Retention of Engineering Firms; Bridge Inspections; Project Reference No. FDC-500-803 [44 Pa.B. 5066]
[Saturday, July 26, 2014]The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (Department) will retain two engineering firms for an open-end contract to perform National Bridge Inspection Standards (NBIS) Bridge Safety Inspections on Department owned bridges located on State Parks and State Forest land in this Commonwealth. The contracts will be for a 12-month period with four 12-month extensions possible. Projects will be assigned on an as-needed basis to ensure proper and safe operation of Department infrastructure and facilities. One contract will be primarily for various projects at facilities located in the western portion of this Commonwealth and one contract will be primarily for projects at facilities located in the eastern half of this Commonwealth.
Letters of Interest for this project will only be accepted from individuals, firms or corporations duly authorized to engage in the practice of engineering. If an individual, firm or corporation not authorized to engage in the practice of engineering desires 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.
Bridges of various structure types and materials could be involved, that is, reinforced concrete, prestressed concrete, steel beam, steel truss, timber and others. Once a signed contract is in place a detailed listing of the bridges will be distributed during the scope of work meeting.
Typically, a maximum of 100 structures will be required to be inspected during each 12-month period. The majority of the structures to be inspected under this contract are structures with a span of less than 20`.
PART I GENERAL REQUIREMENTS I-1. Specific Requirements.
A. All bridge safety inspections must be performed using the Department of Transportation's (DOT) electronic data collection software iForms. The selected engineering firm must utilize the most recent version of iForms to record bridge inspection data in the field and then upload that information to the DOT Bridge Management System 2 (BMS2) database at the following web site. To utilize iForms, the selected engineering firm must be registered as a business partner with DOT. The iForms software is available free of charge and is posted on DOT's external FTP web site at ftp://ftp.dot.state.pa.us/public/Bureaus/BOMO/BMS2/iForms/Installation.
B. Inspection types shall consist of the following:
a. Initial NBIS Inspection.
An NBIS Inspection has not previously been completed. Initial NBIS Inspections include load rating to determine the bridge live load capacity. Upload bridge inspection data from iForms to DOT's BMS2.
b. Routine NBIS Inspection.
An NBIS Inspection has been previously completed. The structure may or may not be included in DOT's BMS2 but a previous inspection report or documentation, or both, is available. Perform load rating analysis if the structural condition changes since the last load rating analysis. Upload bridge inspection data from iForms to DOT's BMS2.
c. Interim (Special) Inspection.
Interim inspections are scheduled by the Department to examine bridges or portions of bridges with known or suspected deficiencies. Interim inspections generally focus on specific areas of a bridge where problems were previously reported or to investigate areas where problems are suspected.
d. Damage Inspection.
An NBIS inspection has been previously completed. The structure may or may not be included in DOT's BMS2 but a previous inspection report is available. Perform an inspection that is usually limited to portions of the structure where problems have been found. The information obtained is used by the Department to design needed repairs or the Department may request that the retained engineering firm design the repairs. The information obtained is also used to establish the need to place emergency restrictions or to close the bridge. Damage inspections are performed on an as-needed basis.
e. In-Depth Inspection.
Perform work to collect data that is difficult to obtain during routine inspections, generally focusing on the entire structure or specific components as authorized by the Department. In-depth tasks may include the following material tests to confirm the existence of or determine the extent of deterioration through the use of: nondestructive testing (except dye penetrant), laboratory analysis, geotechnical sampling and testing, structure instrumentation and underwater inspections. In-depth inspections are performed on an as-needed basis.
f. Flood Inspection.
Perform work beyond the scope of the periodic inspections, assessing the entire structure, focusing on the substructure and its foundation or specific components as authorized by the Department. This could include an underwater inspection. Flood inspections are performed on an as-needed basis.
g. High Hazard Inspection.
Perform work beyond the scope of the periodic inspections, focusing on the entire structure or specific components of the structure as authorized by the Department. Rigging, cranes, bucket trucks, ''snooper'' cranes, and the like, may be required to perform the work.
h. Traffic Control.
Provide traffic control signing and flagging personnel as required.
C. Inspection requirements shall consist of the following:
1. All bridges:
a. Perform a bridge safety inspection.
b. Update/supplement the structure's current condition for the purpose of determining a load rating for the structure. If the current load rating summary indicates that the structure has weight restrictions and new defects are found, determine if a rerating of the structure is warranted. If the structure is to be rerated, use the existing load rating analysis for updating the new load-rating summary. Incorporate the results of the previous or new load-ratings into the report.
c. Update/amend the inspection file by providing new photographic documentation or sketches as needed.
d. Prepare an inspection report to document all work and findings including costs for any repairs.
e. Upload bridge inspection data from iForms to DOT's BMS2.
2. Other types of inspection requirements may be discussed at the scope of work meeting.
3. The work and services which may be required under this agreement encompass all necessary professional and nonprofessional services, work, material and equipment necessary to perform bridge inspection/reinspection and evaluate the condition of Commonwealth-owned bridges and structures at the various locations. The firm will provide updated inspection reports including a bridge load capacity rating/rerating or posting evaluation, or both, and recommendation as warranted. Structure inventory and appraisal data and completed BMS2 coding sheets are also to be furnished.
D. Personnel assigned by the engineering firm to complete the NBIS Inspections shall meet the requirements in the NBIS for all work levels. Inspection personnel must hold a valid certification as ''Bridge Safety Inspector'' issued by DOT.
I-2. Addenda to the Request for Proposals (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's 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-3. Small Diverse Business (SDB) Information. The offering firm must be a self-certified Small Business/SDB by the Department of General Services (DGS), Bureau of Small Business Opportunities (BSBO).
An SDB is a 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 the 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's directory of 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-4. 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-5. 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. The reimbursement type shall be at the Department's discretion. The work shall be reviewed by the staff of the Bureau of Facility Design and Construction and, when applicable, approved by same staff.
PART II PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS Offerors must submit their proposals in the format, including heading descriptions, outlined as follows. 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. Letter of Interest. Each Letter of Interest must include the firm's Federal identification number and the project reference number. The Letter of Interest shall also include a description of the firm's three most recently completed projects similar to the project proposed. The description shall include the client, contact person and phone number, the estimated or actual construction cost of the portion of the work which the firm designed, the project manager and the names of all personnel who made major contributions to the project. The Letter of Interest shall indicate the firm's capability of working on multiple small projects at the same time and understanding of the Department's needs. A standard DGS Form 150-ASP must accompany the Letter of Interest and shall indicate the individual in charge. Form 150-ASP is available by downloading from the DGS web site at http://www.dgs.state.pa.us, choose from the menu on left margin: ''Construction and Public Works,'' then ''Project Administration,'' then ''Professional Selections,'' then ''ASP-150 (Rev. 05/14) Instruction.''
In addition, Form 150-ASP can be obtained by means of e-mail by addressing the request to nspade@pa.gov. 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 small diverse business 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 August 28, 2014. 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 re-advertise solicitation for this service, or both.
II-3. SDB Participation Submittal. Offeror must include proof of Small Business/SDB qualification in the submittal of the proposal, as indicated as follows:
A. Small Business/SDB verified by DGS, BSBO as a Small Business/SDB must provide a photocopy of their verification letter.
II-4. 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. Professional's understanding of the problem as demonstrated in Letter of Interest.
B. Qualifications of firm.
C. Professional personnel in firm and available manpower to perform the services required.
D. Soundness of approach as demonstrated in Letter of Interest, and as stated in the interpretation of the tasks to be performed.
E. Quality control and assurance program and procedures of the firm.
F. Equitable distribution of contracts.
G. Offerer is a self-certified Small Business. To be eligible for selection for this project the offerer firm must be a self-certified Small Business/SDB verified by DGS, BSBO. Refer to Part I, I-3.
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 Charles Lutter at (717) 783-3318 for general information concerning this request for proposal.
ELLEN M. FERRETTI,
Secretary[Pa.B. Doc. No. 14-1572. Filed for public inspection July 25, 2014, 9:00 a.m.]
