Lower Big Sioux Wetland Mitigation Credit Availability and Cost

The South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT) is soliciting proposals under RFP #26RFP21009 to purchase wetland mitigation credits to satisfy requirements established by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) under the Clean Water Act Section 404 and EO11990 for the Federal Highway Administration. The primary objective is to acquire 48,362 wetland credits for the South Veteran’s Parkway (Project # NH-EM-TA 0100(107)411, PCN 01VA) and other projects within the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program. The SDDOT seeks credits from a USACE-permitted commercial mitigation bank or an In-Lieu-Fee (ILF) program, with a strong preference for credits located within the Lower Big Sioux Geographical Service Area. This procurement is a competitive negotiation process where awards are based on subjective judgment of technical competence, resources, past performance, and cost per credit. The successful offeror must maintain commercial general liability insurance of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence. Upon payment, which is governed by SDCL ch. 5-26 and contingent upon legislative appropriations, the contractor must provide a Bill of Sale and notifications of acceptance from both the USACE and FHWA. Proposals must be submitted in a specific tabbed format, including an executive summary and a cost proposal evaluated independently from the technical narrative, and must be delivered as an original and three physical copies along with an electronic version on a flash drive.