Retention of Professional Civil/Structural Engineering Firms; Project Reference No. FDC-500-807 [46 Pa.B. 897]
[Saturday, February 20, 2016]The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (Department) is seeking proposals from interested and qualified professional design firms (Consultant) for open-end contract or contracts for various civil/structural and related engineering and design services. The contract or contracts will be for a 12-month period with four 12-month extensions possible. Projects will be assigned on an as-needed basis. The contract or contracts will be managed by the Department's Bureau of Facility Design and Construction (Bureau).
The number of open-end contracts and the dollar amount of each contract shall be at the discretion of the Department for the first year. The extent of the work for the subsequent 4 years of the contract will be dependent on the availability of additional funds and additional projects for those years, also at the discretion of the Department.
Letters of Interest for this project will only be accepted from individuals, firms or corporations duly authorized to engage in the practice of professional design. If an individual, firm or corporation not authorized to engage in the practice of architecture or engineering, or both, wishes to submit a Letter of Interest, the individual, firm or corporation may do so as part of a joint venture with an individual, firm or corporation which is permitted under State law to engage in the practice of engineering in this Commonwealth.
Background
Established on July 1, 1995, the Department is charged with: maintaining and preserving the 120 State Parks; managing the 2.1 million acres of State Forest land; providing information on the State's ecological and geologic resources; and establishing community conservation partnerships with grants and technical assistance to benefit rivers, trails, greenways, local parks and recreation, regional heritage parks, open space and natural areas.
The Bureau provides multidisciplined facility and infrastructure technical support to the other bureaus in the Department in the areas of project design, project inspections, construction management, contract administration, surveying and other technical advice and consultation. This Bureau is comprised of three divisions: Dams, Bridges and Roadways Engineering; Environmental Engineering and Architecture; and Field Engineering and Contract Management.
The Bureau's Central Office (located in Harrisburg) is responsible for the development of architectural, landscape architectural, water and sanitary, bridge and roadway and civil and environmental projects required to support the Department's facility construction and maintenance program. The Central Office is comprised of five sections: Architectural Design; Landscape Design; Sanitary and Water Management; Bridges and Road Management; and Civil Design. In addition to project design, staff also provides technical architectural and engineering support and advice to assist field operation in State Parks and State Forests.
The Bureau also has four field offices: Northcentral Office in Emporium; Western Office in Moraine State Park; Southcentral Office in Shawnee State Park; and Eastern Office in Nockamixon State Park. Each office is responsible for providing direct engineering and technical support to the State Parks and Forests field operation staff in their area. Staff is responsible for project inspection and construction management to ensure contractor compliance with the construction contract documents as well as some project design.
PART I GENERAL REQUIREMENTS I-1. Specific Requirements. The services may encompass a wide range of civil and structural design efforts with the possibility of several different types of projects being designed under short completion schedules. The anticipated types of projects may include, but are not limited to, bridge replacement and rehabilitation (single and multispan), roadway reconstruction/rehabilitation, structural evaluation or design of various building types and other civil engineering related work as assigned by the Department.
Construction budgets for typical projects have ranged from as low as $25,000 to as high as $7 million. The average construction budget is likely to be less than $2 million. Consultants should give strong consideration to the typical project size when considering submitting for this Request for Proposal (RFP).
The services anticipated under the contract may include project planning, scoping and programming, budget estimating, site visits, existing facility review, assessment and documenting, life cycle cost analysis, environmental studies, conceptual design, design development, construction documentation including preparation of drawings and specifications, cost estimating, permit preparation and submission, construction administration including construction submission review and construction inspection and existing building code and facility condition reviews. Permitting services may include Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Chapter 105 permits, National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits, erosion and sedimentation control plans, storm water management plans and land development plans.
Areas of related environmental study associated with these design projects may include, but are not limited to, wetlands, soil, geology, DEP Chapter 105, Corps of Engineers 404 permits, Act 537 planning and DEP water quality management requirements. The environmental studies shall be conducted in accordance with accepted analysis techniques and methodologies and may include any or all of the following to ensure a complete environmental investigation has been performed: provide all necessary environmental services, material and equipment necessary to collect, analyze and organize data; assess impacts; prepare reports; and design mitigation plans. The reports and other graphic material to be prepared may include, but are not limited to, plans of study, meeting minutes, preparation of permit application documents, mitigation plans and reports and wetland and floodplain findings.
Work will be performed with a focus on environmentally sustainable design and construction principles and practices. Projects designed under this contract must achieve a high level of environmental performance, durability, through integrated design and sustainable practices, features and technologies. Designs should implement financially feasible and technologically sound strategies to conserve energy and to surpass current norms for water conservation, waste management and recycling. Sustainability should be incorporated into the earliest design decisions.
The consultant may be required to perform any and all of the following duties: attend site visits; prepare minutes; perform necessary field surveys; plot topography and cross sections; develop erosion control plans; prepare type, size and location reports; prepare construction drawings, specification and estimates; procure core borings; provide soil and foundation engineering reports; investigate utility involvement; evaluate alternatives using benefit/cost analysis; develop other details and narratives; inspect simple, major and unusual structures; develop rehabilitation strategies; and review shop drawings, catalog cuts and occasional attendance at construction job conferences may be required.
Projects will be located throughout this Commonwealth. Travel to the project sites will be required. Project assignment will be through individual project Work Orders. The scope of the Work Order may range from full responsibility for all aspects of the design to a collaborative design effort with Department in-house staff where only one or more specific design disciplines are required. Work Orders may be for a single phase or portion of a project such as conceptual design or for all phases of the entire project. The work shall be identified in the Work Order by a series of tasks that encompass the full scope of the project. The number and description of the tasks will vary based on a project's scope and complexity. A typical Work Order will require formal submissions at the end of the Sketch (10%), Preliminary (50%), Prefinal (95%) and Final (100%) design stages. Complexity may require more or less submissions for certain projects. The Consultant will be required to develop and maintain a detailed project schedule showing all related project tasks including design phases, submissions, review periods and timelines for required permits. The project schedule shall identify the critical path for completion for the project. A Bureau Project Coordinator will be assigned to each Work Order. The Coordinator may change from project to project. A Performance Review may be performed by the Project Coordinator at the completion of the Work Order and used in assigning additional projects to the Consultant.
The Department's standard contract method is multiple prime, design-bid-build, although other nonbid construction methods, including construction by Department staff and volunteer organizations, may be used. The Consultant will be required to prepare construction documents appropriate to the construction method selected by the Department.
The Consultant will be required to submit project data and documents in both written and electronic form. Drawings will be required to comply with the Department's Computer-Aided Drafting Standard. Three dimensional drawings will be expected throughout the design process; presentation renderings may be required at the completion of design.
I-2. Qualifications. The Consultant shall have staff available to provide rapid services associated with assigned projects. The Consultant may be called upon to provide services on multiple projects at the same time. The Consultant shall have demonstrated knowledge of the building design and construction method.
The following minimum qualification will be expected of all Consultants:
• Possess current professional registrations required to perform required services.
• Be licensed to conduct business in this Commonwealth.
• Have sufficient staff or subconsultants experienced in the various required services.
• Have an established quality control and assurance program for checking documents for accuracy, consistency, coordination, quality and compliance with all necessary codes and regulations.
• Have specialized experience in the field of sustainable design and a demonstrated ability to comprehensively integrate the concept of sustainability into the project.
• Have Leadership and Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified designers as current members of staff and available for assigned projects.
• Have design capabilities in digital format (AutoCAD and Revit).
• Have the ability to produce 3-dimensional drawings in to further illustrate design intent.
I-3. Addenda to the RFP. If the Department deems it necessary to revise any part of this RFP before the proposal response date, the Issuing Office will post an addendum to the Department web site at http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us. It is the Offeror's responsibility to periodically check the web site for any new information or addenda to the RFP. Answers to the questions asked during the questions and answers period also will be posted, as necessary, to the web site as an addendum to the RFP.
I-4. Small Diverse Business (SDB) Information. The Department encourages participation by SDBs as prime contractors and encourages all prime contractors to make a significant commitment to use SDBs as subcontractors and suppliers.
An SDB is a Department of General Services (DGS) verified minority-owned business, woman-owned business, veteran-owned business or service-disabled veteran-owned business.
A small business is a business in the United States which is independently owned, not dominant in its field of operation, employs no more than 100 full-time or full-time equivalent employees, and earns less than $7 million in gross annual revenues for building design, $20 million in gross annual revenues for sales and services and $25 million in gross annual revenues for those businesses in the information technology sales or service business.
Questions regarding this program can be directed to Department of General Services, Bureau of Small Business Opportunities, Room 611, North Office Building, Harrisburg, PA 17125, (717) 783-3119, fax (717) 787-7052, gs-bsbo@pa.gov.
The DGS' directory of the Bureau of Small Business Owners (BSBO) verified minority, women, veteran and service disabled veteran-owned businesses can be accessed by searching for ''Small Diverse Businesses'' at www.dgs.state.pa.us.
I-5. Notification of Selection. Offerors whose proposals are not selected will be notified when contract negotiations have been successfully completed and the Department has received the final negotiated contract signed by the selected Offeror.
I-6. Type of Contract. The type of contract as a result of this RFP shall be an open-end, requirements contract. Work shall be assigned on an as needed basis as determined by the Department. The initial term of the agreement shall be 1 year and renewable for up to 4 subsequent years. Reimbursement for services shall be by fixed fee percentage based upon project allocation or hours of service and qualifying expenses and may vary from project to project. The reimbursement type shall be at the Department's discretion. Direct costs for travel and subsistence will be based on current State rates. Miscellaneous expenses such as copies, prints or postage will be reimbursed at cost. The work shall be reviewed by the staff of the Bureau and when applicable, approved by same staff.
PART II PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS Offerors must submit their proposals in the following format, including heading descriptions. To be considered, the proposal must respond to all requirements in this part of the RFP. Offerors should provide any other information thought to be relevant, but not applicable to the enumerated categories, as an appendix to the proposal.
II-1. Requirements. Proposals shall include the following items and information:
• Letter of Interest including the Consultant's Federal identification number and the project reference number.
• A description of the Consultant's understanding of the Department's needs and the services required. This description shall include why and how the Consultant is qualified to provide these services.
• A description of the Consultant's project approach and methodology, including the approach to the managerial, technical and administrative aspects of the project. Describe how the scope, schedule, budget and quality of a project are managed and controlled. Address communication and coordination strategies internal to the design team, with the client and with other outside agencies. Describe how an integrated design process is approached and has been used on past projects.
• A description of the Consultant's sustainable design experience, including specialized knowledge and expertise in as many of the following areas of sustainable design as possible: environmentally sound site design and planning; sustainability performance standards for the building; energy efficiency; water efficiency; environmentally sound materials; construction waste management and prevention; and low maintenance design and materials. Include a description of how sustainable design is made an integral part of the Consultant's design process.
• A detailed description of the Consultant's quality control and assurance program, including how subconsultants are included in this program. Describe what steps are taken to assure accurate, fully coordinated construction documents. Provide the name of the person responsible for quality control and describe their qualifications to perform this task.
• A description of the Consultant's qualifications to complete the required services. Include firm history and experience on similar projects. Describe the resources of the firm, including number/discipline of personnel, ability to respond to schedule acceleration, and the like. Describe roles and experience of proposed subconsultants.
• Resumes of personnel who will actually be involved in providing the services described herein to the Department. Describe their relevant experience, years of experience, what roles they will fill in providing the required services and percent of time they will be committing to Department assigned projects. The resumes must include their professional education and professional registrations and licenses. Provide resumes of subconsultant's personnel.
• A description of the consultant's ability to work on multiple projects of various sizes at the same time.
• A list of at least three of the consultant's most recent completed projects similar to the projects anticipated under the contract. In addition to photographs and a descriptive narrative, the list shall include the client, contact person and contact information, the completion date, the estimated or actual total construction cost, the estimated or actual construction cost of the portion of the work which the firm designed, the firm's Project Manager and the names of all of the firm's personnel who made contributions to the project. If the Consultant has experience with LEED projects, at least one LEED project should be added to the list. In addition to the previous information, a summary of the sustainable features, the LEED rating achieved and a description of the integrated design process shall accompany the LEED project.
• A standard DGS Form 150-ASP indicating the individual in charge. The Form 150-ASP is available by downloading from the DGS web site at http://www.dgs.state.pa.us. Form 150-ASP shall be submitted in hard copy format as per Part II, II-2 of the RFP. The electronic submission instructions on the DGS web site are for DGS projects only. Additional information pertinent to this firm's qualifications to do the work of this contract may be included.
II-2. Number of Copies. Two copies of the SDB participation section bound and sealed separately from the remainder of the proposal and six copies of the complete set consisting of the Letter of Interest and the required forms must be received no later than 4 p.m. on March 23, 2016. The six copies shall be submitted in six complete sets that shall be spiral bound or in folders or secured by binder clips. The assignment and services will be made to one or more of the firms responding to this notice. However, the Department reserves the right to reject all Letters of Interest submitted, cancel the solicitation requested under this notice or readvertise solicitation for this service.
II-3. SDB Participation Submittal.
A. To receive credit for being an SDB or for subcontracting with an SDB, an Offeror must include proof of SDB qualification in the SDB participation submittal of the proposal, as indicated as follows:
An SDB verified by the BSBO as a Small Business must provide a photocopy of their verification letter.
B. In addition to the previous verification letter, the Offeror must include in the SDB participation submittal of the proposal the following information:
1. Offerors must include a numerical percentage which represents the total percentage of work.
2. Offerors must include a numerical percentage which represents the total percentage of work that the Offeror commits to the SDB as subconsultants. To support its total SDB Commitment, Offeror must also include:
a. Percentage of each subcontract commitment to an SDB.
b. The name of each SDB. The Offeror will not receive credit for stating that after the contract is awarded it will find an SDB.
c. The services each SDB will provide.
d. The location where each SDB will perform services.
e. The timeframe for each SDB to provide or deliver the goods or services.
f. A subcontract or Letter of Intent signed by the Offeror and the SDB for each SDB identified in the SDB submittal. The subcontract or Letter of Intent must identify the specific work or services the SDB will perform, how the work or services relates to the project and the specific time frame during the term of the contract and any option/renewal periods when the work, good or service will be performed or provided.
g. The name, address and telephone number of the primary contact person for each SDB.
3. Each SDB subconsultant commitment will become contractual obligations once the contract is fully excuted.
4. The name and telephone number of the Offeror's project (contact) person for the SDB information.
C. The Offeror is required to submit two copies of its SDB participation submittal. The submittal shall be clearly identified as SDB information and sealed in its own envelope, separate from the remainder of the proposal.
D. An SDB can be included as a subconsultant with as many prime consultants as it choose.
E. An Offeror that qualifies as an SDB and submits a proposal as a prime contractor is not prohibited from being included a subconsultant in separate proposals submitted by other Offerors.
F. Refer to Appendix A for sample SDB Letter of Intent.
II-4. Contract Requirements—SDB Participation
Contracts containing SDB participation must also include a provision requiring the selected contractor to meet and maintain those commitments made to SDB at the time of proposal submittal or contract negotiation, unless a change in the commitment is approved by the BSBO. Contracts containing SDB participation must include a provision requiring SDB subcontractors to perform at least 50% of the subcontracted work.
The selected contractor's commitments to SDBs made at the time of proposal submittal or contract negotiation shall, to the extent so provided in the commitment, be maintained throughout the term of the contract and through any renewal or extension of the contract. Any proposed change must be submitted to the BSBO, which will make a recommendation to the contracting officer regarding a course of action.
If a contract is assigned to another contractor, the new contractor must maintain the SDB participation of the original contract.
The selected contractor shall complete the Prime Contractor's Quarterly Utilization Report (or similar type document containing the same information) and submit it to the contracting officer of the Issuing Office within 10 workdays at the end of each quarter the contract is in force. This information will be used to determine the actual dollar amount paid to SDB subcontractors and suppliers. Also, this information will serve as a record of fulfillment of the commitment the selected contractor made and for which is received SDB participation points. If there was no activity during the quarter then the form must be completed by stating ''No activity in this quarter.''
Note: Equal employment oportunity and contract compliance statements referring to company equal employment opportunity policies or past contract compliance practices do not constitute proof of SDB status or entitle an Offeror to receive credit for SDB utilization.
II-5. Debriefing. The Department will not offer a debriefing session to the unsuccessful firms. The Department disclaims any liability whatsoever to its review of the proposal submitted and in formulating a recommendation for selections. Recommendations made by the Department shall be final.
PART III CRITERIA FOR SELECTION III-1. Selection Criteria. The engineering consulting firm will be evaluated upon, but not limited to, the following criteria:
A. Consultant's experience on past projects of similar scope, type and size.
B. Consultant's staff qualifications, experience and ability to perform the required services, including available manpower to perform the required services. This includes the qualifications, experience and abilities of subconsultant's staff.
C. Consultant's understanding of the problem and the services required.
D. Consultant's project approach and methodology.
E. Knowledge and experience with environmentally sustainable design and LEED accreditation.
F. Quality control and assurance program and procedures.
G. Equitable distribution of contracts.
H. SDB Participation (evaluated by the BSBO), the BSBO has established the weight for the SDB participation criterion for the RFP as 20% of the total points. Each SDB participation submittal will be rated for its approach to enhancing the utilization of SDB in accordance with the following-listed priority ranking and subject to the following requirements:
1. A business submitting a proposal as a prime contractor must perform 60% of the total contract value to receive points for this criterion under any priority ranking.
2. To receive credit for an SDB subcontracting commitment, the SDB subcontractor must perform at least 50% of the work subcontracted to it.
3. A significant subcontracting commitment is a minimum of 5% of the estimated total contract value.
4. A subcontracting commitment less than 5% of the total estimated contract value is considered nominal and will receive reduced or no additional SDB points depending on the priority ranking.
Priority Rank 1: Proposals submitted by SDB as prime Offerors will receive 150 points. In addition, SDB prime Offerors that have significant subcontracting commitments to additional SDBs may receive up to an additional 50 points (200 points total available).
Subcontracting commitments to additional SDBs are evaluated based on the proposal offering the highest total percentage SDB subcontracting commitment. Other Offerors will be scored in proportion to the highest total percentage SDB subcontracting commitment within this ranking. See the following formula.
Priority Rank 2: Proposals submitted by SDBs as prime contractors, with no or nominal subcontracting commitments to additional SDBs, will receive 150 points.
Priority Rank 3: Proposals submitted by non-SDBs as prime contractors, with significant subcontracting commitments to SDBs, will receive up to 100 points. Proposals submitted with nominal subcontracting commitments to SDBs will receive points equal to the percentage level of their total SDB subcontracting commitment.
SDB subcontracting commitments are evaluated based on the proposal offering the highest total percentage SDB subcontracting commitment. Other Offerors will be scored in proportion to the highest total percentage SDB subcontracting commitment within this ranking. See the following formula.
Priority Rank 4: Proposals by non-SDBs as prime contractors with no SDB subcontracting commitments shall receive no points under this criterion.
To the extent that there are multiple SDB participation submittals in Priority Rank 1 or Priority Rank 3, or both, that offer significant subcontracting commitments to SDBs, the proposal offering the highest total percentage SDB subcontracting commitment shall receive the highest score (or additional points) available in that Priority Rank category and the other proposals in that category shall be scored in proportion to the highest total percentage SDB subcontracting commitment. Proportional scoring is determined by applying the following formula:
SDB % Being Scored x Points/Additional = Awarded/Additional
Highest % SDB Commitment Points Available * SDB Points
Priority Rank 1 = 50 Additional Points Available
Priority Rank 3 = 150 Total Points Available
Refer to http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/rfp_scoring_formulas_overview/20124 for an illustrative chart which shows SDB scoring based on a hypothetical situation in which the Commonwealth receives proposals for each priority rank:
III-2. Number of Contracts. It is the intent of the Department to select more than one firm for projects to be assigned on a regional basis.
PART IV MAILING AND CONTACT INFORMATION Firms interested in performing the required services for this project are invited to submit Letters of Interest to Alfred Uzokwe, PE, Director, Bureau of Facility Design and Construction, Rachel Carson State Office Building, 8th Floor, 400 Market Street, P. O. Box 8451, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8451. Contact Ray Zomok at (717) 783-3333 for general information concerning this RFP.
CINDY ADAMS DUNN,
SecretaryAPPENDIX A SMALL DIVERSE BUSINESS
LETTER OF INTENT[DATE]
[SDB Contact Name
Title
SDB Company Name
Address
City, State, Zip]Dear [SDB Contact Name]:
This letter serves as confirmation of the intent of [Offeror] to utilize [Small Diverse Business (SDB)] on RFP [RFP number and Title] issued by the [Commonwealth agency name].
If [Offeror] is the successful vendor, [SDB] shall provide [identify the specific work, goods or services the SDB will perform, and the specific timeframe during the term of the contract and any option/renewal periods when the work, goods or services will be performed or provided].
These services represent [identify fixed numerical percentage commitment] of the total cost in the [Offeror's] cost submittal for the initial term of the contract. Dependent on final negotiated contact pricing and actual contract usage or volume, it is expected that [SDB] will receive an estimated [identify associated estimated dollar value that the fixed percentage commitment represents] during the initial contract term.
[SDB] represents that it meets the small diverse business requirements set forth in the RFP and all required documentation has been provided to [Offeror] for it SDB submission.
We look forward to the opportunity to serve the [Commonwealth Agency Name] on this project. If you have any questions concerning our small diverse business commitment, please feel free to contact me at the number below.
Sincerely, Acknowledged, Offeror Name SDB Name Title Title Company Company Phone Number Phone Number [Pa.B. Doc. No. 16-285. Filed for public inspection February 19, 2016, 9:00 a.m.]
