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Consultant chosen for draft EIS review
The administration of Gov. Eloy S. Inos has selected a consultant to conduct a third-party review of the draft environmental impart statement on proposed military exercises on Tinian and Pagan.
In a statement on Friday, the administration said “through a multi-step evaluation process and in accordance with CNMI Procurement Regulations under the Expedited Purchase Clause, [it] has selected the best possible and responsive bidder under the Scope of Work for the CJMT DEIS Consultant.”
However, the identity of the winning bidder remains under wraps, until the consultant accepts the government’s offer. The administration appealed for patience as “the process is lengthy, yet necessary.”
The government last month started soliciting request for proposals for a third-party contractor or consultant, and also released the scope of work for the potential consultant who will have advisory functions.
The government said it is seeking “consultant services to ensure that the Office of Governor thoroughly understands the DEIS, its potential positive and negative impacts, and all substantive options, including legal remedies if agreements and other mitigation measures with the military are unable to be reached.”
The consultant is also expected to ensure and enable the Office of the Governor “to make informed decisions on behalf of the CNMI.” The consultant is also expected to provide a “reasonable analysis” of the draft EIS and provide counsel and recommendations.
The Inos administration was recently provided with a grant of $250,000 to hire technical experts that will review and evaluate the draft EIS.
