MVEM RFP package final.pdf

DUKES COUNTY

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

MARTHA’S VINEYARD ISLAND-WIDE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT REVIEW

AND DEVELOPMENT OF A STRATEGIC PLAN

I. Introduction and Background:

Martha's Vineyard (MV), often simply called The Vineyard, is an island in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts lying 7 miles south of Cape Cod. MV has a land area of about 96 square miles and constitutes the bulk of Dukes County. MV is reached by ferry service into two port towns

(depending on the seasonal conditions) and one regional airport.

In the 2023 Martha's Vineyard Commission report, the year-round population was 20,530, an increase from 16,460 in 2010. A popular summer destination, the summer population can swell to more than 100,000 people. About 56 percent of the Vineyard's 14,621 homes are seasonally occupied.

Martha's Vineyard is divided into six towns. The six towns are the three “down island” towns of

Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, Tisbury (also known as Vineyard Haven), and the three “up island” towns of West Tisbury, Chilmark, and Aquinnah (formerly called Gay Head). Further, Aquinnah is home to the Wampanoag, a federally recognized Indian tribe governed by its Tribal Council

(operating under township laws of Massachusetts).

Each town is governed by a Select Board elected by town voters. Each town is also a member of the Martha's Vineyard Commission, which regulates island-wide building, environmental, and aesthetic concerns. Currently, Dukes County Emergency Management Department (DCEM) is headed by the Dukes County Manager, but each town has its own designated emergency manager, usually a dual role held by one of the leads of Fire / EMS or Police. There is a Dukes

County Emergency Management Association created for the purposes of coordinating of emergency management efforts. There is also a Dukes County Regional Emergency

Management Planning Committee that meets quarterly.

MV is working to consider an emergency management structure that supports coordinated efforts across all phases of emergency management and all the towns and levels of response.

II. Purpose:

The combined MV stakeholders seek to enhance emergency response outcomes through:

• Unified response planning based on identified hazards and vulnerabilities and grounded in best practice and national standards;

• Better understanding of all available response resources, including material assets and personnel;

• Increased emergency response operational and resource coordination;

• Expanded capability and capacity for rapid common operating picture development, situational awareness, information sharing, and risk messaging.

In an effort to better coordinate and maximize resources on MV to meet the probable and unexpected needs of all residents and visitors, DCEM is prioritizing and committing funds to develop a MV-specific Strategic Integration and Implementation Plan that is:

• Based on review and analysis of existing plans, protocols, procedures, and organizational structures and identifies plans that do not exist and/or have not been tested/exercised.

• Includes key stakeholder engagement.

• Recognizes the unique emergency management environment of Martha’s Vineyard’s geography, culture, seasonal demographics, hazards, and other vulnerabilities.

Dukes County is seeking qualified, responsive, and responsible proposers for the Martha’s

Vineyard Island-wide Emergency Management Review and Development of a Strategic Plan

(further referred to as Project).

III. Deliverables:

SCOPE OF SERVICE

SPECIFICATIONS OF THE WORK TO BE PERFORMED

A. Project Management Activities:

• A comprehensive workplan that includes deliverables, tasks, and subtasks for each deliverable, task owner, and assigned staff, timeline to complete, method of delivery, and dependencies

• Weekly touch-base calls with Project Manager and other designees to address progress on deliverables, status of in-progress deliverables, and any challenges

• Monthly project reports that address task completion, status of in-progress tasks, any management/project challenges with recommended solutions, current invoicing, and budget remaining

• A secure, web-based portal for document sharing and team collaboration

Proposers should note that all project deliverables, including materials for in-person meetings, must be developed and briefed to the committee and/or their designee and its other invited participants such that any clarifications can be made and everything finalized before the end of the contract period.

B. A comprehensive Gap Analysis Report and Crosswalk that includes at a minimum:

• Executive Summary of all findings included in the Gap Analysis and Crosswalk.

• Findings of the evaluation of current regional emergency management structures and organizations

• Findings from the Hazard Vulnerabilities (HVA) analysis relevant to current capabilities and capacities for MV response to identified hazards

• Findings from key stakeholder engagement addressing challenges, opportunities, and recommendations for next steps

C. A Strategic Plan for MV Island-wide and Regional Emergency Management Integration and Implementation that includes:

• Recommendations, based on the Gap Analysis Report and Crosswalk findings, industry standards and best practice, targeted stakeholder input, and the Planning Developmental

Workshop, to achieve maximum effectiveness and efficiency of emergency management functions to reduce redundancies and enhance response coordination and operational capabilities

• Outline of island-wide emergency management plan to be used going forward and serve as a guideline for future emergency situations

• An implementation plan/road map prioritized for MV based on the findings and realistic, articulated assumptions

• A realistic phased timeline for implementation, with implementation tasks associated with each phase

• A tool to support accurate cost estimates for the implementation tasks of each phase.

• A 2-hour in-person briefing to Dukes County Emergency Management Association members and partners at the end of the project as knowledge transfer.

IV. Client Responsibilities:

The Committee will designate a liaison to be the point of contact (POC) for the duration of the project to coordinate and communicate with the assigned proposer’s Project

Manager (PM). This person will provide guidance and clarification, and take issues to the full Committee if required for decisions identified in the process. The POC and the

PM will schedule regular meetings in furtherance of the project. The POC will also identify and facilitate communications, meetings, and the collection of requested materials (in electronic and usable format) from the various MV stakeholders.

Unless discussed, all other responsibilities remain with the Proposer. The proposer is expected to be able to continue moving the project forward even if the MV stakeholders become involved in a real-world activation.

V. Funding Details:

● One (1) vendor will be selected for this project

● Budget amount not to exceed $75,000.00

VI. Duration:

From date of contract (estimated to be July 16, 2025) – September 30, 2026 (approximately 13 months)

VII. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

For the proposals to be considered responsive, proposer must submit the following without exception:

1. Each respondent shall submit separate sealed price and non-price proposals. Non-price proposal envelopes should include an original proposal accompanied by three (3) copies.

Both envelopes must be delivered no later than 3:00 p.m., Tuesday, July 9, 2025 to:

Dukes County c/o County Manager Martina Thornton

PO Box 190

Edgartown, MA 02539

For FedEx or UPS delivery please use the following address:

Dukes County c/o County Manager Martina Thornton

9 Airport Road

Edgartown, MA 02539

508-696-3840

2. Envelopes shall be clearly marked with the name and address of the submitter. In addition, the envelopes shall be marked accordingly:

MV EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT REVIEW - PRICE PROPOSAL

MV EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT REVIEW – NON-PRICE PROPOSAL

3. Prior to the deadline for submission of the RFP, proposals may be withdrawn, corrected, or modified at any time up until the submission deadline by delivery of a notice of withdrawal, correction or modification to the above address and shall be marked on the outside of the envelope as required in paragraph 2. The envelope shall also be marked

"Notice of Withdrawal," "Notice of Correction," or "Notice of Modification," referencing either the price or non-price proposal to be withdrawn, corrected, or modified.

4. Questions may be submitted up to 3:00 pm on July 2nd to Martina Thornton, County

Manager, via e-mail to: manager@dukescounty.org and copy to Kevin Brennan, Dukes

County Deputy Emergency Manager at emergencymanagement@dukescounty.org . All answers will be provided in writing no later than 48 hours prior to the deadline, and if material to the proposal shared with all other known proposers at that time.

CONTRACTOR QUALIFICATIONS ARE A MATERIAL PART OF THIS PROPOSAL.

PROPOSERS NOT SUBMITTING THE INFORMATION REQUIRED BELOW WILL BE

REJECTED. THE COUNTY WILL REJECT ANY PROPOSER THAT THE COUNTY

DEEMS NOT QUALIFIED TO PERFORM THE WORK.

mailto:manager@dukescounty.org mailto:emergencymanagement@dukescounty.org

For the proposer to be deemed responsive, both the Price Proposal and Non-Price Proposal must be received prior to the deadline and include all required documents.

Price Proposal shall be submitted on a form provided in Exhibit B.

Non-Price Proposal must include the following:

1. Firm Overview: History and full description of your company, including the date your firm was founded, the number of employees, volume and type of business and a statement that the company is currently providing the services called for under the Scope of Service in this RFP and that the company has been providing these types of services for at least 5 years.

2. Qualifications: List of at least five (5) similar projects in size, scope and complexity that have been completed by the proposer, including the size of the community/organization for which it was done, and name, address, and telephone number of each customer for a reference and how is this project relevant to this proposal and what was the price of the contract. The proposer must indicate at least two of these projects as having been completed for municipal clients.

3. Assigned Staff: List of the key staff to be assigned to this project, their position, credentials and note any and all relevant experience in this type of work, years of experience, including having demonstrated experience with emergency management planning, strategic planning, programmatic development, gap analysis, HVA analysis and stakeholder engagement. Identify the proposed Project Manager. It is expected that they will be the PM for the duration of the project and will be the primary contact between

MV and your firm.

o Provide the estimated percentage of each staff member’s time that will be committed to this project.

o Describe your management strategy for staff retention on this project.

o Explicitly acknowledge that staffing changes must be communicated to and approved by the Committee or their designee.

o Include brief biographies of the key staff (no longer than one page each).

4. Location: Identify location(s) at which this project will be completed by the proposer.

5. Comprehensive Operational Plan that will clearly identify the process workflow to address all project objectives and complete the Scope of Work as stated in the RFP.

a. Proposed Technical Approach: (5,000 characters maximum, not including spaces).

Describe your organization’s proposed methodology to meet the goals of this project, including:

• A staffing organizational chart. Including subject matter experts you will bring on, and any partner organizations you might request to consult.

• The overall approach in researching, reviewing, and evaluating the current materials, plans, protocols, and organizational structure of emergency management on Martha’s Vineyard.

• Your proposed format for the planning workshop.

• Your proposed and detailed format for the strategic plan components.

• Your proposed end-of-project briefing.

b. Workplan - Detail the project timeline. Include routine project management activities;

address the timeline for each deliverable and its associated activities.

(Note: an updated and finalized work plan will be required 10 business days after signing the contract.)

c. Proposed Use of Funds

• Provide a narrative description of the proposed budget

• Capture all purposes for which funding will be used:

o Labor rates by staff member per deliverable o Other Direct Costs per deliverable, including but not limited to travel, lodging, and per diem, vehicle rental, printing o Total cost of deliverables o Summary of proposed cost

6. Certificate of Non-Collusion, Tax Compliance, and Anti-Discrimination (form provided as Exhibit A).

In order for the proposer to be deemed responsible, the proposer must possess these qualifications:

1. The proposer must be knowledgeable, experienced, and capable of creating a comprehensive emergency management plan.

2. All staff of the proposer to be assigned to this project must be trained and have substantial experience in this type of project.

3. The proposer must be fully insured, licensed, and permitted as required for this type of project.

4. The proposer must currently possess a facility within the conterminous United States of

America and sufficient equipment to successfully complete this project. All work related to this project must be completed completely within the conterminous United States of

America.

5. W-9 Request for Verification of Taxation Reporting Information must be completed by all new vendors who wish to conduct business with Dukes County, and each time a vendor change occurs, including address, vendor name, etc.

If the proposer is planning to use any subcontractors to perform any part of the work identified under the Scope of Work, the proposer is required to ensure that all subcontractors conform with all the requirements of this RFP and will be subject to the terms of the contract between the

County and the Proposer.

VIII. EVALUATION PROCESS

The non-price proposal will be opened on July 9, 2025 at 3:00 pm at the Dukes County

Administration Office by Martina Thornton, County Manager, who is the procurement officer of the County. She will evaluate the responsiveness of the proposals. All responsible proposals will be shared with the Evaluating Committee, which will evaluate the proposals based on the evaluation criteria specified in this RFP.

The proposal will be evaluated based on the following evaluation criteria:

1. Company Experience

2. Experience with Similar Projects as demonstrated by past and current work

3. Qualifications of Assigned Project Manager and Staff

4. Comprehensiveness of Overall Operational Plan

5. Cost-efficiency of the proposed budget

6. Experience and/or knowledge of this specific jurisdiction or communities with similar geographical, demographic, and/or seasonal composition

The Evaluation Committee (the Committee) reserves the right to request further materials and/or clarifications after reviewing submissions and may schedule virtual interviews if deemed necessary.

The evaluation process is to be completed no later than July 15, 2025 at 9am, at which point the price proposal will be opened by the County Manager in the presence of the another member of the Evaluating Committee and they will determine which proposal is overall most advantageous and will be recommended for contract award to the County Commissioners.

The lowest cost is not the primary deciding factor in proposal acceptance, scoring is not binding, and the final decision is solely the right of the County, which maintains the right to make no award or to negotiate with the identified preferred vendor.

IX. CONTRACT AWARD

The County reserves the right to reject any or all proposals and waive any informalities in the proposal procedure. If a most advantageous proposal is identified and recommended to the County

Commissioners, a contract award will be approved by the Dukes County Commissioners at their next properly posted meeting. The vendor shall be notified of the award by a formal contract award letter. Contract will be awarded pursuant to Chapter 30B Section 6 of the Massachusetts General

Laws.

Sample contract attached hereto as Exhibit C, subject to final negotiation and agreement between the parties. Please note that due to the requirements of the federal funding that is being used to fund this Project, some contract terms are not negotiable.

Once the selected proposer is notified and a service contract is in place, a kick-off briefing will be scheduled within 10 business days of the contract date, and the project work can commence thereafter. It is estimated that this will be no later than August 2025.

EXHIBIT A

CERTIFICATE OF NON-COLLUSION, TAX COMPLIANCE,

ANTI-DISCRIMINATION

NON-COLLUSION:

The undersigned certifies under penalties of perjury that this proposal has been made and submitted in good faith and without collusion or fraud with any other person. As used in this certification, the word

"person" shall mean any natural person, business, partnership, corporation, union, committee, club, or other organization, entity, or group of individuals.

TAX COMPLIANCE CERTIFICATION:

Pursuant to M.G.L. c. 62C, §49A, I certify under the penalties of perjury that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, I am in compliance with all laws of the Commonwealth relating to taxes, reporting of employees and contractors, and withholding and remitting child support.

ANTI-DISCRIMINATION REQUIREMENTS: FAIR EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES RELATIVE TO TOWN

CONTRACT:

It is understood and agreed that it shall be a material breach of any contract resulting from this proposal for the contractor to engage in any practice which shall violate any provision of Massachusetts General

Laws, Chapter 151B, relative to discrimination in hiring, discharge, compensation, or terms, conditions or privileges of employment because of race, color, religious creed, national origin sex, age, or ancestry.

Signature of Proposer Date

Printed Name

Name of Company

EXHIBIT B

PRICE PROPOSAL

(To be included in price proposal only!)

_________________________________________ (Proposer) proposes to provide the Martha’s Vineyard Island-wide Emergency Management Review and Development of a Strategic Plan as described in the Scope of Services for a price not to exceed $_____________ .

All other direct costs are included in the above PRICE.

Signature of Proposer Date

Printed Name

Name of Company