# City of Missoula #817

On-call consulting for Missoula municipal water rights

**Posted:** October 27, 2026
**Respond By:** November 19, 2026
**Identifier:** 817
**NAICS:** 541620

The City of Missoula is seeking a qualified consultant to support its municipal water-rights portfolio and related proceedings.
- **Government buyer:** City of Missoula, Public Works Department / Missoula Water, Missoula County, Montana.
- **Procurement:** On-call professional water-rights consulting. No consulting firm, vendor, or product manufacturer is identified.
- **Services requested:**
  - Ongoing technical assistance for the City's Flynn-Lowney Ditch water rights.
  - Miller Creek mitigation monitoring, water commissioner appointment assistance, and restoration coordination.
  - Technical support for adjudication of City water rights and compliance with water-right conditions.
  - Preparation and support of change applications for municipal water-system rights and wilderness-dam rights.
  - Due diligence for water-right acquisitions, transfers, leases, or retirements.
  - Related strategic and technical advice, monitoring, and reporting.
- **Notable qualifications and requirements:** Firms should demonstrate recent Montana water-rights administration and adjudication experience, municipal water-supplier experience, DNRC change-application and mitigation expertise, Water Court proceeding support coordinated with counsel, technical and field-monitoring capability, and capacity for time-sensitive work. The SOQ body is limited to 13 pages, excluding specified materials.
- **Conflict disclosures:** Firms must address actual or potential conflicts involving the City, Missoula County Airport Authority, Flynn-Lowney Ditch interests, Avista Corporation, and parties potentially adverse to the City. Avista Corporation is identified as a potential conflict-disclosure matter, not as a vendor or proposed contractor.
- **Contract structure:** The City expects to select one consultant. Work, schedules, and budgets will be assigned through written task authorizations; no minimum amount of work is guaranteed.

### Description

The City of Missoula is seeking qualifications from firms to provide on-call water rights consulting services for Missoula Water. Services include support for active water right change proceedings, mitigation monitoring and reporting, Montana Water Court adjudication matters, and related strategic and technical work. Priority needs include consulting on Flynn-Lowney Ditch water rights, Miller Creek mitigation monitoring and restoration coordination, adjudication support, water-right change applications, and due diligence for water-right transactions. The City anticipates selecting one consultant for an on-call professional services contract with task authorizations; the initial work is expected to continue through approximately December 2028.

[View original listing](https://www.ci.missoula.mt.us/bids.aspx?bidID=817)