EPB Environmental Services Statement of Work
OVERVIEW
The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) has developed the following Scope of Work to obtain proposals from qualified consultants able to provide environmental support services on an as-needed basis to meet a wide range of technical, planning and policy needs. It is expected that the consultant provide a team that can address all the specialty areas as noted in the Request for Proposal (RFP). Many of the programs and activities will require support services not available within CDOT due to specialized expertise or limited resources. Individually negotiating contracts for a number of diverse support services within each program or project is a time consuming process which can significantly delay their start, affect the timeliness of completion, and in some cases even make the hiring of a contractor impractical. It is therefore desirable to set in place mechanisms for obtaining necessary transportation environmental support services in a fair, convenient, and timely manner. The mechanism selected by CDOT is the issuing of Task Orders on an as needed basis when any or all of the services identified in this RFP are requested by CDOT.
EPB SUPPORT SERVICES
CDOT's environmental functions at headquarters are integrated within the Environmental Programs Branch (EPB), a part of the Division of Transportation Development (DTD). EPB informs the planning and project development process through management of environmental policy & procedures, programmatic agreements, and environmental data. It is comprised of four Sections: Cultural Resources, Hydrological Resources, Environmental Policy/Biological Resources, and Landscape Architecture. The focus of this contract will be to support the Cultural, and Environmental Policy/Biological Resources sections but is written broadly enough to assist the entire Branch, if needed.
EPB helps ensure that all CDOT projects comply with applicable laws, policies, and regulations. It also pursues opportunities to preserve and enhance the environment beyond compliance in accordance with CDOT’s Environmental Stewardship Guide. Working together with our customers, EPB provides information and recommendations to guide and influence transportation decisions by:
· Linking creative ideas, products, and technologies to programs and projects
· Collecting data and converting it into useable information;
· Improving accountability through performance-based activities; and
· Developing and sharing expertise.
Other EPB Responsibilities include:
· Providing statewide expertise to the five CDOT Regions in various environmental resource program areas
· Coordination with Region staff regarding environmental issues on a project-specific basis
· Providing consistent service, address problematic issues, and provide project clearances
· Reviewing environmental documents prepared by CDOT’s Regions to ensure their accuracy, legal sufficiency, and compliance
· Coordinating with Region staff on the receipt, distribution, and review of environmental documents
· Ensure CDOT design, construction, operational, and maintenance activities comply with state and federal regulations, executive orders, interagency agreements, and CDOT policies
EPB seeks consultant support to help achieve its mission:
· To search out and facilitate opportunities that best support, enhance, and protect the environment and quality of life for all of Colorado’s citizens in the pursuit of providing the best transportation systems and service possible;
· To strategically balance project demands with policy development for the maximum benefit to CDOT’s overarching mission;
· To help CDOT meet environmental needs efficiently, effectively, and elegantly for statewide project delivery goals throughout design development, construction, operation, and maintenance;
· To strive for healthy teamwork, collaboration, and relationships with all related programs, departments/divisions, agencies, and stakeholders; and
· To implement streamlining and efficiencies for completing the environmental processes through development of creative innovations, processes, tools, and trainings while always maintaining professional standards.
EPB periodically utilizes consultants to provide program support. Typical specialty areas of expertise and services required to fulfill the above responsibilities include:
- Noise
- Air quality
- Wetlands
- Water Resources including riparian & WQ BMP design
- Hazardous Waste
- Noxious Weeds
- Environmental Permitting
- Section 4(f) compliance
- Section 6(f) compliance
- Section 106 compliance
- Endangered Species Act compliance
- Wildlife
- MBTA compliance
- NEPA compliance
· Public Involvement
· Environmental Justice
· Visual Resources
· Support & Program Development related to Environmental Aspects of:
- Innovative Contracting
- Climate Change
- Emerging Technologies
· Geographic Information Services
· Sustainability & Greening Government
· Planning & Environmental Linkages
· Environmental Stewardship
DELIVERABLES AND TASKS
The following types of deliverables and tasks may be required as part of a task order assigned to contractors under a contract resulting from this RFP. The specific deliverables for each task order will be agreed upon for that particular task order (work specific) as requested.
· Program Development
· Technical reports: writing and review of other consultant’s reports
· Policy assessments
· Communications materials including video production
· Presentation materials
· Training manuals & courses
· Guidance, Manuals, Templates, & Forms
· Databases
· Equipment evaluation reports
· Geographic data
· Program proposals and requests for proposals, including work scopes
· Environmental monitoring
· Environmental data collection and analysis
· Additional deliverables attributable to work effort as agreed upon
· Research reports and implementation plans
· Event Planning, meeting facilitation, meeting minutes
· Environmental models: create and review of other consultant’s models
· Regulatory interpretation: provide interpretation of environmental regulations
REQUIREMENTS FOR PROVIDING SERVICES
FULL SERVICE CONTRACTORS should be capable of providing ALL of the above listed services. If teams were formed so that the highest degree of expertise and capabilities was available, the resulting contract will be between the identified “prime” (the Contractor named herein) and CDOT, making such “prime” the principal party responsible for performance of any work identified by issued task orders.
The transportation environmental support services, among those listed above, and the magnitude of the effort required for specific work, may vary from task order to task order.
Contractors will be required to assign personnel to tasks covered in issued task orders that, in CDOT’s judgment, possess a level of education, training, skills and experience sufficient for acceptable completion of the work required under a particular task order. Personnel information, including resumes and reference, may be required at the discretion of CDOT to adequately assess personnel skills.
Any training determined as necessary in order for a contractor to obtain the skills needed to meet a program assignment, will be incidental to such assignment and CDOT will not be responsible for any training expenses incurred by the contractor.
Tasks must be performed in accordance with existing standards, guidelines, regulations, codes and laws governing the requested tasks. Where such do not exist, best professional practices must be used. In all cases, the satisfactory completion, evaluation of the quality of completed work, and the acceptability of deliverables, will be solely determined by CDOT, and approval not be unreasonably withheld.
TASK ORDER PROCESS
While impossible to predict the exact tasks that will involve a firm which provides transportation planning support services, the RFP sought to provide interested vendors with examples of activities that have occurred in recent years. Also impossible, is predicting the dollar amount required since funding levels vary each fiscal year. Regardless, CDOT goal was to contract with qualified vendors able to undertake specific tasks as such tasks are identified throughout the year.
Any task orders executed under this resulting contract will be assigned a CDOT Project Manager to oversee the technical components and results of a specific work assignment. This assigned individual in most cases will be a staff member experienced in the specific area under study. Making such assignments is an attempt by CDOT at facilitating and furthering the overall goal of the resulting support services contract – that being to obtain timely, quality and cost-effective responses to programmatic issues included as a part of the annual work program or special initiatives that may emerge during the program year.
Examples of Previous Projects:
Facilitation and Event Planning Wetland Services
Training Development Software implementation
Statewide surveys Develop Guidance and Manuals
Develop Media & Videos Website Development & Maintenance
Environmental Quality Assurance Roadway geometric data collection
Development of Programmatic Agreements & MOU
Statewide