Request for Qualifications
PURPOSE:
The City of Fulda desires to seek assistance to resolve its aging wastewater infrastructure. Due to funding requirements, it becomes necessary for the community to have a Preliminary Engineering Report (PER) prepared by a qualified Minnesota licensed civil engineer. The community desires to select the best-qualified engineering firm through the Request for Qualifications process. The community proposes to select and hire an engineering firm to prepare a PER that will provide the appropriate technical information to help the community make important decisions on actions which will best ensure its resident’s health, and permit the community to experience orderly growth and economic prosperity.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Fulda is located within Murray County, Minnesota and has a population of approximately 1,300 people. The City’s wastewater treatment system consists of stabilization ponds that are in need of minor repairs. The sanitary sewer collection system is old, deteriorating and needs to be replaced. The City has not experienced significant change in growth over the last 20 years.
SCOPE OF WORK:
The scope of work will consist of the preparation of a Preliminary Engineering Report (PER) to address the wastewater treatment and collection system needs of the community. The PER should thoroughly examine all reasonable alternatives, as well as give consideration to options which will improve cost effectiveness in the construction and operation of needed facilities. In addition, the scope of work includes preparation of an Environmental Report examining environmental factors associated with the various alternatives examined in the PER. The PER scope of work is more specifically described in detail in the appropriate RUS Bulletin (guidelines) attached.
•RUS Bulletin 1780 – 3, PER for a Wastewater Facility
Procedures for assessing environmental impacts are described in RUS Instruction 1794. All RUS Bulletins as well as RUS Instruction 1794 may be accessed via the internet at http://www.usda.gov/rus . The Contractor (engineer) will provide the City with 5 copies of the final PER. The selected engineering firm must begin PER within 2 weeks of Notice to Proceed.
PROJECT AREA:
The primary project area is the municipal wastewater treatment facility and sanitary sewer collection system. The wastewater treatment facility consists of a stabilization pond system located north of the City of Fulda, to the east of Highway 59. The sanitary sewer collection system includes approximately 50,000 feet of pipe ranging in size from 6 to 18 inch in diameter.
PROJECT CONTACT:
City of Fulda
Julie Burchill, City Clerk/Treasurer
102 3rd Street NE
Fulda, MN 56131
Phone: 507.425.2504
SUBMITTALS OF PROPOSALS:
Proposals must be submitted to the Julie Burchill, City Clerk/Treasurer by 4:00 p.m. Thursday, August 30th, at Fulda Hall. The proposal shall be placed in a sealed envelope marked clearly, “Response to RFQ for Wastewater Utilities Project”.
EVALUATION CRITERIA:
All proposals will be evaluated on the following criteria:
(a) Technical qualifications of the engineering firm and any subconsultants
(b) Technical experience with similar projects – demonstrate by providing contacts (name and phone number) & dates of all similar projects completed in small rural communities in the last two years. Community will also conduct its own research of recently completed projects for each firm submitting a proposal.
(c) Experience with multiple funding sources – demonstrate by providing list of projects completed within the last two years that utilize multiple funding sources.
(d.) Ability to complete the PER in timely manner – demonstrate by providing a listing of key staff (engineering, community relations, financial expertise, and construction management) and subconsultants who will complete this project, along with brief resumes or evidence of their experience in working with similar projects.
(e) Expertise in designing facilities that reflect modest design, simple operational requirements, and economical cost of operation.
(f) Evidence of engineering firm’s ability to provide a complete and thorough PER that complies with the RUS Bulletins.
(g) Evidence of firm’s ability to design a project appropriate for the community’s size, financial strength, and ability to repay the proposed indebtedness and operational costs.
SELECTION PROCESS:
Selection may be made based on applications supplied or by interviewing the best qualified applicants.
If interviews are to be conducted, the engineering firms under consideration will be notified as to time, date, and location of these interviews in order for the community’s selection committee to ask specific questions to each candidate and evaluate their responses.
NOTE: Prospective engineering firms are advised that no obligation or commitments are incurred by the community in announcing this Request for Qualifications. It is the intention that the City of Fulda, after appropriate evaluations, will select the best qualified engineering firm and enter into an Agreement for such services to complete a PER. The Agreement for Engineering Services to prepare the PER will utilize the prescribed format of the funding /agencies. At the option of the community, the selection process may include professional services for the design, construction observation, and construction administration of the improvements, in addition to the completion of the PER. F-8-15
