RFP for Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) Facilitation

CASCADE COUNTY
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR
COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLAN (CWPP) FACILITATION
April 2026

Request for Proposals for Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) Facilitation
Cascade County, Montana
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR
COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLAN (CWPP) FACILITATION
CASCADE COUNTY, MONTANA
Title: Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) Facilitation, Cascade County, Montana
Issue Date: April 2026
I. INTRODUCTION, BACKGROUND, & PURPOSE.
The Fire Protection Bureau of the State of Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation
Forestry and Trust Lands Division (DNRC) awarded Cascade County $74,000 in response to Cascade
County's grant application seeking funding for Cascade County to update its 2008 Community Wildfire
Protection Plan (CWPP) consistent with the direction provided by the Healthy Forest Restoration Act
(HFRA). The purpose of this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to request proposals for consideration from
qualified individuals and organizations to facilitation and develop Cascade County an updated and
approved CWPP which will be used, in accordance with the 2020 update to the Montana Forest Action
Plan, to aid in planning and prioritizing wildfire risk reduction work at the county-level.
II. SCOPE OF WORK AND SERVICES TO BE PROVIDED.
The Respondent must be willing, able and qualified to provide the following specified services,
tasks and work products during the CWPP update process:
1. Technical assistance
2. Perform limited data analysis and interpretation
3. Establish extensive and diverse stakeholder engagement and community involvement
4. Maintain regular public information/communication regarding the CWPP process
5. Conduct community meetings and obtain public and stakeholder input
6. Establish various communication platforms to facilitate public input
7. Perform meeting planning and facilitation with County, Rural Fire Council,
Stakeholders, the Community and other interested persons and organizations
8. Technical writing, GIS services, and CWPP plan update completion
9. Publishing the final CWPP in print and digital format (e.g., Story Map, etc.).
III. PROPOSAL CONTENT.
All proposals should be concise and clear and should convey all the information requested by
Cascade County. Emphasis should be on completeness and clarity of content. The successful
response will demonstrate the Respondent's ability to meet the requirements and demonstrate
experience, technical skill, meeting facilitation success, and quality product delivery.
It is requested the following section headlines are used in response to this RFP:
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Request for Proposals for Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) Facilitation
Cascade County, Montana
* Qualifications Statement
* Understanding of the Project
* Treatment of the Issues
* Staffing Pattern
* Cost of Proposed Services
A. Qualifications Statement.
Each Respondent must demonstrate its organization's competence, qualifications, and ability to
perform the services requested in this RFP. Requested information shall include (1) business
entity's legal name, address, and telephone number; (2) the principle(s) of the business entity,
their experience and qualifications; (3) experience and qualifications of the staff to be assigned
the work; (4) description of the business entity's prior experience with the work defined; and (5)
references.
Each Respondent must provide a copy of and maintain all necessary licenses, accreditations,
and certifications in accordance with Montana laws, rules, regulations and ordinances as may
be required to perform work under this RFP.
B. Understanding of the Project.
The Respondent shall address how the requirements will be satisfied as outlined in Section II
above, ensuring that the CWPP Core Team (as approved by Cascade County) (Core Team) and Agency
Representative meetings, as well as broader public engagement meetings, allow for relationship
building resulting in a successful CWPP implementation and as further detailed below:
Meeting Design & Facilitation
Regularly convene the Core Team to ensure consistent progress towards timely completion of the
CWPP. Facilitate meetings (in person and/or virtually) with the Core Team to:
- Determine primary purpose, basic framework, and timeline for completion of the CWPP
update.
- Identify key communities/populations to target for engagement and facilitating a
minimum of three (3) community meetings of the County's North, Central, and South
community sections.
- Interpret County Wildfire Risk Data derived from the Montana Wildfire Risk Assessment
and Montana Forest Action Plan.
- Identify priority areas and planned implementation actions to address wildfire risk.
- Identify how implementation of planned projects and CWPP future updates will be
achieved
-Ensure that the CWPP is aligned with community values and identify the resources and
funding necessary to accomplish it.
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Request for Proposals for Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) Facilitation
Cascade County, Montana
Outreach & Public Engagement
-Advise Cascade County on outreach and public engagement best practices to ensure a
wide diversity of community members and stakeholders engage in the CWPP update
process.
-Produce outreach materials in collaboration with Cascade County and Core Team.
-Facilitate meetings between the Core Team and engaged community members to ensure
that priority areas and planned implementation action adequately address the values,
concerns, and priorities of the broader community.
Technical Writing
-Provide technical writing for the CWPP document. Final document format, length,
and contents shall support its purpose, and the intended audience identified by the Core
Team.
-Provide technical writing and easily digestible CWPP summaries (summary sheets, story map,
etc.) for the public.
GIS Analysis
-Provide needed GIS analysis and utilize available State of Montana DNRC Forest Action
Plan and Wildfire Risk Assessment data for the CWPP update.
-As needed, assist Cascade County with any analysis necessary to manipulate/modify
wildfire risk data.
-Utilizing Cascade County's 2008 Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) map as needed, assist
Cascade County with updating and creating a geospatially represented WUI definition
and map
C. Treatment of Issues.
In this section, Respondent may comment on any of the issues within the Request for Proposal,
including suggestions on alternative approaches or services offered.
D. Staffing Pattern.
The Respondent must demonstrate how staffing will be sufficient and competent to complete
the services required. Please include the days and hours of operation.
E. Costs of Proposed Services.
All service and materials costs associated with the Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP)
Facilitation must be included, including but not limited to travel, per diem, and incidentals.
IV. EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS
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Request for Proposals for Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) Facilitation
Cascade County, Montana
Proposals will be conducted by a three-person committee to evaluate. Recommendations will
then be given to the commission in a public meeting, at a later date. In reviewing and evaluating
proposals, Cascade County will use the following evaluation factors listed below in order of their
respective importance:
1. Conformance to the requirements of this solicitation.
2. Qualifications and experience providing similar services and work products.
3. Capacity to perform the work.
4. Service costs.
5. References; and
6. Past performance.
Each Respondent who submits a proposal may make an oral presentation to Cascade County to
provide an opportunity for the Respondent to clarify the proposal and ensure mutual
understanding. Respondents may NOT change their original proposal submission.
V. BASIS FOR AWARD.
An award resulting from this RFP shall be awarded to the Respondent whose proposal is
determined to be most suitable based on the evaluation factors set forth herein.
VI. CONTRACTUAL REQUIREMENTS
The successful Respondent, hereafter referred to in this section as "Contractor," will be required
to enter and sign a formal contract (Contract) with Cascade County subject to the following terms
and conditions:
A. Length of Contract.
The RFP and Grant Agreement between the Cascade County Commission and the Montana
Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (Grant Agreement) shall become part of the
Contract and the Contract will be in effect from the date all parties sign the Contract and through
February 2027, unless otherwise modified or terminated pursuant to the Contract terms.
B. Location.
Contractor will be required to travel and do business in Cascade County, Montana.
C. Minimum Contract Terms.
The Contract will contain, at a minimum, the following provisions:
D. Insurance and Workers' Compensation.
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Request for Proposals for Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) Facilitation
Cascade County, Montana
Contractor shall be required to maintain general liability insurance in the amount of one million
dollars ($1,000,000.00) per occurrence and two million dollars ($2,000,000.00) in the aggregate.
Contractors shall be required to provide professional liability insurance.
Contractor shall purchase and maintain automobile occurrence coverage with combined single
limits for bodily injury, personal injury and property damage of five hundred thousand dollars
($500,000.00) per occurrence and one million dollars ($1,000,000.00) in aggregate per year to
cover such claims as may be caused by any act, omission, or negligence of the Contractor, and its
employees, agents, representatives, successors, assigns or subcontractors.
In accordance with MCA 39-71-401 and 39-71-405, Contractor agrees to provide workers'
compensation insurance for its employees while performing work under this Agreement.
Contractor shall provide proof of compliance in the form of workers' compensation insurance or
documentation of corporate officer status and maintain such insurance or corporate officer
status for the duration of the contract.
All insurance policies required must be from an insurance carrier licensed to do business in the
State of Montana. Contractor agrees to furnish proof of required insurance to Cascade County
prior to commencing work under this Agreement. Cascade County must be listed as an additional
insured on the general liability insurance certificate for this Agreement unless otherwise specified
by Cascade County.
E. Compliance with Laws and Non-Discrimination.
The Contractor agrees all hiring must be based on merit and qualifications and not discriminate
against any person who performs work thereunder because of race, color, religion, creed,
political ideas, sex, age, marital status, physical or mental disability, or national origin. Further,
the Contractor agrees to comply with all federal, state, and local laws, rules and regulations,
including but not limited to, the Americans with Disabilities Act.
F. Choice of Law.
The Contractor and Cascade County agree that jurisdiction and proper venue exist in the Eighth
Judicial District, Cascade County, Montana located in Great Falls, Montana. This Agreement will
be construed under and governed by the laws of the State of Montana.
G. Taxes.
In the event the Internal Revenue Services ("IRS") should determine the Contractor is, according
to IRS guidelines, an employee subject to withholding and social security contributions,
Contractor shall acknowledge that all payments to Contractor are gross payments and Contractor
is responsible for all income taxes and social security payments received prior to such IRS
determination.
H. Termination of Contract.
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Request for Proposals for Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) Facilitation
Cascade County, Montana
This Agreement may be terminated by either party unilaterally by giving notice of termination in
writing at least one hundred twenty (120) days prior to the date of the intended termination.
I. Records.
Contractor shall maintain sufficient records incidental to the performance of this Agreement to
enable Cascade County to document the performance of the Agreement. Contractor shall allow
access to those records by Cascade County DES, the Cascade County Attorney's Office, and the
Cascade County Auditor, any independent auditor employed by Cascade County and
representatives of the state or federal government. Records shall be retained for at least seven
(7) years after expiration or termination of the Agreement.
J. Public Access to Information.
Contractor acknowledges that the County is a local government unit, and its records are public
and subject to disclosure under Montana law. Certain information may be protected from
disclosure. Protected information includes information concerning an individual privacy interest,
legitimate trade secrets and other constitutionally protected proprietary information and certain
information relating to individual or public safety. The parties agree to confer prior to disclosure
of information relating to this Agreement and its performance which may include protected
information.
K. Sovereign Immunity.
Cascade County, and any of its respective divisions of local government, acting through the
Cascade County Board of Commissioners does not waive governmental immunity by entering
into this Agreement and specifically retains immunity and all defenses available to them as a local
governmental entity under MCA 2-9-111 and all other state laws.
L. Indemnification.
The Contractor shall defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Cascade County, its officers, agents,
employees, successors, and assignees from all claims, liabilities, causes of action or judgments,
including the costs and attorney fees, asserted by or awarded to third parties because of any
negligent action or omission or willful misconduct of the Contractor, its employees, agents,
successors, and assignees.
Cascade County shall defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Contractor, its employees, agents,
successors, and assignees from all claims, liabilities, demands, cause of action or judgments,
including costs and attorney fees, asserted by or awarded to third parties because of any
negligent action or omission or willful misconduct of Cascade County, its officers, agents,
employees, successors, and assignees.
M. Severability.
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Request for Proposals for Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) Facilitation
Cascade County, Montana
If any part of this Agreement is hereafter held to be void, illegal, or unenforceable, the validity of
the remaining portions or provisions will remain in effect.
VII. SCHEDULE.
The following outlines the proposed timing of responses; however, Cascade County reserves the
right to modify the dates as necessary. Any changes will be issued in addendums to this RFP.
* April 7th, 2026: RFP released on Cascade County website.
* May 8th, 2026 @ 5:00 p.m. MDT: Deadline for submission of five (5) hard copies of
proposal. Proposals must be received in a sealed envelope marked on the outside with
"Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) Facilitation, Cascade County, Montana" and
addressed to:
Taylor Harrell
Cascade County DES
3800 Ulm North Frontage Rd
Great Falls, MT 59404
* May 18-20th, 2026: Interviews with selected Respondents.
* June 23rd, 2026: Approval and award of contract by the Board of County
Commissioners.
VIII. RESPONDENT'S INSTRUCTIONS.
A. Respondents should direct all questions to:
Taylor Harrell
Cascade County DES
3800 Ulm North Frontage Rd
Great Falls, MT 59404
Email: descascade@cascadecountymt.gov
B. Respondents are to only direct questions in writing to the contact listed above.
No contact is to be made with the Board of Commissioners.
IX. DISCLAIMERS.
A. Cascade County reserves the right to reject all proposals, to negotiate individually
with the proposers, and to select a respondent based upon the best interests of
Cascade County, which best interests may be based exclusively upon pricing.
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Request for Proposals for Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) Facilitation
Cascade County, Montana
B. Cascade County reserves the right to withdraw the RFP at any time at its sole
discretion. Further, Cascade County reserves the right to amend the RFP to
correct errors or oversights, or to supply additional information as shall become
available, at any time prior to the opening of responsive submissions.
C. Cascade County reserves the right to eliminate any mandatory, non-material
specifications or requirements that cannot be met by any of the prospective
respondents.
D. Cascade County reserves the right to request and require clarification at any time
during the procurement process and/or require correction of mathematical or
other apparent errors and/or to determine a respondent's compliance with the
requirements of the RFP.
E. This RFP does not commit Cascade County to the award of a contract, nor to pay
any cost incurred in the preparation, submission or presentation of proposals in
anticipation of a contract. Cascade County reserves the right to reject all
proposals, portions of proposals or subconsultants/team members, to further
modify the scope of work and/or negotiate further with respect to the proposal
or to select the firm which in Cascade County's sole judgment provides the best
overall proposal with respect to qualifications, experience, financial proposal and
staffing abilities.
F. Nothing in this RFP shall constitute or be construed to create a partnership or joint
venture between Cascade County, its officers, employees, agents,
representatives, successors, or assignees and the Respondent, its officers,
employees, agents, representatives, successors, or assignees. Neither
Respondent nor Respondent's employees shall be deemed to be employees of
Cascade County.
Cascade County Commission Disaster and Emergency Services
_________________________ __________________________
James L. Larson, Chairman Taylor Harrell, Coordinator
Published: March 20, 2026.
END OF RFP
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