Request for Proposal for Landscape Design Village of North Scituate Low Impact Development Retrofit and Education Project Prepared by: Northern Rhode Island Conservation District 2283 Hartford Avenue Johnston, RI 02919 Molly Allard Education and Outreach Coordinator (401) 934-0840
2 REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) FOR LANDSCAPE DESIGN 1. This RFP is being issued by the Northern Rhode Island Conservation District (NRICD), which is a non-profit, quasi-public organization, along with its partners on the steering committee of the Village of North Scituate Low Impact Development Retrofit and Education Project. The steering committee (sponsors) also includes the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, US EPA Region 1, Providence Water, and the Town of Scituate. The sponsors seek proposals from qualified landscape architects or consultants for the design of ten stormwater management retrofits at homes and/or small businesses located in the village of North Scituate in Scituate, RI. 2. PROJECT BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The primary goal of the Village of North Scituate Low Impact Development Retrofit and Education Project (the project) is to install a variety of low impact development (LID) retrofits, also known as best management practices (BMPs), in North Scituate to reduce the impacts of non-point source pollutants, particularly phosphorous, to the Scituate Reservoir and the groundwater in the surrounding area. Retrofits will be designed with the goal of infiltrating and/or treating stormwater before it leaves each property. A second important goal of the project is to educate the North Scituate community about stormwater management through the creation of visually attractive retrofits (i.e. rain gardens), through the use of educational signage at retrofit locations, and through the involvement of community volunteers in the installation and maintenance process. This project is primarily funded by a US EPA Clean Water Act Section 319 Grant, by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, and by Providence Water. 3. SCOPE OF SERVICES: The CONTRACTOR will design up to 10 LID retrofits at homes and businesses in a designated area of North Scituate. The properties receiving LID BMPs will be selected by the sponsors during an application process expected to be complete by January 1, 2014. NRICD intends to install the BMPs with the assistance of the property owner(s) and/or community volunteers; the CONTRACTOR will be responsible for designing retrofits that both meet the needs of the property owner(s) and follow the guidelines in the document State of Rhode Island Stormwater Management Guidance for Individual Single-Family Residential Lot Development, which is available online at: http://www.dem.ri.gov/programs/benviron/water/permits/ripdes/stwater/pdfs/swsinfam.pdf Retrofits that may be designed by the CONTRACTOR include rain gardens, vegetated swales, tree filters, dry wells, and infiltration trenches. The CONTRACTOR will work
3 with the property owner to design each retrofit, and will, to the greatest extent possible, consider the wishes of the property owner and the two goals of the project listed in Section 2 in each design. In the case of retrofits that require the planting of vegetation, i.e. rain gardens or vegetated swales, the CONTRACTOR will not be responsible for selecting or obtaining plants. NRICD will choose native Rhode Island plants for rain garden plantings with help from the property owner. However, the CONTRACTOR is welcome to make recommendations for appropriate native Rhode Island plants as part of each BMP plan. The CONTRACTOR will not recommend plantings that are not native to Rhode Island. The CONTRACTOR will not be required to provide engineering services, but may be required to coordinate with an engineer during the planning process. The CONTRACTOR will not be required to provide educational signage. If ten properties cannot be found in the designated project area that are both appropriate for BMP installation and have owners willing to allow BMP installation, the CONTRACTOR may be asked to design fewer than 10 BMPs. The CONTRACTOR will be asked to reduce the fee charged accordingly and provide a revised fee proposal before entering into a written agreement with the sponsors. The services required by the CONTRACTOR for each BMP are expected to include: A site visit A meeting with the landowner and an NRICD representative Communication with NRICD and/or the Scituate town engineer during the design process Development and delivery of a plan for each BMP The majority of the work required of the CONTRACTOR is expected to be complete by 1 April 2014, however, the CONTRACTOR will be expected to perform additional design and planning work after 1 April 2014 if additional sites appropriate for BMP installation are identified by the sponsors. The total number of BMPs designed will not exceed ten. 4. COMPENSATION FOR SERVICES (FEE): The proposal shall include the fee charged by the CONTRACTOR for completing the entire BMP design component of the project, assuming that the sponsors will require the design of ten small BMP retrofits for single-family homes and/or small businesses. The cost proposal should include a breakdown of the costs included in the lump-sum fee, as well as the hourly rate for any additional work that may be required beyond the initially agreed upon scope of work. In the event that the project consists of a combination of less than ten BMPs of different sizes, the CONTRACTOR will be asked to revise the fee portion of the proposal before entering into a written agreement with the sponsors.
4 5. PROPOSAL SPECIFICATIONS: Each proposal must include: The name of the designer who will perform the work, and their firm (if applicable). The address of the designer/firm s principal place of business. A description of the designer s relevant experience designing stormwater BMPs to the standards specified in the document listed in Section 3. Photos or diagrams of the designer s work may be added as a supplement to this section. A list of at least three references familiar with the designer s work, including the name, address, and telephone number of each reference. The resume of the designer. The names and resumes of any other persons expected to work with the designer. The names, resumes, and references (3) of any and all subcontractors that have been identified at the time of the proposal. The completed DBE Utilization Form. The proposed scope of work, which must include all items listed in Section 3. The fee, with a cost breakdown, for performing the scope of work described in Section 3, including the hourly rate for any additional work that may be required. A proposed timeline for completing the work 6. EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY (RIGL 28-5.1) 28-5 1-1 DECLARATION OF POLICY: Equal opportunity and affirmative action towards its achievement is the policy of all units of Rhode Island state government, including all public and quasi-public agencies, commissions, boards and authorities, and in the classified, unclassified, and nonclassified services of state employment. This policy applies in all areas where the state dollar is spent, in employment, public service, grants and financial assistance, and in state licensing and regulation. For further information, contact the Rhode Island Equal Employment Opportunity Office, at 222-3090. Designers/firms submitting proposals should be aware that under Rhode Island General Law 37-14.1, minority/women-owned business enterprises (now referred to as DBE) are targeted for participation in all procurement and construction projects and shall be awarded a minimum of ten percent (10%) of all dollar value of the procurement or project. The DBE contractors are to be identified at the time of bid on EPA Form 6100-4 (DBE Subcontractor Utilization Form attached). For further information,
5 contact either Charles Newton or Dorinda Keene at (401) 574-8670 and/or visit the MBE/WBE website at http://www.mbe.ri.gov. Proposals received without the DBE Subcontractor Utilization Form will be disqualified from consideration. 7. SUBCONTRACTORS: If, at the time of the proposal, the CONTRACTOR has identified a subcontractor that will perform any or all of the proposed scope of work, the qualifications of the subcontractor must be provided as part of the proposal, as described in Section 5. If the CONTRACTOR wishes to hire a subcontractor to perform any or all of the proposed scope of work after the CONTRACTOR has either begun negotiations with the sponsors or entered into a written agreement with the sponsors, the names, resumes, and references of any and all subcontractors must be provided to NRICD before the subcontractor(s) begin work on the project. NRICD will provide the CONTRACTOR with a written notice stating whether the qualifications of the subcontractor(s) are acceptable to the sponsors. If the CONTRACTOR uses a subcontractor before NRICD has provided written approval, or after NRICD has provided a written notice that the subcontractor is not acceptable, than the written agreement between the sponsors and the CONTRACTOR will be considered null and void and the sponsors will enter into negotiations with another firm. 8. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION: Proposals must be delivered to Northern Rhode Island Conservation District at 2283 Hartford Avenue Johnston, RI 02919 by 5:00 pm on Friday November 8, 2013. Five copies of each proposal should be submitted. The proposal should be limited to ten pages, not including attached forms, photos and resumes. The sponsors reserve the right to consider proposals submitted after the deadline at their sole discretion. 9. SELECTION: The sponsors reserve the right to reject all proposals, or to waive any portion of the proposed work in the chosen proposal that is not, in the opinion of the sponsors, in the best interest of the project. The CONTRACTOR will be required to enter into a written agreement with the sponsors. If terms cannot be mutually agreed upon, the sponsors will enter into negotiations with another firm. In the event that the sponsors elect to change the scope of work by requiring fewer than ten BMPs and/or BMPs of varying sizes, the CONTRACTOR will make reasonable modifications to the proposal before entering into a written agreement with the sponsors. If reasonable modifications are not made, the sponsors reserve the right to reject the proposal at this time.
6 10. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: For additional information regarding the services specified in this request for proposal, contact Gina DeMarco or Molly Allard at Northern Rhode Island Conservation District, 2283 Hartford Avenue, Johnston, RI 02919, (401) 934-0840 at any time before the submission deadline. 11. PROPOSAL OWNERSHIP: All proposals, including attachments, supplementary materials, etc. shall become, upon submission, the property of the sponsors, and will not be returned to the submitting designer.
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