DEP-BWR-RFR-2027-Clean Water CWNS

MassDEP is soliciting responses to a Request for Response (RFR) to establish a pre-qualified master list of consulting engineering firms for specialized engineering, data gathering, and data quality assurance services supporting the 2027 EPA Clean Watersheds Needs Survey in Massachusetts. Quotes are due November 9, 2026 through COMMBUYS. Bidders must commit a minimum of 1% of contract revenues to the Supplier Diversity Program through partnerships with certified diverse businesses or nonprofits, and at least 25% of evaluation points are allocated to the SDP plan submission. This is a participation commitment and evaluation factor, not a set-aside.

All bidders must demonstrate experience in wastewater and stormwater infrastructure planning, design, and construction; asset management planning; previous CWNS survey work; and project cost estimation. Bidders must also comply with Executive Order 515 environmental purchasing requirements and agree to develop an environmental sustainability plan. Work covers conducting new or updated CWNSs for specified municipalities and populating the MassDEP CWNS portal, or performing quality assurance reviews of survey data submitted by other firms. MassDEP anticipates updating approximately 171 community surveys originally conducted in 2022 and identifying additional participating communities. Submissions include a Statement of Qualifications Narrative (10-page limit), a Business Profile (5-page limit), three references on the OSD standard Business Reference Form, the SDP Plan spreadsheet, and required Commonwealth standard forms.

Compensation is fixed-fee by survey type: $12,500 per fully completed new survey, $6,000 per updated survey, $3,500 per new survey with no eligible needs, $800 per quality assurance review of a new survey, and $400 per quality assurance review of an updated survey. Fifty percent is paid on draft survey submission and the remainder after final approval and EPA submission. The estimated total contract value is $800,000, contingent on funding availability. The term is two years with one optional 12-month renewal, for a maximum of three years. Award notification is anticipated December 3, 2026, with an estimated start date of January 6, 2027.

The source names no incumbent. Written questions were due October 16, 2026. The full RFR, released October 5, 2026, supersedes the September 29, 2026 intent-to-post notice and is the governing document for bidders.