4.h) Staff Report-Engineering RFP/RFQ n
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SCANDIA
StaffReaort
Date of Meeting: February 12, 2013
To: City Council
From: Kristina Handt, Administrator
Re: Engineering RFP/RFQ
Agenda Item#: 4.h)
Background:
The City of Scandia(and New Scandia Township before that)has been with the same
engineering firm, Stantec Consulting Services, Inc., (formerly Bonestroo/ Bonestroo Rosene,
Anderlik and Associates, Inc.) since at least the mid-1990s. The City Council last approved a
professional services agreement with Stantec Consulting Services on April 17, 2012. The City
had been working with the firm under a contract for services entered into with New Scandia
Township in 1997 and assigned to Stantec in 2011 when they acquired Bonestroo.
Over the last couple of years,the City Council has wanted to review city contracts and in some
instances has issued a request for proposal for some city services. Engineering services have not
been bid out recently in a competitive process.
Issue:
Should the City issue a Request for Proposals/Qualifications for engineering services?
Proposal Details:
Included in your packet is a draft of the RFQ document.
It would be sent to the following firms that provide municipal engineering services in Minnesota:
Ayers and Associates
Bolton and Menk
MSA
Stantec
TKDA
WSB
The RFQ identifies a contract period of roughly four and a half years from May, 2013 through
December 2017. 'The Council may want to discuss whether or not they want to have a specified
�
contract period or leave it open ended. The current engineering contract is open-ended. One
advantage to having a specified time period is that it will help in budgeting to know what those
established rates are. Also, there is a provision that would allow the City to provide a 30 day
notice to terminate the contract if it so chooses.
The process proposed in the RFQ also requires a separate financial submittal. The idea being
that the Council will select the most qualified applicant which may or may not have the lowest
rates. Selecting the most qualified applicant, as opposed to the lowest rate, may save the city
money over the long run. Alternatively,the Council can decide to consider the financial
information before selecting a firm.
An extensive list of scope of services is detailed in the RFQ and includes general and project
management, construction services,preparation of reports and technical correspondence,
attendance at city meetings as necessary,responding to constituents as directed by staff and other
items.
Minimum qualifications are noted as follows:
(1) Be licensed to provide engineering services in the State of Minnesota
(2) Demonstrate experience with public sector engineering of similar size and scope of the
services being requested.
(3) Assign the City a licensed engineer who has a minimum of five years of experience
with municipal engineering projects.
Detailed instructions are provided on the qualification and financial submittals.
The section process would begin with a review of the proposals by the Administrator and
Maintenance Superintendent. The top three firms would then be invited to interview with a
committee comprised of the Administrator, Maintenance Superintendent, Mayor and one Council
member. Tentative dates for the interview are noted as March 26-28 and staff would ask that the
Council consider conducting them during normal office hours. The committee would then make
a recommendation to the Council and if accepted by the Council at the April work session then
staff would begin working on a contract to approve at the April Council meeting.
Fiscal Impact:
Minimal costs for postage and copying if list of selected firms are invited to submit a proposal.
Staff could attempt to email proposal to identified companies and there would be no cost.
Options:
1) Authorize staff to issue the RFQ as presented.
2) Make changes to the RFQ (for example, eliminate the separate financial submittal or
change the contract period),then direct staff to issue the RFQ.
3) Do not issue any RFQ/RFP and remain with Stantec.
Recommendation:
Options 1 or 2 depending upon the specifics the Council would like to include in RFQ.
CITY OF SCANDIA
WASHIl�TGTON COUNTY,l��IINNESOTA
Request fo� P�oposals
CONTRACTED GENERAL ENGINEERING
SERVICES
Issued February 13, 2013
DEADLINE Noon
Friday, March 1, 2013
CONTACT:KRISTINA HANDT
CITY ADMII�IISTRATOR
14727 209TH St.N.
SCANDIA,MN 55073
(651)433-2274
FAX(651)433-5112
k.hand t(�a,c i.sc andi a.mn.us
www.ci.scandia.mn.us
Introduction
The City of Scandia is soliciting Statements of Qualifications (SOQ) from firms interested in
providing a wide variety of general engineering services and related technical services on an as-
needed, time-and-materials basis. The successful applicant will provide these services to the City
from May 2013 to December 31,2017. Services may include,but not be limited, to those listed
in the"scope of services"part of this document.
The City requests that two envelopes be submitted by your firm for contracted general
engineering services. The first envelope should only contain your proposal based on required
materials and information requested by the City. The second envelope is to contain only your fee
schedule for various staff personnel in your firm who would work on City projects.
The City of Scandia shall not be liable for any costs incurred by the firm and/or assigns in
responding to this Request for Proposal, or for any costs associated with discussions required for
clarification of items related to this proposal, including any future interviews.
To be considered, nine(9) copies of a proposal must be received at the City Office, 14727 209th
St. N., Scandia, MN 55073 by Noon on Friday, March 1, 2013. The City reserves the right to
reject any or all proposals submitted.
During the evaluation process,the City reserves the right to request additional information or
clarifications from proposers, or to allow corrections of errors or omissions.
All materials, including but not limited to paper and digital materials, that are prepared,
acquired, created, or utilized to fulfill this Request for Proposal and its objectives shall become
the property of the City of Scandia where allowed by law. Submission of a proposal indicates
acceptance by the firm of the conditions contained in this request for proposals,unless clearly
and specifically noted in the proposal submitted and confirmed in the contract between the City
and the firm selected.
The City of Scandia reserves the right severally or together to reject any and all submittals,
waive any irregularities, reissue all or part of this Request for Proposal, and not award any
contract, all at their discretion and without penalty.
For the purposes of this agreement,the consultant shall be deemed to be an independent
contractor, and not an employee of the organization. Any and all agents or employees of the firm
or other persons, while engaged in the performance of any work or services required to be
performed by the City of Scandia under this agreement, shall not be considered employees of the
City of Scandia and any and all actions which arise as a consequence of any act or omission on
the part of the firm, its agents, employees or other persons shall in no way be the obligation or
responsibility of the City of Scandia. The consultant, its agents, or employees shall not be
entitled to any rights,privileges or benefits of City employees.
If, for any reason, in the City's sole opinion, the firm shall fail to fulfill in timely and proper
manner the obligations under the contract, the City of Scandia shall reserve the right to terminate
the contract by specifying the date of termination in a written notice to the firm at least thirty
(30) calendar days before the termination date. In this event, the firm shall be entitled to just and
equitable compensation for any satisfactory work completed.
It is anticipated the selection of a firm will be completed by April 16, 2013. The City reserves the
right to retain more than one consultant for specific duties.
Scope of Services
The City of Scandia is searching for a firm that will provide professional services for
engineering. The general work elements shall include,but are not limited to:
A. General and Project Management
• Serves as the City's Engineer.
• Takes direction from the City Council and its designated representative.
• Assists in planning, coordinating, supervising and evaluating programs, plans, services,
equipment and infrastructure.
• Develops and recommends policies and procedures for effective operation of the City
consistent with City policies and relevant laws, rules and regulations and ensures council
actions are implemented.
• Assists in evaluating public works needs and formulates short and long range plans to
meet needs in all areas of Public Works improvements, including streets,water, sewer,
storm drainage, street lights,parks, and buildings.
• Assists in the implementation of all water resource functions, including implementation
of the Wetland Conservation Act and Storm Water Management Plan as well as tree
preservation, screening, and erosion and sediment control as it relates to the MS4 NPDES
requirements.
• Provides engineering services on projects and oversees project management for the
construction of municipal public works projects.
• Reviews land use applications and construction plans for private developments for
consistency with City adopted engineering specifications, City policies and relevant,
laws,rules and regulations and ensures council actions are implemented.
• Ensures that costs and fees are charged back to development projects; works with the
City Administrator to monitor charges and revenues associated with development
proj ects.
• Assists in the planning, layout and design of City parks.
B. Construction Services
• Plan and review construction projects and specifications.
• Monitor the construction process for compliance with codes,regulations, standards and
with approved plans; assures financial accountability of private projects as they relate to
escrows and letters of credit. Provide advice to the City during performance of
construction projects, and shall give consideration and advice to the City during the
performance of services, and monitors project budget.
• Prepare and/or review construction plans.
• Review bids and/or prepare bid tabulations.
• Perform construction staking and surveying.
C. Preparation of Engineering Reports and Technical Correspondence
• Determine the need for preliminary studies,reviews all preliminary studies for
compliance with ordinances, comprehensive plans, engineering standards and financial
guidelines including:
• Feasibility reports
• Construction inspection
• Creates assessment rolls
• Plat review
• Utility studies
• Traffic studies/signalization/signage/forecasting
• State aid reports
• Surface water system analysis and design
• Wetland delineation and mitigation
• Capital Improvement Program studies
• Prepare comments regarding reports, plans and studies of other agencies
• Presents feasibility studies at public meetings
D. City Meetings (including but not limited to the following)
• Participates in internal and external meetings involving engineering questions and
issues.
• Meets with developers and members of the public on proposed development projects in
order to relate the processes and procedures involved with engineering and infrastructure
development. Reviews development proposals for conformance with City standards.
• Acts as City liaison and representative with other communities and county, state and
federal agencies in areas of responsibility.
• Attends City Council meetings, Council Work Sessions,Wastewater Advisory
Committee meetings, and other City meetings, as needed. The Council meets on the third
Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m.
E.Response to Constituent Requests and Issues as Directed by Staff
• Performs field inspections
• Addresses constituent concerns personally and in writing
• Makes public presentations
• Provides recommendations to staff and City Council
F. Other Items
• Identify opportunities for non-traditional engineering techniques, such as the use of
green projects, and other green design, including facilities.
• Work with other engineering firms as desired by the City on specific projects.
• Update maps and utility records.
• Assist in inventory tracking of public infrastructure through the use if GIS and other
means.
• Assist with funding solutions for infrastructure projects such as grant and loan
programs.
• Obtain proper approval and documentation from local, state and federal authorities prior
to implementing projects.
• Identifies grant opportunities and write grant proposals as directed by City staff and
City Council.
Qualifications Submittal
The City of Scandia expects that, at a minimum, firms must meet the following requirements:
(1) Be licensed to provide engineering services in the State of Minnesota
(2) Demonstrate experience with public sector engineering of similar size and scope
of the services being requested.
(3) Assign the City a licensed engineer who has a minimum of five years of
experience with municipal engineering projects.
In an envelope separate from the"Financial Submittal,"you are to submit a written
Statement of Qualifications proposal to include information directly related to each of the
selection criteria outlined in the Selection Process/Criteria section. At a minimum, Statement
of Qualifications should include the following information and be limited to no more than 25
pages (not including Disclosures and Assurances):
(1) Firm name, address, telephone number and contact person. A one-page statement
of your interest and qualifications.
(2) A brief description of the scope of similar client relationships, the name of the
person responsible for the management and administration of the contract and the
name of the employee designated as City Engineer,if different, including address
and telephone number.
(3) Familiarity with the City of Scandia.
(4) A description of the firm, including brief history,the number of employees and
their discipline,philosophy regarding client service, location, years in business,
etc.
(5) Resumes of the key personnel who may be assigned to conduct various general
engineering service tasks.
(6) Resumes of sub-consultants proposed as project team members.
(7) A description of the firm's philosophy regarding ethics, specifically addressing
conflicts of interests.
(8) The firm's ability to work with a client with a need for services that fluctuates
significantly from month-to-month and year-to-year.
(9) The firm's current and projected workload and its ability to meet schedules.
(10) Discussion of the firm's specific abilities to provide the required professional
services outlined in the Scope of Services.
(11) Three examples of specific knowledge and expertise including project
management skills and methodology used to monitor project budgets.
(12) Three references of other owners for which the firm has provided similar
professional services. Reference information must include:
(a) Name of Owner
(b) Project Name
(c) Contact Person
(d) Address
(e) Telephone Number
(fl Firm's key personnel assigned to the referenced project
(13) Other factors that would be helpful in evaluating the consultant
(14) Disclosures and Assurances:
a) Applicant Authority: Assurance that the signatory making representations in the
proposal on behalf of the proposer has the authority to do so and to bind the firm
to a contract.
b) Carrier and coverage limits for Errors and Omissions Coverage.
c) Conflicts of Interest: Potential conflicts of interest must be disclosed including all
private client work.
a) Firm should provide a proposed contract form
Financial Submittal
In an envelope separate from the "Qualifications Submittal," you are to submit your fee
schedule, per staff position, which should list the current hourly rate and annual projections
thereafter for 2013 through 2017. Ancillary expenses, such as overhead (often expressed as a
multiple of direct labor costs), mileage, telephone, Xeroxing,markup for subcontracted services,
etc. shall also be included in the second envelope.
Selection Process/Criteria
Proposals will be reviewed as indicated in the attached timetable. Only the three top selected
proposals will be interviewed by a committee consisting of the City Administrator, Maintenance
Superintendent, Mayor and a City Council Member. The selection is subject to the following
criteria:
(1) Demonstrated experience and qualifications of assigned personnel with familiarity
with municipal engineering generally, and specifically the City of Scandia or
similarly sized and staffed municipality.
(2) Staff capability to timely execute projects
(3) Performance on similar projects as noted in the qualifications section
(4) The firm's policies and practices regarding ethics
(5) Providing adequate liability coverage and other mechanisms to control risk.
The oral interview process will consist of each firm responding to five questions which have
been provided to each firm in advance of the interview. The period to respond to these five
questions will be limited to 20 minutes. Following the 20-minute response to the five questions,
follow-up questions, as necessary, will be asked by the City.
The committee will rank the firms based on the total points awarded based upon the oral
interview process. The top firm will be the one given the most points,the second firm the second
amount of points, and the third firm the least amount of points. The envelope with the top firm's
fee expectations will then be opened, with the other two envelopes remaining sealed. City
administrative staff will attempt to negotiate a four and a half year contract with the top firm.
However, if a mutually agreed upon contract is not reached, the City will cease discussions with
the top firm-never to return for further discussions and proceed to negotiate with the second
ranked firm. This process would continue to the third firm, if necessary.
Submission
Submit nine(9) copies of the two envelopes so indicated in the cover letter, to be entitled
"Statement of Qualifications for General Engineering Services" on or before March 1, 2013 to:
Kristina Handt, City Administrator
14727 209`h St. N.
Scandia, MN 55073
The City will not accept proposals by telephone or facsimile. Neither will the City accept
submissions after March 1, 2013, even if such contains a postmark dated prior to March 1, 2013.
February 13, 2013
RE: Request for Statement of Qualifications
To Whom It May Concern:
Your firm is invited to submit your Statement of Qualifications to be considered for providing
contracted engineering services for the City of Scandia, Minnesota(pop. 3,934). The City covers
approximately 36 square miles in northern Washington County, has 90 miles of roads, multiple
parks and operates three wastewater systems. The City is seeking a firm to provide general
engineering services for a period of approximately four and a half years, May 2013 to December
2017.
Attached to this letter is the followin�:
1) A list of materials and information that you should include with your Statement of
Qualifications.
2) A Scope of Work required for contracted general engineering services.
3) A schedule of dates and requirements for the selection process.
The City requests that two envelopes be submitted by your firm for contracted general
engineering services. The first envelope should only contain your proposal based on required
materials and information requested by the City. The second envelope is to contain only your fee
schedule for various personnel in your firm who would wark on City projects. Your fee
schedule, per staff position, should list the current hourly rate and annual projections thereafter
for 2013 through 2017. Any ancillary expenses can also be included in the second envelope,
such as overhead,mileage, telephone, etc.
By no means should any potential firm solicit elected/appointed officials or City staff. Doing so
may create grounds for disqualification. The City will not entertain separate meetings beyond
those listed within the attached schedule.
Please forward your Statement of Qualifications to the following address to be received by the
City no later than Friday, March 1, 2013 at noon. Please address your proposals as follows:
Engineering Statement of Qualifications
c/o Kristina Handt, City Administrator
14727 209th St. N.
Scandia, MN 55073
Schedule of Dates
The following schedule has been established by the City of Scandia for the selection of an
engineering firm to provide City engineering services.
Date Description
February 13, 2013 Mail requests for Statements of Qualification
February 20, 2013 Conduct Q &A session at l 0am for representatives from
interested firms (City Offices)
March 1, 2013 Statements of Qualifications are due to City
March 15, 2013 Staff will contact firms regarding the status of their
proposal.
March 26-28, 2013 (tentative) Interviews of selected firms will be conducted.
April 9, 2013 City Council work session to review recommendation from
the committee.
April 16, 2013 (tentative) City Council to approve a contract with selected firm
Apri123, 2013 Notify all firms of final selection results.