Legal Notices

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR PROFESSIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTING SERVICES Upon receiving a Brownfields Coalition Assessment Grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Braxton County Development Authority is seeking an environmental consulting firm to provide professional and technical services necessary to undertake environmental assessments and other related activities. The work will occur primarily, but not exclusively, in the communities and properties that are adjacent to or near the Elk River and the newly proposed Elk River Rail Trail. The selected environmental consulting firm will update any existing site inventories, identify new sites, perform an agreed upon number of Phase I and Phase II Assessments in accordance with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards, undertake site characterizations in accordance with EPA Brownfield Standards, produce Remedial Action Plans and/or Site Reuse Plans, conduct community outreach, and generate final reports compiling all data with conclusions and recommendations for site clean-up. This project is funded with $300,000 in federal funds through the United States Environmental Protection Agency, which is 100% of the total project cost; the majority of funding will be used for environmental services. Scope of Services: Task 1: Update Site Inventory & Site Prioritization – Gassaway and Sutton representatives, in conjunction with Braxton County leaders, have jointly created the Elk River Valley Alliance, focusing on brownfields redevelopment. This Alliance has compiled a Brownfields Inventory of 34 sites to date, and are currently researching these locations (ownership, tax status, potential for donation or sale, etc.), plus considering additional sites for future evaluation. A second site inventory is being compiled, under the direction of WV Region 7 Planning & Development Council, using Appalachian Regional Commission funding, focusing on abandoned and / or dilapidated residential houses and vacant lots. Currently, this inventory has 23 listed properties of concern in the targeted Gassaway-Sutton area, and is scheduled to be completed by January of 2020. The two site inventories, currently including 57 sites, will be merged to obtain a “big picture” on brownfield sites of interest in the Elk River Valley. Inventoried sites include closed small business properties and vacant lots along the main travel corridor, properties immediately adjacent to the Elk River, plus abandoned residential sites. Many of the properties identified to date have realistic redevelopment potential to augment and further grow the recreational-based tourism industry, including entertainment, accommodation, food services, and support small businesses. However, these sites have the potential to contain multiple environmental contaminants of concern that may hinder site redevelopment. We will engage our consultant to assist in developing a matrix of criteria to rank sites. The ranking will evaluate those that are most closely aligned with the community’s vision for property redevelopment as articulated in the community meetings, and the feasibility of redevelopment. Our goal is to rank the top 25 sites. Property owners will be contacted to determine if they will provide permission to participate in the program. From the top 25 sites, we anticipate doing Phase I assessments on 10 sites. Task 2: Environmental Site Assessment Activities – Selected sites will be subject to Phase I and/or Phase II Environmental Site Assessments (ESA’s), conducted by a contracted qualified environmental professional. Phase I ESA’s will be conducted using EPA’s All Appropriate Inquiry Rule (40 CFR Part 312) and ASTM E1527-13 “Standard Practice for Environmental Site Assessment: Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Process.” Phase II ESA’s will be conducted using ASTM E1903-11 “Standard Practice for Environmental Site Assessments: Phase II Environmental Site Assessment Process.” For each Phase II ESA conducted, a Sampling and Analysis Plan (SAP) and Health and Safety Plan (HASP) will be compiled. Task Outputs include up to 10 Phase I ESA’s (average size 10 acres), up to 6 Phase II ESA’s, including 6 SAP’s and 6 HASP’s, and associated ACRES reporting. Task 3: Site Reuse & Remedial Planning – Completed Phase II ESA’s will be used to develop Remedial Action Plans on sites where remedial actions are warranted for future site redevelopment to occur. Each Remedial Action Plans will evaluate the site for human health and ecological risk factors, future reuse plans, specific contaminants of concern, and site remediation alternatives. Task Outputs will include up to 2 Remedial Action and/or Site Reuse Plans. Task 4: Community Outreach – The selected consultant will be required to help facilitate the community outreach process. Public involvement will be undertaken through the following means: Quarterly meetings to: o Initially develop the final property inventory. o Develop the vision for what tourism related assets and small businesses need to be developed in the communities. o Prioritize sites based on their suitability and feasibility for redevelopment consistent with the community vision. o Educate the communities at large about the brownfields assessment program. o Seek assistance from community members in contacting property owners for consent to participate in the program. o Provide input on ranking properties for Phase II assessments. o Participate in site planning charettes. o Monitor progress toward completion of program objectives. Procurement of said services shall be made in accordance with section 5G of the West Virginia State Code. All consulting firms interested in being considered for this project must submit five (5) copies of their proposal detailing technical expertise, qualifications, and related prior experience. Proposals must be submitted by 4:00 p.m. on October 16th, 20209 to the following address: Terrell Ellis, Program Manager Braxton County Development Authority tellis@ te-associates.com Responses not received by 4:00 p.m. on the due date will not be considered. Should there be any questions, please contact Terrell Ellis, Program Manager, Braxton County Development Authority (Telephone: 304-546-7323). Interviews will be held, and final selection of a consultant will be made within 60 days of receiving the proposals. Proposal Content: 1. Firm name, address, phone number, email. 2. A list of key staff members who will play significant roles in the project, including the Project Manager, and resumes listing the background and qualifications of those persons. 3. A general description of the techniques, approaches, and methods to be used in the firm’s proposed project approach. 4. A representative listing of projects similar to the proposed project performed by the firm. 5. At least two references with contact information from organizations that have used the firm’s services for similar projects. 6. A list of the firm’s present workload relative to capacity and availability to provide the requested services. 7. If applicable, a list of significant subconsultants, their current prequalification categories and DBE status, and the percentage of work to be performed by each. 8. The location of the primary office where most of the work will be performed. The goal of the competitive process is to objectively select the firm which will provide the highest quality of service at a realistic fee. Accordingly, qualifications and experience will be weighed heavily. A committee of representatives as determined by Braxton County EDA shall evaluate the statements of qualifications and other material submitted by interested firms and select a minimum of three firms which, in their opinion, are best qualified to perform the desired service. Interviews with each firm selected shall be conducted (likely virtually) and the committee shall conduct discussions to evaluate the presented information. The committee shall then rank in order of preference no less than three professional firms deemed to be the most highly qualified to provide the services required, and shall commence scope of services and price negotiations with the highest qualified professional firm for said services. Should the committee be unable to negotiate a satisfactory contract with the professional firm considered to be the most qualified, at a fee determined to be fair and reasonable, price negotiations with the firm of second choice shall commence. Failing accord with the second most qualified professional firm, the committee shall undertake negotiations with the third most qualified professional firm. Should the committee be unable to negotiate a satisfactory contract with any of the professional firms in order of their competence and qualifications, it shall continue negotiations in accordance with these procedures until an agreement is reached. All work shall be performed in accordance with the regulations issued by the federal funding source (United States Environmental Protection Agency) and the State of West Virginia pertaining thereto. The selected firm will be required, if applicable, to comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, President’s Executive Order 11246, Section 109 of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1974, Section 3 of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968, Conflict of Interest Statement, Access to Records provisions, and the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisitions Policies Act of 1970. The selected firm must also fully comply with the Minority/Women-Owned Business Enterprise and Affirmative Action requirements. If a portion of the project is subcontracted, then “positive efforts” must be made to subcontract to Minority/Women-Owned Businesses. This shall be done in compliance with the six (6) affirmative steps as outlined in 40 CFR 33.240. Braxton County EDA will afford full opportunity to minority business enterprises to respond to this request and will not discriminate against any interested firm or individual on the grounds of race, creed, color, sex, age, handicap or national origin in the awarding of this contract. This contract will be awarded to the responsible offeror whose proposal is within the competitive range and determined to be the most advantageous to Braxton County EDA price and other factors considered. Braxton County EDA will conduct negotiations on an individual project basis following the hierarchy of rankings as determined during the selection process. However, Braxton County EDA reserves the right to accept or reject any and all proposals. LC-98740 09-23;2020