Maine Connectivity Authority Opportunities
Following is a current list of Request for Proposals or Request for Information documents from the Maine Connectivity Authority. Please click the link to read the details for each request.
Request for Proposals: Environmental and Historic Preservation Compliance Consulting Services
Deadline for requests is February 27
Questions and responses received ahead of February 17 deadline below
The Maine Connectivity Authority ("MCA") is seeking proposals from qualified consultants (“Respondent”) to assist with the facilitation of Environmental and Historic Preservation compliance review in support of MCA in fulfillment of its role as Joint Lead Agency for the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (“BEAD”) program.
The BEAD program, funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), is a federal grant program administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) that aims to connect every American to high-speed internet by funding partnerships to build infrastructure where it is needed and increase adoption of high-speed internet.
As Joint Lead Agency, MCA is the primary administering agency for the BEAD program in the State of Maine, and must design a compliance program to support subgrant recipients (Subgrantees) in compliance with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other Environmental Planning and Historic Preservation requirements, consistent with BEAD requirements.
Questions regarding this solicitation and submissions should be emailed to Erin Fenton, MCA's Compliance & Reporting Senior Manager at bead@maineconnectivity.org.
Question: If a Respondent demonstrates that the required scope for full federal compliance necessitates a higher level of effort, will MCA consider proposals that exceed $300,000?
Answer: MCA will consider all proposals submitted ahead of the 2/27 11:59pm EST deadline. Respondents are encouraged to document reasonableness and competitiveness of total cost in relation to the services to be provided, as supported by detailed itemization of costs of services proposed and a description of the rationale used to arrive at the hourly rates and total cost. MCA may require evidence to justify higher cost. Please refer to RFP Section 4.3 Proposal Evaluation Criteria.
Question: What is the anticipated volume of CatEx reviews versus EA/EIS-level reviews?
Answer: MCA anticipates that the majority of BEAD deployment projects will require a CatEx review.
Question: Does MCA anticipate consultant involvement in direct coordination with state and local permitting authorities (e.g., MEDEP, CZM, MEDIFW, municipalities), or only review or oversight?
Answer: MCA expects consultant involvement with direct coordination of permitting in support of federal EHP compliance requirements, which may involve levels of coordination with state and local permitting authorities. However, it is anticipated that ISPs will manage local permitting processes in service to their project’s scope of work. More generally, the level of support and external coordination in support of federal compliance required by ISPs is anticipated to vary as some ISPs have experienced environmental permitting specialists on staff responsible for project permitting. Please refer to RFP Section 2.1 Project Scope of Work (“Services”) for more information on anticipated support needs.
Question: What level of tribal consultation coordination is expected from the consultant vs. MCA?
Answer: MCA will be leading tribal coordination, and no significant consultant time will be required to coordinate tribal consultation.
Question: Should the consultant budget for in-person meetings, or will meetings be virtual? This question encompasses the kick-off team meeting and weekly check-in meetings discussed in RFP Section 2.2.
Answer: While the option for in person meetings is available, kick-off and weekly meetings are expected to be virtual in nature.
