Hazard Mitigation Plan - RFQ

JENNIFER BERTINO-TARRANT
WILL COUNTY EXECUTIVE
KEVIN LYNN
PURCHASING DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR
P. 815-740-4712 County Office Building
F. 815-740-4604 302 N. Chicago Street
E. klynn@willcounty.gov Joliet, IL 60432
June 10, 2026
To Whom It May Concern:
Will County is requesting responses from qualified candidates to update the County's Hazard
Mitigation Plan (HMP) in compliance with the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA 2000) and
44 CFR Part 201, ensuring FEMA approval and continued eligibility for mitigation funding.
Responses to this solicitation will be received in the Purchasing Department, 2nd floor, Will County
Office Building, 302 North Chicago Street, Joliet, IL 60432, not later than 12:00 P.M., "as so
indicated by the time stamp clock of Will County," Tuesday, July 21, 2026. Responses
received after this time will not be accepted.
The respondent acknowledges the right of the County of Will to reject any or all responses and to
waive non-material informality or irregularity in any statement of qualifications received in whole
or part as may be specified in the solicitation.
Should you have any questions regarding this RFQ, please contact the Will County Purchasing
Department at purchasing@willcounty.gov. Please include the solicitation name and number in the
email subject line.
We welcome your bid.
Sincerely,
Kevin Lynn
Kevin Lynn
Purchasing Director

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATION (RFQ) TO UPDATE THE COUNTY'S HAZARD MITIGATION
PLAN (HMP)
RESPONSES TO THIS REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATION (RFQ) TO UPDATE THE COUNTY'S
HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN (HMP) IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE DISASTER MITIGATION ACT OF
2000 (DMA 2000) AND 44 CFR PART 201, ENSURING FEMA APPROVAL AND CONTINUED
ELEGIBILITY FOR MITIGATION FUNDING WILL BE RECEIVED AT THE PURCHASING
DEPARTMENT, 2ND FLOOR OF THE WILL COUNTY OFFICE BUILDING, 302 N. CHICAGO ST.
JOLIET, IL 60432, UNTIL THE HOUR OF 12:00 PM, ON TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2026.
SPECIFICATIONS AND CONDITIONS OF THE BID ARE AVAILABLE AT
WWW.DEMANDSTAR.COM, AS WELL AS THE PURCHASING DEPARTMENT, WILL COUNTY
OFFICE BUILDING, 302 N. CHICAGO ST., JOLIET, IL. 60432, (815) 740-4712 OR EMAIL
PURCHASING@WILLCOUNTY.GOV
THE TENDERING OF A BID TO THE COUNTY OF WILL SHALL BE CONSTRUED AS ACCEPTANCE
OF THE SPECIFICATIONS. THE BIDDER ACKNOWLEDGES THE RIGHT OF THE COUNTY OF WILL
TO REJECT ANY AND ALL BIDS, AND TO WAIVE NON-MATERIAL INFORMALITY OR
IRREGULARITY IN ANY BID RECEIVED IN WHOLE OR PART AS MAY BE SPECIFIED IN THE
SOLICITATION.
BY ORDER OF THE WILL COUNTY EXECUTIVE, JENNIFER BERTINO-TARRANT.

INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPONDENTS
REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATION (RFQ) TO UPDATE THE COUNTY'S HAZARD MITIGATION
PLAN (HMP) IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE DISASTER MITIGATION ACT OF 2000 (DMA 2000)
AND 44 CFR PART 201, ENSURING FEMA APPROVAL AND CONTINUED ELEGIBILITY FOR
MITIGATION FUNDING
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS:
Will County is requesting qualifications from candidates to update the County's Hazard Mitigation Plan
(HMP) in compliance with the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA 2000) and 44 CFR Part 201, ensuring
FEMA approval and continued eligibility for mitigation funding.
QUALIFICATIONS:
Sealed Statements of Qualification will be received in the Purchasing Department, 2nd floor, Will County
Office Building, 302 N. Chicago St., Joliet, IL 60432, not later than 12:00 P.M., Tuesday, July 21, 2026,
"as so indicated by the time stamp clock of Will County". Responses received after this will not be
accepted.
Sealed Statements of Qualification must be made in accordance with the instructions contained herein. All
forms shall be filled out and shall not be detached from this binding. The complete set of Contract Documents
shall be submitted with this proposal. All proposal forms and Specifications as attached hereto shall be used
to form the Contract for the work to be performed.
Statements of Qualification shall be submitted on the forms furnished by the County of Will in a sealed package
marked with the vendor's name and address and the notation:
SEALED STATEMENTS OF QUALIFICATION:
Proposals shall be addressed to the Will County Purchasing Department, Will County Office Building, 302 N.
Chicago St., Joliet, IL 60432.
SIGNATURE OF QUALIFICATIONS:
The County of Will expects the signature on statements of qualification documents to be that of an
authorized representative of said Company. An officer or agent of the offering bidder who is empowered to
bind the vendor in a Contract shall sign the proposal and any clarifications to that proposal.
Each respondent, by making their statement of qualifications, represents that they have read and understand
the documents. Any statements of qualification not containing said signed documents shall be non-
conforming and shall be rejected.

PROCEDURES:
1. All statements of qualification must be prepared on the forms provided by the County of Will with one (1)
original, three (3) copies and one (1) electronic copy on a digital storage device submitted in accordance
with the Instructions to Vendors.
2. A statement of qualifications is invalid if it has not been deposited at the designated location prior to the
time and date for receipt of proposals indicated in the Advertisement for Proposals or prior to any extension
thereof issued to the vendors.
3. Changes or corrections may be made in the proposal documents after they have been issued and before
proposals are received. In such cases, a written addendum describing the change or correction will be
issued by the County of Will to all vendors recorded by the County of Will as having received the proposal
documents and will be available for inspection wherever issued. Such addenda shall take precedence over
that portion of the documents concerned and shall become part of the proposal documents. Except in
unusual cases, addenda will be issued to reach the vendors at least five (5) days prior to date established
for receipt of proposals.
4. Each respondent shall carefully examine all proposal documents and all addenda thereto and shall
thoroughly familiarize themselves with the detailed requirements thereof prior to submitting a proposal.
Should a vendor find discrepancies or ambiguities in, or omissions from documents, or should they be in
doubt as to their meaning, they shall, at once, and in any event not later than seven (7) days prior to proposal
due date, notify the County of Will, which will, if necessary, send written addenda to all vendors. The
County of Will is not responsible for any oral instructions. All inquiries shall be directed to the Will County
Purchasing Department at purchasing@willcounty.gov. Please include the solicitation name and number
in the email subject line. After proposals are received, the vendor will make no allowance for oversight.
REJECTION OF RESPONSES:
The respondent acknowledges the right of the County of Will to reject any or all statements of qualification, to
waive any non-material informality or irregularity in any statement of qualifications received, and to accept the
statement of qualifications deemed most favorable to the interest of the County of Will after all have been
examined and evaluated. In addition, the respondent recognizes the right of the County of Will to reject a
statement of qualifications if it is in any way incomplete or irregular.
INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Contractor shall at all times maintain in force at Contractor's expense, each insurance noted below.
1. Workmen's compensation insurance. The Contractor shall procure workmen's compensation insurance
as required by applicable state law for all of his employees who would be engaged in work on the
project. In case any class of employees engaged in any work on the project under this Contract is not
protected under the workmen's compensation statute, the Contractor shall provide adequate employer's
liability insurance for the protection of such of his employees as are not otherwise protected. In
addition, the Contractor will provide employer's liability (coverage B) in the amount of $1,000,000.00.
2. Contractor's Comprehensive General Liability and Property Damage Insurance. Contractor's
Comprehensive General and Property Damage Insurance shall be in an amount not less than
$1,000,000.00 for injuries including accidental death to any one person and not less than $3,000,000.00
on account of any one occurrences and property damage insurance including completed operations

broad form in an amount not less than $500,000.00 or $1,000,000.00 combined single limit bodily
injury and property damage.
3. Motor Vehicle Insurance. The Contractor shall furnish and maintain at his own expense,
comprehensive motor vehicle liability insurance covering the use of all owned, non-owned or hired
motor vehicles and that the limits on said policy for bodily injury including death resulting there from
shall be not less than $250,000.00 for each person and $500,000.00 for each occurrence and property
damage coverage of not less than $250,000.00.
4. Owner's Protective Liability Insurance. The Contractor shall protect the County of Will or its assignee,
if any, from contingent responsibility arising from the work performed under this Contract by adding
these parties as named insured as a rider to the General Contractor specified Comprehensive General
Liability Policy in an amount not less than $1,000,000.00 per occurrence. The named insured in this
Comprehensive General Liability Policy shall be: County of Will, 302 N. Chicago St., Joliet, IL. 60432.
RISK OF LOSS:
The Contractor shall assume all risks for loss or damages to materials whether stored on the site or elsewhere,
or to tools or equipment owned or rented by the Contractor, and he shall maintain such insurance as he may
deem necessary to protect himself against such loss or damage.
PROOF OF CARRIAGE OF INSURANCE:
1. The certificates provided by the CONTRACTOR at the time of bidding shall not be canceled or
materially altered except after 30 days written notice to the COUNTY OF WILL and agreed upon.
2. All policies shall substitute the word "Occurrence" for "accident" for both bodily and property damage.
"Occurrence" shall be defined to mean an event or series of events or continuous or repeated exposure
to conditions, which unexpectedly cause injury or damage during the policy period.
3. All insurance coverage shall be provided by insurance companies maintaining a financial strength and
claims paying ability rating no lower than "A" MINUS "VIII" as rated by the 1999 or most current AM
Bests Insurance Guide.
PRIME CONTRACTOR CERTIFICATION:
Included in this packet is a prime contractor certification form. This form must be filled out, signed and
returned with your qualifications or it will not be considered.
NON-DISCRIMINATION:
The respondent shall at all times observe and comply with any applicable laws, statutes, regulations or the like
relating in any way to civil rights including but not limited to the Public Works Employment Discrimination
Act, 775 ILCS 10/0.01 et seq.
DEFAULT:
In case of default by the successful respondent, the County of Will may procure the services from other sources
and may deduct from the unpaid balance due the successful respondent any of the County of Will's costs
resulting from the default, and the prices paid by the County of Will shall be considered the prevailing market
price at the time such purchase is made.

HOLD HARMLESS CLAUSE:
The respondent will save and hold harmless the County of Will, it's officers, agents, and employees, from and
against all causes of action, liabilities, claims, demands and damages of whatsoever kind or nature arising out
of or connected with the performance of services by the respondent, whether such injury, death, loss or damage
shall have been occasioned by the negligence of the respondent, or a sub-consultant of the respondent, or their
employees, or otherwise. The respondent will defend at its own expense any actions based thereon and shall
pay all charges of reasonable attorneys, all costs, damages and other expenses arising therefrom. All obligations
arising from this clause shall survive termination of the agreement resulting from award of a contract derived
from this RFQ.
TAX EXEMPTION:
The County of Will is exempt from Federal, State and Municipal Taxes.
TERMINATION:
Either party hereto may, at any time during the term hereof, terminate the contract, with or without cause,
upon thirty (30) days written notice to the other party of such termination. At the end of said thirty (30)
days' notice period, the contract shall be terminated.
Immediately upon the termination of the contract for any reason, all debts, obligations and liabilities theretofore
accrued between the vendor and Will County will be paid, performed and discharged except for the provisions
of the Hold Harmless Clause which shall survive any termination of the Agreement resulting from the award
of this solicitation.
COMPLIANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAW:
In all aspects relative to the performance of their respective obligations under this contract, the respondent
and County of Will shall conduct their respective businesses in accordance with all applicable federal, state
and local laws.
CHOICE OF LAW
Responses to this RFQ and any agreement connected herewith shall be governed by the laws of the State of
Illinois, without regard to conflict of law provisions.
VENUE
Venue for any cause of action related to this RFQ and any agreement connected herewith shall be filed with
the Twelfth Judicial Circuit, Will County, Illinois.
ILLINOIS FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT
Proposals and Submissions Subject to FOIA
Any and all submissions to the County of Will ("the County") become the property of the County
and these and any late submissions will not be returned.
Your proposal will be open to the public under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5
ILCS 140) unless you request in your proposal that we treat certain information as exempt. We will
not honor requests to exempt entire proposals. You must show the specific grounds in FOIA or
other law or rule that support exempt treatment. If you request exempt treatment, you must submit
an additional copy of the proposal with exempt information deleted. This copy must tell the general

nature of the material removed and shall retain as much of the proposal as possible. In the event the
County receives a request for a document submitted, the County shall provide notice to contractor
as soon as practicable. Regardless, contractor is responsible for any costs or damages associated
with defending contractor's request for exemptions. Furthermore, contractor warrants that County's
responses to FOIA requests where the contractor fails to assert any applicable exemptions, will not
violate the rights of any third party.
Awards Subject to FOIA
Upon acceptance of a proposal, all related records maintained by, provided to, or required to be
provided to the County during the contract duration are subject to FOIA. In the event the County
receives a request for a document relating to contractor, its provision of services, or the arranging
for the provision of services, the County shall provide notice to contractor as soon as practicable
and, within the period available under FOIA, contractor may then identify those records, or
portions thereof, that it in good faith believes to be exempt from production and the justification
for such exemption. Regardless, the contractor will be responsible for any costs or damages
associated with defending the request for exempt treatment. Furthermore, contractor warrants that
the County's responses to FOIA requests relating to a contractor, its provision of services, or the
arranging for the provision of services, or the arranging for the provision of services, will not
violate the rights of any third party.
Upon request by the County (or any of its officers, agents, employees or officials), the contractor
shall provide to the County at no cost and within the timeframes of FOIA a copy of any "public
record" which it may have in its possession or control, as required by FOIA.
SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTS:
Each of the following items shall be submitted by the time mentioned herein in order that the RFQ will be
considered:
1. Cover Letter, signed by firm's principal, describing project team and approach.
2. Business organization including the date established, number of employees, and brief history of the
firm.
3. Statement of qualifications
4. At least three (3) references of past clients with similar Scope of Services conducted and the period
that was involved to complete the client's projects. Include company name, address, contact name,
and phone number
5. Signed Prime Contractor Certification.
6. Signed RFQ Form.
7. Completion of Receipt of Addenda Form (if addenda are issued).

Scope of Service
Will County Hazard Mitigation Plan Update
Project Overview
The Will County Emergency Management Agency (WCEMA) seeks to update the County's Hazard
Mitigation Plan (HMP) in compliance with the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA 2000) and 44 CFR
Part 201, ensuring FEMA approval and continued eligibility for mitigation funding.
The updated plan will:
* Reflect current hazards, risks, and vulnerabilities
* Incorporate updated data, climate trends, and development patterns
* Align with local, regional, and state planning efforts
* Strengthen mitigation strategies and project prioritization
* Ensure broad stakeholder and public participation
Key Information and Tentative Timeline
RFQ Release Date June 9, 2026
SOQ Due July 21, 2026
Vendor Interviews Week of August 10, 2026
Vendor Selection August 28, 2026
Project Kickoff September 15, 2026
Objectives
The Contractor shall:
* Deliver a FEMA-compliant, approvable Hazard Mitigation Plan update
* Engage municipalities, stakeholders, and the public
This will be accomplished with tasks that include, but are not limited to public meetings,
o
online surveys, in-person meetings, and virtual meetings.
* Update hazard identification and risk assessments (HIRA)
* Develop actionable, cost-effective mitigation strategies
* Maintain alignment with Illinois State Hazard Mitigation Plan
* Support adoption by all participating jurisdictions
Scope of Work
Task 1: Project Initiation & Management
* Conduct kickoff meeting with WCEMA

* Develop project work plan, schedule, and communication strategy
* Identify participating jurisdictions and points of contact
* Establish planning team and steering committee structure
* Provide ongoing project management and status reporting
Deliverables:
* Project Management Plan
* Detailed Schedule
* Stakeholder Contact List
Task 2: Planning Process Documentation
* Document planning process consistent with FEMA requirements
* Facilitate planning meetings (in-person and/or virtual)
* Ensure inclusion of:
Municipalities
o
Critical infrastructure partners
o
NGOs and community organizations
o
* Maintain meeting agendas, minutes, and attendance records using WCEMA approved forms
Deliverables:
* Planning Process Documentation
* Meeting Summaries and Sign-in Sheets
Task 3: Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (HIRA)
* Review and update hazard profiles including:
Natural hazards (flooding, severe weather, tornadoes, extreme heat/cold, etc.)
o
Technological hazards (radiological, infrastructure failure, etc.)
o
* Incorporate updated data sources (FEMA, NOAA, USGS, IDNR, etc.)
* Conduct vulnerability assessments:
Population
o
Critical facilities
o
Infrastructure
o
Economic impacts
o
* Utilize GIS mapping for hazard exposure and risk analysis
* Integrate climate trends where applicable
Deliverables:
* Updated Hazard Profiles
* GIS Maps and Data Sets
* Risk Assessment Report
Task 4: Capability Assessment
* Evaluate existing mitigation capabilities:
Plans, policies, ordinances
o
Staffing and technical capacity
o

Funding mechanisms
o
* Identify gaps and opportunities for improvement
Deliverables:
* Capability Assessment Summary
Task 5: Mitigation Strategy Development
* Review status of previous mitigation actions
* Facilitate development of new mitigation actions for:
County
o
Participating municipalities
o
Townships
o
* Ensure actions are:
Specific, measurable, and achievable
o
Technically feasible and cost-effective
o
* Prioritize mitigation actions using defined criteria
* Align with other local and regional plans
Deliverables:
* Updated Mitigation Strategy
* Action Plan Matrix (prioritized projects)
Task 6: Public & Stakeholder Engagement
* Develop and implement public outreach strategy
* Conduct public meetings and/or open houses
* Utilize surveys and digital engagement tools
* Document public input and incorporate into plan
Deliverables:
* Public Engagement Plan
* Summary of Public Comments and Responses
Task 7: Plan Drafting & Review
* Prepare draft Hazard Mitigation Plan
* Submit draft for WCEMA review
* Revise based on feedback
* Submit plan to Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) for review
* Address state and FEMA comments
Deliverables:
* Draft Plan
* Revised Draft(s)
* Final Plan (FEMA-approved)