Update 10/7/25: The deadline has passed and the RFPQ is now closed. Thank you for your interest.
The Scarborough Land Trust (SLT), in collaboration with state, federal, and nonprofit partners, has released a Request for Proposals and Qualifications (RFPQ) for a major study of the Scarborough Marsh, Maine’s largest contiguous salt marsh at over 3,000 acres. The project will evaluate tidal crossings, sea level rise (SLR) impacts, and restoration opportunities to improve the marsh’s long-term resilience.
Salt marshes like Scarborough provide essential ecosystem services—carbon storage, storm protection, water filtration, and critical habitat for fish, birds, and shellfish. Yet the marsh faces mounting threats from rapid coastal development, historic alterations such as drainage ditches, and the looming challenge of rising seas—projected to increase by up to four feet in the next 75 years. Road and rail crossings already restrict tidal flow, further stressing the marsh.
The selected consultant will build and calibrate a two-dimensional hydrodynamic model of the marsh system using SRH-2D software. The study will analyze tidal restrictions, evaluate designs for key road and trail crossings, and estimate how tidal flows, marsh vegetation, sediment transport, and flooding risks will change under current, 1.5-foot, and 4-foot SLR scenarios. Specific crossings under study include Black Point Road, Pine Point Road, the Eastern Trail bridge, and others, with additional structures considered for future phases.
The scope also includes assessing hydroperiods needed to sustain high-marsh habitat, identifying areas for restoration and marsh migration, and evaluating potential flooding risks to adjacent properties and infrastructure. Results will inform future restoration projects and MaineDOT transportation upgrades.
This project is one of three concurrent efforts addressing Scarborough Marsh’s future, alongside a town-led vulnerability study and state highway redesigns. Together, these initiatives aim to protect the marsh’s ecological health, community resilience, and cultural value in the face of climate change.
Questions and completed responses can be sent to TLamperty@scarboroughlandtrust.org.
Supplementary Documents:
Responses to Consultant Questions
Do you have an inventory of the “secondary” stream crossings that are referenced in RFPQ?
We do not have a readily available inventory of secondary crossings. Examples may be the culverts under Payne Rd. We defer to the consultant’s professional judgement as to what needs to be included in the model.
Do you have a summary of any recent bathymetry data/surveys that have been conducted (outside of publicly available data sets)
The GEI technical memo (“US Route 1 Crossing Memo 2024-11-0” added above) lists all the LiDAR/bathy/survey data sources that GEI used. NOAA and the Maine Geological Survey recently collected data on much of the rest of the marsh with the exception of Jones Creek.
Do all team members for Phase 2 need to be included with this RFPQ response that addresses Phase 1 only?
Yes – the teams for Phases 1 & 2 should be listed.
The RFPQ requests to include 3 examples of completed relevant projects that demonstrate experience and expertise related to this project, but would including more than 3 examples projects negatively impact our scoring? We’d like to include more if it doesn’t hurt us.
It will not reflect poorly to have more than 3 examples; however, we ask that you indicate which 3 to prioritize because we cannot guarantee that we will have time to look at more than 3 examples.
Is there a page limit for the RFQP response?
We did see that resumes are limited to 2 pages per person. There is no page limit.