Brownfields Assessment Program- Request for Proposals- Qualified Environmental Professional Services

CITY OF BELFAST, MAINEFISCAL YEAR 2025 UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCYBROWNFIELDS ASSESSMENT PROGRAMREQUEST FOR PROPOSALSQUALIFIED ENVIRONMENTAL PROFESSIONAL SERVICESSUBMISSION DEADLINE: 3:00PM LOCAL TIME, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6TH, 20251. PURPOSE OF THIS REQUESTIn May of 2025, the City of Belfast was selected for a cooperative agreement in the amount of $500,000 from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) in their Fiscal Year 2025 Brownfields Assessment Program competition.The City of Belfast will utilize this USEPA Brownfields Assessment funding to continue to implement and improve its existing comprehensive community-wide Brownfields Assessment Program, with an emphasis on an identified target area (the combination of Census Block Groups 230270430001, 230270430002, 230270430003, and 230270430004).Cooperative agreement funding will be used to cover the costs of activities at or in direct support of brownfield sites, as defined under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 §101(39).  The City of Belfast now seeks a firm to serve as the Qualified Environmental Professional (QEP) to perform specific activities under this cooperative agreement. It is anticipated that this QEP will work collaboratively with the following entities and individuals: 1) the Project Team, comprised of USEPA personnel, Maine Department of Environmental Protection (MEDEP) personnel, and the City of Belfast’s Economic Development Director, who functions as the Project Manager and who carries out the overall coordination of the cooperative agreement; 2) other personnel from/working for the City of Belfast, including, but not limited to the Director of Code and Planning, the Deputy Economic Development Director, the Code Enforcement Officer, the City Planner, the Facilities Manager, the BEL TV (Belfast Government Television) and Belfast Community Television Station Manager, and the City Attorney; and 3) members of the City of Belfast’s already-established Brownfields Selection Committee. Finally, additional technical assistance and oversight will be provided through the MEDEP Voluntary Response Action Program.The period of performance for this cooperative agreement is July 1st, 2025 to September 30th, 2029 (including pre-award). This cooperative agreement contains all financial resources to be used for this project.2. SCOPE OF SERVICES REQUIREDThe following is the scope of services that the firm chosen as the QEP will be required to perform. Some of these services will be performed exclusively/entirely by the QEP, while others will be performed in conjunction with other individuals and/or entities:Task 1: Cooperative Agreement Oversight ActivitiesSpecific subtasks to be performed by the QEP (whether exclusively or in conjunction with other individuals and/or entities) under Task 1 include: 2.1.1: assisting the Project Manager and a working group (comprised of some or all of the membership of the Brownfields Selection Committee, and/or City of Belfast personnel) regarding the procurement of other, non-QEP professional services, including, but not limited to: Planning Professionals; and Historians/Certified Archaeologists;2.1.2: assisting the Project Manager and the Brownfields Selection Committee regarding their review, and if needed, updating of the program’s site selection procedures, including: its site selection process; its site selection criteria; and/or its site application form; and2.1.3: reporting, including: preparing, reviewing, and submitting quarterly reports to the Assessment, Cleanup and Redevelopment Exchange System (ACRES); preparing, reviewing, and submitting additional site information to ACRES; preparing, reviewing, and submitting Standard Form-425 Federal Financial Reports; and preparing, reviewing, and submitting Final Report and Cooperative Agreement Closeout materials.Task 2: Community Outreach and Engagement ActivitiesSpecific subtasks to be performed by the QEP (whether exclusively/entirely or in conjunction with other individuals and/or entities) under Task 2 include: 2.2.1: updating the program’s existing community outreach and engagement deliverables, including: its frequently-asked questions; its informational brochure; and reviewing program information for a portion of the City of Belfast’s website;2.2.2: providing individual confidential responses to questions and/or concerns posed by residents, current property owners, prospective property purchasers, and/or prospective developers; and 2.2.3: developing new community outreach and engagement deliverables for the program, including, but not limited to: developing a television segment with Belfast Community Television; developing and hosting a public informational meeting; participating in (at least 2) informational meetings of area real estate professionals, banking professionals, and/or other brownfield-aligned groups; reviewing information for the City of Belfast’s and for local community partners’ Facebook posts; and reviewing information to be distributed in the City of Belfast’s and local community partners’ e-newsletters and e-mails.Task 3: Inventory, Phase I Environmental Site Assessment, and Phase II Environmental Site Assessment ActivitiesSpecific subtasks to be performed by the QEP (whether exclusively/entirely or in conjunction with other individuals and/or entities) under Task 3 include: 2.3.1: updating the program’s existing inventory of potential brownfields, including, but not limited to: conducting windshield surveys; soliciting community members for potential brownfields; and researching records related to the community’s industrial/economic history; 2.3.2: preparing for Phase I Environmental Site Assessments (both for initial assessments and for assessment updates, and for related eligible activities, including but not limited to surveys), including: obtaining or confirming eligibility determinations from the USEPA; obtaining or confirming petroleum eligibility determinations from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (MEDEP); obtaining access agreements from current property owners; assisting the Brownfields Selection Committee in reviewing and deciding upon site applications; and securing qualified subcontractors to perform related eligible activities;2.3.3: conducting Phase I Environmental Site Assessment activities (both for initial assessments and for assessment updates, and for related eligible activities, including but not limited to surveys), including: performing the assessments (and/or secured qualified subcontractors performing related eligible activities); submitting draft assessment reports to the Project Team (comprised of the Project Manager, USEPA personnel, and MEDEP personnel); receiving comments on the draft assessment reports from the Project Team; finalizing and submitting assessment reports; and discussing final assessment report findings and possible next steps with current property owners, prospective property purchasers, and/or prospective property developers; 2.3.4: preparing for Phase II Environmental Site Assessments (both for initial assessments and for supplemental assessments; and for related eligible activities, including but not limited to hazardous building materials inventories and structural engineering analyses), including: assisting the Brownfields Selection Committee regarding reviewing and deciding upon requests from current property owners, prospective property purchasers, and/or prospective property developers to conduct assessments; submitting USEPA-approved Generic Quality Assurance Project Plans with updated organizational charts; submitting draft Site-Specific Quality Assurance Project Plans (SSQAPPs) to the Project Team for review and comments; receiving comments on draft SSQAPPs from the Project Team; obtaining approvals for SSQAPPs from the USEPA and the MEDEP; finalizing and submitting EPA and the MEDEP; and securing qualified subcontractors to perform related eligible activities; and2.3.5: conducting Phase II Environmental Site Assessment activities (both for initial assessments and for supplemental assessments; and for related eligible activities, including but not limited to hazardous building materials inventories and structural engineering analyses), including: performing the assessments (and/or secured qualified subcontractors performing related eligible activities); submitting draft assessment reports to the Project Team; receiving comments on the draft assessment reports from the Project Team; finalizing and submitting assessment reports; and discussing final assessment report findings and possible next steps with current property owners, prospective property purchasers, and/or prospective property developers.Task 4: Cleanup, Site Reuse/Redevelopment, and Area-Wide Planning ActivitiesSpecific subtasks to be performed by the QEP (whether exclusively/entirely or in conjunction with other individuals and/or entities) under Task 4 include: 2.4.1: conducting Analysis of Brownfields Cleanup Alternatives (ABCA)/Remedial Action Plan (RAP) activities, including: assisting the Brownfields Selection Committee to review and decide upon requests from current property owners, prospective property purchasers, and/or prospective property developers to conduct ABCAs/RAPs; performing the ABCAs/RAPs; submitting draft ABCAs/RAPs to the Project Team; receiving comments on the draft ABCAs/RAPs from the Project Team; finalizing and submitting ABCAs/RAPs; and discussing final ABCA/RAP findings and possible next steps with current property owners, prospective property purchasers, and/or prospective property developers; 2.4.2.: potentially providing eligible assistance to cleanups of City-owned brownfield properties occurring concurrently with this grant’s period of this grant’s performance, including: preparing Community Involvement Plans; implementing 30-day public comment periods for draft ABCAs; holding public meetings (1 initial combined public meeting immediately prior to implementation of the 30-day comment period for draft ABCAs for both brownfield properties, and 1 public meeting for each brownfield property near the completion of their respective cleanups, which will likely be 2 separate public meetings, but could be 1 combined public meeting, depending on each brownfield property’s cleanup timetable/progress); preparing Decision Documents, which summarize/include the results of the public meetings’ comments and attendances, the 30-day public comment periods, responses to relevant comments, selections of final cleanup remedy(ies), and any changes to the final cleanup plans, as needed; finalizing ABCAs; enrolling brownfield properties into Maine Department of Environmental Protection Voluntary Response Action Program (MEDEP VRAP); assisting USEPA project officer in collecting information and determining if Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act is applicable and which mitigation measures are required, if any; preparing remedial design plans, engineering documents, and specifications (bidding/estimating documents; which will also consider implementation of resilient and greener cleanup activities), and preparing cleanup budgets; preparing Site-Specific Quality Assurance Project Plans (SSQAPPs) for confirmatory sampling and Health and Safety Plans (HASPs); obtaining relevant City permits; holding kickoff meetings with USEPA and MEDEP; conducting pre-procurement meetings with potential contractors; sending bidding/estimating documents directly to qualified contractors; overseeing bid opening/receiving of estimates; and recommending contractor(s) to select;2.4.3: site reuse/redevelopment planning activities for individual brownfields, including: assisting professionals in their creation of planning activity documents eligible under a USEPA Brownfield Assessment Grant, which include brownfields revitalization plans, community health assessments, economic impact analyses, equitable development activities, evaluations of market viability, fiscal impact analyses, infrastructure evaluations, land reuse assessments, market studies, resilient brownfields planning, resource roadmaps, site disposition strategies, site reuse assessments, and site reuse visions (the final planning activity document may reflect portions or the entirety of more than one of USEPA’s eligible planning activities);2.4.4: site reuse/redevelopment planning activities for areas encompassing more than a single brownfield (area-wide planning), including: assisting professionals in their creation of planning activity documents eligible under a USEPA Brownfield Assessment Grant, which include brownfields area-wide planning, brownfields revitalization plans, community health assessments, economic impact analyses, equitable development activities, evaluations of market viability, fiscal impact analyses, infrastructure evaluations, land reuse assessments, market studies, resilient brownfields planning, resource roadmaps, site disposition strategies, site reuse assessments, and site reuse visions (the final planning activity document may reflect portions or the entirety of more than one of USEPA’s eligible planning activities); and2.4.5: enrolling brownfields into MEDEP VRAP.3. PROPOSAL FORMAT, EVALUATION FACTORSInterested firms are instructed to follow the format by providing a cover letter and responding to each of the five evaluation factors (3.1-3.5) listed below; the percentage weight for each evaluation factor follows. Proposals that do not follow this format or do not contain the requested information may be considered unresponsive proposals and will not be considered by the City of Belfast. The maximum length for a proposal is 60 digital pages; this limit applies to the entirety of the proposal, whether it is the cover letter, responses to the evaluation factors, appendices, tables, resumes, any other supporting documents, covers, or divider sheets. Any pages that are in excess of the 60 will be removed from the proposal and will not be reviewed or considered. While the City of Belfast is not requiring any minimum or maximum font size, spacing, or margins, firms are strongly encouraged to consider readability when preparing their proposal. The maximum file size for the proposal is 15 Megabytes; this is to ensure successful emailing of the proposal. A file that is larger than this size will be rejected and will not be reviewed or considered.Cover Letter (this is only a threshold evaluation factor and does not contribute to a firm’s proposals score): the firm’s proposal shall be preceded by a cover letter expressing the firm’s interest in working with City of Belfast personnel, the Brownfields Selection Committee, USEPA representatives, MEDEP representatives, and other potential stakeholders. The firm shall affirm that they and all subconsultants used in this project will: 1) meet all requirements of the USEPA Brownfields Program; 2) meet all requirements of the cooperative agreement; and 3) not be found to be debarred or suspended or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in Federal assistance programs, unless an exception has been obtained from the USEPA under Title 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations, §180.135. This letter should be on the firm’s letterhead and signed by an officer of the firm authorized to bind the firm to all commitments made in the proposal and shall include the name, e-mail address, and phone number of the person(s) to contact who will be authorized to represent the firm.3.1: Experience (this evaluation factor is worth 30% of a firm’s proposal score): the firm will provide a list of any of its projects that include the addressing of contaminated properties, and which have been either completed since January 1st, 2018 or which are currently underway/in progress. For each project listed, the firm shall include the following information: project start and end dates; current status of project; outputs, outcomes, and results from the project; services performed; and the name of the client and their contact information (for reference verification purposes). 3.2: Project Approach (this evaluation factor is worth 15% of a firm’s proposal score): the firm will describe the approach to be taken toward completion of each of the 4 tasks outlined above in the scope of services requested and an explanation of any proposed variations to the proposed work program. In this response section the firm will separately address each of the 4 major tasks listed above under Scope of Services Required. 3.3: Cost of Services (this evaluation factor is worth 25% of a firm’s proposal score): the firm will provide a budget for each of the 4 tasks in table form, which will include the estimated number of hours spent by each employee and their hourly rates, and the estimated number of hours spent by each subcontractor and their fees. The firm will also provide these costs in this same format for each of the standard deliverables under this program (Phase I ESA, Phase II ESA, ABCA, and RAP). The firm will also include a schedule of other costs (personnel and other categories) that would be expected to be relevant to this cooperative agreement during its period of performance. The City of Belfast’s order of preference with respect to changes in costs of services during the cooperative agreement’s period of performance is: 1 - highest preference) no changes to any costs of services during the cooperative agreement’s period of performance; 2) changes to costs of services occurring during the cooperative agreement’s period of performance but any changes are clearly defined in the proposal (e.g. a fixed rate increase after a specified period of time); and 3 - lowest preference) changes to costs of services occurring during the cooperative agreement’s period of performance but changes are not clearly defined in the proposal. No contracts shall be awarded wherein the fee is stated as a percentage of the project cost.3.4: Personnel (this evaluation factor is worth 20% of a firm’s proposal score): the firm will identify any and all staff that would be anticipated to be involved to any significant degree in the implementation of this cooperative agreement during its period of performance and describe their expertise. The firm will also provide background information for any subcontractors expected to be used in the implementation of this cooperative agreement during its period of performance. 3.5: Capacity (This evaluation factor is worth 10% of a firm’s proposal score): the firm will identify and state its current project workload (for projects involving the addressing of contaminated properties and for other projects) and its capacity to undertake additional projects. Also, the firm will demonstrate that it possesses sufficient insurance coverage in place for the anticipated scope of services, and that it also possesses sufficient financial capacity to successfully and efficiently complete projects. 4. QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS REQUESTAny and all questions regarding this request must be emailed to For security reasons, you must enable JavaScript to view this E-mail address. such that they are received by 10:00am local time on Wednesday, July 23rd, 2025 in order to be answered. The City of Belfast will provide confirmation of successful receipt of a question to the sender via email. All questions submitted by this deadline will be answered and posted only on the City of Belfast’s website at www.cityofbelfast.org/qep-assessment by 10:00am local time on Friday, July 25th, 2025. Answers to questions will not be emailed to firms.5. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS AND DEADLINEFirms who wish to have their proposals considered must follow these submission requirements:5.1: the firm will submit their proposal as a single file in Adobe Portable Document Format (pdf) that is PC-compatible, which does not exceed 60 digital pages in length, and which does not exceed 15 Megabytes in file size; 5.2: the firm will email their proposal such that it is received by 3:00pm local time on Wednesday, August 6th, 2025 at the following email address: For security reasons, you must enable JavaScript to view this E-mail address.. The City of Belfast will provide confirmation of successful receipt of the proposal, and that it also meets the requirements for file format, compatibility, length, and file size, back to the sender via email; and5.3: all submissions will become the property of the City of Belfast and no materials will be returned. The City of Belfast reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals, and further reserves the right to waive any defect or informality in any proposal, should it be in the best interest of the City of Belfast. While the cost of a firm’s services is an evaluation factor, the City of Belfast is not required to select the lowest-cost firm. The City of Belfast is not liable for any costs incurred by firms prior to the issuance of a contract, including any costs incurred in responding to this request. It is expressly understood and agreed that the submission of a proposal does not require or obligate the City of Belfast to pursue an agreement or a contract with any firm.6. EVALUATION PROCESS AND CONTRACTING6.1: following the receipt of the proposals, the cooperative agreement’s Project Manager and a working group (comprised of some or all of the membership of the Brownfields Selection Committee and/or City of Belfast personnel) shall evaluate the proposals and recommend a firm to hire as the QEP to the Belfast City Council. This proposal evaluation group, at its discretion, may decide to conduct in-person interviews of one or more firms prior to providing a recommendation to the Belfast City Council; firms are asked to keep the time period of 10:00am to 3:00pm on Tuesday, August 26th, 2025 available, in the event that they are selected to be interviewed. Final authority to hire a firm as the QEP and authorization to execute a contract with that firm rests exclusively with the Belfast City Council; it is anticipated that the Belfast City Council will do this either at their regularly scheduled meeting of Tuesday, August 19th, 2025 (if interviews are not conducted) or Tuesday, September 2nd, 2025 (if interviews are conducted). The hired QEP is expected to begin work swiftly after this approval is granted by the Belfast City Council; and6.2: the resulting contract will be for this Fiscal Year 2025 Brownfields Assessment Program cooperative agreement’s period of performance (July 1st, 2025 to September 30th, 2029, including pre-award). The City of Belfast may amend or extend the contract beyond this period of performance to accommodate the terms and conditions of this Fiscal Year 2025 Brownfields Assessment Program’s cooperative agreement and/or future USEPA cooperative agreements awarded to the City of Belfast within this same period, provided a market survey conducted by the City of Belfast indicates that the prices that the QEP proposes are reasonable.7. SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONFirms considering responding to this request may find the following documents and information to be helpful and informative, in preparation of a proposal and for an interview, if selected:7.1: original cooperative agreement project narrative attachment form (application)(This above document, along with the Request for Proposals itself, are available for download here at www.cityofbelfast.org/qep-assessment (see under “Related Documents”) or may be requested to be e-mailed by contacting Thomas Kittredge, Economic Development Director, City of Belfast, via e-mail at For security reasons, you must enable JavaScript to view this E-mail address..)