Consultant Services for a Comprehensive Update to the Critical Area Ordinance

Dorchester County Council is requesting proposals under RFP 2026-18 for consultant services to conduct a comprehensive update to the County's Critical Area Ordinance (County Code Chapter 68), with proposals due December 2, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. and questions due November 25, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. No set-aside, preference program, or local-vendor requirement appears in the source.

The consultant must review and revise the ordinance for consistency with other local plans, identify potential map amendments, incorporate updated resource inventories, and determine accurate growth allocation accounting. Required subject areas include forest and woodland protection, mineral resources planning, agricultural protection, habitat protection, water-dependent facilities planning, and renewable energy planning. Deliverables include GIS data in editable and reproducible formats, 10 paper copies of the final adopted document, and an electronic PDF version. The consultant must attend monthly meetings with Planning and Zoning staff and quarterly meetings with the Critical Area Commission. The updated ordinance must be effective by June 30, 2027.

The County will pay monthly based on percentage of completion against the approved delivery schedule, with 10 percent retainage paid upon project completion and receipt of all deliverables. The County received a $25,000 grant from the State of Maryland's Critical Area Commission to support the project. The contractor must carry Commercial General Liability Insurance of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 general aggregate, automobile insurance, and Workers' Compensation Insurance as required by Maryland law, with Dorchester County named as an additional insured.

Evaluation awards 30 points for scope and quality of services, 20 points for past experience with Critical Area Ordinance updates in Maryland counties, 20 points for current workload and capacity to meet the deadline, 20 points for cost, and 10 points for responsiveness to submittal format instructions, totaling 100 points. The proposal body is limited to 10 pages, excluding cover letters, table of contents, attachments, and appendices. Submit sealed proposals with one original and three copies to the Dorchester County Council, 501 Court Lane, Room 108, Cambridge, Maryland 21613. The anticipated award date is December 16, 2026.