The Orange County IDA (OCIDA) was recently awarded a $500,000 Brownfield Assessment Grant from the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
This grant funding will be used to characterize, assess, and conduct cleanup planning and community involvement related activities for brownfield sites in Orange County, NY. Via the Request for Proposals (RFP), found below.
OCIDA is seeking proposals from Qualified Environmental Professionals (QEPs) to provide environmental and engineering consulting services in execution of this grant.
This document is available for download below.
Please note that the deadline for proposal submission is February 28, 2025.
If you have any questions or have trouble downloading this document, please call the OCIDA at (845) 234-4192.
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Following is a summary of all questions formally asked about this RFP, with OCIDA’s responses:
Q1. What is the size of the EPA Grant?
A1. This is a $500,000 EPA Assessment Grant.
Q2. How many separate sites (projects) are expected to be completed under this grant?
A2. It is unknown at this time how many sites will be analyzed.
Q3. What is the estimated duration or completion date of the proposed contract?
A3. The term for this EPA grant is three years. We expect the term of the contract to be 3 years or less, however that is dependent upon the availability of sites, site access and other factors.
Q4. The Project Description and Scope of Work in the RFP references “two (2) planning documents to initiate brownfields revitalization.” The Deliverables” section of the RFP references “Site Specific Reuse Plans” and “Brownfield Revitalization Plans.” Could you provide a more detailed description of the expected scope and deliverables related to these items? Will the “Resource Roadmaps” be included in one of the initiatives described above?
A4. Deliverables will depend upon the sites selected for review. The expectation is that the QEP will draft Brownfield Revitalization Plans for selected brownfield sites which will include Resource Roadmaps and other planning components outlined by the EPA Revitalization Ready Guide.
Q5. Could you provide more detail on the expected scope of work related to how the consultant team will support the OCIDA’s public outreach efforts? Is the expectation that OCIDA will lead public outreach efforts (meetings, workshops, open houses, surveys, events, etc.) and the consultant team will provide support as needed (drafting, exhibit preparation, etc.)? Or is the expectation that the consultant team will lead public outreach efforts?
A5. The OCIDA expects to conduct the public outreach with one or more of our local strategic partners, however the expectation is for the QEP to support these efforts with technical information.
Q6. Did OCIDA write its original grant proposal? If not, who did?
A6. The OCIDA managed the drafting and compiling of the original proposal submitted to the EPA.
Q7. Is a copy of the original grant application available for review?
A7. There are numerous components of the OCIDA’s original EPA grant proposal, however, what we believe is most relevant for your purposes is our prescribed Workplan, which is available for download below:
Download OCIDA’s EPA 2024 Assessment Workplan here
Q8. What prior experience does OCIDA have with brownfield redevelopment, either grant-funded or not?
A8. The OCIDA has no prior experience with brownfield redevelopment.
Q9. Can you please provide the standards and conditions or a template of the OCIDA’s contract with the selected QEP?
A9. When a QEP is selected, we will provide the term of the OCIDA services contract.
Q10. Can the same firm submit and win contracts for the QEP and Project Management RFPs?
A10. We are seeking a separate firm/individual for Project Manager than we are for QEP, so the response is no.
Q11. Can a list of the Sites, addresses and their approximate size be provided to assist in scoping? If the Sites cannot be provided, can the approximate Site of the Sites be released? Knowing the acreage ranges for the prospective Sites would help determine scoping for the Phase IIs.
A11. We do not know the number or size of the prospective sites to be assessed at this time. At this point we are not expecting cost estimates for Phase II’s as that would be impractical. Rather, please provide your staff billing rates, subcontractor administration fees/markup percentages and any travel costs, per the RFP.
Q12. Does OCIDA own these properties or is evaluating them for purchase?
A12. The OCIDA does not own these properties. It is possible the agency will consider one or more parcels for purchase, however that is not the focus of this grant.
Q13. Will OCIDA be developing these properties or working with a JV partner to develop them?
A13. The OCIDA will not necessarily participate in the redevelopment of any sites that are assessed, although that may be a possibility.
Q14. Will there be an opportunity to bid on the Environmental Services work following identification of the brownfield site?
A14. The intent of this RFP is to identify and select a QEP to provide environmental services. If you are referring to remediation, it is possible that, once sites are analyzed, there may be additional opportunities to perform remediation services under subsequent grants.
Q15. Can it be confirmed if there is a sign-up or registration portal associated with this RFP?
A15. There is no sign-up or registration portal associated with this RFP.
Q16. Can you please confirm that hard copies are not required, that you will accept an emailed PDF of the proposal?
A16. As explained on page 7 of the RFP document, responses may be submitted to the OCIDA via email or hard copy.
