIGIBILITY

IS HERE

{If the awarded contract is valued at or over $99,000} Submit all Transparency in Business disclosures

TRANSPARENCY IN

BUSINESS REGULATIONS

ARE HERE

Comply with the 21st Century Minimum Wage and Benefits Ordinance

CURRENT LIVING WAGE

RATE CAN BE FOUND

LOCATED HERE

Comply with federal Community Development Block Grant for Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program regulations & requirements

SEE TERMS AND

CONDITIONS IN THE

OPPORTUNITY

INFORMATION

If applicable, comply with federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

SEE TERMS AND

CONDITIONS IN THE

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OPPORTUNITY

INFORMATION