DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Retention of Engineering Firms [30 Pa.B. 6497] Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe,
Northampton and Schuylkill CountiesProject Reference No. 08430AG2648 The Department will retain an engineering firm to provide NBIS bridge safety inspection and documentation services on Local Bridges throughout Engineering District 5-0. This project involves performing NBIS bridge safety inspections for 502 designated bridges and structures on the Local System in Engineering District 5-0, that is Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe, Northampton, and Schuylkill Counties.
The Department will establish an order of ranking of a minimum of three (3) firms for the purpose of negotiating an Engineering Agreement based on the Department's evaluation of the acceptable Letters of Interest received in response to this solicitation. The final ranking will be established directly from the Letters of Interest. Technical Proposals will not be requested prior to the establishment of the final ranking.
The following factors, listed in order of importance, will be considered by the Department during the evaluation of the firms submitting letters of interest:
a) Capabilities of the proposed teams to address the bridge inspection, engineering evaluations and recommendations, and related aspects identified in the Advertisement.
b) Number of NBIS certified inspectors and inspection teams available for the Agreement.
c) Review of inspectors' resumes with emphasis of bridge inspection capabilities.
d) Understanding of the Department's requirements, policies, and specifications.
e) Current bridge inspection workload and the firm's ability to provide the bridge inspections within the required time frame.
f) Past performance with regard to bridge inspection work.
g) Internal procedures for cost containment and quality assurance.
The firm selected may be required to provide three bi-annual inspections for each bridge over a six (6) year period. The firm will provide all necessary professional and non-professional services, work, material, and equipment necessary to inspect/re-inspect and evaluate the condition of locally owned bridges and structures. The firm will provide updated inspection reports including a bridge capacity load rating/re-rating and/or posting recommendation as warranted. Structure inventory and appraisal data, and completed Bridge Management System coding sheets (D-450) are also to be furnished. Inventory and operating ratings for AASHTO and PDF loadings using the Department's computer programs and/or other programs with prior approval when the Department's program is not applicable, may be required. The use of data collectors may be required.
The qualifications and experience required of the firm's inspectors will be established by the Department, and the qualifications of the firm's proposed employees will be reviewed and approved by the Department.
This project reference assignment is considered moderately complex. The letter of interest shall be limited to a maximum of five (5) pages (8 1/2" × 11", one sided), including any transmittal sheets, plus an organizational chart (up to 11" × 17" size) and additional resumes, if applicable. Any pages and/or page size beyond these maximums will not be reviewed by the Department (See the General Requirements and Information Section).
The Letter of Interest submission shall be sent to:
Walter E. Bortree, P.E., District Engineer
Engineering District 5-0
1713 Lehigh Street
Allentown, PA 18103
ATTN: Brian H. GraverThe Letter of Interest submission for this project reference number must be received at the address listed above by 4:30 P.M. prevailing time on the twentieth day following the date of this Notice.
Any technical questions concerning the requirements for this project should be directed to Kamlesh A. Ashar, P.E., phone number (610) 798-4153, fax number (610) 798-4116.
General Requirements and Information Firms interested in providing the above work and services are invited to submit a Letter of Interest with the required information for each Project Reference Number for which the applicant wishes to be considered.
The Letter of Interest and required information must be submitted to the person designated in the individual advertisement.
The Letter of Interest and required information must be received by the Deadline indicated in the individual advertisement.
For District projects, all consultants, both prime consultants and subconsultants, who desire to be included in a Letter of Interest must have an Annual Qualification Package on file with the appropriate District Office, by the deadline stipulated in the individual advertisements.
For Statewide projects, all consultants, both prime consultants and subconsultants, who desire to be included in a Letter of Interest must have an Annual Qualification Package on file with Central Office, Bureau of Design by the deadline stipulated in the individual advertisements.
Information concerning the Annual Qualification Package can be found in Strike-off Letter No. 433-99-04 or under the Notice to all Consultants published in the February 27, 1999 issue of the Pennsylvania Bulletin.
By submitting a letter of interest for the projects that request engineering services, the consulting firm is certifying that the firm is qualified to perform engineering services in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. A firm not conforming to this requirement may submit a letter of interest as a part of a joint venture with an individual, firm or corporation which is permitted under State law to engage in the practice of engineering.
The letter of interest must include full disclosure of any potential conflict of interest by the prime or any subconsultant based on Engineering Involvement Restrictions Guidelines as established in Strike-off Letter No. 433-00-02 published March 27, 2000. If there are no potential conflicts you shall include the following statement: ''I have reviewed Strike-off Letter No. 433-00-02 and determine that there are no potential conflicts of interest for anyone on this project team.''
If a Joint Venture responds to a project advertisement, the Department of Transportation will not accept separate Letters of Interest from the Joint Venture constituents. A firm will not be permitted to submit a Letter of Interest on more than one (1) Joint Venture for the same Project Reference Number. Also a firm that responds to a project as a prime may not be included as a designated subcontractor to another firm that responds as a prime to the project. Multiple responses under any of the foregoing situations will cause the rejection of all responses of the firm or firms involved. The above does not preclude a firm from being set forth as a designated subcontractor to more than one (1) prime responding to the project advertisement.
If a goal for Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) participation is established for an advertised project, firms expressing interest in the project must agree to ensure that Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) firms as defined in the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st century (TEA-21) and currently certified by the Department of Transportation shall have the opportunity to participate in any subcontracting or furnishing supplies or services approved under Form 442, Section 1.10(a). The TEA-21 requires that firms owned and controlled by women (WBEs) be included, as a presumptive group, within the definition of Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE). The goal for DBE participation shall be as stated in the individual project advertisement. Responding firms shall make good faith efforts to meet the DBE goal using DBEs (as they are defined prior to the act, WBEs or combinations thereof).
Proposed DBE firms must be certified at the time of submission of the Letter of Interest. If the selected firm fails to meet the established DBE participation goal, it shall be required to demonstrate its good faith efforts to attain the goal.
Responses are encouraged by small firms, Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) firms, and other firms who have not previously performed work for the Department of Transportation.
Letters of Interest for will be considered non-responsive and eliminated from further consideration for any of the following reasons:
1. Letters of Interest not received on time.
2. Project of interest is not identified.
3. An Annual Qualification Package for the prime consultant and all subconsultants is not on file with the organization receiving the Letter of Interest.
4. Conflict of Interest evaluation statement is not included.
5. A Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) participation goal is established for the Project Reference Number but no DBE/WBE is identified and no good faith effort is included.
6. Firm submitted a Letter of Interest on more than one (1) Joint Venture or a firm submitted a Letter of Interest as a prime and was also included as a subconsultant, to another firm. Multiple responses under any of the foregoing situations will cause the rejection of all responses of the firm, or firms, involved.
In addition to the above reasons, a Letter of Interest for Construction Inspection Services will be considered non-responsive for any of the following reasons:
1. Prime consultant or any subconsultant does not have a Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Audit Field Overhead Rate on file with the Department.
2. Using an individual's resume without including a letter granting the individual's approval for TCIS and higher positions.
3. Exceeding the maximum number of resumes in a payroll classification.
The assignment of the agreement/contract for the above advertisement(s) will be made to one of the firms who submitted an acceptable Letter of Interest in response to the project advertisement. The assignment will be made based on the Department's evaluation of the firm's qualification and capabilities. The Department reserves the right to reject all letters submitted, to cancel the solicitations requested under this Notice, and/or to readvertise solicitation for the work and services.
BRADLEY L. MALLORY,
Secretary[Pa.B. Doc. No. 00-2173. Filed for public inspection December 15, 2000, 9:00 a.m.]
