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WO 25-01 BELGRADE WATER STORAGE EXPANSION Addendum 01 January 21, 2025 The RFQ for WO 25-01 Belgrade Water Storage Expansion is revised as follows: ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 2 of 12 REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS (RFQ) BELGRADE WATER STORAGE EXPANSION CITY OF BELGRADE 91 E Central Ave Belgrade, MT January 2025 ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 3 of 12 NOTICE IS HEREBY given that the City of Belgrade (hereafter “City”) is seeking proposals from firms to provide engineering planning, design, construction bid document development, and construction management services for a new elevated water storage tank, with a minimum capacity of 3.0 MG, groundwater source, and transmission mains, located within the Belgrade, Montana city limits. The City operates two existing water storage tanks, each 0.5 MG. As the City continues to grow, additional storage is required to meet the demands of the growing population. This project will require that the successful engineering firm be familiar with the City’s operations and system demands, complete preliminary and final design of transmission main, and a 3.0 MG or larger water storage tank, and groundwater source, obtain all necessary regulatory approvals, prepare construction bidding documents, and oversee construction management of the project. Copies of the Request for Qualifications are available on the City’s website. All proposals shall be provided as a single document. Paper submissions (two official copies) with a USB drive with a digital version shall be delivered to the City Clerk on or before February 7, 2025, by 3:00 pm MST. Proposals shall be provided in a sealed envelope clearly marked with the firm’s name and address and addressed to Belgrade Water Storage Expansion c/o City Clerk at 91 E Central Ave, Belgrade, MT 59714. Office hours for City Hall are from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. It is the sole responsibility of the proposing party to ensure that proposals are received prior to the closing date and time, as late submittals will not be accepted and will be returned unopened. Any administrative questions regarding proposal procedures should be directed to Camille Gregory, City Clerk at (406) 388-3559 or [EMAIL REDACTED]. Questions relating to the RFQ or selection process should be directed to Camaree Uljua, Director of Public Works at (406) 388-3578 or [EMAIL REDACTED]. DATED at Belgrade, Montana, this January 10, 2025. Camille Gregory City Clerk City of Belgrade 1st Publication: Bozeman Daily Chronicle, January 10, 2025 2nd Publication: Belgrade News, January 16, 2025 3rd Publication: Bozeman Daily Chronicle, January 23, 2025 4th Publication: Belgrade News, January 30, 2025 ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 4 of 12 1. INTRODUCTION The City of Belgrade, Montana, is soliciting Statements of Qualifications (SOQs) from qualified engineering firms to provide comprehensive services for the development of a n elevated water storage tower with a minimum capacity of 3.0 MG, new groundwater source, and transmission mains. The selected firm will assist the City in creating a Preliminary Engineering Report (PER), preparing necessary documentation for state and federal grant and loan applications, designing the storage tank, groundwater source, and transmission mains, preparing construction bidding documents, and providing the option for construction management services. The City’s current water storage capacity is 1.0 MG. The City and the surrounding Gallatin Valley have experienced dramatic growth over the last decade. Additional water storage is required to meet the demands of the growing population within Belgrade city limits. Ideally, the new elevated water storage tank will be large enough to increase the City’s total storage capacity to 5.0 MG. 2. BACKGROUND The City’s current water distribution system and storage system is comprised of three pressure zones served by seven groundwater wells (two additional groundwater wells are currently under construction) and two elevated storage tanks. The City’s water system is currently untreated. The three pressure zones are the North, Central, and South pressure zones. Each elevated storage tank has a capacity of 0.5 MG, and both are located within the Central Pressure Zone. The new elevated water storage tank and groundwater source will be located within the Central Pressure Zone. The proposed location is within the Mayfair Meadows Park. This location is subject to change but is expected to be finalized prior to contract award. The new tank and groundwater source must operate in concert with the two existing tanks and seven groundwater sources. Water age is of upmost concern, and the new water storage tank shall be designed in a manner that provides suitable turnover, while also providing adequate storage to address peak operational and fire demands. 3. GENERAL INFORMATION Pursuant to Title 1 Chapter 8 of the Belgrade City Code and Resolution 2024-34, the City of Belgrade seeks to procure a qualified professional consulting engineering firm (professional service provider) to provide professional engineering services, which include planning, analysis, design, and construction administration for water infrastructure improvements associated with a n elevated water storage tank and groundwater source. The City of Belgrade shall not be held responsible for any oral instructions. Any changes to this Request for Qualifications (RFQ) will be in the form of an addendum, which will be posted to the City’s website. The deadline for questions related to the RFQ is January 31, 2025, at 3:00 pm MST. The City will post a final addendum February 3, 2025, by 3:00 pm MST, if applicable. ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 5 of 12 The City of Belgrade reserves the right to reject any or all Proposals, to waive any informality or irregularity in any Proposal received, and to be the sole judge of the merits of the proposals received. A non-mandatory pre‐submittal conference for the RFQ will be held on January 30, 2025, at the Belgrade Library and Community Center, 205 East Main Street, Belgrade, MT, 59714 at 10:30 am. City staff will discuss the scope of work, general contract issues, and respond to questions from the attendees. Staff may not be available to respond to individual inquiries regarding the project scope outside of this pre‐submittal conference, so attendance at this pre‐submittal conference is highly recommended. A summary of Q & A from the pre-submittal conference will be posted on the City of Belgrade website. To participate in the pre-submittal conference via Teams please contact Camaree Uljua at [EMAIL REDACTED]. The Service Provider will be selected on the basis of demonstrated competence and qualification for the type of services required, and thereafter the City will negotiate the services agreement with what it deems to be the most qualified company. 4. GENERAL RFQ REQUIREMENTS Non-Discrimination. The City of Belgrade is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Discrimination in the performance of any agreement awarded under this RFQ on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, age, marital status, national origin, or actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability is prohibited. The prohibition shall apply to the hiring and treatment of the awarded entity’s employees and to all subcontracts. As such, each entity submitting under this notice shall include a provision wherein the submitting entity, or entities, affirms in writing that it will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, age, martial status, national origin, or because of actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability, and which also recognizes the eventual contract will contain a provision prohibiting discrimination as described above and that this prohibition on discrimination shall apply to the hiring and treatment of the submitting entity’s employees and to all subcontracts. Disadvantaged Business Enterprise. Pursuant to US Department of Transportation policy and 49 CFR Part 23, the City of Belgrade supports the participation of DBE/MBE businesses in the performance of contracts financed with federal funds under this RFQ. Consultants shall conduct and document good faith efforts to involve DBE/MBE businesses in this project. If the Consultant is a DBE/MBE, a statement indicating that the business is certified DBE/MBE in Montana shall be included within the proposal. If the Consultant intends to utilize a DBE/MBE to complete a portion of this work, a statement of the Subconsultant’s certification shall be included. The percent of the total proposed cost to be completed by the DBE/MBE shall be shown within the proposal. Respondents should substantiate (within proposal) efforts made to include DBE/MBE businesses. Efforts to Improve Racial Equity and Reduce Barriers to Opportunity. The City of Belgrade ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 6 of 12 adheres to all federal requirements relating to current Davis Bacon regulations and the Civil Rights Act through its personnel and procurement policies. The City takes proactive steps to engage all community members in public planning, support non-vehicular modes of travel through shared use trail development and retain local jobs to support social equity and reduce barriers to opportunity for those in underserved portions of the community. Efforts to Support Good-Paying Jobs and Strong Labor Standards. The City of Belgrade’s hiring process incorporates the Montana Veteran’s Public Employment Preference Act and the Montana Disability in Employment Preference Act. These acts allow eligible applicants to request a hiring preference when applying to City jobs. The City has also adopted a robust non-discrimination policy that promotes an equal employment opportunity and strictly prohibits discriminatory practices during the hiring process and while employed at the City. 5. SCOPE OF WORK The selected firm shall provide engineering services for reports, plans, specifications, permits, engineer’s estimate of cost, preliminary and final design, construction bidding document preparation, and construction administration of the project. The project includes: Design Design of a new 3.0 MG or larger n elevated water storage tank. The City will consider below grade, at grade, and elevated tank styles. Design of a new groundwater source, facility, and appurtenances. Water storage tank site and groundwater source site and transmission main connection design. Preparation of bidding documents. Filing and obtainment of relevant permits and regulatory approvals. Coordination of the bidding process. Coordination with funding programs, such as the State Revolving Fund (SRF) or Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA). Scope of items should include: Planning and Preliminary Design Phase 1. Preliminary Engineering Report (PER): Develop a PER in accordance with applicable local, state, and federal guidelines to assess project feasibility, alternatives analysis, design criteria, construction cost estimates, future operations and maintenance cost estimates for new facilities, and potential environmental impacts. 2. Funding Assistance: Prepare and submit necessary reports and documentation to support applications for state and federal grants and loan programs pertinent to the project. 3. Reports Basis of Design Report Environmental Report ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 7 of 12 Geotechnical Report Stormwater Design Report 4. Preliminary Design - Provide review plans at 30, 60, and 95 percent completion and provide review specifications at 95 percent completion. Site Design Transmission Main Design Water Storage Tank Design Groundwater Source Design 5. Survey Conduct cadastral and topographic surveys, as applicable. Identify utility conflicts and work with City/utility owners to coordinate relocation. Final Design 1. Provide final, stamped plans and specifications. Bidding 1. Prepare bidding documents for site work, tank and source construction, and transmission main connections. 2. Obtain necessary regulatory approvals from local, state, and federal agencies. 3. Identify and coordinate acquisition of required project permits. 4. Prepare Engineer’s estimate of probable cost. 5. Conduct meetings and reviews as necessary with City staff, City Council, utility owners, landowners, and the general public. 6. Coordinate the public bidding and contract award process. Construction Administration 1. Scope and fee for construction-phase related work will be negotiated under a separate agreement. 6. SCHEDULE Milestone Scheduled Date RFQ Publication January 10, 2025 Non-Mandatory Pre-submittal Conference January 30, 2025; 10:30 am Deadline for Receipt of Q&A Questions January 31, 2025; 3:00 pm Final Posting of Addenda February 3, 2025: 3:00 pm Proposal Due Date February 7, 2025; 3:00 pm Proposal Evaluations February 10, 2025 Firm Interviews (if required) February 10, 2025; TBD Recommendation of Award to City Manager and Start Contract Negotiations February 14, 2025 7. SELECTION CRITERIA ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 8 of 12 The Professional Service Provider will be selected through a qualification‐based selection process. Firms interested in providing the scope of services requested to the City shall submit a proposal that addresses the following evaluation criteria. Applicants are encouraged to organize their submissions in such a way as to follow the general evaluation criteria listed below. Information included within the Proposal may be used to evaluate your firm as part of any criteria regardless of where that information is found within the Proposal. Information obtained from the Proposal and from any other relevant source may be used in the evaluation and selection process. The proposal shall at a minimum include the following: Cover Sheet (1‐page maximum) containing at a minimum: Company name, contact name, physical and email addresses. Table of Contents (1-page maximum) General Information 1. Project Summary that concisely describes the project, its goals, and proposed course of implementation. 2. Description of company. 3. Lead firm’s primary and secondary contact information. 4. Legal company organization and organization chart with names and roles of key personnel. 5. List of applicable Montana licenses. Relevant Company Experience (25 points) Describe the firm’s experience with similar projects. For each project, provide the following information: 1. Project design and construction costs, if applicable (include data on change orders as a percentage of the original project budget). 2. Ability to maintain and meet the schedule, as established in a contract. 3. Key project staff members and their project role as it relates to water infrastructure improvements, particularly transmission mains and water storage facilities. 4. Statement of experience including the following: Analysis of public water supply (PWS) and sizing and design of similar water infrastructure improvements for PWS distribution and storage facilities. Preliminary planning, modeling, design, location optimization, and costs for similar water infrastructure projects. SCADA control design and installation. Land and easement acquisition experience. Coordination and implementation of permitting and public/private agency requirements, including those of the Montana Department of Environmental Quality. GPS surveying and experience with drafting software, including AutoCAD. Construction administration. ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 9 of 12 Company Qualifications (15 points) 1. Describe the company’s history in the industry. Provide resumes of key personnel and their availability to work on this project in Appendix A. 2. Briefly describe certifications and licenses held by the company and key staff members in the State of Montana. 3. A minimum of three referrals and references from other municipalities or local governments for which the firm has provided water infrastructure engineering services. Contract Understanding and Approach (20 points) 1. Describe your understanding of the current needs of the City for the professional services being requested. 2. Identify and discuss any potential difficult issues your company may face in providing services for the City. 3. Identify and discuss methods to mitigate these difficulties. Approach to Contract Management (20 points) 1. Present a brief description of how the firm intends to organize and conduct the project. 2. Describe your company’s approach in initiating and establishing the service that meets the needs and requirements of the City. 3. Provide a narrative outlining a proposed scope of work that includes description of each task and work product, and a concise explanation of the firm’s approach to accomplishing the tasks. 4. Describe the firm’s project review and QA/QC programs. Schedule (10 points) 1. Provide an overall project schedule as a Gantt chart to include: The timing and duration of major work tasks. Milestone deliverables. Permitting and regulatory approval timelines. City review periods for progress or draft reports. The firm shall assume a minimum of two weeks for all City review periods. Other Factors (10 points) 1. Provide the firm’s record of commitment to schedule as demonstrated on past projects. 2. Current contracts and ability to proceed 3. Office location. 4. Relevant factors impacting the quality and value of service. 5. Firm’s record of commitment to professional service budgets as demonstrated on past projects. ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 10 of 12 The Proposal shall include a one‐page cover sheet plus a maximum of thirty (30) pages to address the criteria outlined above (excluding resumes). Title pages, Table of Contents and Section Divider pages do not count toward the total page count. All proposals shall be provided as a single document. A paper submission (two official copies) with a USB drive with a digital version shall be delivered to the City Clerk at 91 E Central Ave, Belgrade, MT, 59714 on or before February 7, by 3:00 pm MST. E-mail submissions will not be accepted. Failure to comply with the following criteria may be grounds for disqualification: 1. Receipt of submittal past the specified cut‐off date and time. 2. The number of originals and/or copies of the submittal specified. 3. Adherence to the maximum page criteria is critical; each page side (maximum 8 1/2” x 11”) with criteria information will be counted. Pages that have photos, charts and graphs will be counted towards the maximum number of pages. 8. SELECTION PROCESS A Project Evaluation Committee will evaluate each Proposal according to the above criteria, as well as past performance evaluations, and select up to three finalists that will be Short Listed for the contract. The Evaluation Committee will evaluate the Short List and select the top qualified firm. If more information is required to select the top qualified firm, the Short List firms will meet with the Project Evaluation Committee for interviews. The purpose of the interview will be to expand on the information provided in the Proposal, not to repeat information already provided. Those firms selected for the Short List will be provided additional instructions by the City. Those firms not selected for further consideration will be notified. Section 6 includes the tentative schedule prepared for the RFQ selection process. Firms interested in this project must be available on the interview meeting date. Following the evaluation and interviews (if needed), the Project Evaluation Committee will determine a ranking for each Short List firm based on the published criteria of this RFQ. Consideration will be given to both the written Statement of Qualifications and any oral presentations or interviews. No other factors or criteria will be used in the qualification ranking. The highest-ranked firm will be recommended to the City Manager for contract award. Requests for debriefings or selection decisions shall be made in writing to the City. All information submitted by firms and related Project Evaluation Committee evaluations and rankings shall be considered confidential until after contract execution and award by the City Manager. The City will enter into negotiations with the selected firm and execute a contract upon completion of negotiations for the professional services for City Manager approval. Contract negotiations will include, but not necessarily be limited to the following elements: scope of work, project timetable, products of work, and fees. If the City is unsuccessful in negotiating a contract with the highest ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 11 of 12 ranked team, the City may then negotiate with the second or third highest ranked team until a contract is executed. If the list of preferred design firms is exhausted without a contract being awarded, the City may decide to terminate the selection process or re-advertise. The city will not reimburse any cost associated with the preparation, submittal, or presentation of any Proposal. Consultant design firms are advised that in accordance with Montana law, any information submitted may be subject to public inspection. Firms are further advised that, while the City is constrained by budget for this work, the City does not consider cost proposals or estimates of fees in its evaluation of qualifications. ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 12 of 12