REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS WILDLIFE CORRIDOR MAPPING AND DRAFT PROTECTION POLICY Phase 1: Mapping

DUE: October 5, 2022, 4PM

A. Announcement

The Town of Bedford seeks a qualified individual or entity (“Consultant”) to digitally map existing wildlife corridors that will inform future draft protection policies and/or legislation.  The draft protection policies will be issued under a separate request for proposals (“RFP”) at a later date in time.  This latter-described scope of work will be considered Phase II.

Both the Phase I and Phase II RFPs are connected with the awarded New York State DEC (Contract Number DEC01-T01214GG-3350000).  This RFP and its deliverables are applicable to the entire Town of Bedford.

A copy of the RFP may be requested from the Town Clerk, 321 Bedford Road, Bedford Hills, NY 10507, (914) 666-4534; between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. or by email townclerk@bedfordny.gov

All proposals are due in the office of the, no later than 4:00 pm on October 5, 2022.

B. Project Context

Bedford is a semi-suburban town, located about 40 miles north of midtown Manhattan in northern Westchester County with a population of 17,755 (2018) and a size of 39.42 square miles  It has large areas of undeveloped land, both in private and public ownership, with intact upland forests, wetlands, vernal pools, streams, and other habitats. The loss and fragmentation of habitats and the creation of barriers to wildlife movements can lead to the depletion and loss of many wildlife populations. Many barriers to wildlife movement among high-quality habitat areas include roadways, concrete retaining walls, large parking lots, railroads, and fences.

C. Scope of Work, Phase 1

The purpose of this RFP is to map existing wildlife corridors and any associated base environmental layers (e.g. wetlands) that will eventually be paired with draft protection policies (Phase II) of these mapped resources for their preservation and continuation.  These mapped layers will help indicate the areas most apt for wildlife protection. The overarching goal is to increase conservation awareness, land stewardship, biodiversity, water resource protection, carbon sequestration, and climate change adaptation strategies.

D. Project Deliverables

Phase I project deliverables include set of mapped products including the production of digital Esri ArcGIS layers, corresponding wildlife habitat digital maps, printed maps, public presentations, and a final report. A more detailed description is provided below.

D.1      Final Products

• Corridor Edges: Corridors, by definition, have edges, and they may have a gradation of use throughout the width of their linear construct. Further, the edges define a corridor width, which may be dependent on a scientific and/or on the natural features of the actual land/water. Corridors need to be legally defensible, practical, reasonable, useful, and should connect to other municipalities, where applicable.
• Focal species: Use of focal species is a common means of defining wildlife impacts to existing habitats. The selected Consultant should select several focal species of conservation concern whose habitat needs and life histories will help inform corridor movements for an array of wildlife groups.
• Existing habitat and land coverage data both for the Town of Bedford as well as connected to abutting municipalities.
• Areas to be considered candidates for wildlife corridor designation based on available resource data.
• Geographic Information Systems layers pertinent to the study area to define the existing and candidate corridors (e.g. parcels, habitat, soils, hydrology, etc.) as ESRI Shapefiles complete with metadata including general description of the layer (author, date created, contact information), attribute descriptions and definitions for each layer, and the coordinate systems of each layer.
• Interactive PDF’s (for online posting)
• Paper maps of all digitally produced maps, including five (5) 11X17” copies and two (2) Arch D sized prints, both in color.

It is anticipated that approximately two (2) revisions to the wildlife corridor layers and/or maps may result from consultation with the Town and NYS DEC.

D.2.     Final Wildlife Corridor Report

The selected Consultant will prepare an accompanying report based on the mapped findings that describes the mapping methodology, results, and supporting scientific literature sources.

D.3.     Meeting Requirements

It is expected that the selected Consultant will meet with Town Officials, members of the stakeholder group (to be formed), and select members of the public during this project.

• Public Presentations to the Town Board – 3 meetings (initial presentation, interim report, final draft)
• Informational and outreach meetings with Town Official – 2 meetings (draft and final mapping presentation)
• Work sessions with Town Officials – 2
• Kick-Off Meeting
• Training Meetings for Volunteers – if field verification is required, the consultant must use volunteers, as well as their own staff. One meeting should be allotted to training for site visits. Allocate 1 to 1-1/2 hours for meeting.
• Interim Meetings – throughout Phase I project
• NYS DEC and Estuary Staff Engagement Meetings – as required

E. Project Schedule

The responder should provide a project timeline that covers the full scope of this RFP. Please note that this project ends by November 30, 2023.

Use the table below to complete the proposed project schedule.

F. RFP Questions

Questions and clarifications about this RFP should be directed to Simon Skolnik via email sskolnik@bedfordny.gov no later than September 27, 2022.

G. Selection Criteria

The Town will review submissions and evaluate each based on the following criteria (in no particular order):

• Proposal quality and completeness.
• Approach to completing Phase I Scope of Work
• Qualifications and previous experience.
•  
• Ability to perform services a timely fashion, with regards to availability and time required for task completion.
• Communication and presentation skills.
•  

A short list of responders will be selected based on the above criteria and invited to interview in advance of a final selection.

H. Proposal Format

Submittals shall include the following selections numbered as follows:

1. Letter of Interest: Proposers shall submit a Letter of Interest signed by a person authorized to contractually bind the Proposer. Include within the letter, Proposer’s name and address, contact information (name, mailing address, email address, fax number and telephone number of person whom the Town should contact regarding the proposal).
2. Proposal Summary: Proposer shall summarize their proposal to identify a clear understanding of the project and describe in detail how the proposal will accomplish and include all areas of grant writing required.
3. Qualifications, Subcontracting: Proposer should describe the company’s organization and financial standing. Descriptions should include key personnel CV’s and responsibilities.
4. Personnel Descriptions: A description of each Consultant and sub-consultant, if needed, who will be directly involved with this project and a description of their role in the project. This description should identify the Project Manager and the primary contact person overseeing daily operations.
5. History of Similar Projects: Proposers shall include experience and examples of previous similar projects, relevant experience most related to the scope of this RFP, and references from past clients within the past five years. If a sub-consultant is part of the Consultant’s team, a list of the sub-consultant’s approach and experience with relevant project experience is also required.
6. Additional Information: Provide any additional information which would serve to distinguish the proposal submission from other submissions. For any additional work products, provide an accompanying fee schedule.
7. Fee Schedule: The Fee Schedule will be lump sum. Each submission should include a proposed not-to-exceed price. Billing rates for each personnel member must be included in a separate table or sheet as supplied by the responder. Please specify any out-of-scope budget items in the ‘Fee Schedule’, if proposed. Use
8. Disclosure Requirement: Provide disclosure statement of any recent, existing, or upcoming connections or business contracts related to this RFP.

I. Tentative RFP Selection Schedule

J. General Submission Information

All responses shall be received no later than 4:00pm EST on October 5, 2022. Please deliver a signed original and four (4) paper copies of your RFP response to the address shown below and one (1) electronic copy to The Bedford Conservation Board, in care of Simon Skolnik at sskolnik@bedfordny.gov.. Acceptable electronic formats include either PDF or Microsoft Word documents. All submittals must be clearly labeled with the title “WILDLIFE CORRIDOR MAPPING AND DRAFT PROTECTION POLICY RFP”. All proposals shall become the property of the Town once received.

The Office of the Town Clerk
321 Bedford Road
Bedford, NY 10507
Attention: Town Clerk

The Town of Bedford reserves the right to waive any informality in the proposals, or to reject any and all proposals.

The policy of the Town is to encourage significant, meaningful participation of business enterprises owned by minorities and/or women (MBE/WBE) in projects and contracts funded by the Town.

K. Additional Information

The Town will not reimburse the responder for any expenses incurred in preparing a proposal in response to this RFP or in attending any interview in connection with this RFP.

The Town of Bedford reserves the right to:

• Request clarifications, corrections or additional information from any bidder.
• Negotiate with any bidder regarding the fees and terms of the engagement.
• Reject, without prejudice and for any reason, any and all proposals or any parts of any proposals.
• Select the individual or firm that, in its opinion, best meets the Town Board’s needs. This is not necessarily the individual or firm whose fees are the lowest.
• Waive what it deems to be an informality in the RFP process and to waive what it deems to be technical defects, irregularities and/or omissions relating to a specific proposal.
• Re-advertise and solicit additional proposals or cancel this RFP in part or in its entirety.

L. Suggested Resources

In reviewing regional policies, the Town offers the following resources solely as reference and/or discussion topics to be further reviewed and vetted by Town Officials.

• Bedford in 2015 published its map of Significant Habitats. This was a project which was performed by volunteer citizen-scientists under the supervision of an accredited land/use consultant, who took the work of the Town’s Conservation Board and others, based on remote sensing documents, as well as some field verification, and created a digital layered map, which has since been published on the Town of Bedford’s website (Mapping Bedford (arcgis.com).
• Biodiversity Assessment Manual for the Hudson River Estuary Corridor by Erik Kiviat and Gretchen Stevens, Hudsonia, Ltd. BIODIVERSITY ASSESSMENT MANUAL for the Hudson River Estuary Corridor – DocsLib
• Town of Wallkill Article XIX Shawangunk Kill Corridor Preservation Overlay District §249-101 to §249-108 Town of Wallkill, NY Shawangunk Kill Corridor Preservation Overlay District (ecode360.com)
• Town of Warwick Biodiversity Zoning Overlay pdf (townofwarwick.org)
• Town of Red Hook Planning for Resilient, connected Natural Areas and Habitats: A Conservation Framework https://www.redhook.org/DocumentCenter/View/491/Red-Hook-Habitat-Connectivity-Report-PDF-1?bidId=
• Hudson Highlands Land Trust Green Corridors Plan https://www.hhlt.org/programs/new-york-highlands-network/green-corridors/
• New York Natural Heritage Program. PATHWAYS: Wildlife Habitat Connectivity in the Changing Climate of the Hudson Valley – NY Natural Heritage Program (nynhp.org)
• LaBruna, D. T. and M. W. Klemens.  2007.  Eastern Westchester Biotic Corridor: Bedford Addendum. MCA Technical Paper 4-A, Metropolitan Conservation Alliance, Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, NY.
• Miller, N. A. and M.W. Klemens. 2004. Croton-to-Highlands Biodiversity Plan: Balancing Development and the Environment in the Hudson River Estuary Catchment. MCA Technical Paper No. 7, Metropolitan Conservation Alliance, Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, NY.
• Westchester County GeoHub, URL: https://gis.westchestergov.com/

M. REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL CONTRACTORS PERFORMING LABOR FOR THE TOWN, OR DELIVERING TO TOWN FACILITIES (INCLUDES ITEMS A-E BELOW)

The Contractor/Subcontractor shall purchase and maintain insurance of the following types of coverage and limits of liability:

1. Commercial General Liability (CGL) coverage with limits of Insurance of not less than $1,000,000 each occurrence and $2,000,000 Annual Aggregate.

   a). If the CGL coverage contains a General Aggregate Limit, such General Aggregate shall apply separately to each project.

   b). CGL coverage shall be written on ISO Occurrence form CG 00 01 1093 or a substitute form providing equivalent coverage and shall cover liability arising from premises, operations, independent contractors, products-completed operations, and personal and advertising injury, blanket contractual including injury to subcontractors’ employees.

   c). Owner and their agents, officers, directors and employees shall be included as additional insured on the CGL, using ISO Additional Insured Endorsement CG 20 10 1185 or an endorsement providing equivalent or broader coverage to Owner and their agents, officers, directors and employees.  The coverage must be underwritten by an Insurance Company with at least ‘A 7’ Best rating as defined by A.M. Best. Coverage for the additional insured shall apply as Primary and Non-Contributing Insurance before any other insurance or self-insurance, including any deductible, maintained by, or provided to, the additional insureds.

   d). Contractor/Subcontractor shall maintain CGL coverage for itself and all additional insureds for the duration of the project and maintain Completed Operations coverage for itself and each additional insured for at least 2 years after completion of the Work.

   e) To the extent permitted by New York law, the Contractor/Provider waives all rights of subrogation or similar rights against Town of Bedford, assigns, officers, employees, representatives and agents.

   f) General Liability policy must NOT contain any coverage exclusions or restrictions related to the scope of work being performed as well as injuries to employees, subcontractors, or employees of subcontractors (i.e. labor law).

2)      Automobile Liability

        a) Business Auto Liability with limits of at least $1,000,000 each accident.

        b) Business Auto coverage must include coverage for liability arising out of all owned, leased, hired           and non-owned automobiles.

       c) Owner and their agents, officers, directors and employees shall be included as insureds on the               auto policy on a primary, non-contributory basis.

3)      Professional Liability (if required by the Town)

a) Professional Liability limits must be at least $1,000,000. If a retroactive date is used, it must pre-date the inception of the contract. Town of Bedford to be included as an additional insured on a primary, non-contributory basis and a waiver of subrogation needs to be included in favor of the Town of Bedford. Coverage shall remain in effect for two years following the completion of work. If the architect or engineer is providing or managing environmental services, the errors & omissions policy must be endorsed to include coverage for these services.

4)      Commercial Umbrella

a) With limits of no less than $2,000,000 Per Occurrence/$2,000,000 Aggregate including coverage for General Liability, Automobile Liability, and Workers Compensation and Professional Liability (if applicable) & Pollution Liability (if applicable).  Waiver of Subrogation to be included in favor of  the Town of Bedford. Coverage for the additional insured shall apply on a primary and non-contributory basis, before any other insurance or self-insurance, including any deductible, maintained by, or provided to, the  additional insured.

5)      Workers Compensation and Employers Liability covering operations in New York State.  Evidence must be provided on a C-105.2.  Waiver of Subrogation to be included in favor of the Town of Bedford.

a) Where applicable, U.S. Longshore and Harbor workers Compensation Act Endorsement shall be attached to the policy.

b) Where applicable, the Maritime Coverage Endorsement shall be attached to the policy.

6)    N.Y.S. Disability, covering all employees.  Evidence must be provided on a DB 120.1.

7)    The Contractor/Subcontractor shall not sublet any part of his work without assuming full responsibility for requiring similar insurance from his subcontractors and shall submit satisfactory evidence to that effect to Owner.  Each such insurance policy, except the Workers’ Compensation Policy, shall include Owner and their agents, officers, directors and employees as an additional insured on a primary, non-contributory basis.

8)      Certificates shall provide that 30 days written notice prior to cancellation be given to Owner.  Policies that lapse and/or expire during the term of occupancy shall be re-certified and received by Owner no less than 30 days prior to cancellation or renewal.

B. Safety Provisions

The safety provisions of applicable laws, building and construction codes and the safety rules approved by the State Labor Commissioner shall be observed.

The provisions of the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s “Occupational Safety and Health Standards” and “Safety and Health Regulations for Construction” shall be observed.

Should at any time during the work under this Contract any Local/State/Federal safety inspector visit the site for the purpose of a safety inspection, the Contractor shall immediately notify the Town representative on the job site.

E. Indemnification and Hold Harmless Agreement

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Contractor/Subcontractor/Vendor will indemnify and hold harmless the Town of Bedford, it’s officers, representatives, agents and employees from and against any and all claims, suits, liens, judgments, damages, losses and expenses, including reasonable legal fees and all court costs and liability (including statutory liability) arising in whole or in part and in any manner from injury and/or death of person or damage to or loss of any property resulting from the acts, omissions, breach or default of Contractor/Subcontractor/Vendor, it’s officers, directors, agents, employees and subcontractors, in connection with the performance of any work by or for Contractor/Subcontractor/Vendor pursuant to any contract, Purchase Order and/or related Proceed Order. Contractor/Subcontractor/Vendor will defend and bear all costs of defending any actions or proceedings brought against the Town of Bedford, their officers, representatives, agents and employees, arising in any employee of the Contractor/Subcontractor/Vendor and shall not be limited in any way by an amount or type of damage, compensations, or benefits payable under any applicable workers’ compensation, disability benefits or other similar employees benefit act.

The Contractor/Subcontractor/Vendor hereby expressly permits the Town of Bedford to pursue and assert claims against the Contractor/Subcontractor/Vendor for indemnity, contribution and common law negligence arising out of claims for damages for death and personal injury.

Company Name:____________________________________________________

Authorized Officer Name: _______________________________

Authorized Officer Signature: _____________________________

Date: ________________________________

N. NON-COLLUSIVE CERTIFICATION

Made pursuant to Section 103-d of the General Municipal Law of the State of New York as amended by the Laws of 1966.

(a)        By submission of this RFP, each proposer and each person signing on behalf of any proposer certifies, and in the case of a joint proposal, each party thereto certifies as to its own organization, under penalty of perjury, that to the best of his knowledge and belief:

(1)        The prices in this proposal have been arrived at independently without collusion, consultation, communication, or agreement, for the purpose of restricting competition, as to any matter relating to such prices with any other proposer or with any competitor;

(2)        Unless otherwise required by law, the prices which have been quoted in this proposal have not been knowingly disclosed by the proposer and will not knowingly be disclosed by the proposer prior to the opening, directly or indirectly, to any other proposer or to any competitor; and

(3)        No attempt has been made or will be made by the proposer to induce any other person, partnership or corporation to submit or not to submit a proposal for the purpose of restricting competition.

(b)        A proposal shall not be considered for award nor shall any award be made where (a) (1) (2) and (3), above, have not been complied with; provided, however, that if in any case the proposer cannot make the foregoing certification, the proposer shall so state and shall furnish with the proposal a signed statement which sets forth in detail the reasons therefore. Where (a) (1) (2) and (3), above, have not been complied with, the proposal shall not be considered for award nor shall any award be made unless the head of the purchasing unit of the political subdivision, public department, agency or official thereof to which the proposal is made, or his designee, determines that such disclosure was not made for the purpose of restricting competition.

Legal Name of Person, Firm or Corporation: ______________________________________

Business Address of Person, Firm or Corporation:

__________________________________________________________________________

by: _______________________________________________________________________        Signature and Title  /  Date

Seal of Corporation:

O. FEE SCHEDULE

PHASE I:  Mapping Wildlife Corridors

Responder’s proposal shall contain both technical and cost.  Selection of a consultant will be made to the offeror who provides the Town with the best value after review and consideration of both the technical submittal and the cost proposal. The submission shall include all of the information outlined in ‘Section H’ as previously described.

The Fee Schedule shall include an amount for each project team member and the total cost for each task.

‘Name of individual performing services’ X ‘hours’ X ‘all-inclusive billing rate’ = Total Fee per task

The total proposed fee will be the sum total fees for each task. The intent of this proposal is for the proposer to provide the requested services on a lump sum (fixed fee) basis.  The breakdown of the fees is being provided by each proposer for evaluation purposes.

It should be noted that any additive or deductive changes to the lump sum proposal will be based on the all-inclusive rates provided in the offeror’s cost proposal.

Cost Proposal for PHASE I

Dollar Amount:  $__________________________________________________

Written Amount: ___________________________________________________

___________________________  __________________________________________

Date                                                             Legal Name of Person, Firm or Corporation

Seal of Corporation:

Business Address of Person, Firm or Corporation  __________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

Telephone Number:  ____________________________________________

Contact Email: _________________________________________________

Signature Name: ________________________________________________

Signature Title: __________________________________________________

Signature: _______________________________________________________

**** NON-COLLUSION STATEMENT MUST ALSO BE SIGNED ****

Please return the entire proposal package. The successful proposers will be required to provide a certificate of insurance documentation required coverage.