REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL/QUALIFICATIONS ENGINEERING SERVICES TOWNSHIP ENGINEER

Transcription

1 REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL/QUALIFICATIONS ENGINEERING SERVICES TOWNSHIP ENGINEER Issued by the Township of Exeter Date Issued: November 19, 2015 Responses Due by: December 4, 2015

2 REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL & QUALIFICATIONS (RFP) FOR MUNICIPAL PROFESSIONALS I. PURPOSE AND INTENT Exeter Township (hereinafter Township is currently seeking proposal from qualified engineering firms interested in providing engineering consultant services to the Township. Firms may submit a proposal for Township Engineer, Wastewater Engineer or both. Appointments are made through a fair and open process. II. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION An original, clearly marked as the ORIGINAL and one (1) electronic copy of each proposal shall be submitted in sealed envelopes and must be marked with ENGINEERING SERVICES and addressed to: Exeter Township Board of Supervisors Attn: Cheryl A. Franckowiak 4975 DeMoss Road Reading, Pennsylvania The proposal must be received no later than December 4, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. Faxed proposals will NOT be accepted. Any inquiry concerning this RFP should be directed in writing to: Exeter Township Cheryl A. Franckowiak 4975 DeMoss Road Reading, Pennsylvania cfranckowiak@exetertownship.com All documents/information submitted in response to this solicitation may be available to the general public. The Township will not be responsible for any costs associated with the oral or written and/or presentation of the proposals. The Township reserves the right to reject any and all proposals, with or without cause, and waive any irregularities or informalities in the proposals. The Township further reserves the right to make such investigations as it deems necessary as to the qualifications of any and all firms submitting proposals. The Township reserves the right to re-solicit proposals.

3 III. GENERAL INFORMATION ON THE TOWNSHIP OF EXETER The Township of Exeter is located in Berks County, Pennsylvania and operates as a Second Class Township Code form of government, with a five (5) member Board of Supervisors and a Manager. The Township is approximately 24.1 square miles; has a 2010 Census population of 25,550, approximately 12,000 households, an annual General Fund budget of $10 million, approximately 110 employees (75 who are full-time, the remainder part-time or seasonal). The Township owns an 18-hole golf course on property known as The Reading Country Club, approximately 125 miles of roads; approximately 100 detention basins; storm water conveyance systems; several bridges and operates six (6) park facilities. The Township also owns a Wastewater Treatment Plant (WTP) consisting of a collection system and wastewater treatment facility and is operated by Exeter Township staff. The WTP operates under National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit No. PA The WTP treats wastewater originating from Exeter Twp., St. Lawrence Borough, and small portions of Alsace & Lower Alsace Townships. The WTP consists of two (2) separate treatment flow trains, the East WTP and the West WTP. The East WTP is used exclusively for equalization of high-strength residual waste, as needed. The West WTP consists of the Main Pumping Station, Headworks building, four (4) Primary Clarifiers, two (2) 1 st stage Aeration Tanks, three (3) 2 nd Stage Aeration Tanks, four (4) Final Clarifiers, and two (2) Chlorine Contact Tanks. The combined treatment train is currently permitted for an annual average flow capacity of 7.1 million gallons per day. With a combined organic loading of 20,289 Pounds of BOD per day (lbs. BOD5/day) Solids production and handling occurs in several stages. Raw sludge from Primary Clarifiers is pumped directly to one of two (2) Primary Anaerobic Digesters. Waste Activated Sludge from biological system is gravity thickened before being pumped to one of two (2) Primary Digesters. After Digestion, the stabilized bio-solids are transferred to an aerated Sludge Holding Tank before being dewatered by one of two (2) Centrifuges, A Sludge dryer then dries the dewatered bio-solids. Dried bio-solids are then taken to farmers fields. The sanitary sewers collect domestic waste and industrial waste, and convey them through 105 miles of sewers to the WTP. In addition, six (6) pumping stations convey less than 3% of the total collection system flow to the WTP. The Board of Supervisors meets the second and fourth Monday s of each month; the Planning Commission meets the third Monday of each month. The Board of Supervisors meets the second and fourth Mondays of each month as well as special meetings on an as needed basis. IV. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS See Exhibit A V. MANDATORY CONTENTS OF PROPOSAL Definitions While a firm does not have to match each item exactly, the following is what is generally meant when used in this RFP. Scope: magnitude of the project, and value of the contract. Size: when used in this context refers to such things as: budget, miles of roads, number of employees, acres

4 of recreation areas, size of municipal bonds, population, number of homes. Similar: refers to such things as municipalities that have areas of dense suburban, commercial, and retail development, have areas of non-dense woodlands and large agricultural tracts, have large recreation complexes, contain streams and lakes, contain federally regulated wetlands, and have a transportation network including State Highways. In addition to demonstrating an ability to meet all minimum qualifications in Exhibit A, the firm must also include and address the following: 1) Contact Information: Provide the name and address of the firm; the name, telephone number, fax number, and e- mail address of the individual responsible for the preparation of the proposal and the principal professional assigned to the Township. 2) The location of firm s office, if other than the firm s main office, at which the firm proposes to perform services required under this RFP. Describe your presence in Pennsylvania and any familiarity your firm has with the Berks County area. Provide a list of all current and past municipal and authority clients your firm has represented including the duration. 3) A fee proposal for the 2016 Township year including: a detailed listing of your firm s method of charging for professional and administrative services; a listing of billable rates for all personnel of your firm; a description of multipliers, overhead charges and other applicable fee information (i.e.: mileage, copying/printing, project supplies, photographs, etc.); and, a description of minimum billings, if any. A proposal showing minimum and maximum ranges is not acceptable. Please include the anticipated annual increase in your rate schedule and the percentage change in your rates, if any, over the last five (5) years. 4) An executive summary of not more than two (2) pages, identifying and substantiating why the firm is best qualified to provide the requested services. 5) A staffing plan listing those employees who will be assigned to the engagement if the firm is selected, including the designation of the person who would be the firm s principal professional responsible for all services required under the engagement. This portion of the proposal should include the relevant resume information for the individuals who will be assigned, including the specific tasks or services they will provide. This information should include, at a minimum, a description of the individual s relevant professional experience, years and type of experience, and number of years with the firm. 6) A description of the firm s experience, both within Berks County and the Commonwealth, in performing services of the type described in this RFP as well as the duration of the same. Specifically identify client size and specific examples of work within the scope of services required under this RFP in similarly sized municipalities. It is imperative to show experience in similarly sized municipalities. 7) Identify what experience your firm has with Wastewater Treatment and Collection Facilities. Include design experience within the last ten (10) years. Provide a list of clients for which the firm has, or currently provide these services and the duration of the same. 8) Five (5) references, including at least three (3) municipal clients, including three (3) current clients for whom services have been provided for at least three (3) years and two (2) former clients for whom services have been provided within the past seven (7) years. Provide the contact names, titles and phone numbers.

5 9) If the firm or any principal therein has been subject to any professional disciplinary action over the last three (3) years, provide a description of the event and the disciplinary action. 10) A description of any ongoing investigations and/or litigation matters involving the firm, its directors, officers and principals and any individuals employed by the firm that relate to the performance of the firm in the proposed field of expertise. 11) Identify the municipal organizations to which your firm is a member and what municipal publications your firm currently receives. 12) The Township prefers a firm with a minimum of 80% municipal representation; and, a majority of the public sector work located within Berks County. In its proposal, the firm must identify any existing or potential conflicts of interest, and disclose any representation of parties or other relationships that might be considered a conflict of interest with regard to this engagement, or the Township. Identify what percentage, if any, of your practice is dedicated to providing services to local developers and businesses. Provide a list of the Pennsylvania Developers you serve. VI. SUBCONTRACTORS If the Firm intends to subcontract out any part of the work contained in the scope of this RFP, the Firm shall provide a complete description of the services to be subcontracted, an estimate of the overall amount of work to be subcontracted, the rationale behind the need to subcontract, and a comprehensive description of the qualifications and experience of the proposed subcontractor. The Township reserves the right to disapprove any proposed subcontractor and to revoke previous approval of a subcontractor should the need arise. VII. INDEMNIFICATION The selected firm shall defend, indemnify and hold harmless the Township, its officers, agents and employees from any and all claims and costs of any nature whether for personal injury, property damage or any other liability arising out of or in any way connected with the Engineer's negligent acts or omissions under this agreement. VIII. INSURANCE Detail your insurance coverage applicable to the services described herein. Such coverage must be adequate to sufficiently cover the services detailed herein and must include at a minimum, general liability insurance coverage and professional liability insurance coverage. Include insurance certificates summarizing such insurance coverage. IX. OTHER INFORMATION Please discuss any other factors not mentioned above which you believe are relevant to the Township s selection of your firm. X. INTERVIEW The Township Manager and/or the Board of Supervisors reserve the right to interview any or all of the firms submitting a proposal. Although interviews may take place, the proposal should be comprehensive and complete as submitted. The Township reserves the right to request clarifying information subsequent to submission of the proposal. XI. SELECTION PROCESS

6 All proposals will be reviewed by the Township Manager or his designee to determine responsiveness. Nonresponsive proposals will be rejected without evaluation. For firms that satisfy IV Minimum Requirements and V Mandatory Contents of Proposal the Township s evaluation will include but will not be limited to the following evaluation criteria, separate or combined in some manner, and not necessarily listed in order of significance: (a) The firm s general approach to providing the services required under this RFP. (b) The firm s documented experience in successfully completing contracts of a similar size and scope to the engagement addressed by this RFP. (c) The qualifications and experience of the firm s management, supervisory or other key personnel assigned to the engagement, with emphasis on documented experience in successfully completing work on contracts of similar size and scope to the services required by this RFP. (d) The overall ability of the firm to mobilize, undertake and successfully complete the scope of work in a timely fashion. This criterion will include, but not be limited to, the following factors: the number and qualifications of management, supervisory and other staff proposed by the firm to perform the services required by this RFP; the availability and commitment to the engagement of the firm s management, supervisory and other staff proposed. (e) Costs and fee schedules. XII. SELECTION AND CONTRACT The Township will select the firm deemed most advantageous to the Township, price and other factors considered. The resulting contract will include this RFP, any clarifications or addenda thereto, the selected firm s proposal, and any changes negotiated by the parties.

7 Exhibit A Township of Exeter Request for Proposal & Qualifications for Engineering Services Township of Exeter Minimum Qualifications Firms must establish that they meet the following minimum qualifications: Township of Exeter Minimum Requirements Township Engineer: (Board Appointment) A. The firm shall comply with and be subject to all provisions of Article XII of the Second Class Township Code. Article XII Sections 1201, 1202 and 1203 are set forth herein as follows: Section Township Engineer The Board of Supervisors may appoint and determine the compensation of a township engineer who shall be a registered professional engineer. The township engineer serves at the pleasure of the board of supervisors. Section Engineer s Duties; Preparation of Plans The township engineer shall perform duties as the board of supervisors may direct for the construction, reconstruction, maintenance and repair of streets, roads, pavements, storm conveyance systems, sanitary sewers, bridges, culverts and other engineering work. The township engineer shall prepare plans, specifications and estimates of the work undertaken by the township and furnish the board of supervisors with reports, information or estimates on any township engineering work or on questions submitted by the board of supervisors. Section Certificate of Commencement and of Completion of Municipal Improvements The township engineer shall certify to the township secretary the date of commencement and of completion of all municipal improvements, the cost of which, in whole or in part, is to be paid by the owners of the abutting property. The certification shall be made a part of the permanent records of the township. The certified time of commencement and completion is collusive on all parties. The term certified time of completion means the time of the completion of the whole contract for the improvement. B. All applicable licenses to perform general engineering in Pennsylvania. Firm must have at least seven (7) years experience as a municipal engineer in a similarly sized municipality. Firm must be multi-disciplined with expertise in road construction, construction management, dam inspection and maintenance with engineers who hold licenses in these areas, planners & landscape engineers on staff, experience in environmental assessments (wetlands, archaeological, endangered species, hydrologic studies), GIS, materials testing, surveying, traffic studies, drainage, building codes, lighting, wastewater collection & treatment and extensive knowledge of stormwater management issues.

8 Firm should be capable of providing architectural/building services, including a staff member who is a certified UCC Inspector and licensed Architect to provide technical support to the Township on an as-needed basis. List all Certifications under the Uniform Construction Code. The firm must demonstrate the ability to: A. GENERAL: Correspond in electronic format (the Township uses Sharepoint for document storage) Provide technical and engineering advice and assistance to Township Boards and Township staff on a same day basis or, at a minimum, within 24 hours. Review of Subdivision and Land Development Plans in accordance with the Township Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance, Zoning Ordinance, Act 167 Stormwater Ordinance, and other applicable Ordinances, Review lighting plans, fire prevention, timber harvesting, traffic impact studies and stormwater management plans for individual residential dwellings. Attend Board of Supervisor, Planning Commission and Special meetings as requested by the Township Manager (Current schedule 2 nd, 3 rd & 4 th Mondays of each month). Prepare feasibility studies, cost estimates, funding plans, and other written materials regarding ongoing or contemplated public works projects. Prepare, or cause to be prepared, surveys, maps, plans, designs and specifications for public works projects and improvements. Demonstrate experience with engineering design, inspection and contract administration of annual municipal projects (public works, parks, etc.). Perform stormwater inspections for existing developments in accordance with the Act 167 Stormwater Ordinance and Stormwater Agreements. Demonstrate familiarity with the MS4 Requirements and be capable of providing technical support to the Township staff for permit submittal/renewal and other related services. Respond to resident concerns (upon request of Township) when an engineering project impacts their property. Conduct engineering inspections of both residential developments and large commercial/industrial projects. Develop Public Improvements Cost Estimates. Perform inspections of public improvements and review escrow releases as requested by the Township. Prepare Legal descriptions as needed. Demonstrate working relationships with outside agencies (DEP, L&I, Penn DOT, BCCD, DCNR, Penn VEST and other local, State and Federal agencies) Perform ADA plan reviews and conduct inspections of the same. B. WASTEWATER: Design of capital improvements or modifications at the WTP. Which may include, raw wastewater pumping station improvements or modifications, plant SCADA upgrades, electrical improvements, and design or upgrade to all wastewater related equipment. Perform facilities inspections and reports (Chapter 94 report). The Engineer shall perform professional engineering services as hereinafter stated which include normal civil engineering services, necessary field surveys and topographic and utility mapping for design purposes of sanitary sewer replacement. Application for necessary permits and regulatory approvals, and environmental work necessary to obtain environmental permits required for project construction. Prepare final construction plans, easement plats and, where necessary, technical contract specifications and contract documents when bidding is required. Assist in obtaining approvals and permits as necessary to comply with applicable federal, state and local regulations.

9 When necessary prepare cost estimates, evaluate bids and recommend award. Provide inspections services, review shop drawings, prepare as-built drawings, and prepare Operations and Maintenance Manuals. Assist in the re-permitting process, renewal of NPDES Permit, every five (5) years. Assist in the resolution adopting Local Limits as required by the PA DEP. Prepare the ACT 537 Plan as required. Provide technical assistance as needed in the areas of Operations and Maintenance for the entire treatment system and Industrial Pretreatment Program. Attend Township meetings as required. C. All applicable licenses to perform traffic engineering in Pennsylvania. Firm must have at least seven (7) years experience in a similarly sized municipality. Must have experience with doing traffic studies and recommendations on a variety of issues, including but not limited to: Traffic Signal Design; including flashing warning devices and other electronic warning or regulatory traffic control devices. Prepare Traffic Studies in accordance with Penn DOT Design Criteria. Impact of Penn DOT projects Providing recommendations on failing intersections and traffic signalization projects. Providing recommendations to relieve traffic congestion Traffic speed and volume surveys Must be familiar with Closed Loop Traffic Signal Systems and Pre-emption and battery back-up devices. Accident history Right of Way acquisitions