City of Belfast Vulnerability Assessment, Belfast Waterfront

Bid Postings • City of Belfast Vulnerability Assessment, Bel Skip to Main Content Create a Website Account - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more. Website Sign In City Government Our Community Doing Business Just Visiting How Do I Search Home Bid Postings Print Sign up to receive a text message or email when new bids are added! Print Bid Title: City of Belfast Vulnerability Assessment, Belfast Waterfront Category: Economic Development Status: Closed Description: City of Belfast Request for Proposals Vulnerability Assessment, Belfast Waterfront DEADLINE 12:00 PM, September 5 TH , 2024 BACKGROUND The City of Belfast (hereinafter “City”), acting as lead agency, seeks a qualified individual or firm (hereafter “Consultant”) to provide professional services to perform a vulnerability assessment and develop climate adaptation strategies (hereinafter “Project”) for the City’s harbor. The Consultant will work with various City staff and committees, including but not limited to the Mayor and City Council, the City Manager, the Harbor Master, the City Planner, The City Deputy Economic Development Director, the Harbor Committee, and the Climate, Energy and Utilities Committee (CEU). The City has recently adopted a climate action resolution and the Climate Action Plan (2023) to support climate action activities. This project will help to fulfill these goals by identifying the parts of our community, specifically along the harbor, most vulnerable to climate change and developing strategies for adaptation. The City was awarded a community action grant through the community resilience partnership of the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future. The consultant’s proposal amount should not exceed $50,000. The scope of services to be performed must be started no later than October 1, 2024, and must be completed no later than June 30, 2025. The City intends to use the information collected as part of this Project to inform sections of their Hazard Mitigation Plan to be started as a separate and parallel project in January 2025. Project Goals Developing a climate vulnerability assessment involves identifying key exposures and risks to community facilities due to the intensity and frequency of events related to climate change. Some climate hazards for consideration include the following: increasing temperatures, especially in winter; increasing intensity of precipitation (rain/snow/ice/hail); rising sea levels; increasing frequency and severity of coastal flooding, storm surge, wave force, and erosion; and, exposure to sensitive populations; and increasing frequency and severity of wind-related damage. The vulnerability assessment will result in the identification of key infrastructure impacts, the most effective adaptation practices and policies, the local capacities to tackle these challenges, and the steps necessary to implement adaptation responses. The project area is focused on the city’s waterfront and includes areas along the harbor from the Armistice footbridge, the harbor walk, Belfast Wastewater Treatment Plant, City Landing/Heritage Park, and the Boathouse (See Project Area and Locus Maps). This project will: 1) engage the community around social, economic, and quality of life concerns for current and future use of the harbor and facilities; 2) collect and analyze scientific data and community-developed input regarding the risks and vulnerabilities of public areas and facilities along the harbor; 3) develop a process for prioritization of site-specific projects to minimize the impacts of severe storms; and 4) prepare final recommendations of most effective adaptation practices and policies, local capacities to tackle these challenges, and steps necessary to implement adaptation responses. SCOPE OF SERVICES TO BE PERFORMED The following list of activities and outcomes will result from the Belfast Vulnerability Assessment: Community Engagement: Working with staff and the CEU, solicit community concerns through news releases, social media, workshops, and discussions with stakeholders. Involve the community through active engagement to determine risks and opportunities. Provide opportunities to collect feedback and incorporate it into the draft and final Project. Waterfront Survey: Review current studies and plans recently adopted that identify climate impacts and priority projects. Visit the project area to complete an updated evaluation of waterfront land and structures to identify potential damage and erosion relating to storms, tides, and sea level rise. The waterfront evaluation will identify areas of potential concern regarding public structures (e.g. footbridge, recreational trails, Harbor Master’s office, Storage buildings, Boat House, etc); infrastructure (e.g., water supply, stormwater drainage, wastewater, power, communications); and, erosional “hot spots” and risk of related property and infrastructure damage. The information will inform an updated review of waterfront vulnerability, resilience needs, and priorities for the next steps. Data Collection and Analysis: Complete an updated scenario modeling that illustrates potential trends related to flood and storm occurrences. Some climate hazards for consideration include the following: increasing temperatures, especially in winter; increasing intensity of precipitation (rain/snow/ice/hail); rising sea levels; increasing frequency and severity of coastal flooding, storm surge, wave force, and erosion; and, exposure to sensitive populations; and increasing frequency and severity of wind-related damage. Apply current State of Maine, FEMA, and other tools to update the risk of flood and related storm damage in the study area. These predictive tools include broad vulnerability assessment, flood risk, and models of impact from varied hurricane categories. Resources include, but may not be limited to: FEMA Risk/Vulnerability Assessment Tool: https://hazards.fema.gov/nri/map# Maine Flood Hazard Map: https://www.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=3c09351397764bd2aa9ba385d2e9efe7 Maine Hurricane Impact Maps: https://www.maine.gov/dacf/mgs/hazards/slosh/index.shtml Maine Sea Level Rise/Storm Surge Maps: https://www.maine.gov/dacf/mgs/hazards/slr_ss/index.shtml Adaptation Measures: Produce a Climate Vulnerability Assessment Report that considers factors including but not limited to (this assessment will include detailed mapping and imagery): Climate Hazards (such as changes in sea level rise, storm surges, tidal flooding, changes in precipitation and storm patterns, changes in air temperatures, or changes in water temperatures and acidifications) Infrastructural Exposure, Risk, and Vulnerability (such as infrastructure relating to transportation, energy, water and wastewater, communication systems, or impacts to sites containing contaminated soils or hazardous waste) City of Bath Request for Proposals Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Strategies. Environmental Exposure, Risk, and Vulnerability (such as impacts on marsh migration, erosion, natural water systems, shifting habitats, and human health. Socioeconomic Exposure, Risk, and Vulnerability (such as impacts to local economies and livelihoods, housing and built environments, community resources and food security, health, and social equity) Community Prioritization: With the completion of the vulnerability assessment and recommendations for improved resilience, a ranking matrix will be developed to evaluate community priorities based on broad criteria. Examples include, among others: Risk of casualties and/or fatalities Impact on operations of essential services and/or critical infrastructure Risk of damage and/or destruction to property Equitable benefits Impact on natural resources Cost to implement Final Project: Prepare final recommendations of most effective adaptation practices and policies, local capacities to tackle these challenges, and steps necessary to implement adaptation responses. High-level summary of results presented in a format for communication with the public, such as through accessible language, infographics, or other visual means. Further, consultants will create graphics and other content suitable for distribution on social media that the parties can use to promote the report. Create a list of critical action items for the City, as well as action items for property owners ii. Implement inclusive community planning strategies Create a list of critical action items for the City, as well as action items for property owners Implement inclusive community planning strategies QUALIFICATION STATEMENT Interested individuals or firms are instructed to follow the format by providing a cover letter and responses to each of the three numbered (Sections 2-6) evaluation factors listed below. Cover letter will not be scored and the percentage weight for each evaluation factor follows each required response. Statements that do not follow this format, or do not contain the requested information, may be considered unresponsive statements and not be considered by the City. There is a maximum limit of twenty (20) pages; this limit applies to the entirety of the qualification statement, whether it is the cover letter, insurance documentation, responses to the evaluation factors, appendices, tables, resumes, or any other supporting documentation. While we do not require any minimum or maximum font size, spacing, or margins, we strongly encourage you to consider readability when preparing your qualification statement. Section 1: Cover Letter and Contact Information Include a cover letter that identifies the Consultant and their team, outline your team’s interest in this opportunity, explain why your team is best qualified to provide the requested service to the City, and how you envision completing the Project. Identify the single point of contact with authority to make decisions (preferably executive level) for your organization with whom to communicate during the sol