Hawkesbury Nepean River System Coastal Management Program Stages 3-4

⁠⁠⁠Hornsby Shire Council (Council) in association with Partner Councils and the NSW Department of Planning and Environment (DPE), is now inviting Tenders for the preparation of the Hawkesbury Nepean River System Coastal Management Program (hereafter HNRS CMP or CMP) through Stages 3 and 4 in accordance with the requirements of the Coastal Management Act 2016 (CM Act), the State Environmental Planning Policy (Chapter 2 (Coastal Management) Resilience & Hazards) 2021 (CM SEPP) and the NSW Coastal Management Manual Parts A and B, for a period of 2 years. At Council's sole discretion, the contract may be extended twice for a further period of 6 months.

Six Councils (or Partner Councils) bordering the tidal section of the Hawkesbury Nepean River system are working collaboratively to deliver a holistic multi-jurisdictional plan of management for the estuary, with the Hornsby Shire Council acting as a lead agency on this engagement. Partnering Councils area: Hornsby Shire Council, Hawkesbury City Council, The Hills Shire Council, Central Coast Council, Ku-ring-gai Council, and Northern Beaches Council.

It is expected that a successful consultant will build on existing knowledge and incorporate research conducted during the previous stages of the CMP to deliver the tasks associated with the next stages of the CMP process, including:

1. Confirmation of strategic direction of the CMP that will involve a review of risks and opportunities identified in Stages 1 and 2 to ensure the CMP reflects local values and local/regional strategic planning objectives;

2. Identification of management options to address the identified risks, vulnerabilities, and opportunities as detailed in Stages 1 & 2;

3. Evaluation, selection, and ranking of these management options in consultation with stakeholders and community;

4. And finally, the development of a Business Plan to support the implementation of these management options.

The consultant will be required to prepare the draft Hawkesbury Nepean River System CMP prior to it going on public exhibition, support the exhibition process, reflect feedback received during the consultation, and finalise the CMP for consideration (and certification) by the Minister for the Environment. It will be Council's responsibility to submit the finalised CMP to the Minister for certification.

Once certified, the HNRS CMP will replace existing Coastal Zone Management Plans (CZMPs) and Estuary Management Plans (EMPs) that have been used to coordinate works within and across the estuary system over the last 20 years.

The CMP will outline strategies and actions that can be delivered over the next ten years to achieve integrated management of the Hawkesbury Nepean River system, consistent with the principles of ecologically sustainable development and the 13 high-level statutory objectives for integrated coastal management in NSW, which are included in the Coastal Management Act.

For a list of more specific tasks that will require completion over Stages 3 and 4, including provisions for stakeholder and community engagement, refer to Section 2 (Specifications) of the Tender Documents.

Council has a total maximum budget of $460,000 (excl GST) to spend on this Contract that is to be broken down into the agreed milestones/hold points to be identified in the project plan/work plan to be submitted as part of the submission to allow for the staged delivery of the final HNRS CMP document.

Council will award the Contract to the Consultant that:

- Best demonstrates an understanding of the requirements of the project scope

- Best demonstrates experience in producing a CMP or parts of a CMP

- Enables an integrated engagement approach with partner councils and stakeholders

- Proposes a methodology that provides the most value in terms of inclusions versus total Contract price, within this cost cap

- Delivers the project in an efficient and time-effective approach.

See clause 1.11.1 Evaluation Criteria and Section 3 Tender Returnable Schedules for a complete list of criteria tender submissions will be evaluated.

Council reserves the right to award the business to one contractor or a panel of contractors qualified to provide these Services. Where the business is awarded to a panel of contractors, Council may exercise its option to extend the contract with one, many, or all panellists.

All interested parties are invited to submit tenders in accordance with this Invitation to Tender. An online tender briefing will be offered to all interested consultants on Tuesday, 8th August 2023, between 10 am - 11 pm via Teams. The link to the Teams meeting will be provided via online forum the day before the meeting.

Tenders must be prepared and submitted in accordance with the requirements of this Invitation to Tender.