RFP 16-2142757756 2026 French Broad 06010108 Cold Stream and Riparian Wetland Full Delivery Projects

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Mitigation Services, is requesting proposals for full delivery projects to provide cold stream and riparian wetland mitigation credits within Cataloguing Unit 06010108 of the French Broad River Basin under RFP 16-2142757756, with proposals due October 6, 2026 at 2:00 PM EST. A pre-proposal conference is scheduled for July 8, 2026 at 10:00 AM via Microsoft Teams.

The Department seeks 6,000 cold stream mitigation credits and 3 riparian wetland mitigation credits, with preservation credits not to exceed 50% of the total. The awardee must deliver these credits through project implementation, regulatory review, conservation easement recording, mitigation plan development and financial assurance, earthwork completion, planting and monitoring installation, baseline monitoring and as-built drawings, and seven years of annual monitoring reports. Long-term protection must be provided through conservation easements held by the State of North Carolina; no fee simple title will be accepted.

The contract will have an initial ten-year term from the effective date, with the State retaining the option to renew for up to two additional one-year terms. Compensation is structured as a per-credit cost, with payment distributed across project milestones: regulatory review (5%), conservation easement recording (20%), mitigation plan development and financial assurance (15%), earthwork completion (15%), planting and monitoring installation (10%), baseline monitoring and as-built drawings (10%), and seven years of annual monitoring reports (12%). Financial assurance in the form of performance bonds (55% of contract value), letters of credit, or casualty insurance must be provided and maintained through baseline monitoring report approval.

Evaluation will use an adjusted credit cost calculated by dividing total bid cost by proposal rating score for comparative ranking. HUB participation is encouraged with a 10% utilization goal for diverse subcontractors. Vendors must be registered with the North Carolina Secretary of State and the electronic Vendor Portal (eVP). Written questions are due July 15, 2026 at 5:00 PM EST.