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HomeMy WebLinkAbout#08 - RFP Engineering ServicesSTAFF REPORT DATE: October 17, 2017 CONSENT ITEM #: 8 AGENDA ITEM: Request for Proposals for Engineering Services SUBMITTED BY: Kristina Handt, City Administrator BACKGROUND: At the September 12th work session, Council reviewed and discussed the city’s current contracts for professional services. Council direct staff to prepare a Request for Proposal (RFP) for engineering services since it has been a number of years since the City has done so. It is generally recommended to do so every 3-5 years. Professional service contracts are not required to follow the competitive bidding procedures. However, many cities do routinely seek bids or proposals as a best management practice. The city can perform its due diligence in reviewing options as services, technology and market conditions change over time. ISSUE BEFORE COUNCIL: Does the Council approve of the RFP for Engineering Services? PROPOSAL: A copy of the RFP is included in your packet. It provides the scope of services, proposal requirements, selection criteria and timeline for selection. Proposals would be due November 15th and Council interview of firms could either be held on November 28th (4th Tuesday) or before the regular Council meeting on December 5th. Selection of the firm for a 5 year contract would be made in December with contract approval at the first meeting in January 2018. FISCAL IMPACT: TBD OPTIONS: 1) Approve the RFP for Engineering Services 2) Amend and then Approve the RFP for Engineering Services 3) Do not authorize issuance of an RFP for Engineering Services RECOMMENDATION: If removed from the consent agenda: “Move to authorize issuance of RFP for engineering services.” ATTACHMENTS: • RFP for Engineering Services Request for Proposals CONTRACTED GENERAL ENGINEERING SERVICES Issued October 18, 2017 DEADLINE—Noon Wednesday, November 15, 2017 CONTACT: KRISTINA HANDT CITY ADMINISTRATOR 3800 Laverne Ave N Lake Elmo, MN, 55042 (651) 747-3905 khandt@lakeelmo.org www.lakeelmo.org Introduction The City of Lake Elmo is soliciting proposals from firms interested in providing a wide variety of general engineering services and related technical services. The firm selected will be designated as the City Engineer. The successful applicant will provide these services to the City from January 2018 to December 31, 2022. Services may include, but not be limited, to those listed in the “scope of services” part of this document. The City of Lake Elmo shall not be liable for any costs incurred by the firm and/or assigns in responding to this Request for Proposal (RFP), or for any costs associated with discussions required for clarification of items related to this proposal, including any future interviews. To be considered, one (1) paper copy and one (1) digital copy of a proposal must be received at the City Hall, 3800 Laverne Ave N, Lake Elmo, MN 55042 by Noon on Wednesday, November 15, 2017. The City reserves the right to reject any or all proposals submitted. Questions regarding this request should be directed to Kristina Handt, City of Lake Elmo, 3800 Laverne Ave N, Lake Elmo, MN 55042 and 651-747-3905 or khandt@lakeelmo.org In order to ensure a fair review and selection process, firms submitting proposals are specifically requested not to make other contacts with the City staff or Councilmembers regarding their proposals. 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 Lake Elmo 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 Lake Elmo 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 Lake Elmo under this agreement, shall not be considered employees of the City of Lake Elmo 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 Lake Elmo. 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 a timely and proper manner the obligations under the contract, the City of Lake Elmo 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 January 2018. The City reserves the right to retain more than one consultant for specific duties. Scope of Services The City of Lake Elmo 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 and Met Council 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 Finance Director to monitor charges and revenues associated with development projects. • Assists in the planning, layout and design of City parks and trails. 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. Attend staff developer review meetings-typically the first and third Tuesdays at 1:00 p.m. • 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, and other City meetings, as needed. The Council meets on the first and third Tuesdays 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 • Be available to the public via phone, email or walk-ins during the general business hours of the City of Lake Elmo (Mon-Fri, 8am-4:30pm) • 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 in coordination with Public Works and Planning staff. • Assist in inventory tracking of public infrastructure through the use of 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. • Identify grant opportunities and write grant proposals as directed by City staff and City Council. •Preparation of water, sewer and stormwater components of Comprehensive Plan update. Proposal Requirements The City of Lake Elmo 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. Interested firms are to submit a written proposal to include information directly related to each of the selection criteria outlined in the Selection Process/Criteria section. At a minimum, proposal 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 Lake Elmo. (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) An organizational chart identifying team members and their areas of responsibility. (7) Resumes of sub-consultants proposed as project team members. (8) A description of the firm’s philosophy regarding ethics, specifically addressing conflicts of interests. (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 (f) Firm’s key personnel assigned to the referenced project (13) Fee schedule, per staff position, which should list the current hourly rate and annual projections thereafter for 2018 through 2022. 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. (14) Other factors that would be helpful in evaluating the consultant (15) 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 Selection Process/Criteria Proposals will be reviewed as indicated in the attached timetable. City staff will determine which firms are interviewed by the City Council following a review of the proposals submitted. The selection is subject to the following criteria: (1) Demonstrated experience and qualifications of assigned personnel with municipal engineering generally, and specifically the City of Lake Elmo or similarly sized and staffed municipality. (2) Staff capability to timely execute projects (3) Performance on similar projects as noted in the proposal requirements 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. Submission Submit one (1) paper copy and one (1) digital copy of the proposal indicated in the cover letter, to be entitled “RFP for General Engineering Services” on or before Noon on November 15, 2017 to: Kristina Handt, City Administrator 3800 Laverne Ave N Lake Elmo, MN 55042 The City will not accept proposals by telephone or facsimile. Neither will the City accept submissions after November 15, 2017, even if such contains a postmark dated prior to November 15, 2017. Schedule of Dates The following schedule has been established by the City of Lake Elmo for the selection of an engineering firm to provide City engineering services. Date Description October 18, 2017 Advertise and Mail requests for proposals November 1, 2017 Conduct Q & A session at 10am for representatives from interested firms (City Offices) November 15, 2017 Proposals are due to City Nov 28/Dec 5 (tentative) Council special meeting(s) to interview firms December 12, 2017 Council direct staff to negotiate contract with selected firm January 2, 2018 (tentative) City Council to approve a contract with selected firm January 3, 2018 (tentative) Notify all firms of final selection results.