2026 Water Main Improvement

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, through the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA), is issuing a Notice of Intent to Award a Best Value Grant to support water infrastructure improvements and sustainable forestry initiatives in Franklin County. The primary procurement involves the replacement of approximately 1,200 linear feet of aging water main on multiple streets in Weymouth, Massachusetts, including Chester Lane (300 feet of copper), Genevieve Road (375 feet of steel), Donnellan Circle (125 feet of unknown material), and Off Summer Street (400 feet of wrought iron), with new ductile iron water main, along with all associated services, valves, hydrants, connections, and temporary bypass piping. Additionally, the EEA is awarding a grant to the Franklin County Community Development Corporation (FCCDC) to administer a federal grant from the U.S. Forest Service for the project "Expanding Sustainable Forestry to Produce Wood for Local Rural Communities," which aims to expand sustainable forestry practices and support local wood supply chains through collaboration with Lever, Inc.'s Woodcraft Collaborative. The contract term for the forestry grant runs from immediately upon award through June 30, 2027, approximately 18 months. Interested respondents must submit documentation demonstrating comparable or better qualifications to serve as a grantee by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, using the COMMBUYS online submission system. The EEA is posting this Notice of Intent to determine if other qualified grantees exist; if no competing responses are received by the deadline, the funds will be awarded to FCCDC.

The grant award provides $25,000 in state funding as a match commitment to an approved federal grant of $296,000 from the U.S. Forest Service, supporting work in Massachusetts' most rural, forested, and low-income regions identified as priority landscapes in the Massachusetts Forest Action Plan. While the opportunity description does not explicitly detail set-aside designations or restrictions on eligible respondent types, the focus on rural and low-income communities suggests the initiative prioritizes entities serving disadvantaged areas. There are no incumbent vendors or current contractors identified in the available documentation. All responses must be submitted electronically through COMMBUYS, and interested vendors must register on the platform at no charge; the Commonwealth provides technical support and training resources through the COMMBUYS Help Desk and accepts no liability for respondents who fail to check for amendments or submit inadequate responses. The total combined funding available is $321,000, comprising the $25,000 state match and the $296,000 federal Forest Service grant.