RFQ Planning, Engineering, Related Services - Develop Resiliency Plan For Jackson County, MS #15368

The Jackson County Board of Supervisors (JCBOS or the County) will accept sealed Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) from qualified individuals or firms to develop a Resiliency Plan for Jackson County, Mississippi as related to the Hurricane Zeta/Ida Community Development Block Grant - Disaster Recovery (ZICDBG-DR) Program. Services will include planning, engineering, and other related services. The County has been awarded funding for the Jackson County Resiliency Plan from the Mississippi Development Authority through the ZICDBG-DR program. For further background information on the ZICDBG-DR program, please visit https://msdisasterrecovery.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Action- Plan-Amendment-One-Final-Approved-6-6-23.pdf..

Jackson County and Moss Point are susceptible to the effects of climate change because of their close proximity to the Mississippi Sound, Pascagoula River, and the Escatawpa River. In particular, sea-level rise (SLR) and increased frequency of significant weather events are ever increasing threats to Jackson County and Moss Point. Jackson County has a variety of types of shorelines ranging from man-made beaches, natural beaches, marsh/estuarine areas, vegetated, and various armored shores. There is also a high concentration of transportation networks and infrastructure in close proximity to the shorelines in Jackson County.

The services required for this plan are:

PLANNING/ENGINEERING: The Jackson County Resiliency plan would recommend ways to protect the functionality of these important facilities as well as limit and reduce shoreline erosion.  The plan would also explore other aspects of Jackson County, besides shoreline issues, to identify vulnerabilities, define acceptable levels of risk, and recommend strategies to mitigate these risks. Below are specific tasks and details for how the Jackson County Resiliency Plan will be completed:

· Establish Community Engagement Plan by identifying stakeholder groups to ensure broad public engagement throughout the planning process.
· Collection of data on the changing climate conditions in Jackson County.
· Determine how these changing conditions match with Jackson County’s current planning documents and offer ways to align both.
· Identify and prioritize acute shocks and chronic stressors to Jackson County and develop strategies to address them.
· An asset review will be conducted to identify levels of priority from categories like natural resources; infrastructure; land use, development, and housing; ecology; economy and jobs; neighborhoods, communities, and cultural resources; and government systems and operations.
· Qualitatively assess potential risks and vulnerabilities of each of these categories.
· Define levels of acceptable risk for each category.
· Review and understand current strategic plans, policies, and programs and assess current approaches to resilience and risk mitigation to determine if they meet or exceed the agreed-upon acceptable risk level and, if needed, present options for improvements.
· Develop Resilience Plan that incorporates actionable strategies and a guide to achieve the established goals with the following components:
o Problem Statement: Critical background data and decision context for the plan that will serve as a foundational briefing document to support development of the plan.
o Objective: Capture the social, ecological, institutional, and economic aspects of resilience across the range of shocks and stressors identified in the Resilience Assessment. These clearly defined and measurable objectives will provide the foundation for developing, analyzing, and prioritizing strategies and communicating those priorities clearly to stakeholders and the public.
o Resilience Opportunities and Strategies: Identify resilience opportunities and alternative strategies to build upon or leverage existing efforts and initiatives.
o Approach: identify an appropriate approach to support the adaptive management of strategies under future uncertainty of climate, economic, and socio-political conditions.
o Prioritize and Refine Resilience Strategies: prioritize and sequence resilience strategies that best meet the established objectives and advance comprehensive resilience for Jackson County now and into the future.  Begin to identify implementation opportunities.
o Develop Comprehensive Resilience Plan and Implementation Roadmap: Design and write the final Resilience Plan. The plan will include a summary of findings from the Resilience Assessment (providing high-level background and context on risks, social and economic changes, stressors and shocks, and assets to be protected) as well as prioritized strategies for advancing comprehensive resilience developed in collaboration with stakeholders.

It is anticipated that the timeline for completing the Jackson County Resiliency Plan will encompass a total of twenty-two (22) months. Firms or individuals proposing to perform these services should submit a list of their qualifications, experience, and capacity for performance. To the extent applicable, the plan will be covered by the requirements of Section 3 of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968 (12 U.S.C. § 170lu) ("Section 3").

Each respondent is cautioned to carefully review the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) requirements to ensure that all responsibilities and obligations are properly addressed within its respective SOQ. Interested and qualified respondents may submit SOQ Packages, according to the requirements described herein.

All SOQ Packages are due by or before 12 p.m. (CT) on May 7, 2024.  Any packages delivered to any location other than the appropriate location described below or received after the 12 p.m. deadline will not be considered and shall be returned unopened to the addressee. All SOQ Packages will be publicly opened and read aloud at 1:00 p.m. (CT) on May 7, 2024, in the Board of Supervisor's Board Room in the Jackson County Services Complex located at 2915 Canty Street, Pascagoula, MS 39567 after which time they will be reviewed, ranked, and scored by the Selection Committee approved  by the JCBOS.