Northern Virginia Climate Atlas Platform Development

The Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC) is requesting proposals for design and development of the NOVA Climate Atlas, a comprehensive web-based platform integrating regional climate data, hazard information, and decision-support tools, with proposals due July 31, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. The questions deadline has passed (July 17, 2026).

SWaM (Small, Women-owned, and Minority-owned) businesses receive a 5 percent weight in evaluation.

The scope encompasses four phases: project initiation and data framework development; climate atlas development with 8–10 interactive map layers; stakeholder review and refinement through a minimum of two workshops; and platform publication with public launch support. The contractor must deliver a functional beta version, conduct internal and stakeholder testing, implement mobile compatibility, transfer full platform ownership to NVRC, and provide up to 90 days of post-launch support. The platform will serve both technical and non-technical audiences with primary focus on extreme heat and flooding hazards. NVRC holds an existing ArcGIS/Esri license and expects the platform to leverage this environment where practical; alternative open-source web mapping tools are acceptable if they offer clear advantages. The contractor is not expected to generate original data but should utilize existing and publicly available datasets, with NVRC providing access through ArcGIS Online and current dashboards. Offerors must demonstrate experience leading at least three prior projects involving environmental, climate, or weather data management, analyses, and visualizations on behalf of government or non-profit agencies. The contractor should perform all contract aspects with in-house resources and minimal reliance on subcontractors, though joint proposals and meaningful subcontractor participation for specialized tasks are permitted.

The estimated contract value is $215,000 fixed-price by task over a 24-month performance period commencing immediately upon contract execution. The price proposal carries only a 5 percent evaluation weight; primary emphasis rests on agency capacity and approach (30 percent), proposed workplan and timetable (20 percent), relevant project experience (25 percent), and qualifications of key personnel (15 percent). Finalist selection is expected by August 19, 2026, with contract execution anticipated for September 1, 2026. The contractor must obtain cyber liability insurance of not less than $1,000,000 per claim and annual aggregate, and general liability insurance with minimum limits of $1,000,000 per occurrence, though certain limits may be negotiated for small businesses and individual consultants. Addendum 1 deleted a reference to "the AI Coalition" from proposal requirements.