The Capitol Region Council of Governments (CRCOG) seeks proposals from qualified and experienced Environmental Consultants to provide expertise to develop a comprehensive regional climate action plan, with a focus on developing a pipeline of municipal implementation projects and to identify and expand local climate policy and operational initiatives.

The Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) program is an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) initiative providing funding to the top 67 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) to develop and implement plans for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other harmful air pollution. CRCOG is the lead organization for the Hartford-East Hartford-Middletown MSA, and partnering with the Lower Connecticut River Valley Council of Governments (RiverCOG) to cover the entire MSA geography comprised of 57cities and towns in addition to the towns of Colchester, Lyme and Old Lyme. See Study Area Overview for more information.

Per the CPRG, CRCOG must submit a Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP) by March 1, 2024 and subsequently a Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP), with a particular focus on developing a pipeline of municipal implementation projects and framework for local climate policy and operational initiatives. Identifying these projects as part of the PCAP process is critical to be able to take advantage of future implementation funding. Specific planning activities and potential and/or analyses may include, but would not be limited to:

• Identifying lead entities for targeted local and regional decarbonization and pollutant reduction efforts and developing appropriate coordination frameworks.
• Developing a strategic plan for decarbonizing municipally owned properties and assets
• Further developing a municipal electric vehicle fleet conversion and charging station deployment strategy
• Creating a strategic plan for negative emissions centered around land use, including managing and conserving agricultural, natural, and working lands.
• Developing a roadmap for municipalities to leverage climate-related funding opportunities and incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Infrastructure and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).
• Develop building code based thermal decarbonization targets for municipalities.
• Conducting a regional workforce impact and needs assessments for clean energy sectors.
• Evaluating regional and local options to incentivize investment in clean microgrids.

It is CRCOG's intent to award a contract or contracts for a term beginning September 2023 through June 2027.

Scope of Services

The CPRG program has three primary deliverables – 1) a Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP); 2) a Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP); and 3) a Status Report. For a full description of the required programs elements, please consult the official program guidance. It is our preference that respondents reply with proposals for all three deliverables: the PCAP, CCAP and Status Report, with relevant associated costs. To ensure successful and timely completion of the PCAP, an additional Notice to Proceed (NTP) will be required prior to beginning the CCAP.

Anticipated Project Schedule

• January 11, 2024: Final draft PCAP to CRCOG for comments.
• January 25, 2024: CRCOG publishes Draft PCAP for 30-day public comment period.
• March 1, 2024: Final PCAP due to EPA.

The full RFP can be accessed here.

Inquiries

Respondents to this RFP should represent a firm, company, organization, team, or individual with ample experience performing similar services and the professional standards thereof, to undertake and successfully complete the Scope of Services outlined in Appendices A-B.

General Questions

Please direct questions to Kyle Shiel via e-mail to kshiel@crcog.org no later than 4:00 PM EDT on September 28th, 2023. Inquires and responses will be posted at www.crcog.org. CRCOG will respond to technical questions only. No interpretive guidance, written or oral, regarding this RFP will be given and no phone calls will be accepted. Written approval by CRCOG is required prior to public disclosure of submissions intended for CROG. Prospective consultants are expected to monitor https://crcog.org/rfp-rfq/ for amendments and responses to inquiries.

Submission Requirements

Prospective consultant(s) are asked to submit responses in three parts:

1. Letter of Interest, and
2. Technical Response
3. Budget/Fee Proposal

(1) Letter of Interest

The Letter of Interest shall specify the following:

1. Name and address of the lead firm
2. Names and addresses of any proposed subconsultants.
3. Name, title, e-mail, and telephone number of the individual(s) from the lead firm authorized to commit the firm to a contract.
4. Name, title, e-mail, and telephone number of the individual CRCOG should contact regarding proposal questions and clarifications.
5. If applicable, please note any other contracts for US EPA CPRG Program services the consultant has been awarded and/or is actively pursuing.
6. A statement that the consultant's proposal will remain in effect for ninety (90) days after the consultant's proposal is received by CRCOG.

(2) Technical Response – PCAP, CCAP & Status Report

The Technical Response shall describe the consultant's understanding of the project and proposed approach to the following:

1. Project understanding and Scope of Services (Appendix A & B), including any recommendations to improve/support the project and any special service(s) and/or accommodation(s) requested.
2. Approach the consultant will take to tailor services to the Hartford-East Hartford-Middletown MSA
3. A description of the proposed services to be performed by the lead firm as well as description of any services to be performed by subcontractors listed in the Letter of Intent.
4. Project Schedule
5. Resumes of the proposed key personnel who will work on the project, including descriptions of relevant recent experience performing similar services.
6. Descriptions of three (3) comparable project experiences, including project budget, services completed, and current project status.
7. Three (3) references from comparable projects completed in the past five (5) years. Please include project title, date completed, location, services provided, and primary client contact information (e-mail address and telephone number). Previous experience and/or familiarity with local government operations in Connecticut is desirable.

(3) Project Budget/Fee Proposal

1. Breakdown of costs by task
2. Key Personnel and hourly rates
3. Total Budget/Fee Proposal

Submissions

Submissions should be prepared as a single PDF and may be transmitted to Kyle Shiel at kshiel@crcog.org. No physical submissions (USB drives, paper hardcopies, etc.) will be accepted. Please note, we are unable to accept .zip files via e-mail. Submissions should be marked in the email subject line with "CRCOG Regional Climate Action Plan".

To be considered, your proposal must be received no later than 4:00 PM Eastern Time on October 5th, 2023. CRCOG will not consider proposals received after this date/time and/or incomplete submissions.