Request for Proposals received July 15, 2021 for S76-T29763 - Approve an ordinance awarding a contract to R. G. Miller Engineers, Inc. in the maximum contract amount of $249,934.84 for Hurricane Harvey Community Development Block Grant - Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR17) Funds for the Administration and Regulatory Affairs Department to develop a comprehensive Buy-In/Buy-Out Plan for the City of Houston.
Specific Explanation:
The Director of the Administration and Regulatory Affairs Department, the Director of Housing and Community Development, and the Chief Procurement Officer recommend that City Council approve an ordinance awarding a contract ending December 31, 2023 to R. G. Miller Engineers, Inc. in the maximum contract amount of $249,934.84 for a comprehensive Buy-In/Buy-Out Plan. The Director of the Administration and Regulatory Affairs Department may terminate this contract at any time upon 30-days written notice to the contractor, with a copy of the notice to the Chief Procurement Officer.
During Hurricane Harvey, the City of Houston and region experienced an estimated $130 billion worth of damage with a full third of the city underwater. The City Housing and Community Development Department's unmet needs assessment for Harvey indicated the total unmet need for Housing was over $16 billion alone and impacted over 208,000 households. The assessment states that "in Houston, over one-quarter of households lived in buildings located inside of the floodplain at the time of Hurricane Harvey...approximately 6,948 households lived in areas designated as the floodway and 95,033 in areas designated as the 100 year floodplain." Although these numbers are still being reviewed, the analysis indicates the need to identify a solution for the impacted homes within the floodway that experienced the devastation during Hurricane Harvey and continue to be at risk. Therefore, the City aims to build upon existing buyout programs and housing investments to formalize a coordinated Buy-In/Buy-Out strategy to facilitate more options for Houstonians to move out of the floodway or floodplains impacted by storms like Harvey.
A City-initiated Buy-In/Buy-Out strategy is critical to moving all habitable structures away from the floodway by 2030, a goal of Resilient Houston. With the speed of current buyout efforts, studies estimate it will take 60 years to achieve the City's goal. This proves the need for a City-wide plan to achieve the social, economic, and resilience goals. The Office of Recovery, with support from the Office of Resilience and Sustainability submitted a funding proposal to the Housing and Community Development Department to develop a Buy-In/Buy-Out strategy aiming to emphasize neighborhood focused relocation options as the primary driver and merge existing efforts by multiple Houston agencies to coordinate buyout priority areas, particularly areas impacted by Hurricane Harvey.
For the purpose of ensuring that communities do not experience blight and strong social networks are maintained within communities, the Houston Buy-In/Buy-Out Plan aims to identify the area of highest risk which have repeatedly flooded, including during Hurricane Harvey, and areas within the same neighborhoods that are at less risk of flooding. This is a critical adaptation measure in order for communities to continue to thrive, while improving health and safety for Houstonians.
In order to develop a comprehensive Houston Buy-In/Buy-Out Plan, extensive stakeholder coordination must take place and priority areas need to be identified and categorized by typology. In addition, the Contractor shall provide itemized deliverables as specified in Exhibit B of the contract, which details the scope of work and includes a schedule, specific deliverables, and associated costs for tasks as follows:
Task 1 - Baseline Analysis Report and Inventory
Task 2 - Stakeholder Engagement
Task 3 - Review Performance Criteria and Identify Barriers and Challenges
Task 4 - Develop Draft Plan Concept and Strategies
Task 5 - Final Plan and Strategies
Task 6 - Final Report Development
Task 7 - Project Management/Monitoring and Reporting
The Request for Proposals (RFP) was advertised in accordance with the requirements of the State of Texas bid laws. As a result, proposals were received from four (4) firms: Houston Wilderness, Inc., R. G. Miller Engineers, Inc., Rogers Partners Architects + Urban Designers, and Tetra Tech, Inc. The evaluation committee consisted of active City employees from the Housing and Community Development Department, Houston Public Works, and the Mayor's Office Recovery Team. The evaluation was based on the following criteria:
1. Responsiveness of Proposal
2. Technical Competence
3. Price
R. G. Miller Engineers, Inc. received the highest overall score and was deemed the best qualified to provide the requirements as outlined in the RFP.
The Houston Buy-In/Buy-Out Plan project was presented to the Transportation Technology Infrastructure Committee on November 4, 2021.
MWBE Participation:
The RFP was advertised with a 24% goal for MWBE participation. R. G. Miller Engineers, Inc. has designated the below-named companies as its certified MWBE subcontractors:
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Name
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Type of Work
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% of Participation
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Hollaway Environmental and Communications Service
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Stakeholder Engagement
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14.93%
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Asakura Robinson Co., LLC
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Illustrations and Renderings
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6.63%
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D. Samuels & Associates, LLC
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Accounting and Contract Compliance
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3.24%
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Pay or Play:
The proposed contract requires compliance with the City's Pay or Play ordinance regarding health benefits for employees of City contractors. In this case, the contractor provides health benefits to eligible employees in compliance with City policy.
Hire Houston First:
Hire Houston First does not apply to this expenditure because it involves the use of federal funds and is subject to specific procurement rules of the federal government.
Fiscal Note:
No fiscal note required on grant items.
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Jerry Adams, Chief Procurement Officer Department Approval Authority
Finance/Strategic Procurement Division
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Estimated Spending Authority
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Department
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FY2022
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Out years
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Total
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Housing and Community Development Dept.
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$200,000.00
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$49,934.84
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$249,934.84
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