RFQ 2024-020 New England Environmental Finance Center Call for Environmental Consultants

Agency:	University of Maine
State:	Maine
Type of Government:	State & Local
NAICS Category:	541620 - Environmental Consulting Services
Posted Date:	Feb 8, 2024
Due Date:	Feb 23, 2024
Solicitation No:	2024-020
Bid Source:	Please Login to View Page
Contact information:	Please Login to View Page
Bid Documents:	Please Login to View Page

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Administered by University of Maine System

Office of Strategic Procurement

Request for Qualifications (RFQ)

New England Environmental Finance Center

Call for Environmental Consultants

RFQ #2024-020

Issued Date: January 17, 2024

Response Deadline Date/Time: February 23, 2024, 11:59 p.m.

EST

Response Submission Information:

Submitted electronically to UMSResponses@maine.edu

Email Subject Line – GNA: New England Environmental Finance Center

Call for Environmental Consultants – RFQ #2024-020

Response Contact Information:

Strategic Sourcing Manager (SSM): Gregg N. Allen

Email: UMSResponses@maine.edu

Request for Qualifications– New England Environmental Finance Center-Call for Environmental

Consultants

Dated: January 17, 2024

1.1 Definitions, Background, Purpose and Specifications

1.1.1 Definitions

The University of Maine System will hereinafter be referred to as the "University."

Respondents to the document shall be referred to as "Respondent(s)” or

“Respondent”.

The Respondent to whom the Agreement is awarded shall be referred to as the

"Contractor."

The University of Maine System and other components of the University shall be

referred to as “Multi-Institution”.

1.1.2

Background

Overview

Established in 1968, the University of Maine System (UMS) unites six distinctive

public universities, comprising 10 campuses and numerous centers, in the

common purpose of providing quality higher education while delivering on its

traditional tripartite mission of teaching, research, and public service.

A comprehensive public institution of higher education, UMS serves more than

30,000 students annually and is supported by the efforts of more than 2,000 full-

time and part-time faculty, more than 3,000 regular full-time and part-time staff,

and a complement of part-time temporary (adjunct) faculty.

Reaching more than 500,000 people annually through educational and cultural

offerings, the University of Maine System also benefits from more than two-thirds

of its alumni population residing within the state; more than 123,000 individuals.

The System consists of six universities: The University of Maine (UMaine),

including its regional campus the University of Maine at Machias (UMM); the

University of Maine at Augusta (UMA); the University of Maine at Farmington

(UMF); the University of Maine at Fort Kent (UMFK), the University of Maine at

Presque Isle (UMPI); and the University of Southern Maine (USM). The System

also includes the University of Maine School of Law and the University of Maine

Graduate and Professional Center.

Campus thumbnails

University of Maine at Augusta

Founded in 1965, the University of Maine at Augusta transforms the lives of

students of every age and background across the State of Maine and beyond

through access to high-quality distance and on-site education, excellence in

student support, civic engagement, and professional and liberal arts programs.

UMA is the third largest public university in Maine. A leader in distance education,

UMA has a statewide presence with two campuses in Augusta and Bangor, eight

UMA Centers from Saco to Houlton, and 32 course receive sites across Maine.

Flexible modalities, with classes onsite, online, through video conference,

Interactive Television, and at UMA Centers allow its students to take classes, while

keeping work and family commitments. While UMA has a traditional-aged cohort,

two-thirds of its students are over 25 years old. Over 50% of UMA’s students are

first generation and 72% are Pell Grant eligible. These students are motivated to

make a positive change in their lives by pursuing a college degree. With its multiple

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Request for Qualifications– New England Environmental Finance Center-Call for Environmental

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locations and long-term expertise in online and distance learning, UMA is generally

considered the university of choice for Mainers of all ages who want to attend

college without uprooting their lives.

University of Maine at Farmington

The University of Maine at Farmington is the birthplace of public higher education

in Maine and has earned a national reputation for excellence. Established in 1864,

it is a small, selective public liberal arts college, serving primarily full-time,

traditional-age undergraduates in a residential setting. UMF offers quality

programs in teacher education, human services, arts and sciences and

professional studies. At Farmington, students feel connected, deeply woven in the

roots of the community. Through hands-on learning, the sharing of ideas, debating

of issues and pursuit of research, our professors become an active part of their

student’s lives helping them engage and succeed in a place where they are valued,

inspired and empowered. Located in the foothills of the mountains of western

Maine, UMF offers the perfect mix of the active outdoor lifestyle with the

quintessential New England college town. With enrollment at around 1,800 full-

time students, UMF is about the same size as many of New England’s most

selective private colleges and offers many of the same advantages, yet at a very

affordable price—providing a tremendous college value in a spectacular natural

setting.

University of Maine at Fort Kent

Founded in 1878, the University of Maine at Fort Kent is a unique learning

institution perfect for people seeking a rural scholastic atmosphere of modern

academic standards combined with an eclectic mix of rugged outdoor vistas and

access to cosmopolitan epicenters across two countries. The learning

opportunities at UMFK have become a model of a "destination university" that

other New England campuses attempt to emulate. Strong academic programs

include associate and bachelor’s degrees in disciplines such as nursing, business,

biology, forestry and cybersecurity among others. The student body at UMFK

numbering 1,500, has a higher percentage of international students than any other

university in New England, allowing immersion in a cultural opportunity that is

unique in the world. UMFK enjoys national recognition for quality and value as well

as championships in men’s and women’s soccer.

University of Maine

The University of Maine, founded in Orono in 1865, is the state's land grant and

sea grant university. As the state’s only public research university, UMaine has a

statewide mission of teaching, research and economic development, and

community service. UMaine is among the most comprehensive higher education

institutions in the Northeast with nearly 100 majors and academic programs. It

attracts students from Maine and 49 other states, and more than 60 countries. It

currently enrolls more than 11,400 undergraduate and graduate students who can

directly participate in research, working with world-class scholars. UMaine offers

more than 100 degree programs through which students can earn graduate

certificates, master's, doctoral or professional science master's degrees. The

university promotes environmental stewardship, with substantial efforts campus

wide aimed at conserving energy, recycling and adhering to green building

standards in new construction.

University of Maine at Machias

The University of Maine at Machias is a regional campus of the University of Maine.

With its environmental liberal arts core, distinctive baccalaureate programs and

student-centered community, UMM creates enriching educational opportunities

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that prepare graduates for professional success and lifelong engagement. It offers

15 undergraduate degree programs that serve approximately 800 students. Small

class sizes and hands-on learning define the academic experience at Maine's

coastal university, where there is a shared commitment to exploration, leadership,

collaboration and interdisciplinary problem solving. UMM’s applied research and

community outreach contribute to the quality of life and economic development in

Down East Maine and beyond.

University of Maine at Presque Isle

For more than a century, the University of Maine at Presque Isle has been helping

students find their path to great professional careers, providing its 1,100 traditional

and non-traditional students from all areas of the state, country, and world with life-

changing opportunities in a caring, small-university environment. UMPI combines

liberal arts and selected professional programs and serves as a cultural and

educational resource for the entire region. The campus sits on 150 acres

surrounded by the rolling hills and potato fields of northern Maine and strives to be

the region’s premier learning institution while helping to stimulate cultural and

economic development in Aroostook County and the State of Maine. The

University serves as an educational and cultural center for the area and its facilities

are utilized for lectures, programs, concerts, dance performances, exhibits, and

plays that benefit the entire region.

University of Southern Maine

Known for its academic excellence and student focus, the University of Southern

Maine (USM) is a community-engaged university taking advantage of its three-

campus location in the economic and cultural heart of Maine to provide unmatched,

authentic, hands-on learning experiences. This gives our graduates a leg up in

launching their careers while at the same time meeting the workplace needs of our

region and state.

Our significant financial and academic support provides our students access to a

high quality education, helps ensure their success once they are here and enables

them to pursue and realize their dreams upon graduation.

Reflecting the community it serves, USM has become known as “the University of

Everyone,” welcoming a diverse mix of ages, backgrounds and income levels to

our 8,000 plus student body. Ranging from traditional high school graduates to

adults completing their degree, from high achievers to those who may not have

seen a college education in their future, from new Mainers to veterans who have

served our nation, the University of Southern Maine supports their academic

pursuits and encourages their advancement.

University of Maine School of Law

The University of Maine School of Law is the state’s public and only law school, a

vital resource serving our local, regional, national, and global community. Maine

Law is an institutional public servant committed to providing an accessible and

affordable student-focused program of legal education and achieving the highest

standards of ethical behavior. Our rigorous doctrinal and experiential curriculum,

influential scholarship, and signature programming prepare students to practice

law, promote respect for the rule of law, and advance justice for all members of

society.

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Request for Qualifications– New England Environmental Finance Center-Call for Environmental

Consultants

Dated: January 17, 2024

University of Maine Graduate and Professional Center

Located in Portland but serving students and employers statewide, the University

of Maine Graduate and Professional Center (the Maine Center) brings together

academic programs in law, business, and public policy to train the workforce of the

future and grow Maine’s economy. The Maine Center is an academic consortium

composed of the University of Maine School of Law, the University of Maine

Graduate School of Business, the graduate programs of the Muskie School of

Public Service, and the Cutler Institute of Health and Social Policy. This consortium

develops cross-disciplinary, experiential, and market-driven programming for

graduate students in the Maine Center’s three focus areas. The Maine Center also

delivers programming for members of Maine’s civic, business, and legal

communities, including executive education, certificates, workshops, externship

placements, and a startup incubator/accelerator. The Maine Center is supported

by a challenge grant from the Harold Alfond Foundation.

1.1.3 Purpose

The New England Environmental Finance Center (“NEEFC”) through the

University of Maine System is seeking responses from consultants to be included

in a prequalified pool to provide consultation and professional services as defined

in this document. The technical and/or consulting services from a prequalified pool

of consultants will be available on an as-needed basis to municipalities, tribes,

public water systems/utilities, nonprofits, community-based organizations, and/or

small businesses located anywhere in New England (i.e., Connecticut, Maine,

Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont). The NEEFC is

committed to working with the region’s small, rural, underserved, disadvantaged,

and environmental justice communities and tribal nations, with the aim of

increasing the equitable implementation of environmental programs and

infrastructure investments.

This document provides instructions for submitting responses, the procedure and

criteria by which the Respondent(s) will be selected, and the contractual terms

which will govern the relationship between the University and the awarded

Respondent(s).

Since 2001, the NEEFC has worked to build local capacity to pay for the growing

cost of protecting critical environmental resources and fostering resilient

communities across New England. Supported by a cooperative agreement with

the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, our mission is to provide innovative

financing solutions that help states, tribes, local governments, nonprofits,

community-based organizations, and the private sector pay for environmental

projects. The NEEFC and its partners provide training, capacity building, and

technical, financial, and managerial assistance related to regional environmental

challenges including climate adaptation and resilience, drinking water and

wastewater infrastructure, stormwater and watershed management, ecological

restoration, and pollution prevention.

The consultant pool of prequalified consultants will be used by the NEEFC to help

communities advance locally driven activities that are beyond their technical

capacity and outside of the expertise or capacity of NEEFC staff and partners.

Assistance from prequalified consultants/contractors will be at no cost to the

recipient; the NEEFC will manage the funds and invoice directly with

consultants/contractors. Desired professional services will cover a broad range of

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bid #	due date	due time	commodity	attachments	addenda
2024-020	23-Feb-2024	11:59 pm	RFQ 2024-020 New England Environmental Finance Center Call for Environmental Consultants	No attachments available	RFQ 2024-020 Addendum 1

RFQ 2024-020 New England Environmental Finance Center Call for Environmental Consultants

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