R26091 Notice to Bidders.pdf

1/29/2025

Notice is Hereby Given

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN

that the County of Ontario will receive sealed Proposals for Geneva Drinking Water Plant Floodplain

Restoration Project Feasibility Study R26091. The County prefers electronic submittals via the eProcurement Portal at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/ontariocountyny however, sealed paper bids can be filed with the Ontario County Purchasing Director, 20 Ontario Street, Canandaigua, New York 14424, PRIOR TO 4:00 pm prevailing time, on Tuesday, December 15, 2026

There will be a pre-proposal meeting held on Thursday, October 29, 2026 at 1:00 pm. Said meeting will be held at the Geneva Country Club; parking available across the street at Big Alice Brewing located at 4180

NYS Rt 14, Geneva NY 14456. All interested parties are strongly urged to attend. This will be the only opportunity to view the site.

All questions pertaining to this RFP shall be forwarded in writing to the Director of Purchasing at the address shown above.

Ontario County reserves the right to reject any or all proposals.

Jenifer Langer

Purchasing Director

Ontario County Purchasing https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/ontariocountyny

2/4/2025

Information for Proposers

Method of Award

This contract is a professional services contract, and as such is not subject to the competitive bidding requirements. The award of this contract will be based on:

1. Organization and clarity of proposal

2. Proposal meets work scope specifications and tasks with well-defined deliverables

3. Demonstrated experience with similar projects

4. Qualifications and experience of individuals assigned to the project

5. Creativity and approach to completing each task and the project as a whole

6. Communications and collaboration appropriate for the project

7. Schedule clearly shows completion of tasks (milestones) and project completion date

8. Cost Proposal is reasonable, clear and consistent with the RFP, showing allocations to individual tasks within the work scope

9. MWBE and SDVOB Participation

As part of their decision-making process The County will evaluate and rank the proposals and interview one or more proposers that submitted the highest ranked proposals. An administrative team will conduct interviews and make a recommendation to the County’s Planning and Environmental Quality. The Committee will then determine whether a recommendation to award a contract be made to the Ontario County Board of Supervisors.

The Ontario County Board of Supervisors will make the final decision on whether to award a contract.

Vendor Questions

Questions regarding this RFP must be submitted in writing to the Ontario County Purchasing Department.

Questions should be submitted in writing via the Ontario County Purchasing email or via the eProcurement Portal at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/ontariocountyny. The deadline for submitting questions is, Thursday, November 12, 2026 before 4:00 pm. Questions will be answered in writing and if changes or additions to the scope or specifications become necessary, those changes or additions will be issued as addenda and posted to the

County's eProcurement Portal. Verbal responses from County employees or responses from staff other than the

Purchasing Director must not be given or relied upon. In the event any such response is given; it should not be relied upon and is non-binding. Only that information which is distributed through written addenda or OpenGov

Q&A will be binding upon the County.

Questions regarding the RFP must be directed to the Question & Answer section of this RFP on the

County's OpenGov Procurement portal or to:

Ontario County Purchasing

20 Ontario Street

Canandaigua, NY 14424

Tel: (585) 396-4442

Email: Purchasing@ontariocountyny.gov

NOTE: The County shall not be held responsible for the completeness or accuracy of any RFP documents received by a vendor that were not directly issued to that vendor by the County Purchasing Department or found on the

County website. Any vendor submitting a proposal based on incomplete or inaccurate information resulting from documentation received from any third party, shall not have cause for relief from award or completion of a contract in accordance with the official documents on file with the County Purchasing Department.

It is HIGHLY suggested that all vendors interested in participating in this RFP, contact the County Purchasing

Department directly or use the County's OpenGov Procurement portal to assure they have received the most accurate and up to date material concerning this contract.

Submission of Vendor's Proposal

If submitting electronically through the County's OpenGov Procurement portal:

Proposals are to be submitted via the County's eProcurement Portal at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/ontariocountyny . The county prefers electronic submittals, however accommodations can be made for paper submittals if necessary.

Proposal shall be in a "submitted" status before 4:00 pm on Tuesday, December 15, 2026. No late submittals will be accepted. This RFP can be viewed and responded to on the County's OpenGov Procurement portal at:

https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/ontariocountyny

If submitting by hard copy:

One (1) ORIGINAL, HARD-COPY SIGNED response – clearly labeled as original must be submitted in a sealed package and One (1) USB DRIVE COPY noting the RFP# R26091 Geneva Drinking Water Plant

Floodplain Restoration Project Feasibility Study in the subject line. Proposals must be submitted in a sealed package, and the drive must be marked with vendor name and proposal number.

The sealed package must be marked on the outside with the following information:

Geneva Drinking Water Plant Floodplain Restoration Project Feasibility Study and R26091

Tuesday, December 15, 2026 before 4:00 pm

Company Name and Address

This must be received at the address below in the Ontario County Purchasing Department on or before, Tuesday, December 15, 2026 before 4:00 pm Eastern Standard Time:

ONTARIO COUNTY PURCHASING DEPARTMENT

20 Ontario Street

Canandaigua, New York 14424

The proposal submitted by the individual vendor(s) is the document upon which the County will make its initial judgment regarding the contractor’s qualifications, understanding of the County’s scope and objectives, and mailto:Purchasing@ontariocountyny.gov https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/ontariocountyny/projects/304807 ability to complete services under the contract. It is the sole responsibility of the respondent to ensure that their response arrives prior to the receipt deadline.

Those submitting proposals do so entirely at their own expense. There is no expressed or implied obligation by the County to reimburse any firm or individual for any costs incurred in preparing or submitting proposals, preparing, or submitting additional information requested by the County, or for participating in any selection interviews and/or other processes.

Submission of any proposal indicates acceptance of the conditions and the complete understanding of the requirements contained in this RFP unless clearly and specifically noted otherwise in the proposal.

The County reserves the right to reject any proposals in whole or in part, to waive any and all informalities, and to disregard all non-conforming, non-responsive, or conditional proposals.

General Information

3.1. Award of RFP

The award, if any, will be made within forty-five (45) calendar days of the opening date. All successful vendors shall be notified by the Ontario County Clerk of the Board of any contracts they have been awarded. Notice of awards shall be in the form of a copy of the resolution awarded by the Ontario County Board of Supervisors sent to all successful vendors. Unsuccessful vendors shall not be informed.

3.2. Term of Contract

The expected contract term for this project is 15 months with the Final Engineering Design Outline report completed no later than 04/30/2028. The Project Schedule is negotiable within that term but must commence after Notice to Proceed following contract execution. The Offeror shall include a Project Schedule identifying start times and durations for all tasks: H&H Modeling, Draft Report, Final Report, and, if applicable, Stakeholder Engagement.

3.3. Prohibition Against Assignment/Transfer/Subcontract

The vendor is prohibited from assigning, transferring, conveying, subletting or otherwise disposing of this agreement or any of its contents, or of any right, title or interest therein, or of the power to execute this agreement, to any other person or corporation without previous consent, in writing, of the County.

3.4. Non-Appropriations Clause

In accordance with New York State General Municipal Laws the County of Ontario will not be liable for any purchases or contracts for goods or services for which funding is not available. As a result, the vendor agrees to hold the County harmless for any contracts let for which funding either does not currently exist or for which funding has been removed prior to the issuance of a purchase order by the County. Issuance of a purchase order by the County indicates that the County currently has and has set aside adequate funds to procure the goods and services indicated in the purchase order or contract. Receipt of a resolution by the Ontario County Board of

Supervisors is not in and of itself a binding contract with the County. Should it become necessary for the County to cancel a project or purchase after an order to proceed or purchase order has been issued, the County will only be liable for and the vendor agrees to only assess those financial damages that it can prove to have incurred as a result of the cancellation. (see Bid Form for further notes)

3.5. Non-Assignment

In accordance with NYS General Municipal Law 109, at no time during the duration of any contract resulting from this RFP, shall the successful vendor be allowed to assign any portion of this contract to a third party without express written approval by the Ontario County Board of Supervisors.

3.6. Termination

The County, upon ten (10) calendar days’ notice to the vendor, may terminate any contract(s) resulting from this

RFP in whole or in part when the County deems it to be in its best interest, whether with or without cause. In such event, the vendor shall be compensated and the County shall be liable only for payment for goods, materials, equipment and/or services provided under any contract(s) awarded as a result of this RFP up to the effective date of termination.

In the event of a dispute as to the value of services rendered by the vendor prior to the effective date of termination, it is understood and agreed that the County shall determine the value of such services rendered by the vendor. Such reasonable and good faith determination shall be accepted by the vendor as final.

In the event the County determines that there has been a material breach by the vendor of any of the terms of any contract(s) awarded as a result of this bid and such breach remains uncured for five (5) days after service on the vendor of written notice thereof, the County, in addition to any other right or remedy it might have, may terminate any contract(s) awarded as a result of this bid and the County shall have the right, power and authority to complete that which is required by the contract awarded as a result of this RFP, and any additional expense or cost of such completion shall be charged to and paid by the vendor. Service of notice hereunder shall be effective on the date of mailing.

3.7. Payments

Payments to all vendors will be made within thirty (30) calendar days of receipt of an approved and accepted invoice by the County. If the contract is for equipment, the County will pay the vendor awarded the contract within thirty (30) calendar days of receipt and acceptance of the equipment as fully functional and operational including training of County staff by the vendor in the operation and maintenance of the equipment and upon receipt and approval of a correct invoice from the vendor. Prior to any vendor receiving payment, the County requires that all vendors have a current completed IRS form W-9 on file with the County Finance Department.

The County may, at its option, audit such books and records of the vendor as are reasonably pertinent to a contract awarded as a result of this bid to substantiate the basis for payment and compliance with the terms of the contract resulting from this bid.

3.8. Judgments/Legal Findings

By submitting this proposal for consideration, the vendor affirms that they currently have no judgments or other legal findings nor have any pending judgments or other legal findings against the company or any of its executives, with any federal, state or local governmental entities that in any way could impact or have the potential to impact their ability to complete any contract awarded them as a result of this RFP. Failure to disclose any such judgments and/or findings will result in the termination of any contracts and other penalties as deemed legal and appropriate by the County.

3.9. Iran Divestment Act

By submitting a proposal in response to this solicitation or by assuming the responsibility of a Contract awarded hereunder, Bidder/Contractor (or any assignee) certifies that it is not on the "Entities Determined To Be Non-

Responsive Bidders/Offerors Pursuant to The New York State Iran Divestment Act of 2012" list ("Prohibited

Entities List") posted on the OGS website at: http://www.ogs.ny.gov/about/regs/docs/ListofEntities.pdf and further certifies that it will not utilize on such Contract any subcontractor that is identified on the Prohibited

Entities List. Additionally, Bidder/Contractor is advised that should it seek to renew or extend a Contract awarded in response to the solicitation, it must provide the same certification at the time the Contract is renewed or extended.

During the term of the Contract, should Ontario County receive information that a person (as defined in State

Finance Law § 165-a) is in violation of the above-referenced certifications, Ontario County will review such information and offer the person an opportunity to respond. If the person fails to demonstrate that it has ceased its engagement in the investment activity which is in violation of the Act within 90 days after the determination of such violation, then Ontario County shall take such action as may be appropriate and provided for by law, vile, http://www.ogs.ny.gov/about/regs/docs/ListofEntities.pdf or contract, including, but not limited to, seeking compliance, recovering damages, or declaring the Contractor in default.

Ontario County reserves the right to reject any proposal, request for assignment, renewal or extension for an entity that appears on the Prohibited Entities List prior to the award, assignment, renewal or extension of a contract, and to pursue a responsibility review with respect to any entity that is awarded a contract and appears on the Prohibited

Entities list after contract award.

3.10. Independence

The vendor expressly understands and agrees that it is and shall in all respects be considered an independent contractor. The vendor, its employees, partners, associates, subcontractors, subconsultants and any others employed or retained by the vendor in the performance of a contract resulting from this RFP, are not and shall not hold themselves out nor claim to be an officer or employee of the County, nor make claim to any rights accruing thereto, including but not limited to Workers Compensation, Unemployment Benefits, Social Security or retirement plan membership or credit. Further, vendor, by virtue of his/her independent contractor status, shall under no circumstance constitute an employee of the County for purposes of the Affordable Care Act, shall not be entitled to any subsidy or credit in connection with this bid, and agrees if the County were to be assessed a penalty related to this bid that vendor will defend and indemnify the County for any said penalty or related penalty.

3.11. Non-Discrimination

The vendor expressly agrees that:

a. in the hiring of employees for the performance of a contract resulting from this bid, neither the vendor, any subcontractor, nor any person acting on their behalf, shall discriminate against any person on the basis of any characteristic or classification protected under New York State or federal anti-discrimination laws, who is otherwise qualified and available to perform the work to which the employment relates; and

b. neither the vendor, any subcontractor, nor any person acting on behalf of such vendor or subcontractor shall, in any manner, harass, discriminate against or retaliate against any employee hired for the performance of work under this Agreement on account of any characteristic or classification protected under New York State or federal anti-discrimination laws; and

c. in the course of performance of work under a contract resulting from this bid, neither the vendor, any subcontractor, nor any person acting on their behalf shall, in any manner, harass, discriminate against, or retaliate against any person on account of any characteristic or classification protected under New

York State or federal anti-discrimination laws; and

d. that there may be deducted from the amount payable to the vendor by the County under any contract resulting from this bid a penalty of fifty dollars ($50) for each person for each calendar day during which such person was discriminated against or intimidated in violation of the provisions of the contract; and

e. that any contract resulting from this bid may be cancelled or terminated by the County, and all moneys due or to become due hereunder may be forfeited, for a second or any subsequent violation of this section.

3.12. No Conflict

The vendor agrees that it has no interest and will not acquire any interest, direct or indirect, that would conflict in any manner or degree with the performance of the services and duties hereunder. The vendor further agrees that, in the performance of a contract resulting from this bid, no person having any such interest shall be employed by it.

The vendor represents and warrants that it has not employed or retained any person, other than a bona fide full time salaried employee working solely for the vendor to solicit or secure a contract resulting from this bid, and that it has not paid or agreed to pay any person (other than payments of fixed salary to a bona fide full time salaried employee working solely for the vendor) any fee, commission, percentage, gift or other consideration, contingent upon or resulting from the award or making a contract resulting from this RFP. For the breach or violation of this provision, without limiting any other rights or remedies to which the County may be entitled or any civil or criminal penalty to which any violator may be liable, the County shall have the right, in its discretion, to terminate a contract resulting from this bid without liability, and to deduct the contract price, or otherwise to recover, the full amount of such fee, commission percentage, gift or consideration.

3.13. Compliance

The vendor shall comply, at its own expense, with the provisions of all federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations applicable to its performance of any contract resulting from this RFP and any terms and conditions of a grant associated with any contract(s) awarded as a result of this RFP.

3.14. Defense and Indemnification

The vendor agrees to the fullest extent of the law:

a. that except for the amount, if any, of damage contributed to, caused by or resulting from the negligence of the County, the vendor shall indemnify and hold harmless the County, its officers, employees and agents from and against any and all liability, damage, claims, demands, costs, judgments, fees, attorneys' fees or loss arising directly or indirectly out of the performance or failure to perform hereunder by the vendor or third parties under the direction or control of the vendor; and

b. to provide defense for and defend, at its sole expense, any and all claims, demands or causes of action directly or indirectly arising out of the acts or omissions referred to in Sub-paragraph “(a)” above and to bear all other costs and expenses related thereto. The duty to defend hereunder shall be triggered immediately upon notice to the vendor by the County of the County’s receipt of a Notice of

Claim, service of process or other demand or claim.

These defense and indemnification obligations shall survive the expiration or termination of any contract resulting from this bid, whether occasioned by the contract’s expiration or earlier termination.

3.15. Employee Verification Requirements

All vendors and all municipal entities included under any contract(s) resulting from an award of this RFP are required to comply with all current state, federal and local laws, rules and regulations as they pertain to the verification of the ability of each employee to legally work in this state and country. This includes all employees, subcontractors and their employees engaged in work covered by said contract.

All vendors shall, upon request, supply the County with certified copies of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration

Services Form I-9 for all employees, subcontractors and their employees. These forms should be on file at the vendor’s home office and are available online at http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-9.pdf. By submitting a bid for consideration by the County, the vendor acknowledges that it has complied with and will continue to comply with all regulations and statutes concerning the verification of employee status.

3.16. Records

All original records compiled by the vendor in performing under a contract resulting from this bid, including but not limited to written reports, studies, drawings, blueprints, negatives of photographs, computer printouts, graphs, charts, plans, specifications and all similar recorded data, shall become and remain the property of the

County. The vendor may retain copies of such records for its own use.

3.17. Insurance

Failure to secure and maintain the required insurances contained in Insurance Requirements which is attached hereto and made a part hereof, is a material breach of any contract(s) awarded as a result of this bid. Vendor shall reimburse the County for any funds expended by the County that would have been paid by Vendor’s insurance carrier under any required insurance. Should vendor’s required insurance be cancelled or lapse in any way, vendor shall submit the insurer’s notice of cancellation or lapse to the County within two business days of receipt.

3.18. Miscellaneous

If any provision of a contract resulting from this RFP is determined to be invalid or unenforceable, that shall not affect the validity or enforceability of the remaining portions of the contract resulting from this bid. Any such invalid or unenforceable provision shall be modified so as to give effect to the original intent of the parties to the maximum extent possible. Each and every provision of law and clause required by law to be inserted in a contract resulting from this RFP shall be deemed to have been inserted herein, and if through mistake or inadvertence such provision is not inserted, said clause shall be deemed to have been inserted and shall have the full force and effect of law. Any contract resulting from this RFP shall be construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the

State of New York.

3.19. Proprietary Information

The proposal and any accompanying documentation submitted in the proposal shall become the property of the

County and shall not be returned. The proposal shall be subject to the FOIL, Freedom of Information Law, so the proposers should identify any business information supplied in confidence, do not mark all pages confidential only those with truly proprietary information.

3.20. Contract Contents

This section is intended to form the basis for the development of a contract to be awarded as a result of this RFP.

The selected Vendor(s) may be required to execute a signed contract with the County. Exhibit A of said contract may include but not be limited to:

• The County’s RFP R26091

• The Vendor’s response

• Any and all addenda http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-9.pdfhttp:/www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-9.pdf

• All necessary insurance information

Scope of Work

4.1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Ontario County, in partnership with Seneca Watershed Intermunicipal Organization, seeks to address degradation of an unnamed tributary impacting the nearby City of Geneva drinking water plant located on

Seneca Lake in Ontario County, NY. This phase of the project, with funding provided by the New York State

Department of Environmental Conservation, will support the production of an Engineering Feasibility Study report consistent with NYSDEC guidelines. The partnership group seeks professional services for the production of this report and associated modeling elements budgeted at $45,000.

4.2. INTRODUCTION

Ontario County of New York, in partnership with Seneca Watershed Intermunicipal Organization (SWIO), hereby requests Engineering Proposals (Proposals) from qualified firms (Offerors) for the Geneva Drinking

Water Plant Floodplain Restoration Project (The Project) in Ontario County, New York. This Request for

Proposals (RFP) is open to all Offerors self-identified as professionally qualified and capable of providing the services described herein. The purpose of this RFP is to determine who will be awarded a contract for the proposed work.

The project priorities are:

• Design Concept – Assess the feasibility of a proposed design concept that is appropriate for achieving the goals of protecting/enhancing localized resources (Geneva Drinking Water Plant, Geneva Country

Club and Seneca Lake) via the stabilization of an unnamed tributary and enhancement/restoration of its floodplain. Some level of Hydrologic and Hydraulic (H & H) analysis is expected to be required to support this work.

• Project Readiness – The Engineering Design Outline (The Report) report will provide sufficient conceptual details on the design, placement and sizing of all proposed design elements to support further progression towards the production of full design documents and, ultimately, implementation. The Study will include all Floodplain Creation/Restoration/Reconnection Engineering Design Outline elements as required by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) as found in

Attachment A of this RFP.

4.3. PROJECT FUNDING & MWBE PARTICIPATION

Principal funding for this Project is $45,000 and provided via New York State Department of Environmental

Conservation’s (NYSDEC) Non-Agricultural Nonpoint Source Engineering Planning Grant awarded to Ontario

County, with whom The Offeror will enter into contract.

The underlying contract between Ontario County and NYSDEC contains utilization goals pursuant for participation by Minority-Owned Business Enterprises (MBE), Women-Owned Business Enterprises (WBE), and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Businesses (SDVOB) as follows:

MBE - $7,500

WBE - $7,500

SDVOB - $3,000

Total - $18,000

The Offeror shall reference the New York State Directory of Certified Minority and Women Owned Businesses available at the following address to identify potential MWBE and/or SVOB firms to partner with if applicable:

NYS MWBE Directory - https://ny.newnycontracts.com/FrontEnd/searchcertifieddirectory.asp

SDVOB Directory - https://sdves.ogs.ny.gov/business-search

4.4. PROJECT BACKGROUND

An unnamed tributary to Seneca Lake located immediately adjacent to the City of Geneva drinking water facility and flowing through the Geneva Country Club (GCC) east of NYS Route 14 (Attachment B) is experiencing significant degradation that threatens the public water supply, while also contributing to larger watershed scale issues identified in the Seneca-Keuka Watershed Nine Element Plan. Large amounts of sediment and presumably additional pollutants are being deposited at the confluence with Seneca Lake, approximately 300 meters from the drinking water intake. Stream bank erosion is believed to be the primary source. A joint private-public partnership seeks to collaboratively restore the floodplain through a combination of stream channel reshaping, culvert resizing, channel relocation, and/or floodplain reconnection and storage expansion.

The unnamed tributary is a class C stream (non-trout) and does not contain any regulatory floodway area along its length outside that portion located within the floodway for Seneca Lake (beyond the project boundary). The drainage area is approximately 397 acres with water flowing NW to SE. The headwaters area north of Snell

Road is comprised predominately of medium-density housing. Between Snell Road and NYS Route 14 the landscape is larger forested. Once east of NYS Route 14, the main channel flows through GCC and City of

Geneva property prior to reaching Seneca Lake. Four tributaries intersect with the main channel on the GCC property as well. The exact flowpath of the unnamed tributary and its associated tributaries are not presently mapped accurately via existing GIS software/datasets.

4.5. PROJECT SCOPE

The full project scope as outlined by the DEC can be found in Attachment C. The Offeror will be responsible elements listed under Objective 2: Engineering Design. These elements consist of H&H Modeling (Task 2.2) and Floodplain Restoration Design Report (Task 2.3). SWIO personnel will provide supplemental field data

(Objective 2) with input from the selected Offeror to support completion of these tasks and facilitate communication with landowner partners for input on conceptual design at various stages of project completion.

H&H Modeling

The principal objective of the anticipated H&H modeling is to supplement development of The Report. The

Offeror is free to use the model they deem appropriate to achieve the project goals. The Offeror shall identify the model to be used in The Proposal and provide a rationale for its use versus standard industry alternatives

(e.g. HEC-RAS, HydroCAD, etc.). SWIO will provide field data as outlined within Attachment C to support model development, but data collection is limited to GCC and public properties at this time. Ontario County also has many newer and higher resolution GIS datasets covering the project area than those available through https://ny.newnycontracts.com/FrontEnd/searchcertifieddirectory.asp https://sdves.ogs.ny.gov/business-search state and/or national databases which may prove useful for modeling purposes (available via the Ontario County

GIS portal: https://www.ontariocountyny.gov/456/Geographic-Information-Systems-GIS).

A summary report of model design, performance and output shall be furnished to the Project Manager in a format of the Offeror’s choosing.

Engineering Design Outline

Requirements for Engineering Design Outline reports are clearly stated within Attachment A. For the purposes of The Proposal, The Offeror is to provide a basic conceptual design(s) approach for achieving the project goals based on existing information. This initial conceptualization will form the foundation of The Report and will be refined and assessed via H&H modeling and stakeholder feedback. The following information is provided to assist with initial conceptualization:

1. Any proposed stream work is restricted to the NYS Route 14 Right-of-Way and GCC, City of Genva and/or Town of Geneva parcels

2. Any proposed modification of the stream channel(s) cannot directly prohibit the use of GCC grounds for the purposes of golfing if grounds are presently supporting that use (e.g. setting aside significant acreage for an offline retention pond), though modifications that can be incorporated into play are fully anticipated (e.g. establishing a floodplain bench would likely result in the loss of a small amount of playable ground through the expansion of the existing water hazard). Modifications not located directly within zones of play are preferred (e.g. between and/or adjacent to holes)

3. The road providing access to the drinking water facility cannot be relocated or removed

4. Flooding of the drinking water access road (and adjacent GCC grounds) due to culvert obstruction and/or capacity limitations has been a recurring issue and presents a safety issue that must be resolved by this work

5. A sand filter is located immediately NW of the drinking water facility and cannot be modified, nor can any proposed work potentially impact its functionality

It is strongly encouraged that Offerors attend the pre-proposal site visit on October 29 to familiarize themselves with some of the unique site characteristics prior to developing an initial conceptualization. Do not attempt to visit the project site outside this time by trespassing on GCC and/or restricted drinking water facility grounds! If unable to attend, please submit any formal questions that may assist with conceptualization by the deadline identified in the project timeline section.

The Offeror shall produce a Draft and Final version of The Report. The Draft shall be submitted in digital format to the Project Manager for review by a local advisory committee. Written comments from the review will be provided to The Offeror and a Final version drafted within 60-days of receipt addressing all substantive comments.

Stakeholder Engagement

As mentioned, SWIO will lead outreach efforts on this project. However, should The Offeror be willing to assist in these matters, this should be indicated within The Proposal and the extent of services clearly identified. Costs for these services should also be noted where appropriate. In the event an Offeror proposes providing these https://www.ontariocountyny.gov/456/Geographic-Information-Systems-GIS additional services, but total proposed costs exceed the project budget, these services and associated costs will be excluded, and The Proposal re-evaluated as such.

For the purposes of this project, stakeholder engagement consists of periodic attendance at Town of Geneva, City of Geneva and GCC Board Meetings. Public comment periods and presentations are not required nor anticipated.

4.6. PROJECT TIMELINE

The expected contract term for this project is 15 months with the Final Engineering Design Outline report completed no later than 04/30/2028. The Project Schedule is negotiable within that term but must commence after Notice to Proceed following contract execution. The Offeror shall include a Project Schedule identifying start times and durations for all tasks: H&H Modeling, Draft Report, Final Report, and, if applicable, Stakeholder Engagement.

4.7. PROCUREMENT OVERVIEW & PROJECT SCHEDULE

Ontario County and its partners anticipate conducting the procurement of the requested services in accordance with the following list of project milestones (Table 1) leading to award of the Contract. This schedule is subject to revision and Ontario County reserves the right to modify this schedule if deemed necessary.

Table 1. Proposed design phase timeline.

TASK DATE

Advertise RFP 10/15/26

Pre-proposal meeting and site tour 10/29/26 13:00

RFP questions due to POC 11/12/26 16:00

RFP responses to question 11/19/26

Proposal submission due 12/15/26 16:00

Notice of Award 01/15/27

Contract Execution 01/18/27

Notice to Proceed 02/01/27

Model Summary Report 09/30/27

Draft Engineering Design Outline 11/30/27

Final Engineering Design Outline 03/31/28

Each Offeror’s Proposal should consist of two separate elements: 1) a Technical Proposal; and 2) a Price

Proposal.

Offeror’s Proposal will be evaluated and scored by a local advisory committee based on the evaluation criteria established in this RFP. An Offeror’s Proposal must meet all requirements established by this RFP.

Requirements of the RFP generally use the words “shall”, “will”, or “must” (or equivalent terms) to identify a required item to be submitted with an Offeror’s Proposal. Failure to meet RFP requirements may render an

Offeror’s Proposal non-responsive. The extent to which an Offeror’s Proposal meets or exceeds evaluation criteria will be evaluated by the committee and reflected in the committee’s scoring (in their sole discretion) of the Offeror’s Proposal.

Upon completion of the evaluation and scoring of Proposals, the highest scored Offeror whose Proposal is responsive, and whose price is within budget for services will be recommended for an award of a lump sum

Contract. A copy of the County's standard form of consultant contract is attached for reference as Attachment

D.

4.8. RFP DOCUMENTS

Each Offeror shall review the RFP documents and provide questions for clarification, including but not limited to terms that it considers to be ambiguous or to which it takes exception. Such questions or requests for clarification will be submitted to the POC. The partnership group will review all questions and/or requests for clarification received and, if it deems appropriate, may modify the RFP documents through an addendum.

Offerors shall base their Proposals on the terms and conditions of the RFP documents included in the latest issued addendum.

Offeror’s POC shall be notified via email and provided an electronic copy of any addenda to the RFP documents. Hard copies of the addenda will be available upon request.

4.9. OFFEROR’S PRE-SUBMITTAL RESPONSIBILITIES AND REPRESENTATIONS

Each Offeror shall be solely responsible for examining the RFP documents, including any addenda issued to such documents, and any and all conditions which may in any way affect its proposal or the performance of the work on the project, including but not limited to:

1. Examining and carefully studying the RFP documents, including any addenda and other information or data identified in the RFP documents;

2. Attending, if desired, the pre-proposal meeting located at GCC (1PM on 10/29/26 at the Geneva

Country Club; parking available across the street at Big Alice Brewing located at 4180 NYS Rt 14, Geneva NY 14456) in order to become familiar with site conditions that may affect the cost, progress or performance of its work on the project;

3. Determining that the RFP documents are sufficient to indicate and convey understanding of all terms and conditions for the performance of Offeror’s work on the project; and

4. Notifying POC in writing of all conflicts, errors, ambiguities, or discrepancies that the Offeror discovers in the RFP documents.

5. Any failure to fulfill these responsibilities is at the Offeror’s sole risk, and no relief will be provided by

Ontario County or any of the project partners.

4.10. TECHNICAL PROPOSAL EVALUATION

Ontario County and its partners will evaluate each Proposal from each Offeror. In its sole discretion, Ontario

County may hold interviews, ask written questions of the Offerors, seek written clarification and conduct discussions on the Proposals.

Ontario County reserves the right to conduct an independent investigation of any information, including prior experience, identified in a Proposal by accessing public information, contacting independent parties, or by any other means.

Upon completion of the evaluation of the proposals, the Offeror whose proposal is responsive, best meets the needs of the project, and whose price is within budget, will be recommended for an award of the lump sum

Contract.

If Ontario County determines that a Proposal does not comply with or satisfy requirements of the RFP documents, Ontario County may find such a Proposal to be non-responsive.

Ontario County and its partners will identify the firms most highly qualified to perform the work according to the following scoring matrix:

Point

Allocation

Criterion

10 Organization and clarity of proposal

15 Proposal meets work scope specifications and tasks with well-defined deliverables

15 Demonstrated experience with similar projects

15 Qualifications and experience of individuals assigned to the project

10 Creativity and approach to completing each task and the project as a whole

10 Communications and collaboration appropriate for the project

10 Schedule clearly shows completion of tasks (milestones) and project completion date

15 Cost Proposal is reasonable, clear and consistent with the RFP, showing allocations to individual tasks within the work scope

10 MWBE and SDVOB Participation

110 TOTAL POSSIBLE POINTS

The score of each evaluation criterion will be ranked as listed below. The maximum number of points for the

Technical Proposal and Price Proposal are 100 and 10, respectively. Scoring evaluation is as follows with points based on allocation for each criterion:

Excellent (8-10 or 12-15pts): The Offeror has significantly exceeded the stated criteria in a way that is beneficial to the partnership group. This rating indicates a consistently outstanding level of quality for the stated criteria, with little or no risk that the Offeror would fail to meet the requirements of the solicitation.

Good (5-7 or 8-11pts): The Offeror has exceeded the stated criteria. This rating indicates a generally better-than-acceptable quality for the stated criteria, with little or no risk that the Offeror would fail to meet the requirements of the solicitation.

Fair (2-4 or 4-7): The Offeror has met the stated criteria. This rating indicates a minimally acceptable level of quality for the stated criteria, and the Offeror demonstrates a reasonable probability of success.

Poor (1 or 1-3): The Offeror has failed to meet the stated criteria and/or lacks essential information and is conflicting and/or unproductive. This rating demonstrates significant weakness and/or unacceptable quality.

There is no reasonable likelihood of success.

4.11. TECHNICAL PROPOSAL CONTENT

The Proposal will consist of all information required and will be submitted by 12/15/26, 4PM (EST).

The following components must be included in the Proposal:

1. Letter of Submittal - Shall be on the Offeror’s letterhead and identify the full legal name and address of the Offeror. The Offeror is defined as the legal entity who will execute the Contract. The Letter of

Submittal shall be signed by an authorized representative of the Offeror’s organization. All signatures shall be original and signed in ink. Declare that the offer represented by the Proposal will remain in full force and effect for one hundred twenty (120) days after the date the Proposal is actually submitted. Identify the name, title, address, phone and email address of an individual who will serve as the Point of Contact for the Offeror.

2. Offeror’s Qualifications - Offeror shall provide information regarding organizational structure, lead designer, and any personnel or other individuals that demonstrates the Offeror’s ability to successfully complete the work. Examples of previously completed work of similar scope and design are encouraged.

Should the Offeror and/or any subcontracted Partners, be a certified MWBE, clearly indicate so.

3. Scope of Services - Offeror shall demonstrate an understanding of the principal objectives of the project and indicate Offeror’s approach to achieving them in conjunction with the project partners. Offeror shall provide sufficient information to enable reviewers to understand and evaluate the Offeror’s proposed approach to: 1) achieving the proposed project goals via the initial conceptualization; 2) developing a

H&H model to assess the feasibility of the conceptualization and support additional project work; 3) producing Draft and Final Engineering Design Outline reports consistent with the requirements identified in Attachment A; and, if applicable, 4) supporting project partners in stakeholder engagement.

4. Schedule - Offeror shall provide a proposed schedule for the entire Project outlining the Offeror’s proposed plan to accomplish the work. It should include the Offeror’s proposed sequence of work, duration for each task, and deliverables required to complete the Project. Should Offeror anticipate having to pursue a competitive procurement for services to achieve the MWBE goals, or be unable to achieve the MWBE goals, Offeror’s timeline should reflect this.

4.12. PRICE PROPOSAL

A Price Proposal should be separately from the Technical Proposal. The Offeror shall specify a Cost

Breakdown Summary in whole numbers and the Proposal Price, in both numbers and words. The Proposal Price shall be based upon the Proposal Schedule submitted and shall clearly indicate portion of funds to be directed to

MWBE certified firm(s) as applicable.

Offerors are advised that the prices set forth above shall be considered full compensation to Offeror for all work associated with this Project, to include: labor, material, equipment, permits, taxes, overhead, profit and any other expenses of any kind applicable to the work to be undertaken by Offeror associated with such work, including but not limited to any escalation or acceleration of schedule.

Price Proposals will be scored on a scale of 0-10 solely based on the Offeror’s ability to achieve the

MWBE/SDVOB goals. A MWBE/SDVOB participation value of $18,000 or greater will result in a point score of 10. A score of 0-9 for MWBE value less than $18,000 will be assigned based on proportional progression towards achieving the MWBE goals (i.e. a value equivalent to achieving 50% of MWBE goals would result in a score of 5) This score will then be added to the Offeror’s Technical proposal score for a maximum possible value of 110.

4.13. QUESTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS

Responses to submitted questions or requests for clarification shall be provided in writing and may be accomplished by an addendum to this RFP. Ontario County and its partners will not be bound by any oral communications, or written interpretations of clarifications that are not set forth in an addendum. Ontario

County, in its sole discretion, shall have the right to seek clarification from any Offeror to fully understand information contained in the Proposal and to help evaluate and rank Offerors.

To ensure that all Offerors have equal information, written copies of all queries and answers will be compiled and issued to all registered recipients of the RFP. These queries and answers are considered a part of the RFP and may revise or correct the original. After the close of the query period, queries concerning the project or the

RFP cannot be answered except by quoting the RFP, as amended. Ontario County and its partners reserve the right and fully intend to make investigations of the proposals, qualifications and experience of the Offerors as it deems appropriate.

4.14. NEGOTIATIONS AND AWARD OF CONTRACT

Ontario County and its partners will review the Proposal submitted by the highest-scored Offeror. If the

Proposal is responsive and the price proposal is within budget for services, then Ontario County via POC will issue a Notice of Intent to Award to the Successful Offeror.

Ontario County and its partners may conduct limited negotiations with the Successful Offeror to clarify any remaining issues regarding scope, schedule, financing, or any other information provided by the Successful

Offeror. If the price proposal submitted by the highest-scored Offeror is not within budget, the price may be negotiated to provide fair and reasonable compensation and maximize Contract value with price and other factors considered.

In the event an acceptable price cannot be negotiated, Ontario County will begin negotiations with the next highest-scored Offeror. The final award will be made to the qualified, responsible Offeror whose Proposal is most advantageous with price, prior experience and other factors considered.

4.15. TERMS AND CONDITIONS

All proposals shall be confidential until Ontario County has fully executed a contract with the selected consultant. Ontario County, its partners, and Offerors shall make no additional distribution of the proposal prior to execution of the contract. Upon execution of the contract, all information disclosed by Offerors pursuant to this RFP shall be open to public inspection.

Ontario County and its partners shall not be liable for any costs incurred by Offerors in responding to this RFP, or in the provision of information pursuant to this RFP, including interviews, negotiations, and other information deemed useful or necessary in awarding and executing a contract. Ontario County and its partners shall not accept or reimburse any cost or charge incurred prior to execution of a contract and such cost shall not be included in any part of the proposal.

Ownership of all data, material and documentation originating and prepared for Ontario County and its partners, pursuant to this RFP, shall belong exclusively to Ontario County and its partners. Ontario County and its partners reserve the right to utilize any or all information, plans, and materials submitted in any manner, however, such utilization shall in no way create an obligation for payment by Ontario County or its partners to any Offeror.

By submitting a proposal, the Offeror certifies that this RFP was fully read and understood. The filing of a proposal in response to this RFP shall constitute an agreement of the Offeror to the procedures, terms and conditions set forth herein, except where expressly noted otherwise.

Insurance Requirements

ONTARIO COUNTY INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

**References to “Contractor” in these Insurance Requirements include the "Contractor," "Vendor" or

"Consultant" that is a party to the agreement with Ontario County.

5.1. Instructions for Insurance Requirements

1. The Ontario County Insurance Requirements consist of:

a. these instructions for Insurance Requirements

b. proof of liability insurance

c. proof of Workers’ Compensation insurance; and

d. proof of Disability Insurance

2. Proof of insurance shall be provided by the Contractor prior to standing committee approval or issuance of a purchase order. In addition, all bids and quotes require proof of insurance with the response.

3. Any change in or waiver of insurance requirements must be approved by the County Governmental

Operations and Insurance Committee. Any failure by the County to object to the contents of the certificate of insurance or the absence of same shall not be deemed a waiver of any and all rights held by the County.

4. No…