Day: September 28, 2020

Request for Proposal - Flood Elevation Professional Surveying

Request for Proposal – Flood Elevation Professional Surveying

Posted on by DNS Admin

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

SEDA-Council of Governments (SEDA-COG) is soliciting proposals for professional surveying services to provide Elevation Certificates to residents of various communities as part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). It is our desire to continue offering homeowners the opportunity to purchase Elevation Certificates, through SEDA-COG, at what we hope will be a discounted rate.

The scope includes all tasks necessary to provide a completed Elevation Certificate to each homeowner, including a determination of latitude, longitude and elevation (referenced to the appropriate datum), properly executing and sealing the form, and attaching the building photographs. All work and submittals shall be conducted in accordance with FEMA’s NFIP guidelines and OMB No. 1660-0008 “Elevation Certificate and Instructions” (Expiration November 30, 2022). Work must be performed by a Professional Land Surveyor or Professional Engineer licensed in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Our focus is the following communities:

    • Town of Bloomsburg, Columbia County
    • Borough of Lewisburg, Union County
    • Borough of Danville, Montour County
    • Borough of Milton, Northumberland County
    • Borough of Selinsgrove, Snyder County

Please note homeowners from other communities not listed above may elect to participate in this Elevation Certificate program through SEDA-COG. Any work performed in communities other than those specified in this proposal will be addressed with a contract amendment if/when warranted and agreeable to both parties.

For each household, three copies of the certifications, including original signature and seal, shall be provided to SEDA-COG.

If you are interested in providing these services to SEDA-COG, we are requesting that you submit a proposal to include the following:

    1. 1. A fixed fee per household (by community) for completion of the Elevation Certificate, including field work, completion of the certificate in accordance with the FEMA guidance, and provision of three copies of the Elevation Certificate, with original seal, to SEDA-COG.
    2. 2. An anticipated timeline from notification of a certificate request to issuance of the completed Elevation Certificate. It is the expectation of SEDA-COG that each certificate would be available within 30 days from notification. If you feel this request is unreasonable, please provide an alternate estimated timeline.
    3. 3. A sample of a completed Elevation Certificate.
    4. 4. Proof of Insurance.

Proposals should be clearly marked and submitted no later than Friday, October 16, 2020, 4:00 PM, to:

Geralee Zeigler, Flood Resiliency Program Analyst
SEDA-Council of Governments
201 Furnace Road
Lewisburg, PA 17837

Questions may be addressed to Geralee Zeigler, 570-524-4491 or gzeigler@seda-cog.org.

2020-Flood-Surveying-RFPDownload
State grant program now includes digital needs for businesses

State grant program now includes digital needs for businesses

Posted on by DNS Admin

A state grant program that helps companies increase export sales is funding new activities because of COVID-19 travel difficulties.

The Global Access Program (GAP) is now providing grants for e-commerce, digital marketing, marketing media design, and certain certifications.

SEDA-Council of Governments’ (SEDA-COG) Export Development program assists businesses with application development, submittal, reporting, and reimbursement, among other assistance. 

Since the program began eight years ago, SEDA-COG has helped 63 companies to be awarded 103 grants totaling $371,525.

Noelle Long, director of SEDA-COG’s Export program, encouraged small- to mid-sized companies to apply for these funds.

“Businesses are having to adapt to the rapidly changing environment with the pandemic, and the GAP grant program has also adjusted to suit their needs since digital marketing is more important than ever. SEDA-COG is committed to continuing to empower businesses through this crisis and connect them with as many opportunities as possible,” Long said.

The reimbursable grants can be awarded up to $5,000. SEDA-COG’s GAP funds are available through next September.

Specifically, the grant now can be used for:

E-commerce and digital marketing

  • Design and development of website, with an international focus
  • Oversight and maintenance and monitoring fees for search engine optimization
  • Online market listing fees
  • E-commerce platform fees, including hosting and/or maintenance fees
  • Expenses to set up websites to accept international payments

Payments for Design of Marketing Media

  • Design of company digital international marketing, including social media and digital ads
  • Translation of marketing media, including audio and video
  • Google Analytics

Certifications: CE, CEE, GDPR, UL Canada, ATEX Testing/Certification, Japan Haz/Loc Certification, IECex Testing/Certification


The program continues to offer grants for the following activities:

  • Overseas trade mission participation (in person and virtual)
  • Overseas trade show exhibition (in person and virtual)
  • Domestic trade show exhibition (in person and virtual)
  • Foreign market sales trip
  • Subscription to U.S. Department of Commerce services
  • Compliance testing
  • Federal services that directly support exporting

GAP is administered by the Pennsylvania Office of International Business Development (OIBD). The program is funded in part through a grant with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). For more information, visit https://dced.pa.gov/programs/global-access-program-gap/.

SEDA-COG’s Export Development team serves the businesses and communities of central Pennsylvania by encouraging and facilitating economic development through growth in world trade. It is funded by the state Department of Community & Economic Development’s Office of International Business Development and Partnerships for Regional Economic Performance.

For more information about SEDA-COG’s Export Development Program, contact Noelle Long at export@seda-cog.org or 570-524-4491.