Natural Infrastructure Flood Mitigation

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Mitigation Services, is requesting proposals for one or more natural infrastructure flood mitigation projects across the Cape Fear, French Broad, Lumber, Neuse, Tar-Pamlico, and White Oak River basins (RFP #16-2334842570), with proposals due March 2, 2027 at 2:00 PM EST and a mandatory pre-proposal conference on September 29, 2026 at 10:00 AM ET via Microsoft Teams.

Vendors must identify project site(s), secure property interests (such as easements), develop conceptual designs, and provide quantifiable estimates of acre-feet of flood storage capacity and reduction in peak flows within specified watersheds or sub-watersheds. Proposals must include monitoring plans and may describe full buildout or phased development concepts. Phased proposals must distinguish the specific phase being offered and must demonstrate achievable standalone flood-relief goals independent of prior or future phases. Projects are not prioritized by size; preference consideration is given to those with measurable flood relief upon construction.

Vendors must demonstrate a minimum of five years of experience in nature-based flood mitigation projects and provide ATTACHMENT G financial-stability certification. Financial assurance is required in the form of a performance bond (55% of contract value), letter of credit, or casualty insurance, with bonds remaining in effect through approval of Task 4 by the Division of Mitigation Services. Vendors must be registered with the NC Secretary of State and possess an active eVP (Electronic Vendor Portal) number.

The initial contract term is five years from execution, with options for the State to renew for up to three additional one-year terms upon written notice at least 60 days before each term ends. The State reserves the right to award multiple contracts to different vendors. Payment is distributed across nine tasks: environmental screening (5%), quantify effectiveness (10%), property acquisition (20%), flood mitigation plan and permits (10%), construction (25%), as-built and monitoring baseline (10%), and three annual monitoring reports (5%, 5%, and 10%). No fixed contract value is stated; this is an Agency Specific Contract.

Evaluation prioritizes technical approach, followed by pricing, corporate background and experience, project organization, and references. Written questions are due October 16, 2026 at 5:00 PM EST. Responses are submitted electronically through the Ariba Network e-procurement platform.