REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS
FOR QUALIFIED ENVIRONMENTAL
PROFESSIONAL CONSULTANT FIRM(S) - Word Format
REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS
FOR
QUALIFIED ENVIRONMENTAL PROFESSIONAL CONSULTANT FIRM(S)
TO PROVIDE EXPERT CONSULTATION RELATED TO A U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION AGENCY BROWNFIELD GRANT
Monday, November 23, 2009
City of Cherryvale
123 West Main Street
Cherryvale, Kansas 67335
GENERAL
The City of Cherryvale, Kansas has been awarded a
$400,000 Brownfields Assessment Grant from the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) through the American Reinvestment and Recovery
Act (ARRA) to assess both hazardous and petroleum sites.
The City of Cherryvale is seeking professional
services from qualified and experienced consultants to assist with
management and execution of this grant.
Grant funds will be used to involve the
municipality and the community in the decision making process, to
identify priority sites, to conduct Phase I and Phase II Environmental
Site Assessments at priority sites, and to conduct cleanup and
redevelopment planning of assessed Brownfield properties.
Brownfields are defined as real property, the
expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the
presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or
contaminant.
BACKGROUND
The City of
Cherryvale is located in Montgomery County, Kansas and has a population
of approximately 2,300. As a former smelting town, Cherryvale was a
leader in zinc smelting and brick production in the early 1900s.
Industry in town at that time included the Edgar Zinc Factory, a glass
factory, shovel and barrel factories, a marble works, an iron works, two
grain elevators serviced by the railroads, and a bicycle factory.
The population of Cherryvale was at its peak in 1906 when the
population soared to nearly 7,000. Many of the industrial and
manufacturing companies ceased operations in Cherryvale in the 1930s,
leaving a legacy of high unemployment, smelter-scarred land, and vacant
buildings. Although many of the former smelter properties have been
assessed and the contaminated material stabilized in place, the legacy
of smelter operations continues to stigmatize adjacent properties,
causing them to remain idle.
Cherryvale
has started to identify potential Brownfields properties and has come up
with a significant list of potential parcels. These parcels are located
in 3 target areas of town: the former Zinc Smelting area; the railroad
corridor; and the Liberty Street corridor that was affected with the
bypass of 169 Highway.
Unfortunately, the presence of these abandoned and potential Brownfield
properties throughout the community present a significant barrier to our
future economic development. These properties blight the City’s
neighborhoods and represent potential environment hazards for local
residents. Turning these
properties into viable commercial and residential sites and greenspace
will help the City mitigate these potential environmental impacts while
creating jobs and growing the local economy.
Cherryvale
intends to use the assessment grant funds to perform Phase I and Phase
II environmental assessments on eligible sites and develop the
corresponding reports documenting the assessment results. The City also
intends to use the funds to enroll eligible sites in Kansas’ Voluntary
Cleanup Program (if needed), conduct clean up planning, and provide
neighborhood outreach including public meetings and articles in
community publications.
The extent
of contamination found on assessed sites will determine whether the City
will seek additional funds for cleanup or seek private developers to
finance clean up and demolition as necessary.
PROJECT
TIMELINE
The estimated project start date is anticipated to
be January 1, 2010. The completion of the project must happen no later
than August 31, 2012 per the grant award.
SCOPE OF
SERVICES
Firms desiring consideration on the above project
will submit a Statement of Interest & Qualifications for this project.
The scope of the project will include but not be limited to:
a.
Manage all grant activities to ensure compliance
with EPA requirements while achieving the City’s objectives.
b.
Serve as technical liaison between the City, the
Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), and EPA.
c.
Negotiate assessment requirements on the City’s
behalf with KDHE and EPA.
d.
Communicate progress regularly to the City, KDHE
and EPA.
e.
Develop Public Involvement Plan to lead project
outreach activities.
f.
Perform public involvement activities as
directed by the City, such as drafting community notices, 4-5 fact
sheets and brochures, facilitating community meetings, developing
information for the City’s website, and preparing any additional
outreach materials.
g.
Prepare a priority property list and profile
forms for designated sites with assessment activity and be familiar in
entering site data into the EPA’s Assessment Cleanup and Redevelopment
Exchange System (ACRES.)
h.
Complete approximately 15 hazardous substances
Phase I Environmental Site Assessments at designated sites according to
the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard E 1527-05
and the EPA’s All Appropriate Inquiries rule.
i.
Complete approximately 20 petroleum Phase 1
Environmental Site Assessments at designated sites according to the
American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard E 1527-05 and
the EPA’s All Appropriate Inquiries rule.
j.
Complete approximately 6-8 hazardous substances
Phase II Environmental Site Assessments at designated sites according to
the site-specific EPA, KDHE, and ASTM Standard E-1903-97.
k.
Complete approximately 6-8 petroleum substances
Phase II Environmental Site Assessments at designated sites according to
the site-specific EPA, KDHE, and ASTM Standard E-1903-97.
l.
Assist in the
development of integrated cleanup and redevelopment plans in the form of
an Analysis of Brownfields Cleanup Analysis as needed for designated
sites.
m.
Manage all grant activities to ensure compliance
with Section 1512 of the
American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009, Public Law 111-5,
Reporting and Registration Requirements.
n.
Prepare monthly reports documenting activities
and prepare quarterly reports to be submitted to EPA.
o.
Prepare all necessary reporting forms to be
submitted to EPA on behalf of the City including the financial
reimbursement forms, etc.
p.
Complete and distribute a final close-out report
summarizing all grant activities.
q.
Ability to meet the City’s insurance
requirements.
The consultant will need to have a good working
knowledge of ASTM Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessment
requirements and EPA’s All Appropriate Inquiries Rule requirements and
regulations.
CONSULTANT
SELECTION
The City will select a consultant based on firm
capabilities, past project experience, key staff assigned to the
project, knowledge of the area, knowledge of the objectives and goals of
the City, technical approach, and standard billing rates.
Qualifying firms must demonstrate experience in
managing EPA Brownfields Assessment Projects within Kansas and nearby
EPA regions.
SUBMISSION
REQUIREMENTS
Responses to this Request for Qualifications (RFQ)
shall include the following sections:
A.
Consultant’s Qualifications and Capabilities (35 points):
Describe the qualifications and capabilities of the
consultant as they relate to managing EPA grants and EPA Brownfield
Assessment projects, managing and complying with Federal contracts.
B.
Past
Project Experience (25 points):
Include project summaries of relevant EPA
Brownfield projects completed in Kansas and nearby EPA regions.
Summarize the scope of work, and provide client contact
information. Project experience with American Reinvestment and Recovery
Act funds will be a benefit.
C.
Key
Staff Assigned to the Project (15 points):
Identify specific personnel that will be assigned to
the following key roles for the project:
Project Manager and Lead Technical Staff members. Personnel
identified in the proposal must be the principal staff that will work on
the project and represent the majority of hours billed to the project.
Resumes shall not exceed 3 pages in length.
Project staff must meet all local, state, and federal
requirements to perform work. Certified or licensed professionals (e.g.,
Professional Geologist, Professional Engineer, etc.) must be used to
perform work as required.
D.
Technical Approach (15 points):
Describe the Technical Approach that will be used
to complete the tasks described in this RFQ.
Address the firm’s qualifications and experience with completing
the specific EPA requirements and processes.
E.
Standard Billing Rates (10 points):
The total budget for this award has been determined
to be $342,200. The specific scope of environmental assessment
activities is currently undefined. Therefore, provide hourly rates for
all personnel assigned to the project.
The scope and costs of each environmental assessment will be
negotiated with the selected consultant after award based upon the
hourly labor rates provided.
SELECTION
PROCESS
The selection of the consultant firm for this
project will be accomplished through a two-step process by the City of
Cherryvale:
1.
Statement of Interest & Qualifications will be evaluated by city staff
and council members. During the evaluation process, proposal evaluators
reserve the right, where it may serve the City of Cherryvale’s best
interest, to request additional information or clarifications from
proposers, or to allow corrections of errors or omissions. At the
discretion of the City, firms submitting proposals may be requested to
make oral presentations as part of the evaluation process.
2.
The City will negotiate a contract with the firm
selected as the most highly qualified to arrive at a mutually acceptable
(fair and reasonable) contract price. If the City of Cherryvale is
unable to reach such an agreement, negotiations will cease and
negotiations will begin with the firm chosen as the next most qualified
provider and so on until an agreement is reached.
It is anticipated that the selection of a firm will be completed by
December 21, 2009. The City
of Cherryvale will notify in writing those firms not selected.
Any
and all costs incurred for the preparation of a proposal in response to
this Request for Qualifications shall be the sole responsibility of the
firm submitting the proposal.
The City of Cherryvale,
Kansas reserves the right to accept or reject any proposal or any part
thereof or any combination of proposals and to waive any or all
formalities.
PROPOSAL
FORMAT AND DUE DATE
Open format is acceptable but please be succinct
and follow the format outlined in the Submission Requirements. To be
considered, the Statement of Interest & Qualifications must be received
by the City Clerk at 123 W. Main Street, Cherryvale, Kansas 67335 by
2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 16, 2009. Proposals are to be
sealed and on the face of the envelope plainly labeled “BROWNFIELDS
ASSESSMENT PROJECT–CITY OF CHERRYVALE.”
Facsimile and
electronic mail transmittals will not be accepted.
POINT OF
CONTACT
Any questions, clarifications or requests for
general information should be directed to:
Becky Swain
Assistant City Administrator/City Clerk
City of Cherryvale
123 W. Main Street
Cherryvale, Kansas 67335
Phone: (620) 336-2776
E-mail: bswain@cherryvaleusa.com
