County of Greene, New York
Request for Qualifications (RFQ)
Professional Consultant Services

Background and Description:

The County of Greene is seeking proposals to establish a roster of qualified consultants to provide assistance to the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Planning (GCEDTP) and other County Departments as may be designated. The GCEDTP is a multi-disciplinary economic development, tourism and planning agency that implements a wide variety of programs and activities for community and economic development, capital facility development, engineering, architecture, construction management, planning, transportation, information technology, and communications and media and grant writing.

GCEDTP administers the Economic Development Program for Greene County through a sub-recipient agreement with the Greene County Economic Development Corporation for services, including but not limited to: Revolving Loan Fund (Quantum Fund; Business Retention and Expansion; Community Development Block Grant Program; Microenterprise Assistance Program; Main Street Revitalization; and the Buy in Greene/Invest In Greene Business Attraction Campaign. GCEDTP also administers the Planning Program and Communications and Media Services, including but not limited to: Planning Projects; Capital Facility Development and Construction Management; Information Technology Services; Greene County Transit; and Communications and Multi-Media Services for Greene County.

GCEDTP is now accepting proposals from qualified firms in the multi-disciplinary areas of: planning, engineering, architecture, construction management, surveying, community development, economic development, environmental services, information technology, communications and media services.

Project Scope:

Under the direction of the Department of Economic Development, Tourism & Planning the consultant(s) will assist the county with one or more of the following services and may respond to one or more of the following categories:

• Preparation of grants in accordance with specified requirements of various public agencies, including but not limited to: Community Development Block Grant Program administered through the NYS Office of Community Renewal; US Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration; US Department of Agriculture, Rural Development; NYS Department of State; NYS Hudson Valley Greenway; NYS Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; NYS Department of Environmental Conservation; NYS Department of Transportation; NYS Empire State Development; Capital Region Economic Development Council; and 
• Program Delivery and Administration for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program, Microenterprise Assistance Program (MAP), Greene County Revolving Loan Program (Quantum Fund), including performing loan packaging, commercial credit analysis, loan origination and underwriting, loan portfolio management, and commercial credit activities; technical assistance for CDBG competitive and direct grants; and other CDBG related services as necessary; and
• General Promotion of Industry and Community and Economic Development Services, which may also include, but not be limited to such projects as: downtown and community development, business development, strategic planning, fiscal impact analysis, feasibility or market studies, and grant writing services; and
• Planning Services, which may include, but not be limited to such projects as: land use and project plans, affordable housing projects, public transportation, broadband, cellular and radio communications, public facilities, infrastructure, non-motorized transportation planning, and grant writing services; and
• Engineering and Architectural Services, which may include, but not be limited to such projects as: site design, renderings, engineered drawings, construction and bid document preparation, land surveying, and site and project analysis and estimating. Generally, engineering and architectural services in support of capital facilities, planning and economic development projects (Many engineering firms also maintain a planning division, engineering firms responding to this RFP for potential engineering projects, shall also indicate if they are responding in more than one category); and
• Construction Management Services, which may include, but not be limited to professional construction management services that provides Greene County with effective management of capital facility construction with oversight of schedule, cost, quality, safety, scope and function. CMs are required to with the owner, architect, general contractor, and other stakeholders to determine the best possible sequence of construction operations and develop a detailed schedule and budget, while also establishing plans for project safety and security and helping the owner manage risk. This requires using project management information systems (PMISs) and complex planning techniques, like critical path method, as well as knowledge of construction methods;
• Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code (Uniform Code) and State Energy Conservation Construction Code (Energy Code) Administration Services, which may include, but not be limited to professional administration, application and enforcement services for the county’s building and energy code projects and applications contained within Title 19 of the New York Codes, Rules and Regulations (19 NYCRR). Additional aspects of 19 NYCRR related to the Uniform Code and Energy Code including administration and enforcement of the code, variance procedures, training standards, etc. on behalf of Greene County. The State of New York is currently responsible for the administration and enforcement of the Uniform Code and Energy Code with respect to county owned buildings, premises and equipment in custody of the county. Greene County is evaluating the development and implementation for direct enforcement of the Uniform and Energy Codes by the county and administering the code through contract with a licensed NYS Code Enforcement Official; and
• Information Technology Services, which may include but not be limited to such projects and services as (industry research, network design, camera and wireless surveillance; procurement of goods and services; state audit reporting; risk and security assessment; and consulting support for the County’s Information Technology Department); and
• Environmental Services for Site Assessments and Archeological Surveys, which may include, but not be limited to such projects as: Phase 1 environmental site assessments to identify recognized environmental conditions (REC’s) in accordance with ASTM D-1527; Phase 2 ESA’s, including Brownfield Opportunity Assessments, in accordance with ASTM E1903-97 (2002), as amended. Environmental Services for Archeological Surveys, including Phase I: Reconnaissance, Phase II: Site Evaluation, and Phase III: Data Recovery. (Firms shall indicate if they are responding for Environmental Services for REC’s, or Archeological Surveys, or both); and
• Land Surveying, to include the preparation of legal boundaries, maps and metes and bounds descriptions; and
• Communication and Media Services for the Department’s “Buy In Greene/Invest In Greene” business and consumer programs, including management of Greene County Economic Development Corporation and Department of Economic Development and Planning website(s), press releases, digital paid and social media campaigns. The selected entity shall act as the County’s Agency of Record (AOR) for these economic development and planning services; and
• Communications and Media Services for the County’s Greene Government public information platform, including management of the County’s website(s), press releases, digital paid and social media campaigns, and other special reports and projects as needed. The selected entity shall act as the County’s Agency of Record (AOR) for these government communications services.

It is anticipated that GCEDTP will enter into contracts with one or more consultants. GCEDTP typically releases Requests for Qualifications in three year intervals to establish a roster of consulting firms which it may select from to perform said consultant services. All assignments shall be on an as needed basis, and the scope and fee associated with each assignment will be based on an approved contract remuneration schedule during the contract period. The GCEDTP is currently under contract with an Agency of Record (AOR) for tourism services (public relations, marketing, and communications) which is not part of this RFQ.

Form of Proposal:

Three copies of the following shall be provided:

• Letter of Proposal indicating the consultant’s interest;
• Consultant Services Contact Form providing the name and contact information of the consultant;
• Consultant Services Response Form specifying the categories in which the consultant is proposing to provide services;
• Brief Description of the firm’s qualifications, principals, number of employees, and areas of particular expertise;
• A List of Clients and Relevant Projects;
• A Remuneration Schedule showing hourly rates for project team members and any other supplemental expenses typically incurred for the described services, which will become the fee schedule for the contract period. Contracts will be for a three year period with yearly updates to the remuneration schedule affording changes in yearly rates;
• NYS Vendor Certification(s), as applicable, on the NYS Contract System for any vendor that is certified as a Minority or Women-Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) or Service Disabled Veteran Owned Business Enterprise. If applicable, provide the Vendor DBA, Certification Types, and Certification numbers;
• Incorporation Form;
• Debarment Form

Download Forms

Consultant Selection:

Staff of the Department of Economic Development, Tourism & Planning will review consultant proposals. Greene County may conduct interviews with one or more respondents. The Greene County Legislature will authorize the GCEDTP to enter into contracts with one or more consulting firms. All respondents will be notified of the selection as soon as possible after the submission deadline.

Special Conditions:

• The selection of a consultant shall not guarantee any minimum amount of services under the contract;
• Greene County reserves the right to reject any or all proposals; to negotiate any elements of a proposal; to conduct interviews at its sole discretion; and to solicit and/or select contractors outside of the scope of this RFQ;
• Greene County assumes no responsibility or liability for costs incurred by respondents to this RFQ, including any requests for additional information, interviews, or negotiations; and
• All applicable State and Federal rules and regulations must be adhered to by the consultant including stipulations on equal opportunity employment, affirmative action, nondiscrimination, civil rights, Americans with disabilities, and record keeping.
• Greene County anticipates that this RFQ will meet its needs for consultants to complete the aforementioned professional services, and is conducting this process in accordance with the procurement rules and procedures established and known at the time of the release of this RFQ. Contract language with the successful consultant (s) shall include the appropriate State and Federal language regarding the provision of services to the County.
• Greene County, in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and 78 Stat. 252, 42 USC 2000d-d4 and Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, Department of Transportation, Subtitle A, Office of the Secretary, part 21, Nondiscrimination in federally assisted programs of the Department of Transportation issued pursuant to such Act, herby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively ensure that any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, minority business enterprises will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, sex or national origin in consideration for an award.
• Greene County requires its consultants working on New York State funded projects (when applicable) to meet any employment and business goals imposed on grant awards through Executive Law 15-A for the State’s Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprise contracting program (MWBE). Greene County also requires its consultants working on New York State funded projects to meet any employment and business goals imposed on grant awards (when applicable)through Executive Article 17-B for participation by Service Disabled Veteran Owned Businesses. Certified Minority and/or Women Owned Business Enterprises as well as Service Disabled Veteran Owned Businesses are encouraged to respond to the RFQ.
• Submissions in response to this RFQ shall be considered public documents and, with limited exceptions, all submissions will be available for inspection and copying by the public. If a firm considers any portion of its proposal to be protected under the Freedom of Information Law governing access to public documents pursuant to Article 6 of the Public Officers Law, the firm shall identify each such portion as Confidential, Proprietary, or Business Secret. If a request is made for non-disclosure, Greene County will determine whether the material should be made available under the law. If the material is not exempt from public disclosure law, the County will notify the firm of the request and allow the firm five days to take whatever action it deems necessary to protect its interests. If the firm fails or neglects to take whatever action within said period, the County will release portions of the submission deemed subject to disclosure. By making a submission, the firm assents to the procedure outlined in this paragraph and shall have no claim against Greene County on account of actions taken under such procedure.

Evaluation Criteria:

Greene County shall contract at its sole discretion with the most qualified firm(s), based on the evaluation of the following criteria:

• Relevance of previous experience;
• Prior experience with the County of Greene and/or comparable experience working with municipalities and local agencies, and business entities;
• Prior experience working with State or Federal agencies, especially: US Department of Housing and Urban Development, US Department of Agriculture, NYS Office of Community Renewal, NYS Department of State; NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, NYS Department of Transportation, and NYS Empire State Development;
• Demonstrated capacity to complete assignments and manage complex projects;
• Established track record for successful client grant awards;
• Minority and/or women owned business enterprise or service disabled veteran business certification (if applicable); and
• Cost effectiveness of proposed remuneration schedule.

Release Date:

October 22, 2021

Deadline for Submission

Proposals are due no later than 4:00 p.m. on November 19, 2021, and shall be directed to Warren Hart, Deputy County Administrator, Greene County Department of Economic Development, Tourism & Planning, 411 Main Street, Suite 419, Catskill, New York 12414. Inquiries may be addressed to business@discovergreene.com, (518) 719-3290.