Applicability review and greenhouse gas reporting services for the city of cortland wastewater treatment plant

The City of Cortland, New York is requesting sealed proposals from qualified environmental consulting firms to provide greenhouse gas applicability review and reporting services for its wastewater treatment plant under the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Mandatory Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (6 NYCRR Part 253), with proposals due September 23, 2026 at noon and questions due by noon September 10, 2026.

The City encourages participation by New York State-certified Minority-Owned Business Enterprises (MBE), Women-Owned Business Enterprises (WBE), and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Businesses (SDVOB).

The engagement is structured in two phases. Phase 1 requires the consultant to evaluate the WWTP's wastewater treatment operations and determine whether reporting is required under 6 NYCRR Part 253. Phase 2, contingent on Phase 1 findings and City authorization, requires the consultant to perform all technical, analytical, documentation, and reporting services necessary to support compliance with applicable reporting requirements. Completion of Phase 1 does not guarantee authorization to proceed with Phase 2. The consultant must conduct a kickoff meeting with designated City and WWTP personnel within ten business days of the Notice to Proceed.

The consultant must demonstrate minimum qualifications in greenhouse gas emissions accounting and reporting, environmental compliance consulting, municipal wastewater treatment facilities, NYSDEC environmental regulations, and public sector consulting, with examples of similar projects completed within the past five years. Required insurance includes General Liability ($1 million per occurrence / $2 million aggregate), Professional Liability ($1 million per occurrence / $2 million aggregate), and comprehensive automobile liability ($1 million single limit).

Pricing shall be submitted on a provided Bid Proposal Form as separate lump sums for Phase 1 and Phase 2, with optional pricing for future annual reporting services and hourly rates for various personnel classifications. All costs must include labor, travel, meetings, project management, software, overhead, administrative, calculations, reporting, documentation, electronic submissions, and incidental expenses.

Proposals are evaluated on a 100-point scale: Firm Qualifications (25 points), Relevant Experience (20 points), Cost Proposal (40 points), and References (15 points). All work products become the property of the City upon payment. Questions are answered by September 14, 2026. Proposals must include one hard copy and an electronic, searchable PDF on a USB flash drive submitted to the Cortland City Clerk's Office.