Small Public Water System Operator Training Program

Small Public Water System Operator Training Program Request for Proposals 2021 Page 1 of 3 Small Public Water System Operator Training Program Request for Proposals I. Introduction: The NH Department of Environmental Services Drinking Water and Groundwater Bureau (DWGB) is issuing this request for proposals to provide technical continuing education to certified drinking water system operators of community public water systems serving fewer than 3300 people. DWGB has allocated $40,000.00 for this program and anticipates awarding a contract to an eligible candidate. II. Background: Since 1979 NH has required public water systems (PWS) to have a certified operator. Operators are required to participate in a designated amount of training to be eligible to renew their certification. Stakeholder meetings and surveys have identified the need for quality, in-depth, and focused technical and managerial training topics. III. Scope of Work: The successful applicant must be able to address the

following in their work plan: The applicant must be accredited by an independent standards setting authority to provide quality, in-depth, and focused continuing education training, to certified water system operators. The program should include a wide ranging course list from which DWGB can choose to best suit the specific training needs of NH operators. 32 courses are to be completed between January 1, 2022 and December 31, 2023. NHDES will have 2 complimentary seats in each class offered as part of the arrangement. The awardee will be responsible for arranging and scheduling training locations in NH, consulting with NHDES to ensure that the training is geographically distributed. The awardee will be responsible for fulfilling any training location use requirements. In addition to training content the awardee will also be responsible for advertising the training opportunities, registering attendees and issuing certificates of completion to attendees who complete the training. DWGB intends to use these funds to subsidize individual attendee tuition to attend each course offering. IV. Form of Proposal: The proposal should include the following information: 1) A detailed project approach and schedule that describes how each of the specified tasks will be accomplished within the project period and who will be assigned the work involved; 2) List of available course offerings; 3) Proof of accreditation; 4) Description of qualifications in training water system operators, NH Drinking Water Programs, and Water System Operations; 5) Instructor qualifications; and 6) Cost proposal. Small Public Water System Operator Training Program Request for Proposals 2021 Page 2 of 3 V. Evaluation Criteria: All proposals will be evaluated according to the following criteria.  Ability of the applicant to clearly and successfully address the Scope of Work.  Ability of the applicant to complete the project between January 1, 2022 and December 31, 2023.  Demonstrated knowledge and experience in providing training to water systems.  The DWGB selection committee will score and rank the proposals based on the following weighting of the above criteria:  Demonstrated Training Experience 20%  Completeness of Course Offerings 20%  Training Experience in the Subject Matter 20%  Knowledge of Water System Operations 15%  Knowledge of Federal and NH Drinking Water Programs 15%  Cost 10% VI. Proposal Submittal Date: Three (3) copies of the proposal need to be received no later than September 24, 2021, by 4:00 p.m. eastern standard time at: NHDES Drinking Water and Groundwater Bureau Attn: Jason Smith 29 Hazen Drive, PO Box 95 Concord, NH 03302-0095 Proposals received after 4:00 p.m. on September 24, 2021 may be disqualified from further consideration at the discretion of DWGB. VII. Contact Person: All inquiries relating to this Request for Proposals shall be made to: Jason Smith Drinking Water and Groundwater Bureau NH Department of Environmental Services 29 Hazen Drive PO Box 95 Concord NH 03302-0095 E–mail jason.m.smith2@des.nh.gov Phone (603) 271-2410 Fax (603) 271-5171 mailto:chip.mackey@des.nh.gov Small Public Water System Operator Training Program Request for Proposals 2021 Page 3 of 3 VIII. Review Process and General Information: All proposals will be reviewed by the DWGB. The selection will be based upon the applicant’s ability to meet the stated criteria listed above. This program is competitive and all eligible organizations may apply. Upon receipt, all proposals will be evaluated on the above criteria. The DWGB reserves the right to interview the top ranked applicants before making a final selection. Applicants may be contacted to provide further clarification. The successful candidate will be expected to enter into a standard State of New Hampshire Contract Agreement (form P-37), including a minimum insurance coverage requirement of $1,000,000 per incident.