Town of Gorham Water Quality and Flood Resiliency Strategic Plan

PROPOSAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engineering Services for the Town of Gorham Water Quality and Flood Resiliency Strategic Plan

NOTE: This entire document must be submitted when quoting. Do not detach any pages.

The Town of Gorham, New York requests sealed proposals for engineering services for the Town of Gorham Water Quality and Flood Resiliency Strategic Plan for a portion of the Town of Gorham that drains directly into Canandaigua Lake - approximately 12,000 acres.

All proposals must be submitted on the attached Proposal Form and include the Non-Collusive Certificate as well as all other data requested on the Proposal Form.

The proposal notice shall be part of the specifications.

No proposals may be withdrawn after proposal opening. All proposals shall be in effect up to forty-five (45) days after proposal opening.

The Town reserves the right to waive any informalities or accept or reject any or all proposals or options that it deems to best serve the needs of the Town of Gorham.

AWARDING CRITERIA

While the purpose of the specifications is to indicate certain minimum requirements, its use is not intended to relieve the Town of all responsibility in making a selection which is the most suitable for the Town’s service.

Although proposals may be received based on the minimum requirements indicated, it is not intended that this alone shall limit the award but other factors may be considered, including the experience of the Town and others.

In making any award the Town will evaluate the proposals received, considering such factors as listed below, as well as other factors, which are considered pertinent:
a. Costs aligned with NYS grant and local matching funds ($125,000)
b. Compliance with Proposal Specifications.
c. Satisfactory completion of past similar projects
d. Qualifications and experience of individuals assigned to the project
e. Timeframe for completion

QUESTIONS OR CLARIFICATIONS

All requests for information (RFI) regarding the specifications shall be submitted in writing to Kevin Olvany, Watershed Program Manager, 205 Saltonstall Street, Canandaigua, NY or emailed to klo@canandaiguanewyork.gov. Answers to all questions will be provided by addendum to all RFP holders. The last date for RFIs to be received will be December 4, 2025.

During the proposal process, and prior to proposal submittal is the time to request any clarifications, as the Town reserves the right to reject any proposals that do not meet specifications because questions were not asked.

REJECTION OF PROPOSALS

The Town of Gorham reserves the right to reject any and all proposals if the best interest of the Town will be served by such action.

MINORITY AND WOMEN OWNED BUSINESS GOALS

This project has funding from New York State Department of State and has a goal of 30% or $33,750 of the cost from Minority and Women Owned Business. Please describe how you are able to achieve the MWBE goal.

COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS

The Contractor shall at all times observe and comply with all laws, ordinances, and regulations of the Federal, State, and Local Government, which may in any manner affect the preparation of proposals or the performance of this Contract.

TAX

The Town of Gorham is exempt from paying Manufacturer’s Excise, Floor or Sales Tax and for that reason; the Bid Price shall not include any tax on the items specified. The Town of Gorham will furnish a signed exemption form covering the tax, if any, applying to the item or items covered by these specifications, as may be required by law.

SCOPE OF WORK

The Town of Gorham, in partnership with the Canandaigua Lake Watershed Council, is requesting proposals for engineering services to complete the Town of Gorham Water Quality and Flood Resiliency Strategic Plan for the area of the Town that drains to Canandaigua Lake (see map). In recent years, high intensity storms have brought numerous damaging floods, with multiple floods in 2023 and 2024, causing repetitive damage to roads and homes, severe erosion on agricultural fields, and significant bacteria, nutrient and sediment loading to Canandaigua Lake that closes beaches, impacts the water supply and fuels harmful algae blooms. Significant topography, long term development patterns that do not have any stormwater management, agricultural land use, and historic loss of wetlands/natural storage areas all make the Town susceptible to these high intensity storms.

The Town of Gorham seeks to rebuild resiliency against the impacts of high intensity storms through a strategic plan that utilizes a comprehensive, nature-based approach. These nature-based solutions help to regain some of the ecosystem services lost in the Town and rebuild watershed resiliency. The focus of the strategic plan is to reduce pollutant loading to Canandaigua Lake through a wide breadth of projects, along with reducing flooding. Specifically, the strategic plan will include:

•Hydrology modeling to further understand the peak flow rates over a variety of storms, including high intensity storms,
•Developing a list of potential water quality/flood resiliency projects
•Where appropriate, evaluating projects for their effectiveness at reducing pollutant loading and peak flow rates,
•Prioritizing projects based on feasibility, pollutant load reduction, willingness of private landowners, potential costs, and public support.
•A subset of up to 10 of the highest priority projects will be developed into preliminary designs (up to 30%) with cost estimates and water quality and runoff volume calculations to make these projects ready for future grant-funding applications for implementation.

This strategic plan will be prepared with funding provided by the New York State Department of State under Title 11 of the Environmental Protection Fund.

SCOPE OF SERVICES
1.General hydrologic modeling on the 55+ subbasins that drain to Canandaigua Lake for a basic understanding of peak flow rates

A general understanding of peak flow rates will illustrate the magnitude of flow capable for different precipitation scenarios and will be used to evaluate potential water quality/flood resiliency projects identified in Tasks 2 and 3. The Watershed Council has already mapped the 55+ subbasins that drain to the lake. The vast majority of the subbasins (~45) are less than 200 acres, where a more generalized approach, such as the rational method, should be used to determine peak flows. Three of the larger subbasins already have detailed hydrologic modeling. Seven larger subbasins will require a more detailed method (TR-55, HydroCAD, GeoHEC-HMS, or something similar), with the goal of a baseline understanding of peak flow rates.

To complete this task, the contractor will work with the Watershed Council to obtain available precipitation data, land use data, and soils data that are necessary to complete peak flow rates. The contractor will then determine peak flow rates for current precipitation conditions, high intensity storm events (2-3 inches in an hour, which is becoming very common in our area), and a climate change scenario (10% increase). The Watershed Council has digitally mapped the 55+ drainage areas in the Town, using aerial imagery, LiDAR and many field visits. Detailed land cover, soils data, aerial imagery and 1-ft LiDAR contours are available for the entire drainage area.
Products: peak flow rates for 55+ drainage systems under the 3 scenarios, technical report summarizing methods and results (to be used as part of Task 4 below)
Costs for Task 1 shall not exceed 50% of the proposed cost. The priority is development of conceptual and preliminary designs for effective projects.

2. Identify and prioritize nature-based water quality/flood resiliency project areas

Nature-based water quality/flood resiliency projects slow water movement through the watershed to filter out pollutants and decrease downstream peak flows. The Watershed Council has identified numerous potential areas for nature-based water quality/flood resiliency project areas. The contractor will work in conjunction with the Watershed Council to evaluate 15 of these potential sites and identify additional potential project sites throughout the 55 drainage systems to benefit water quality. Techniques will include both small and large water quality and flood resiliency project areas, green infrastructure/land cover practices, edge of field practices (such as Water and Sediment Control Basins or buffers), and any other practices deemed appropriate by the engineering consultant. The Watershed Council has successfully completed numerous nature-based projects throughout the watershed, which can act as examples. The Watershed Council and Town will provide technical input based on water quality data and field work during storm events.

Once potential project sites area identified, the engineering consultant will develop conceptual designs, including maps depicting the existing conditions (aerial imagery, drainage features, drainage area to project site) and the proposed project area.

The contractor will work with the Watershed Council, and the Town to select the highest priority projects for further development. Where appropriate, the hydrologic model/peak flow calculations will be used to complete an alternative analysis to assess the effectiveness of potential projects for pollutant load and peak flow reductions. Prioritization will be based on effectiveness of the project, cost efficiency, and private landowner willingness.

Products: conceptual designs, list of the highest priority projects

3.Develop preliminary designs for up to 10 projects

The engineering consultant will develop preliminary designs and associated products for up to 10 projects to make these projects ready for grant applications, including maps of existing conditions, preliminary design (up to 30%), itemized cost estimates, and water quality volume and runoff reduction volume calculations. The sites for preliminary design will be selected in consultation with the Town and Watershed Council. Draft designs will be provided to the Watershed Council, Town, and NYS DOS for their review and input at least 2 weeks prior to the end of the comment period.

Products:
For each high priority project area:
-Preliminary design (up to 30%)
-Itemized cost estimate
-Water quality volume and runoff reduction volume calculations

4. Creation of a strategic plan

The selected consultant will prepare a strategic plan that compiles the results from Tasks 1–3. The plan will incorporate public input, as well as feedback from the Town of Gorham, the Canandaigua Lake Watershed Council, and New York State Department of State. The strategic plan shall be provided to the project partners for review at least two weeks prior to the due date for comments. Comments must be addressed to the satisfaction of the project partners in subsequent revisions of the products.

Products: draft and final strategic plan

PROPOSED FEE
The NYS grant funding and local matching funds total $125,000.00. The proposed fee will include all efforts necessary to provide the required scope of work detailed above, and the following specific items:
•Project kick off meeting with the Town, NYSDOS and the Watershed Program Manager
•Site visits and field work required to complete each task, as detailed above
•Meetings with the Town, NYSDOS and Watershed Program Manager to discuss draft products
•A minimum of 2 revisions to the strategic plan, incorporating comments from the Town, Watershed Council, NYS DOS, and the public
•Presentation at 2 public information meetings (meetings will be organized/facilitated by the Town and Watershed Council; however, the consultant is expected to present results at meetings)

Proposal must include, but is not limited to, the following:
•Description of approach to complete each task
•Description of experience on similar projects
•Description of qualifications of team members to work on this project
•Proposed communication with the Town
•Schedule to complete milestones
•Budget, including technical and administrative costs
•Method to achieve Minority and Women Owned Business Goals

SCHEDULE
•Release Date – October 30, 2025
•Questions Due – December 4, 2025
•Proposals Due / Bid Opening – December 10, 2025 at 1:00 pm at the Town of Gorham Town Hall
•Anticipated Contract Award – December 17, 2025
•Substantial Completion – June 15, 2026

TOWN OF GORHAM
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/MINORITY AND WOMEN-OWNED
BUSINESS ENTERPRISE POLICY STATEMENT

The Town of Gorham has been and will continue to be an equal opportunity organization. No Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) employee or applicant for employment will be discriminated against because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, sexual preference or Vietnam Era Veteran status. We will take affirmative action to ensure that MWBEs, applicants and employees are treated without regard to these characteristics. To carry out our policy, the Town of Gorham will:

1. Include minority and women-owned businesses in our solicitations;
2. Recruit, hire, train, place and promote persons for all jobs without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, sexual preference or Vietnam Era Veteran status;
3. Take affirmative steps to ensure that MWBEs have full participation in our procurement process; and
4. Administer other personnel functions, such as compensation, benefits, transfers, layoffs, returns from layoffs, and company-sponsored training, education, tuition assistance and social and recreation programs without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, sexual preference or Vietnam Era Veteran status.

The Town of Gorham will periodically analyze its procurement and personnel actions to ensure compliance with this policy.

Town of Gorham is an equal opportunity provider, and employer. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 7206382 (TDD).