1. 1. Project Purpose:

The Washington Chapter of The Nature Conservancy (“Conservancy”) is seeking qualifications from qualified consultants to facilitate the Floodplains by Design (FbD) leadership and work group meetings, project manage the creation of a collaborative governance structure and network collaboration systems,  and support the development and implementation of cross-partnership learning programs and policy agendas.

1. 2. Project Background:

Floodplains by Design is an ambitious public-private partnership focused on integrating and accelerating efforts to reduce flood risks and restore habitat across Washington State’s major river corridors. Historically, floodplains have been managed in a fragmented manner, driving up costs, and sometimes creating un-intended benefits to ecosystems or communities.  The result has been ever increasing flood risks and the continued decline of salmon runs and water quality.

Floodplains by Design strives to align state and federal investments with locally-driven solutions that solve multiple floodplain management challenges and create a more sustainable future for people and nature. The partnership’s goal is to improve the resiliency of floodplains for the protection of human communities and the health of the ecosystem, while supporting values important in the state such as salmon and orca recovery, agriculture, a vibrant economy and outdoor recreation.

The Floodplains by Design initiative was started in 2013 as a broad-based partnership led by The Nature Conservancy (TNC), the Department of Ecology (Ecology), and the Puget Sound Partnership (PSP). TNC has served as the backbone organization, providing overall facilitation and leadership to the statewide effort. Ecology has administered the FbD grant program and provided staff time to contribute to the FbD effort. TNC, Ecology, and PSP have served as the Management Team for the FbD initiative.

The first phase of Floodplains by Design (2013-2018) was focused on proving a new model: a collaborative, integrated approach to river management toward significantly accelerating efforts to reduce flood risk and restore rivers. Over that period of time, partners have secured $165M in new funding and used it to reduce flooding, restore habitat and protect farmland in dozens of communities across the state.

The next phase of Floodplains by Design will be focused on making this cutting-edge approach the norm across Washington’s floodplains, which will involve: expanding the network of practitioners and fostering increased political will; building more robust capacity and leadership locally and regionally; working to change the policy/regulatory framework that guides floodplain management; positioning for expanded funding and increased staffing resources. Momentum is building across the state to transform freshwater systems to support a resilient, thriving future. The 5-Year Strategy for Washington’s Floodplains is the roadmap designed to help us get there.  The existing staffing and governance structure, however, is insufficient to implementing that roadmap.

Over the last several months the FbD Management has convened a multi-partner Strategy Group to lay out a more collaborative and effective leadership structure – one that brings more partners to the table to ensure their voices are heard and to expand the bench strength as the partnership implements an ambitious agenda.

More information on Floodplains by Design is available online at: http://www.floodplainsbydesign.org/.

1. 3. Project Description:

TNC is seeking to hire a consultant, a consultant team, or multiple consultants with experience in facilitating cross-sector partnerships, coalition/network building and integrated floodplain management to assist the partnership in this transition toward a more robust partnership structure and with the implementation of the 5-Year Strategy.  The consultant(s) will be responsible for developing a dispersed but effective leadership structure, facilitating the FbD Management Team, Strategy Group and Action Groups, and supporting TNC and its public, private and tribal partners in executing priority work. 

This work will be part of a 2-year process to build a strong, effective leadership structure and to institutionalize FbD in Washington state.  It will involve bringing in a new backbone organization, creating a more dispersed and collaborative partnership model, and working with those partners to:  create a substantive learning program for the FbD network, develop and advance proposals to modernize Washington’s floodplain policies and institutionalize FbD values, and develop sustainable funding mechanisms for all aspects of the 5-year strategy (project implementation, capacity building, planning, policy improvement, etc). 

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