The Colorado Water Conservation Board is seeking hydrologic studies evaluating hydrology and future water availability for the 15-Mile Reach of the Colorado River in Colorado from near Palisade to the Gunnison River confluence. The work completes the hydrologic studies needed to fulfill the 15-Mile Reach Study Plan approved by the Upper Colorado Endangered Fish Recovery Program, evaluating the 15-Mile Reach flow recommendations from the 1999 Programmatic Biological Opinion and assessing future water availability circa 2050 for the main-stem Colorado River from the Grand Valley Irrigation Company diversion dam near Palisade (River Mile 185.1) to the Gunnison River confluence (River Mile 170.3), which provides critical habitat for Colorado pikeminnow and razorback sucker. The contractor will outline steps and methodology for the tasks and deliverables in Exhibit A, provide project personnel and schedule, and deliver the studies to support species recovery and Endangered Species Act compliance for water users. Proposals are due November 18, 2026 at 12:00 PM MST with a virtual public opening the same day at 2:00 PM MST via Google Meet. Proposals must be submitted through the Vendor Self Service System or Google Forms; hardcopy and email proposals will not be accepted. Proposals are limited to 20 pages excluding cover page, cover letter, resumes and the required submission form and must include project personnel resumes, three similar project examples with references, project approach with schedule, and cost per task with overall total. The Department expects to award a single Purchase Order to the prime vendor whose proposal is most advantageous considering price and evaluation factors. The expected project start date is January 11, 2027 and all specified work must be completed by December 31, 2027.
Offerors must demonstrate experience with Colorado water rights and hydrology and experience modeling in StateMod through 3 examples of similar completed projects with references and identification of project personnel contributions.
