Washington County Multi-Jurisdictional Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan

Washington County seeks a qualified consultant with demonstrated expertise in developing FEMA-approved Multi-Jurisdictional Natural Hazard Mitigation Plans (NHMPs). The selected contractor will partner closely with the County to complete the required five-year update of its NHMP through a collaborative process that engages internal staff, external planning partners, and community stakeholders.

This effort will include the contractor:

• Working under the guidance of the County Project Manager, ensuring decisions and actions are co-developed and aligned with County priorities.
  • Jointly planning, coordinating, and facilitating all meetings with active participation from County staff and planning partners.
  • Documenting discussions, decisions, and outcomes in a transparent manner accessible to all stakeholders.
  • Managing correspondence in a way that fosters open communication between the contractor, County Project Manager, and all participating jurisdictions.
• Collaborating with existing and new planning partners to update current annexes and co-create new jurisdiction-specific annexes for inclusion in the updated NHMP. This includes:
  • Hosting collaborative workshops and working sessions.
  • Ensuring all partners have meaningful input and shared ownership of the final product.
• Providing technical guidance as a collaborative advisor, supporting County staff and partners throughout the process to ensure FEMA compliance. This includes:
  • Drafting and refining plan components through iterative feedback loops.
  • Incorporating stakeholder input at every stage before finalization.
• Developing an onboarding tool kit in partnership with the County, including standard forms, templates, surveys, and guidance materials. This toolkit will enable the County to onboard future planning participants following the completion of this project.

The selected contractor must demonstrate a track record of successfully completing FEMA approved NHMPs in multi-jurisdictional contexts, with an emphasis on facilitating inclusive, transparent, and collaborative planning processes.

Background

Washington County is a suburban county located on the west side of the Portland, Oregon metropolitan region. Its boundaries extend from the City of Portland to the Oregon coast range. The current population is approximately 617,713 and is growing. It has a mix of urban, suburban, and rural areas. The eastern half of the County is comprised of service industries, light manufacturing, residential, and commercial activity. It is relatively densely populated. The western half is primarily agricultural and private forest lands across rural settings, together with several smaller incorporated and unincorporated communities.

The County seat of government is in Hillsboro, Oregon. The County has experienced substantial growth over the last fifty years principally in the electronics and high-tech industries. Fifty-seven percent of the state’s population growth in the past five years has occurred in Washington County.

Washington County is one of the most diverse counties in Oregon with Hispanic or Latino of any race (19%) and Asian (12%) being the largest non-white groups. Ten percent (10%) of the population has a disability, seventeen (17%) percent are born outside of the United States, and twenty-five (25%) precent speak languages other than English.

The current multi-jurisdictional NHMP include the following partners:

These jurisdictions have committed to participate in the plan update, for a total of 11 planning participants. For this project, the City of Cornelius, Cornelius Fire District, City of Forest Grove, and Forest Grove Fire District will each need to have separate annexes developed. In the current plan, the two fire districts participated jointly with the cities.

Additionally, the two cities and four special districts listed below have committed to participate in this project, as new planning partners:

Project Details

• Reference ID: 2026.024-RFP
• Department: Emergency Management
• Department Head: John Wheeler (Manager)

Important Dates

• Questions Due: 2026-04-15T00:00:00.701Z

Addenda

• Addendum #1 (released 2026-04-02T17:09:11.238Z) —

  A Non-mandatory informational pre-proposal conference call will be held Thursday, April 9th from 10am to 11am via Microsoft Teams. This will be an open Q&A time for potential respondents to speak with members of our team assigned to this project. The information for the call is below:

  Microsoft Teams meeting

  Join: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/23519572157811?p=X7QOK4U34A9YlnAYb2

  Meeting ID: 235 195 721 578 11

  Passcode: Rm6xA9qV

  ---

  Need help? | System reference

  Dial in by phone

  +1 971-337-3439,,52219018# United States, Portland

  Find a local number

  Phone conference ID: 522 190 18#

• Official Notice #1: Edits to Answers in Q&A Section (released 2026-04-08T20:57:49.742Z) —

  The County has edited answers to questions 4, 6, 16, 17, 18, 22 & 23  on 4/8/2026 at 1:45pm PST and encourages all followers and potential proposers to revisit these questions to review the new answers. 

• Official Notice #2: Pre-proposal Meeting Attendees (released 2026-04-09T17:37:36.364Z) —

  An informational non-mandatory preproposal meeting was held on April 9, 2026 at 10:00am PST via Microsoft Teams. The meeting was not recorded, all questions were instructed to be submitted in writing through the question & answer section of the RFP. A list of the attendees is attached for reference. 

• Official Notice #3: Update to Question #8 (released 2026-04-09T23:09:44.217Z) —

  The response to question #8 has been updated in the Q&A Section

Evaluation Criteria

• Page Count (5 pts) —

  The proposal response was within the specified page limit of twenty (20) pages for Evaluation Phases Sections 4.3, 4.6, 4.7, 4.8 & 4.9 combined and a page limit of two (2) pages for Evaluation Phases Section 4.2.

• Table of Contents and Transmittal Letter (10 pts) —

  (Limit for these items is two (2) pages – These pages do not count against the page limit)

  Table of Contents

  • Identification of material submitted by section
  • Cross reference to section of RFP

  Transmittal Letter

  1. General introduction stating the proposers understanding of the services to be provided,
  2. Positive commitment to perform the service within the time period specified,
  3. Statement that the proposal is a firm and irrevocable offer for the stated time of project.
  4. Name(s) of person(s) authorized to represent the proposer, title, office, and mailing address, telephone number, email address; and,
  5. Signature of authorized party
• Firm Qualification and Experience (5 pts) —

  (These pages count against the page limit)

  Briefly introduce your firm, indicating whether your firm is local, regional, national, or international. State the size of the firm, number of staff, the location of the office from which the work on this project is to be performed, and the number and nature of the professional staff to be assigned to this project on a full-time basis and the number and nature of the staff to be so assigned to this project on a part-time basis.

  If the proposer is a joint venture or consortium, the qualifications of each firm comprising the joint venture or consortium should be separately identified and the firm that is to serve as the principal should be noted.

• Experience-Examples (10 pts) —

  (These pages do not count against the page limit)

  Please provide examples of the following items:

  1. A list of FEMA-approved multi-jurisdictional hazard mitigation plans completed within the last three years. Include the plan title, jurisdictions involved, and date that FEMA approval was received. If available, list plans for jurisdictions that are comparable to Washington County.
  2. One example of a multi-jurisdictional hazard mitigation plan completed in the last five years. This can be submitted via a link or can be attached to the proposal (these pages do not count against the page limit). If available, provide a plan for a jurisdiction that is comparable to Washington County and that demonstrates collaboration with a diverse range of stakeholders, including local governments and special districts
  3. One example of a crosswalk analysis document completed within the last five years. If this is included within the hazard mitigation plan example, please note the page numbers where the crosswalk analysis can be found. This can also be submitted via a link or an attachment to the proposal.
  4. One example of GIS products produced by your firm. If this is included within the hazard mitigation plan example, please note the page numbers where the GIS products can be found. This can also be submitted via a link or an attachment to the proposal.
• Personnel Qualifications and Experience (15 pts) —

  (These pages do not count against the page limit)

  Staff consistency, level of experience, and level of engagement are important considerations. Provide resumes for employees that will be assigned to this project, including individuals supervising the project. For each employee, separately identify their role and level of engagement in the project (supervise, lead, support, SME, author, etc.).

• Proposer Strategy / Project Work Plan / Approach (15 pts) —

  (These pages count against the page limit)

  In your proposal, identify your strategies in these areas:

  1. Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment
  • Collect and confirm information for each hazard identified during the review process.
  • Assess the extent of risk for each hazard, including geographic areas, population impacted, and critical infrastructure at risk.
  • Address jurisdictional land use planning issues and challenges related to hazard vulnerability.
  2. Mitigation Action Development
  • Develop jurisdiction-specific mitigation action plans for each identified natural hazard.
  • Ensure actions are practical, measurable, and aligned with FEMA and ODEM standards.
  3. Communication and Training
  • Maintain timely and transparent communication with project partners and staff.
  • Provide training for participating jurisdictions staff on the NHMP process and steps to successfully achieve plan adoption.
  4. Technical Services
  • Deliver GIS mapping and analysis to support hazard identification and risk assessment.
  • Prepare all components to meet FEMA approval standards for Hazard Mitigation Plans.
  5. Project Management
  • Implement a structured project management approach to ensure milestones are met within established timeframe.
  • Provide a detailed project schedule outlining key tasks, deliverables, and deadlines.
  6. Access and Opportunity

  Proposers should summarize their experience in promoting equity within hazard mitigation planning, including strategies to incorporate diverse perspectives and address the needs of marginalized and underrepresented communities.

• Independence (5 pts) —

  (These pages count against the page limit)

  Provide an affirmative statement that the firm is independent of any of the partner jurisdictions including Washington County, and the following cities and special districts:

  Cities of Washington County
  City of Hillsboro	City of Tigard
  City of Beaverton	City of Forest Grove
  City of Cornelius	City of Sherwood
  City of Tualatin	City of Banks
  City of North Plains
  Special Districts (Fire Districts, School Districts, Water Providers)
  Banks Fire District	Clean Water Services
  Cornelius Fire District	Raleigh Hills Water District
  Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District	Tualatin Valley Irrigation District
  Tualatin Valley Water District	West Slope Water District
  Forest Grove Fire District

  List and describe the firm’s professional relationships involving any of the listed partner jurisdictions for the past five (5) years, together with a statement explaining why such relationships do not constitute a conflict of interest relative to performing the services required by this RFP.

  In addition, the firm shall give the County written notice of any professional relationships relevant to this project entered into during the period of the agreement.

• References (10 pts) —

  (These pages count against the page limit)

  Provide the agency name, address, contact person, email address, and telephone number for three (3) mitigation planning projects your firm has completed, with particular emphasis on jurisdictions similar to Washington County. References must be for services provided within the last five (5) years.

  Provide the name of all cities, counties, and special districts for which the firm has provided similar work during the past five (5) years. These engagements should be ranked by total staff hours. Indicate the scope of work, date, engagement partner, and total hours.

  List any contracts terminated for cause with the same time-period and include the reason why.

• Project Budget (15 pts) —

  (These pages count against the page limit)

  The proposal shall include the proposer’s fixed-price estimate for the proposed project approach. Proposals shall indicate costs for completing the project and include the following:

  • For each assigned staff member (principal, associates, administrative/support, etc.) list their hourly rate, total number of project hours, and total labor cost.
  • For each phase or element of the project (e.g., startup, community profile, risk assessment, public engagement, plan development, etc.), list the total hours and total cost.
  • List reimbursable expenses including travel costs.

  The County will require proof of costs for airlines, hotels, and transportation when allowed and will pay in accordance with per diem reimbursement.

  County will not reimburse mileage within a 50-mile radius from County building location. If your office resides outside the 50 miles, please provide a memo to Contract Administrator to allow the difference after deducting the 50 miles for all future reimbursement invoices. County may reimburse Contract Administrator pre-approved travel expenses (i.e., hotel, Portland Oregon meal per diem) for visiting sites outside the 50-mile radius in accordance with the County's Travel Policies.

• Interviews (10 pts) —

  The County will conduct interviews with the top scoring proposers. The scores from the written proposals will be considered preliminary and may be updated based on the interview. Final scores will be determined based on the points assigned to the proposals and the interview process.

Submission Requirements

• Electronic Submittal (required) —

  By electronically submitting this response the Supplier attests and certifies that:

  1. Person completing this response represents that I am either authorized to bind the Supplier, or that I am submitting the Response on behalf of and at the direction of the Supplier's representative authorized to contractually bind the Supplier.

  2. I represent that the Supplier or its applicable representative(s) has reviewed the information contained in this Solicitation Package and that the information submitted is accurate.

  3. Respondent agrees that the action of electronically submitting its response constitutes:

  a. an electronic signature on the responses, generally,

  b. an agreement to conduct business electronically,

  c. an electronic signature on any form or section specifically calling for a

  signature, and

  d. an affirmative agreement to any statement contained in the solicitation

  that requires a definite confirmation or acknowledgement.

• Solicitation Requirements (required) —

  Proposer read through and confirm that you met all of the Solicitation requirements?

• Cooperative Purchasing (required) —

  Will the proposer extend pricing and terms to other public agencies?(there is no penalty for not agreeing to extend pricing)

• Past Employment (required) —

  Have you or a member of your staff been an employee of Washington County in the last six months?

• Oregon Secretary of State Business Registry (required) —

  Enter your registry number without dashes or spaces. If you are not currently registered enter N/A. If you are the successful bidder you will be required to register with the Secretary of State in order to contract with the County, per OAR 125-246-0330. 

• Tax (required) —

  The proposer hereby certifies that they have complied with the tax laws of Oregon and all political subdivision of the State of Oregon, including ORS 305.620 and ORS chapters 316, 317 and 318. Washington County may terminate the contract if contractor fails to comply with any tax laws during the term of the contract.

• Contact Name, Email, and Phone Number (required) —

  Provide the name, email, and phone number for the contact in case of questions, or interview or demonstration arrangements.

• Proposal Content —

  The proposal shall be prepared succinctly, providing a straight forward, concise description of the proposer’s ability to meet the requirements of the RFP. There should be no unnecessary attachments or exhibits.

  Proposal should contain no more than twenty (20) 8.5" x 11", pages of written material (excluding biographies and brochures which may be included in an appendix) describing the ability of the proposer to perform the work described. The minimum font shall be twelve (12) point single spaced and the minimum margins shall be one (1) inch on all sides.

• Proposal Content (required) —

  Upload your proposal here. After uploading documents responders are encouraged to open and review uploaded documents to verify that they can be opened and are the correct documents before submitting.  If the County cannot open any of the documents submitted the entire proposal will be disqualified. 

• Separate Cost Proposal (required) —

  Confirm that your fee proposal is not attached in your Proposal and is attached separately here.

• Insurance Requirements —

  County insurance requirement can be found under the section titled Attachments. The County may consider reducing insurance for these services. Please upload your Certificate of Insurance (Accord form) to indicate the level of insurance you currently possess.

• Confidential Information —

  Upload all pages or documents containing information exempt from disclosure per the Proprietary Information, Ownership and Use of Documents article of the Terms and Conditions Section.

• Changes Requested to County Contract Standard Terms and Conditions —

  Upload any alterations requested to Washington County's contract standard terms and conditions per the Form of Contract article of the Terms and Conditions Section.

• Solicitation Awareness (required) —

  How did you hear about this opportunity?

• Pre-Proposal Conference (required) —

  Will there be a Pre-Proposal Conference?

• Please select the options that pertain to this solicitation.
• Electronic Pricing Table (required) —

  Would you like to have bidders respond to an electronic pricing table through ProcureNow?

  Choose this if you want them to provide rates or pricing in a format dictated by you.

• Separate Fee Proposal Upload (required) —

  Will you want your bidder to separate a Price Proposal from the rest of the Response?

• Page Limit (required) —

  Proposal should contain no more than 'Page Limit 8.5" x 11", pages of written material (excluding biographies and brochures which may be included in an appendix) describing the ability of the proposer to perform the work described.

• Will you be issuing more than one contract? (required) —

  Is this a multiple award type solicitation?

• Term of Contract (required) —

  Unless authorized by the Board a contract cannot exceed five years, but there are various ways that contracts can be set up. Please choose your preference. Options 2 - 3 will require amendments to extend the contract at the designated times.

• What is the Funding Source? (required)
• Federal Funds (required) —

  Will Federal Funds be used to pay part or all of the agreements made under this solicitation

• Cost/Pricing Model —

  What is the expected resulting Contract Type with a selection of "Firm-Fixed-Lump-Sum" Firm-Fixed-Unit-Price", "Cost-reimbursement + Fee/Profit/Incentive" "Mixed/Flexible" would then provide us a clear picture of what the price-proposal or cost-proposal structure needs to be, and this the approriate instructions to the proposer can be provided.

• Subrecipient/Contractor *Related to Fed Funds only* —

  Based on the intended scope of work for the awarded agreement, will the proposer be case as a subrecipient under 2 cfr 200.331

• Fixed Award Permission *Related to Fed Funds only* (required) —

  Do you have prior approval from the federal awarding agency to enter into a fixed awward? Did you inform them of the requirement for them to upload documentation of the pre-approval either from official guidance or from direct communication (email).

• Beneficiary (required) —

  Is this a solicitation for proposals/applications for a beneficiary program?

Questions & Answers