The City maintains an on-call contract for disaster debris monitoring services to ensure compliance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).  The contract was created utilizing H-GAC’s All Hazards Preparedness, Planning, Consulting & Recovery Services contract. Under this process, H-GAC uses a process that pre-qualifies all firms that meet all of the requirements. The City solicited proposals from three of those pre-qualified firms.  After the proposals were received, Tetra Tech, Inc. (Tetra Tech) was selected.  City staff participating in the evaluation process were from several departments including Purchasing, Fire-Emergency Management and Environmental & Neighborhood Services.

Tetra Tech  is a leading provider of consulting, engineering, and technical services worldwide. The disaster debris monitoring industry was established in 1999 as a result of FEMA's issuance of Publication 325, which provided reimbursement eligibility guidelines for disaster debris monitoring. Shortly after the establishment of FEMA Publication 325, Tetra Tech began providing local and state governments with debris monitoring services in 2001. Tetra Tech  is highly knowledgeable about post-event operational processes and procedures required to help jurisdictions receive maximum reimbursement from FEMA and other funding agencies.

Tetra Tech will assist the City in a variety of disaster debris related activities including but not limited to the monitoring of debris clearance and removal contracts, ensuring the proper operation of debris staging and reduction sites, and the management of FEMA reimbursement requirements.

The debris monitoring services contract is funded from the Solid Waste Fund.  A budget amendment is requested for this Amendment and may be reimbursed by FEMA along with other costs associated with the hurricane recovery efforts.  An ordinance will be brought forward at a later date to capture the final cost of recovery and expected reimbursements from FEMA.

The Environmental & Neighborhood Services Department recommends approval of an Amendment to the General  Services Contract with Tetra Tech, Inc. in an amount not to exceed $101,000 for debris monitoring services associated with Hurricane Harvey and approval of a budget amendment in the amount of $101,000 in revenue and expenses to the Solid Waste Enterprise Fund.