2028 Hazard Mitigation Plan Consultant

Request for Qualifications with Price Proposal

RFQ/P #: 47-013

For the provision of

2028 Hazard Mitigation Plan Consultant

Hall County, Georgia (herein “County”), a municipal entity of the State of Georgia, Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, located at 2875 Browns Bridge Road, Gainesville, GA 30504, is seeking qualified Contractors to provide consulting services for the 2028 Hazard Mitigation Plan (herein “Services”).

Schedule of Events:

Bid Post Date: Wednesday, August 12 ^th , 2026

Pre-Bid Meeting: N/A

Bidder’s Questions Due Date: Thursday, August 20 ^th , 2026

Response to Bidder Questions Due: Thursday, August 27 ^th , 2026

Bid Due Date: Thursday, September 3 ^rd , 2026, by 2:00PM EST

Bidding Process: Hall County is now accepting sealed bids from qualified Contractors (herein “Bidder” or “Contractor”) for the Services in the County’s Purchasing Division on the fourth (4 ^th ) floor of the Hall County Government Center, located at 2875 Browns Bridge Road, Gainesville, GA 30504 until 2:00pm EST on Thursday, September 3 ^rd , 2026. All bid packets must be sealed and be time and date stamped by the Hall County receptionist located on the 4 ^th floor to be considered.

General Qualifications: Bidders must be in the regular business of providing similar Services. Bidders must be licensed, insured, and bonded in the State of Georgia.

Term: The contract term will begin from the issuance of a Notice to Proceed until substantial completion and final approval by the County’s project manager listed herein.

Questions: All communications must be directed solely to Mike Hawkins, Issuing Officer at For security reasons, you must enable JavaScript to view this E-mail address. for questions or clarifications of the RFQ/P requirements.

Addenda: If needed and in the best interest of the County, the Purchasing Division may make an extension of the bidding period by a formal written addendum and publicly posted on the County’s website. All addenda must be signed by the Bidder and returned with the bid packet.

Proposal Documents: Bidders may obtain all submittal documents at no cost via the County’s Website at https://www.hallcounty.org/Bids.aspx , then click the link for 2028 Hazard Mitigation Plan Consultant and download all required documents under “Related Documents”. Any addenda will also be posted in this same area. Bidders are responsible for checking the County’s website for addenda.

Bid Response: The County considers a bid response as an irrevocable offer, valid for a period of one hundred and twenty (120) days from submission. The County reserves the right to reject all proposals, in full or part, and to negotiate fees, conditions, or other terms with the Bidder(s) submitting the overall best scored proposal. The County reserves the right to cancel this RFQ/P in its entirety if in the best interest of the County. The County may waive nonmaterial irregularities, informalities, and errors and may seek clarification of such.

Cost Proposals: Bidder’s cost shall be fixed and firm for the contract term.

Public Reading: Bid openings are open to the public and to Bidders. Bidders are not required to attend but may do so. The Issuing Officer named herein, or another Purchasing team member, will open and publicly read all Bidder’s company names, their locations, and proposed costs on the date, time, and at the address above. Cost will not be read at this time.

Request for Clarification: The County reserves the right to request clarification or additional information provided by any Bidder. The County may also request in-person or virtual presentations, interviews, and may choose to enter into negotiations with potential Bidders as needed.

Bid Retention: Bidders may not withdraw their bid after the bid opening. Bids must be valid for one hundred twenty (120) calendar days. All forms, documents, and exhibits attached hereto must be completed and returned with the bid. The County reserves the right to retain all proposals submitted and use any idea(s) in a proposal regardless of contract award or not. The County shall have the right to waive any informality or irregularity of immaterial deviation, omissions and clerical errors in any bid received.

Legally Binding Agreement: The County and the awarded Bidder shall enter into a formal agreement; substantially in the form of the attached Exhibit B – Contract for Services. Contracts are only valid if they are signed by the County’s Chairman of the Board of Commissioners, or his/her designee, and the awarded Bidder. Bidders must sign the Exhibit B – Contract for Services and submit it with their bid responses. All questions regarding the contract, redlines, and exceptions must be submitted in writing to the Issuing Officer prior to the Bidders’ Questions Due Date listed above. If there are no written objections or exceptions, then the County will understand this as an affirmative acceptance of the Scope of Work as it is presented.

BID EVALUATION

Evaluation and Selection: The County will evaluate all submittals in accordance with the Official Code of Hall County, Georgia 3.10, and as further detailed herein. The County will evaluate proposals using a two-step process: The first is the “Technical Qualifications Proposal” that outlines the bidding firm’s qualifications, experience, and its approach to deliver the services. The second is the “Cost Proposal”, whereby the evaluation committee will evaluate the proposed cost for the Services to determine the best value for the County.

Award Process: The County reserves the right to reject any or all bids, in whole or part, or to select any Bidder, without liability on part of the County to the Bidder, to complete the described work. The County intends to award the contract to one (1) company deemed to be the most responsible and responsive Bidder to perform all the work described herein. The County will make an award based on lowest cost, approach, references, qualifications, prior work history for the County (whether as a prime contractor or as a subcontractor), and other subjective criteria as the County may deem necessary and determine at its sole discretion. Lead times and length of time to complete the work may also be a factor in award.

Technical Qualifications Evaluation: Bidders must answer all scored questions found on Exhibit G – Scored Questions, which are weighted and will be scored by the County’s evaluation committee. The County’s evaluation committee will score and assign point values to the answers. The total maximum points are set at 1,000. The County has assigned a 70/30 split for scoring points; seven hundred (700) points (70%) available for Technical Qualifications, and three hundred (300) points (30%) available for the cost proposal. The Bidder with the highest total point score closest to 1,000 will be the apparent contract award winner.

Unanswered questions will earn a 0-point score. The Bidder’s response should limit answers directly to the questions asked. Each answer will be scored on a scale of twenty-five (25) percentage points as shown:

Excellent = 100%

Good = 75%

Adequate = 50%

Marginal = 25%

Poor = 0%

In addition to the space provided on Exhibit G – Scored Questions, Bidders may expand their answers to the questions onto separate pages if needed with the question repeated at the top of each page. Bidders may input “see attached” in the space provided next to each question.

Responses to the questions should be clear and concise. Where appropriate, Bidders should show statistical information in a tabular chart format and textual information in bullet point format. Summarize key points at the beginning of each answer. All quantitative material should include complete assumptions and be supported by detailed schedules evidencing all calculations and results.

Provide one-sided documents only. Do not include superfluous marketing brochures or unnecessary promotional materials. These will not be evaluated. Address each specific question with direct, detailed answers.

BIDDER RESPONSE

Technical Qualifications: Bidders must provide a total of four (4) hard paper copies of their technical qualifications: one (1) marked “Original” and three (3) marked “Copy”. Submit all four (4) hard paper copies in a sealed envelope(s) separate from the Cost Proposal.

Cost Proposal

Bidders are to also submit one (1) hard paper copy of their Exhibit C – Cost Proposal Worksheet.

Electronic signatures on bid documents are acceptable; however, hard copies of the bid response are required, as stated above.

Combined Digital Response

Bidders must provide their responses on one (1) USB drive with two (2) folders therein: one (1) entitled “Technical Qualifications Response” and one (1) entitled “Cost Proposal”. Do not include the cost proposal in the technical qualifications folder.

Cost Evaluation: This solicitation is heavily focused on a Bidder’s qualifications, experience, and capabilities. Therefore, award may not be made solely based on the lowest cost bid. Cost will be given more importance when all other evaluation criteria are relatively equal.

Cost is not the only consideration for award. If, in the County’s sole discretion, qualifications between two (2) or more Bidders are equal, then the County may make an award to the lowest cost Bidder among them. The County will evaluate cost as presented on Exhibit C – Cost Proposal Worksheet. Any and all fees should be detailed in the response.

Validation: Hall County requires that Bidders provide a cover letter with a signature by an officer of the firm with the submittal to ensure its originality.

Mandatory Documents: Bidders must complete and return all forms, documents, and exhibits attached herein with their bid proposals. Failure to do so may deem the proposal non-responsive and the County may not evaluate it for award.

Non-Collusion Requirement (Cone-of-Silence): Bidders must not have contact of any nature with other Bidders, County staff members (except for the Issuing Officer), elected officials, nor County Commissioners during the RFQ/P evaluation process. The County may deem such as collusion, thus rendering the submission in violation of the Official Code of Hall County, and therefore the County may deem the proposal as non-responsible and not evaluate the proposal for an award.

By submitting a proposal, the Bidder represents and warrants that no official or employee of Hall County Government has, in any manner, an interest, directly or indirectly, in the proposal or in the contract which may be made under it, or in any expected profits to arise there from.

County Consultants: From time to time, the County may select an outside consultant at its own discretion who will act under the direction of County’s Project Manager. The consultant will have full authority to act on behalf of the County; however, the consultant may not solicit goods and services on behalf of the County without prior written approval from the County. Contractors MUST follow all specification sections prepared by the County’s consultant, and Contractors MUST allow the consultant to inspect the work.

Taxes: The County is exempt from State of Georgia Local Sales and Use Tax. The Bidder understands and acknowledges that it is responsible for any sales and use taxes it may incur. The Bidder will not charge or invoice the County any sales and use tax as a separate line item. The Contractor may request a copy of the County’s Georgia Sales and Use Tax Exemption Certificate.

Bonds: A bid bond is not required; however, all Bidders must include in their bid submissions a letter of bondability. The County will only accept surety companies licensed to do business in the State of Georgia. The awarded Bidder must produce a performance and payment bond that are both equal to 100% of the face value of the awarded amount. Performance and payment bonds must be received by the County before a Notice to Proceed is issued.

Federal Suspension and Debarment Compliance: This procurement is funded in whole or in part by federal grant funds. In accordance with 2 CFR 200.214 and 2 CFR Part 180, the County is prohibited from awarding contracts to parties that are debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in Federal assistance programs.

By submitting a proposal in response to this RFQ/P, the Respondent certifies to the best of its knowledge and belief that neither it, its principals, nor its sub-contractors are presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from entering into covered transactions by any Federal department or agency. Respondents must complete, sign, and return the attached Debarment and Suspension Certification Form with their proposal. Failure to submit this certification shall render the proposal non-responsive.

Table of Contents

1.0       INTRODUCTION

2.0       STATEMENT OF NEED

3.0       GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

4.0       SCOPE OF WORK

5.0       SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS

6.0       RFQ/P RESPONSE PREPARATION

7.0       SELECTION PROCESS

8.0       STEPS TO AWARD

9.0       EXHIBITS AND ATTACHMENTS

1.0INTRODUCTION

The County desires to award one (1) company for the Services described herein and is soliciting sealed bids for this Request for Qualifications with Price Proposal (herein “RFQ/P”) for the Services. Bidders must be in the regular business of consulting services

2.0       STATEMENT OF NEED

The County expects the awarded Bidder to be prompt, attentive, and able to perform the work in a timely and scheduled manner and with all personnel, including subcontractors, to be professional in approach and uniform in production.

In case of default by the awarded Bidder, the County reserves the right to move on to the next highest scoring Bidder to complete the Services.

3.0       GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

1. The County reserves the right to conduct any review it may deem advisable to assure services conform to the specifications.
2. Bidders, including all officers, must not be, or have been, debarred by any Federal, State, or Local authority.
3. Bidders must not be, or have been, in any legal suit for negligence, willful misconduct, fraud, theft, or any other malpractice.
4. Bidders must be legally able to conduct business in the State of Georgia.
5. Bidders must not have abandoned a project or an engagement or otherwise been terminated for non-performance or subpar performance.
6. Bidders must not be under an enforcement action for related investigation pending by a professional or regulatory group or legal entity.

4.0       SCOPE OF WORK

The County will update its existing multi-jurisdictional Pre-disaster Mitigation Plan according to the requirements of the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000. This Scope of Work was designed in conformance to FEMA Plan Guidance requirements.

The County agrees to have representatives attend and participate in all GEMA/HS and local level mitigation planning meetings and workshops. The County will coordinate as needed with the GEMA/HS representative to utilize the tools necessary and to ensure that the plan meets the most current Federal regulations. Each county will be required to complete the following: Critical Facility Inventory and basic mapping will be established in the Georgia Mitigation Information System, including running reports by jurisdiction for each identified hazard; GEMA/HS Worksheets 3A for each participating jurisdiction for each identified hazard; high level detail for all mitigation action steps as required by FEMA and GEMA/HS; ensure all “recommended revisions” from their previous FEMA Plan review are addressed in the plan update.

Additionally, the County will ensure the plan update is consistent with the most current requirements from FEMA, including:

? Identify all changes to the plan within each section

? Update the Planning Process

List jurisdictions participating in the plan that seek approval.

Describe the process used to review and analyze each section of plan, as well as process used to determine if a section warranted an update.

? Improve the risk assessment

Address any newly identified hazards that pose a more significant threat than was apparent when previously approved plan was prepared.

Discuss new occurrences of hazard events and update the probability of future occurrences.

Incorporate new information where data deficiencies were identified in the previous plan, or if the data deficiencies remain unresolved, explain why they remain unresolved and include a schedule to resolve the issue.

Include current inventory of existing and proposed buildings, infrastructure, and critical facilities in hazard areas, including existing NFIP repetitive loss structures. The community will determine how far into the future they wish to go in considering proposed buildings and Critical Facilities based on and timed with data gathering phase of their comprehensive plan or land use plan update.

The loss estimate should be updated to reflect any changes to the hazard profile and/or the inventory of structures.  Any changes to analysis methodologies must be noted. Any previously noted data deficiencies should be updated or explained.

Include a general overview of land uses and types of development occurring within the community and highlight any new and/or relevant information.

If there are changes in the risk assessment or the vulnerability of the community to the hazards, the information must be attributed to the appropriate jurisdiction(s) or to the whole planning area, whichever applies.

Continue to use all available tool sets and data as the GMIS is enhanced (for example: repetitive losses…)

? Analyze, update, and continue development of Goals, Objectives, and Action Steps

Use this update as an opportunity for jurisdictions to reconsider the goals and objectives. For goals and actions that remain, the plan must document that they were re-evaluated and deemed valid and effective.

Goals and objectives shall include the community’s strategy for new or continued NFIP participation. Continue to use the “STAPLEE Criteria” (Social, Technical, Administrative, Political, Legal, Economic, and Environmental) or incorporate the STAPLEE Criteria if not previously used to assess the value of and develop an understanding of the cost effectiveness of mitigation action steps. If actions remain unchanged, the updated plan must indicate why changes are not necessary.

Shall include evaluation and prioritization for any new mitigation action steps.

? Update the Plan Maintenance and Implementation

Must include an analysis of whether previously approved plan’s method and schedule for monitoring, evaluating, and updating plan worked, and what elements or processes, if any, were changed; and discuss method and schedule to be used over next five years.

Describe other planning mechanisms or ordinances that this plan will be incorporated into, such as Comprehensive Plans.

? Information Dissemination

Describe how community was kept involved during plan maintenance process over previous five years, within planning process section of plan update.

Plan maintenance section shall describe how community will involve public during plan maintenance process over next five years.

? Adoption and Review

The plan will be submitted for State review and recommendation prior to adoption.

Upon recommendation from GEMA/HS, the county and participating municipalities will adopt the plan.

The adopted plan will be submitted for FEMA review and approval.

5.0       SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS

Bidders submitting proposals must disclose their qualifications for the Services to the County in the format set forth below. Failure to provide the requested information may result in the proposal being deemed non-responsive and therefore eliminated from further consideration.

1. The County requests that Bidders submit proposals addressing all items listed below. Failure to include any of the documents or exhibits attached hereto or any addenda or amendments may result in disqualification. Bidders must submit a total of four (4) hard copies of their bids: one (1) hard copy marked “Original” and three (3) hard copies marked “Copy”. Bidders must also load all documents onto one (1) USB flash drive with the technical response and cost proposal separated into two (2) different file folders on the USB flash drive.
2. Bidders must submit their sealed bid response packages clearly marked with RFQ/P #47-013 - 2028 Hazard Mitigation Plan Consultant on the outside.
3. The awarded Bidder must maintain insurance policies at the Bidder's own expense and must furnish the County with a Certificate of Insurance (COI), providing evidence of coverage at least in the amounts indicated in Exhibit B – Contract for Services. The COI must list County as the certificate holder and as an additional insured under the commercial general, automobile, and umbrella liability policies as follows: “Hall County, Georgia, its Board of Commissioners, officers, employees, servants and agents, 2875 Browns Bridge Rd, Gainesville, GA 30504”.
4. It is mandatory that the following documents be completed and included in the bid response. Include in the bid response package sealed envelopes with the cost proposal in its own separate envelope. Mark one envelope with RFQ/P #47-013 - 2028 Hazard Mitigation Plan Consultant - Technical Qualifications, and enclose these completed exhibits:

Exhibit A – Bid Response Form

Exhibit B – Contract for Services

Exhibit D – W-9 Form

Exhibit E – E-Verify Affidavit

Exhibit F – Ethics Affidavit

Exhibit G – Scored Questions

Any Addenda

Copy of business license

Certificate of Insurance

Copy of professional licenses or certifications

1. In a separate sealed envelope, enclose a completed Exhibit C – Cost Proposal Worksheet and clearly mark RFQ/P #47-013 - 2028 Hazard Mitigation Plan Consultant - Cost Proposal on the outside of the envelope.

Do not enclose the Exhibit C – Cost Proposal Worksheet with the technical responses. This may render your proposal as non-responsible and thus, not evaluated for award.

1. Bidders must submit to the following address. All deliveries must be date and timed stamped by the HCGC 4 ^th Floor Receptionist. The County is not responsible for late bids due to mailing delays.

Hall County Government Center

Attn: Mike Hawkins, Issuing Officer

Purchasing Division – 4 ^th Floor

2875 Browns Bridge Road

Gainesville, Georgia 30504

6.0.      RFQ/P RESPONSE PREPARATION

1. The Bidder bears all responsibility for all expenses incurred in responding to this RFQ/P.
2. The County will not accept joint proposals, unless otherwise noted herein.
3. Cover Letter: Prepare and submit a cover letter addressing general qualifications. Provide the following information: name of proposer(s), name and title of the person(s) who will manage the engagement, physical address, telephone number(s), and email address(es) of proposer(s).
4. Describe the organization of your firm, the location of offices, and the resources that are available to accomplish the work for the County.
5. Of the services listed in the Scope of Work, indicate which one(s), if any, your firm would be unable to provide. If there is another service that your firm could provide instead, please elaborate.

7.0       SELECTION PROCESS

1. The evaluation process will include a pre-selected evaluation committee comprised of Hall County stakeholders and subject matter experts. The committee will evaluate the technical qualifications and price proposals. The highest scoring Bidder(s) may be asked for an interview, further negotiations, demonstrations, or a best and final offer.
2. Each proposal should contain the Exhibit C – Cost Proposal Worksheet in a separate envelope as provided with the RFQ/P document.
3. The evaluation committee will review each proposal with regard to demonstrated breadth of service, experience, financial stability, personnel, rates, references, lead times, and other related criteria.
4. The awarded Bidder will be required to submit evidence of compliance with professional liability insurance coverage requirements, as outlined in the Exhibit B – Contract for Services.
5. Bidders are encouraged to submit clear and concise responses. Excessive length or extraneous information is discouraged. In an effort to ensure the County’s ability to evaluate and choose a successful Bidder, Bidders are encouraged to organize their proposal as follows:

Section 1 – Cover letter and executive summary

Section 2 – Answer all scored questions on Exhibit G

Section 3 – Cost proposals submitted in a separate sealed envelope

1. Bidders must locate and complete all exhibits to this RFQ/P and submit them with the bid. Bidders failing to do so may result in the bid to be non-responsive and thus not evaluated. Bidders are also encouraged to check Hall County’s website for addenda, attachments, and other supplemental documents for this RFQ/P during the bidding period.
2. If unable to reach an agreement with the highest scoring Bidder, the County retains the right to negotiate with the next highest scoring Bidder, and so on until reaching a satisfactory agreement, or the County may terminate the process.
3. The County structured the evaluation process to secure highly competitive bidders who would be most effective in delivering the Services. The primary objective of the evaluation process is to select a firm that:
   1. Clearly demonstrates a thorough understanding of the contract responsibilities; and,
   2. Presents a compelling work plan that yields the desired contract services and deliverables; and,
   3. Shows adequate resources to handle the project; and,
   4. Presents a focused effort to allocate those resources to the project; and,
   5. Demonstrates exceptional value for the cost of services proposed.

8.0       STEPS TO AWARD

The evaluation committee will recommend award of the contract to the highest scoring Bidder. In the unlikely event of a tie, the County may enter into negotiations of terms and conditions. The County will then present to the awarded Bidder a Notice of Award, a Purchase Order, and a Notice to Proceed.

Step 1: The evaluation committee will evaluate the Bidders’ responses according to the criteria described herein, and score and rank the proposals. The County reserves the right to request clarification of information provided and to request additional information needed to assist in the evaluation process.

Step 2: The Purchasing Division will then open the cost proposals, and the evaluation committee will then score the responses. The Purchasing Division will combine these results with the results of the technical qualifications scoring. After this scoring, the Purchasing Division will rank the highest scoring proposers on a bid tabulation summary.

Step 3: The evaluation committee may schedule interviews with the Bidders. All costs associated with the interview (if required) will be at the expense of the proposing Bidder.

Step 4: Based upon the results of the proposals, references, and the interviews, the Purchasing Division, along with the evaluation committee, may negotiate with the Bidder(s) ranked highest in an attempt to reach an agreement. If negotiations with the highest ranked Bidder are unsuccessful, the County may negotiate with the second ranked Bidder, and so on until reaching a satisfactory agreement.

9.0       EXHIBITS AND ATTACHMENTS

Exhibit A – Bid Response Form

Exhibit B – Contract for Services

Exhibit C – Cost Proposal Worksheet

Exhibit D – W-9 Form

Exhibit E – E-Verify Affidavit

Exhibit F – Ethics Affidavit

Exhibit G – Scored Questions