Consulting Services To Support The 2022 EPA Clean Watersheds Needs Survey In RI

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) Office of Water Resources has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP23001833) seeking consulting services to support the 2022 Clean Watersheds Needs Survey (CWNS). This data acquisition, organization, and submission project aims to identify and evaluate capital investments in clean watershed needs across Rhode Island. The selected consultant will be responsible for comprehensive data collection, organization, and submission related to water infrastructure and watershed capital needs. Proposals are due by September 14, 2022, at 1:00 PM EDT, with a vendor Q&A period running from August 31 to September 7, 2022. The contract is expected to begin in November 2022 and will have an initial term of approximately one year. Proposals will be evaluated based on three primary criteria: technical merit, cost, and ISBE (Minority/Women/Disability Business Enterprise) participation rates. Vendors must submit separate technical, cost, and ISBE participation proposals electronically through the Ocean State Procures system.

The RFP strongly emphasizes ISBE participation, with vendors being scored and awarded points based on their proposed ISBE utilization rates. Vendors must register in the Ocean State Procures system to submit proposals and will be required to provide insurance coverage including $1 million in general liability, $100,000 in workers compensation, and $1 million in automobile liability coverage. No specific incumbent vendor was identified in the solicitation documents, and no estimated total contract value was disclosed. The procurement is open to all qualified vendors who can meet the technical requirements and comply with state procurement regulations. Funding for the project will come from state resources, specifically supported by EPA funding for the Clean Watersheds Needs Survey. The state reserves the right to award the contract to the vendor deemed most qualified or to cancel the solicitation entirely at its discretion.