Request for Proposals - Final.pdf

HARRISON ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

Town/Village of Harrison

Alfred F. Sulla, Jr. Municipal Building Michael J. Amodeo, P.E., CFM

1 Heineman Place Town/Village Engineer

Harrison, New York 10528

Request for Proposals (RFP)

Town of Harrison Elevation Resiliency Planning Project

Issued by:

Town/Village of Harrison, NY

1 Heineman Place

Harrison, NY 10528 c/o Michael Amodeo, PE

Engineering@harrison-ny.gov

914-670-3070

Date Issued: April 4, 2025

Proposal Submission Deadline: May 8, 2025

Purpose of the RFP

The Town/Village of Harrison, NY is seeking proposals from qualified consultants to conduct feasibility studies, a comprehensive Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA), and Tier 1 Environmental

Review for a home elevation initiative funded through a grant provided by the New York State

(NYS) Office of Resilient Homes and Communities (RHC) under the Ida Resilient Investment through Support & Capital (RISC) program. The analysis will assess the economic and resilience impacts of elevating homes to mitigate flood risks in vulnerable areas.

Background

The RHC’s RISC program aims to strengthen community resilience by providing funding for projects that reduce the risk of flood damage and promote long-term sustainability. The

Town/Village of Harrison, NY has secured funding through this program to complete pre-development/planning activities to implement a home elevation initiative, targeting properties most at risk from flooding caused by severe weather events such as Hurricane Ida.

The Harrison Elevation Resiliency Planning Project will serve as a critical component in evaluating the feasibility, effectiveness, and long-term economic impacts of the initiative.

Scope of Work

The selected consultant will be responsible for performing the following tasks. Fifteen (15) homes are anticipated to be included in the below scope of work.

1. Project Planning and Data Collection:

o Collaborate with The Town/Village of Harrison, to define project parameters and develop outreach strategy to identify and engage key stakeholders.

o Collect and analyze data on flood risks, property values, elevation costs, and other relevant factors.

2. Feasibility Review o Complete elevation feasibility review for project locations, including any necessary geo-technical investigations.

o Complete surveys, as necessary, to confirm land ownership, metes and bounds, and any applicable easements within the selected project locations.

o Complete Elevation Certificates, as necessary, to show relationship between flood elevations and structure elements susceptible to damage.

o Evaluation of permits needed to implement elevations, including all authorities having jurisdiction.

3. NEPA Tier 1 Environmental Review o Complete National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Tier 1 Environmental

Review for project area or non-contiguous parcels as needed.

4. Benefit-Cost Analysis:

o Conduct a detailed BCA following FEMA guidelines and other applicable standards.

o Quantify and monetize potential benefits, including reduced flood damage, increased property values, and improved community resilience.

o Assess costs, including construction, maintenance, and compliance with grant requirements.

5. Reporting:

o Prepare a comprehensive report summarizing the findings, methodologies, and recommendations, including an evaluation of project eligibility and competitiveness for FEMA capital funding sources, as well as identification of sources for any capital cost share requirements.

o Present results to The Town/Village and other stakeholders as requested.

6. Project Management Support o Provide project management support to complete and submit an application to the selected capital funding source.

7. Meetings, Coordination, and Compliance:

o Attend project status meetings as requested by the Town of Harrison.

o Ensure the analysis complies with all RHC and RISC program requirements.

Proposal Requirements

Proposals should include the following information:

1. Cover Letter:

o Briefly introduce your firm and express your interest in the project.

2. Qualifications and Experience:

o Provide an overview of your firm’s experience with Benefit-Cost Analyses and similar projects.

o Highlight key personnel and their relevant qualifications.

3. Proposed Approach and Methodology:

o Describe your approach to completing the tasks outlined in the Scope of Work.

o Provide a timeline for project completion.

o Include assumptions for the estimated level of effort and indicate what resources will be required of the Town, if any, to accomplish the work.

4. Cost Proposal:

o Use the cost proposal format provided with this RFP in Attachment A. The Cost

Proposal shall be presented in two parts: lump sum, not-to-exceed Unit Costs for each of the proposed tasks for a lump sum grand total as outlined in this document and a schedule of hourly rates. The schedule of hourly rates shall be applicable for any additional, related work that is authorized in writing by the Town Engineer.

5. References:

o Include at least three references from clients for whom you have completed similar projects.

6. Sample Engineering Services Contract o Submit consultant’s sample engineering services contract for the Towns review.

The Town’s Ida Subrecipient Agreement with the Office of Resilient Homes and

Communities will be incorporated as part of the contract. See Attachment B for sample template.

7. Other:

o Indicate in a brief summary, information about the firm, or sub-consultants, regarding Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) designation and/or the firm’s equal opportunity, affirmative action plan/policy. Any architectural and

Engineering (A/E) services for all CWSRF projects and for DWSRF projects receiving federal grant are required to be procured in compliance with 40 USC

1101 et. seq., and 48 CFR Part 36 Subpart 36.6. The Recipient must certify compliance to receive financing.

o Interested parties shall submit with their proposal a Vendor Responsibility questionnaire (VRQ) completed through the Office of the New York State

Comptroller VendRep system available online at: https://www.osc.ny.gov/state-vendors/vendrep/file-your-vendor-responsibility-questionnaire. Provide a copy of the questionnaire itself, not a certification of online filing.

Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Qualifications and experience of the firm and assigned personnel (30%)

• Quality and feasibility of the proposed approach and methodology (30%)

• Cost-effectiveness of the proposal (20%)

• References and past performance (20%)

Submission Instructions

Proposals must be submitted electronically in PDF format to Engineering@harrison-ny.gov by close of business on May 8, 2025. Late submissions will not be considered.

For questions or clarifications, please contact the Engineering Department at

Engineering@harrison-ny.gov or 914-670-3070.

Anticipated Timeline

• RFP Issued: April 4, 2025

• Questions Deadline: April 16, 2025

• Proposal Submission Deadline: May 8, 2025

• Selection of Consultant: May 23, 2025

• Project Start Date: June 1, 2025

Insurance

The selected firm shall, during the performance of the work, maintain the following insurance in the types and amounts, and with insurers satisfactory to the Town of Harrison. All insurance policies shall be procured and maintained with New York State licensed carriers of insurance.

1.) Employer’s Liability and Workers Compensation/Disability Benefits: Statutory

2.) Professional Liability: $1,000,000

3.) General Liability: $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,0000 aggregate

4.) Excess or Umbrella: $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate

Prior to commencing performance, the selected firm shall furnish the Town of Harrison with a

Certificate of Insurance as evidence of the required insurance and such Certificate of Insurance as evidence of the required insurance and such Certificate shall name the Town of Harrison, the

NYS Housing Trust Fund Corporation, Office of Resilient Homes and Communities, and the

State of New York as additional insured. The Certificate shall provide for thirty (30) days written notice to the Town of Harrison prior to cancellation thereof. New, current certificates shall be provided at each policy renewal. The Town of Harrison, the NYS Housing Trust Fund

Corporation, Office of Resilient Homes and Communities, and the State of New York shall be listed as an additional insured on coverages furnished.

Legal Understandings

a. The Town of Harrison reserves the right to cancel this RFP at any time, if the Town deems it to be in its best interest. In no event shall the Town have any liability whatsoever for cancellation of an award before execution of a contract. A Proposer assumes sole risk and responsibility for its expenses before execution of a contract and shall not commence work until receipt of a contract and purchase order.

b. A Proposer shall not have any rights against the Town arising from an invitation to enter negotiations or to submit a Best and Final Offer.

c. By submission of a proposal in response to this RFP, proposing entity agrees to and understands:

i. That any proposal, attachments, additional information, etc. submitted pursuant to this RFP constitute merely a suggestion to negotiate with the Town and is not a bid under Section 103 of the New York State General Municipal Law;

ii. Submission of a proposal, attachments, and additional information shall not entitle the proposing entity to enter into a service agreement with the Town for the required services

iii. By submitting a proposal, the proposing entity agrees and understands that the Town is not obligated to respond to the proposal, nor is it legally bound in any manner whatsoever by submission of same;

iv. That any and all counter-proposals, negotiations or any communications received by a proposing entity, its officers, employees or agents from the Town, its elected officials, officers, employees or agents, shall not be binding against the Town, its elected officials, officers, employees or agents unless and until a formal written agreement for the services sought by this RFP, subject to all oversight approvals, is duly executed by both parties.

d. The Town reserves the right, and may at its sole discretion exercise, the following rights and options with respect to this RFP, except to the extent restricted by applicable law, including, but not limited to, the Town of Ramapo’s Procurement Policy, as amended:

i. To reject proposals that do not confirm in all material respects to the RFP or meet the minimum evaluation criteria;

ii. To reject all proposals;

iii. To issue additional solicitations for proposals and/or amendments to this RFP;

iv. To waive any irregularities in proposals received after notification to all proposers;

v. To negotiate for amendments or other modifications to proposals;

vi. To conduct investigations with respect to the qualifications of each proposer;

vii. To exercise its discretion and apply its judgment with respect to any aspect of this RFP, the evaluation of proposals, and the negotiations and award of any contract;

viii. To enter into an agreement for only portions (or not to enter into an agreement for any) of the services contemplated by the proposals with one or more of the proposers;

ix. To select the proposal that best satisfies the interests of the Town and not necessarily on the basis of price or any other single factor in the evaluation criteria.

e. While this is an RFP and not a bid, the Town reserves the right to apply the case law under

General Municipal Law § 103 regarding bidder responsibility in determining whether a proposer is a responsible vendor for the purpose of this RFP process;

f. The Town assumes no responsibility or liability of any kind for costs incurred in the preparation or submission of any proposal;

g. The Town is not responsible for any internal or external delivery delays, which may cause any proposal to arrive beyond the stated deadline.

h. Delinquent proposer(s)/contractor(s) shall not be deemed responsible for purposes of awarding a contract. It is the policy of the Town of Harrison to disqualify persons or business entities that are delinquent in financial obligations to the Town of its affiliated agencies, boards, or commissions from participating in Town contracts and business opportunities.

Non-Collusion

The proposer, by signing the proposal, does hereby warrant and represent that any ensuing agreement has not been solicited, secured or prepared directly or indirectly, in a manner contrary to the laws of the State of New York and the Town of Harrison, and that said laws have not been violated and shall not be violated as they relate to the procurement or the performance of the agreement by any conduct, including the paying or the giving of any fee, commission, compensation, gift, gratuity or consideration of any kind, directly or indirectly, to any Town employee, officer or official.

Additional Information

The Harrison Elevation Resiliency Planning Project will be funded through federal grants provided by the

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and compliance with the attached grant agreement template is a requirement of this procurement. Respondents will be expected to comply with the provisions applicable to contractors and subcontractors, with particular attention called to Sections “10(B)

Subcontracting” and the participation goals and reporting requirements outlined in Appendix 1.”

All questions and/or requests for clarifications must be submitted in writing, by email, to the project administrator, Michael Amodeo, P.E. (email: engineering@harrison-ny.gov)

The Town/Village of Harrison, NY reserves the right to reject any or all proposals and to award the contract in the best interest of the organization.

Attachments:

Attachment A: Cost Proposal

Attachment B: Ida Subrecipient Agreement (SRA) Template