Flood Technical Assistance Services

Location:	Indiana
Posted:	Mar 20, 2026
Due:	Apr 16, 2026
Agency:	City of Indianapolis and Marion County
Type of Government:	State & Local
Category:	R - Professional, Administrative and Management Support Services
Solicitation No:	RFQual-1ABNS-2026-3
Publication URL:	To access bid details, please log in.

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City of Indianapolis and Marion County

Request for Qualifications

Estimated Release Date Thursday, March 19, 2026

Request for

Qualifications Reference

Number

Request for

Qualifications Title

Agency

Agency Contact

RFQual-1ABNS-2026-3

DBNS Flood Technical Assistance Services RFQual

Department of Business and Neighborhood Services

Jacob W. Miller, CFO

Tel: (317) 327-2143

Email: jacob.miller@indy.gov

Questions & Answers

Request for

Qualifications Electronic

Submittal Deadline

• The deadline to submit written questions is 12:00PM local

(Eastern) time on Thursday, April 2, 2026.

o All questions must be submitted in writing to

Jacob.Miller@Indy.Gov.

o There will be no response to questions that are not

submitted in writing by the deadline.

• Written responses, if any, will be provided by City via

addendum posted to: https://www.indy.gov/activity/opportunities-

to-become-a-vendor-for-bns no later than 12:00PM local (Eastern)

time on Friday, April 10, 2026.

• Only questions submitted in writing will be addressed via

addendum. Only responses via addendum shall be considered

official.

• Thursday, April 16, 2026 at 12:00PM noon Local Time (Eastern)

• Delivery by email only to jacob.miller@indy.gov

• Submissions received after the response deadline will not be

accepted. No exceptions.

Electronic Submissions Only

DBNS Flood Technical Assistance Services RFQual

RFQual-1ABNS-2026-3

City of Indianapolis Request for Qualifications

DBNS Flood Technical Assistance Services

Questions pertaining to the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) documents may be directed to

Jacob Miller, Chief Financial Officer, by email to jacob.miller@indy.gov, no later than Thursday, April 2, 2026 by

12:00PM Noon Local Time (Eastern).

NOTE: Any related addenda to this RFQ, including written answers to questions, will be posted

on the DBNS website https://www.indy.gov/activity/opportunities-to-become-a-vendor-for-bns as

well as the Purchasing Division’s official website at www.indy.gov/purch under the appropriate

project heading. Addenda will NOT be sent directly to vendors. Vendors will be responsible for

periodically checking this website for any related addenda up to and including the due date.

Vendors should print out, sign, and return written acknowledgement(s) with their RFQ. Failure to

sign and return the addenda may cause a response to be determined as non- responsive for

review purposes.

The City of Indianapolis and Marion County by and through the Department of Business and Neighborhood

Services is seeking Request for Qualifications (RFQ) submittals in regard to the contents herein. The City is

looking for a qualified consultant to provide technical plan review, site assessment, and other as-needed

engineering services.

1. General Information

The Division of Construction and Business Services within the Department of Business and Neighborhood

Services (DBNS) is looking for a qualified firm to provide design review of construction and development proposals,

site assessment/inspection, and engineering services as needed related to development and management activities

occurring within the Special Flood Hazard Area on behalf of the City of Indianapolis.

Due to the regulatory and technical expertise required to ensure that development within the floodplain meets federal,

state, and local regulatory requirements, the City is seeking partners with demonstrated experience in floodplain

management and compliance to provide technical support and engineering services (both at the desk and in the field)

in relation to the City’s floodplain management and compliance assurance program. Partner(s) will be responsible for

design review, site assessment, and as-needed engineering services on the City’s behalf for projects and properties

within the Special Flood Hazard Area in Indianapolis, and will coordinate closely with the floodplain program manager

and administrator of stormwater and infrastructure.

This is a qualifications-based selection; submission of qualifications does not guarantee selection or award of work. It

serves only as a notice of interest and proposal of potential approaches. Pricing will not be requested as part of the

Statement of Qualifications.

2. Background

Program Background

DBNS is the permitting and inspection authority for construction projects in the City of Indianapolis. The Division of

Construction and Business Services within the Department also holds regulatory responsibility for floodplain

management for the City of Indianapolis, as well as the excluded cities within Marion County (Speedway, Beech

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Grove, Southport, and Lawrence) in order to ensure compliance with National Flood Insurance Program participation

requirements. The City utilizes both staff and vendors to complete permitting and inspection processes. The

floodplain team includes eight (8) in-house staff members, who – along with contracted technical review staff – are

responsible for managing approximately 500 cases per year. The primary function of the vendor is to provide

technical plan review, site assessment, and other technical support in order to ensure that life and property are

protected from flood hazard when the City permits development within the floodplain, and to ensure that the City

continues to comply with the requirements of the National Flood Insurance Program so that residents of Indianapolis

are able to secure flood insurance.

Upon assignment of a project, the vendor(s) are responsible for reviewing project plans, evaluating compliance with

regulation and technical specifications, coordinating with City staff, and providing real-time project updates via

electronic communication and DBNS’ case management system.

DBNS has made significant investments in the City’s floodplain management program for the past several years, and

the scope of work described within this RFQ is a continuation of that investment in improving compliance, increasing

citizen access to resources, and making floodplain regulations and compliance clearer, more efficient, and easier to

navigate. The City welcomes innovative approaches to working with consultants in this RFQ, and – because of the

unique local expertise required for flood regulation - is particularly interested in models of work that allow for close

collaboration between internal staff and the consultant, such as staff augmentation.

Program Objectives

The goal of floodplain management activities is to ensure that development in the floodplain/special flood hazard area

considers and addresses potential risks to life and property that may be created as a result of development within the

floodplain, and to ensure that the City appropriately enforces regulatory requirements that are a condition of the City’s

participation in the National Flood Insurance Program. It also provides a means of documenting development within

the floodplain for emergency management and natural resource management purposes.

3. Anticipated Scope of Work

Consultant will be responsible for performing technical design review, conducting site assessments, and providing

technical services in relation to floodplain management activities. More specifically, this includes:

▪ Serving as a subject matter expert on state and federal regulatory compliance standards

▪ Performing technical review on floodplain development permit plans and letter of map change

submittals in order to assess for compliance with local, state, and federal standards

▪ Researching information and reviewing plans, project narratives, technical reports, calculations,

historical context, and other supporting documentation

▪ Assessing proposed development plans in relation to the site, nearby environmental resources, and

surrounding development

▪ Preparing requests for information, notices of review, comment letters, and staff reports in relation to

plan review and compliance documentation

▪ Conducting inspections/site assessments in order to determine compliance with elevation

requirements, compensatory storage requirements, floodproofing requirements, and design standards

▪ Conducting inspections/site assessments to assess damage from flood events

▪ Reviewing elevation and floodproofing certificates provided by permittees and property owners for

compliance with federal standards.

▪ Providing surveying services sufficient to generate elevation and floodproofing certificates and

determine as-built conditions of compensatory storage

▪ Producing elevation certificates and floodproofing certificates

▪ Providing limited surveying services to document high water marks after flood events

▪ Coordinating with DBNS internal staff and other City departments

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▪ Communicating and liaising with permit applicants/other stakeholders

▪ Utilizing electronic software and communications systems, including case management software, to

perform the above tasks

▪ Providing technical consultation and project management support to the City in relation to assigned

projects, including attending meetings with permittees and internal coordination meetings

▪ Offering consultation and coordination in relation to potential violations on a project, providing

statements of professional opinion in relation to enforcement and compliance proceedings, and

supplying related permitting and compliance support when requested by the City.

The scope of review, assessment and consultation includes:

▪ Applicable City of Indianapolis ordinances and regulations (565, 742-203)

▪ Applicable state law and regulation, including state and federal permitting for work within the floodway

or impacting waterways and floodworks (this includes the Indiana Flood Control Act, the Flood Disaster

Protection Act, and the Clean Water Act)

▪ Applicable National Flood Insurance Program requirements as outlined in 44 CFR 60 and 12 CFR Part

614 Subpart S

▪ Applicable FEMA technical bulletins

▪ Other state and federal code and regulation applicable to the scope of the project and within the

practice scope of the consultant

Responses should address a respondent’s experience with the anticipated scope of work, ways in which the

respondent has performed similar services for other clients in the past, and propose models of work for how such

a working partnership could be structured. The City is particularly interested in assessing options that utilize staff

augmentation models.

Cost information should be assembled in a separate Cost Proposal document, to be provided to the Department

of Business and Neighborhood Services upon request only after qualification is determined. Any vendor

submission of compensation/costs without the request of the Department will cause your submittal to be rejected.

4. Submission Requirements

All submittals must include the following:

4.1. Cover Letter

▪ Organization name, contact name, address, phone number, and email address. The cover letter

should document the organization’s capacity and intent to proceed without delay if selected for

this work.

4.2. Qualifications Criteria

▪ General Information – Responses to this portion should total no more than five (5) pages.

•

Description of the organization & team.

•

Organizational chart with names and titles.

•

Special certificates and/or licenses held by the organization.

▪ Team Experience and Qualifications – Responses to this portion should total no more than five (5)

pages.

•

Detail each team member’s role on this project.

•

Firms must have at least one licensed professional engineer on staff.

•

Firms must have a minimum of two appropriately qualified staff to perform the services

selected.

•

Firms must have 1-3 years’ experience providing services similar to those detailed in

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this RFQ.

•

Degree in engineering is required for all plan reviewers and preferred for all individuals

who will perform site assessments.

•

Firms with staff expertise that includes both civil engineering and structural engineering

or architecture are preferred.

•

Firms with in-house surveying teams and/or licensed surveyors are preferred.

•

Teams with Certified Floodplain Managers are preferred.

•

Firms with office and staff local to the Central Indiana region are preferred.

4.3. Relevant Organizational Experience

▪ An outline of experience in performing similar services for each service (as described in the

Anticipated Scope of Work) your firm wishes to provide. NOTE: A statement of interest is not

required for each service. Responses to this portion should total no more than five (5) pages.

• The outline should include examples that demonstrate the firm’s relevant experience

and qualifications.

▪ Provide the firm’s proposed approach to the Anticipated Scope of Work, as described in Section

3, including but not limited to the staffing structure (traditional third-party vendor engagement, on-

site staff augmentation, etc.,), and the number of staff available to achieve the scope. Responses

to this portion should total no more than five (5) pages.

• Proposals may include multiple options for approach. If selected to proceed to the

interview stage of the procurement process, firms will be expected to provide cost

estimates for all proposed staffing structures.

▪ Three (3) business references; preference will be given to references where similarly requested

services were performed. Do not include references that are currently employed by City.

References should be formatted as follows:

• Name:

• Title:

• Address:

• Phone Number:

• Email Address:

• Brief description of the services performed:

▪ If applicable, please provide a list of lawsuits that your company has been a party to as related to

the types of services provided in this RFQ. For each lawsuit, please provide a brief description of

the facts at issue as well as the resulting outcome.

4.4. MBE/WBE/VBE/DOBE (“XBE”) participation form or waiver

It is the policy of the City that Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs), Women Business Enterprises

(WBEs), Veteran Business Enterprises (VBEs), and Disability-Owned Business Enterprises (DOBEs)

shall have the maximum feasible opportunity to participate in the performance of

contracts. Consequently, the City, through Article IV, Section 202-401 of the revised municipal code &

The Consolidated City of Indianapolis and Marion County MBE/WBE/VBE/DOBE Business Utilization

Plan in Indianapolis, has established MBE participation goals of 15%, WBE participation goals of 8%,

VBE participation goals of 3%, and DOBE participation goals of 1% for its dollars spent on public

works, goods, and services.

In order to help accomplish this goal, the City is requesting that you include with your submittal

information regarding your status as an MBE, WBE, VBE, or DOBE. Additionally, please include

contact information for any MBE, WBE, VBE, or DOBE owned Vendors directly participating in your

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This is the opportunity summary page. It provides an overview of this opportunity and a preview of the attached documentation.

Flood Technical Assistance Services

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See also