Technical Assessment, Design, and Engagement Support For: Heat Resilience Strategies for the City of Boston

EV00008498

Contact Information

Alex Mireku

617-635-2515

Alex.Mireku@boston.gov

The City of Boston, acting through the Environment Department, is seeking a qualified consultant or team of consultants to provide technical, policy, land use and infrastructure, and stakeholder engagement support in the development of a citywide heat resilience plan. 

The Heat Resilience Plan (“the Plan”) will be an essential next step in preparing for projected increases in extreme heat.  The plan will build on existing heat preparedness work, concurrent and recent regional planning efforts, and will be coordinated with Boston’s overall planning and development initiatives including Imagine Boston 2030. The Plan will identify a clear set of strategies from specific infrastructure and land use solutions and measures to strengthen policies and programs needed to reduce urban heat and heat risk.

The purpose of this plan is to prepare the City of Boston for extreme heat in the coming decades and will focus initially on environmental justice communities who are most at risk in the context of increasing temperatures in Boston. Grounding this planning process in racial equity and social justice by investing in an equitable community-driven process and recognizing the history of racism in Boston is critical to the development and success of the Plan.  Alongside the City, consultants are expected to apply a racial justice and social equity lens throughout the process. The selected consultant will support a transparent and co-creative planning process that recognizes and supports priority populations that have been historically underinvested in and disproportionately vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.   

The City of Boston (the City), acting by its Commissioner of the Environment Department (the Official), invites sealed bids for the performance of the work generally described above and particularly outlined in the RFP which may be obtained at Boston City Hall, One City Hall Plaza, Room 709, Boston, MA 02201 or via the City of Boston Vendor Portal (boston.gov/procurement; search for Event EV00008498), commencing at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time (ET) on November 2, 2020.   The RFP shall remain available until the time of the bid opening. Every response shall be submitted in accordance with the instructions provided in the RFP. All Responses must be delivered no later than 4:00 p.m. (ET) on December 4, 2020, at Boston City Hall, Environment Department, One City Hall Plaza, Room 709, Boston, MA 02201, or via the City of Boston Vendor Portal. Responses delivered by the 4:00 p.m. (ET) December 4, 2020 deadline for submission will be publicly opened by the Official or his designee immediately thereafter at Boston City Hall, Room 709. 

The attention of all bidders is directed to the provisions of the RFP and contract documents, specifically to the requirements for bid deposits, insurance, and performance bonds as may be applicable. A performance bond equal in amount to the amount of the contract shall be required from the successful vendor. The award of any contract shall be subject to the approval of the Mayor of the City of Boston. The maximum time for bid acceptance by the City after the opening of bids shall be ninety (90) days.

The City and the Official reserve the right to reject any or all bids, or any item or times thereof. 

The City of Boston affirmatively ensures that Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE), Small Local Business Enterprise (SLBE), Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), Women Business Enterprise (WBE), and Veteran-Owned Small Business Enterprise (VOSBE) firms shall be afforded full opportunity to submit qualifications in response to this and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, gender, transgender status, political affiliation, age, sexual orientation, or religion in any consideration leading to the award of contract. No qualified disabled person shall, on the basis of disability, be excluded from participating in, be denied the benefits of, or otherwise subjected to discrimination in any consideration leading to the award of contract. 

Carl Spector, Commissioner of Environment