01 OUPS Utility Response and Marking RFQ1-7923.doc

REQUEST FOR QUOTATION

Goods and Services

OUPS Utility Response & Markings Purchase Requisition Number 10007923 Issued By Department of Public Utilities Date Issued October 16, 2026

Response Submission Date and Time

Tuesday, November 3, 2026 at 1:30 PM EST

Bids will be read at 2:00 PM EST Submit online through PlanetBids: https://pbsystem.planetbids.com/portal/22576/portal-home

SCOPE AND SPECIFICATIONS

PROJECT OVERVIEW & BACKGROUND

The City of Toledo (“City”) Divisions of Sewer & Drainage Services and Water Distribution are seeking competitive proposals from qualified utility locating firms to provide turnkey Ohio Utilities Protection Service (OUPS) ticket screening, dispatching, field locating, and physical marking services. The objective of this contract is to ensure absolute damage prevention, strict regulatory compliance, and seamless tracking for all municipal sewer and water utility assets.

SCOPE OF SERVICES

The selected vendor will manage the end-to-end response lifecycle for all OUPS locate requests within the City's service footprint. Core responsibilities include:

Ticket Screening & Analysis: 24/7/365 continuous electronic monitoring of the City's OUPS queue, automated and manual screening utilizing City GIS data maps, and clearing non-conflict tickets systematically.

Field Locating & Marking: Physically locating and marking all City-owned sanitary, storm, and combined sewer mains, water mains and service lines, and related underground infrastructure. Field markings must strictly adhere to the American Public Works Association (APWA) uniform color code guidelines.

Positive Response Integration: Transmitting legally defensible positive response codes back to the OUPS system within the mandatory timeframe designated by Ohio Revised Code § 3781.25.

Emergency & Short-Notice Response: Deploying field technicians to execute on-site emergency locates within two (2) hours of notification from OUPS or City dispatch, including weekends, nights, and holidays.

Quality Control & Documentation: Documenting high-risk or complex locates via digital photography and retaining cloud-accessible records of all completed clearances and marks for a minimum of three (3) years.

ESTIMATED TICKET VOLUMES

The service volume is dynamic and heavily influenced by regional construction cycles, infrastructure upgrades, and private development. The following benchmarks represent the City's best operational forecast:

Estimated Annual Ticket Range: 24,000 to 30,000 tickets per calendar year.

Contractual Baseline for Pricing: 24,000 tickets per year.

Note: No minimum volume is guaranteed under this contract. Payment will be rendered exclusively on a unit-price basis for actual tickets successfully processed and closed out.

PROPOSER MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

To ensure operational continuity and asset protection, submitting vendors must fulfill the following technical thresholds:

Corporate Experience: A minimum of five (5) consecutive years of corporate experience explicitly executing high-volume municipal or utility-level contract locating services.

Personnel Certifications: All field personnel assigned to the City of Toledo account must possess active NULCA (National Utility Locating Contractors Association) certification or an equivalent industry-approved training credential.

Technological Capabilities: Demonstrated capacity to concurrently interface with the Ohio811 (OUPS) API platform and the City's internal GIS mapping software architectures.

Also must not have filed for bankruptcy under any business name over the past five (5) years.

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Responses must be logically structured and provide explicit details across the following baseline items:

1. Transmittal & Executive Summary: An executive introduction detailing the firm's background, management team, and physical office or dispatch locations servicing the Northwest Ohio corridor.

2. Technical Approach & Operations Plan: A clear narrative highlighting the vendor's step-by-step screening methodology, field locating strategies, quality audit procedures, and specific field instrumentation to be utilized.

3. Emergency Response Protocol: A detailed breakdown of dispatch infrastructure, on-call rotation schedules, and technical equipment availability designed to consistently maintain the mandatory 2-hour emergency window.

4. References & Past Performance: Provide a list of at least three (3) active municipal or public utility clients for whom the vendor currently manages high-volume ticket portfolios (exceeding 15,000 tickets annually), complete with verified points of contact Bidders are expected to provide 100% turnkey services from receipt to final markings and any other related or required work to fulfil the requirements of the OUPS rules and regulations for Ohio.

The line-item price per ticket must include all costs. Prices must encompass all labor, equipment, paint, flags, vehicles, software fees, overhead, and insurance. No supplemental fuel surcharges or travel fees will be authorized.

The City will provide GIS data to the successful bidder with required shape files identifying all sanitary, storm and combined sewer mains locations as well as locations for all water mains and service connections. Public maps and information on the city are located at this link: https://data.toledo.gov/pages/webmaps .

Approximate miles of utilities in the City:

Water Mains

1,341 miles

Sanitary sewer mains

1,071 miles

Storm sewer mains

986 miles

PRE-BID MEETING

There will be a pre-bid meeting held on October 22, 2026 at 9 AM EST via zoom.

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/71659041301?pwd=0UTB6ZxucurtmoSSu32G7D0JAc7wqB.1&from=addon

LOCAL PREFERENCE

The description of and procedure to apply local preference to responsive bids received by the City of Toledo can be found under Toledo Municipal Code section 187.34.

The Toledo Municipal Code can be found by searching for the City of Toledo webpage toledo.oh.gov and clicking the “Government” link, then clicking the “City Code” link.

REVIEW AND SELECTION CRITERIA

This bid is evaluated and selected based on “lowest and best” offer. The following factors determine “lowest and best:” bid price, past work/experience with the City of Toledo, local preference, if applicable.

QUESTIONS

All questions regarding the plans and specifications must be in writing submitted through the PlanetBids website Q&A tab. The City’s responses will be posted through PlanetBids.

BID SUBMISSION

Bids for this project will be accepted via e-bid though the City of Toledo’s PlanetBids portal. Bid submittals or other transmissions of information have not been completed until an email confirmation of the transmission has been issued by PlanetBids. Bid prices shall be to two (2) decimal places (i.e. $0.00). Only one (1) price per line item will be accepted.

In order to be awarded a contract, the City requires all of the following documents must be submitted with each bid your company submits in 2026 in PlanetBids:

· Project Paperwork*

· Line Items – will auto-populate with e-bid

· Bid Guaranty (bid bond or certified check / cashier’s check on a solvent bank) – see instructions below

· Signed Contract by the Vendor*

· Bidders experience and references to demonstrate they meet the minimum requirements to perform this service.

*Located on “Documents” tab in PlanetBids Bid Guaranty requirements are located on the “Bid Information” tab on PlanetBids. The bid guaranty shall be in the form of a cashier’s check/official check on a solvent bank or a bid bond. If using a check as the bid guaranty, the check must be scanned and uploaded with your bid. In addition, the check must be received by the Division of Purchases and Supplies no later than the due date and time to be deemed responsive. No Company / No Personal checks will be accepted. Checks shall be made payable to “City of Toledo.” If your company is using a bid bond, scan and upload with bid; the original does not need to be received by the City of Toledo. If your company does not provide a bid guaranty, your bid submittal will be deemed non-responsive. (TMC 187.09)

City of Toledo

Division of Purchases and Supplies

One Government Center, Suite 2000

640 Jackson Street

Toledo, OH 43604 Beginning with bids advertised on or after March 13, 2026 the following documents will only need to be submitted once for your company for the duration of all contracts with the City. If any information changes, it is the company’s responsibility to notify the city and update the applicable documentation.

City Paperwork:

· Vendor Registration Form, if your company is new to doing business with the city

· Business Tax Registration Form, if your company is new to doing business with the city

· Child Support Affidavit, notarized

· Vendor Utility Beginning with bids advertised on or after March 13, 2026 the following documents will only need to be submitted once for all bids your company submits in 2026. If any information changes, it is the company’s responsibility to notify the City and update the applicable paperwork.

Annual Paperwork:

· W-9

· Insurance Certificate, naming the City of Toledo as an additional insurer – requirements available on the “Documents” tab of PlanetBids

· EEO Compliance

· Debarment Certification

· Living Wage Affidavit, updated no later than February 1st

· Bureau of Worker’s Compensation Certificate

BID OPENING MEETING

Bids will be open at 2 PM EST on the due date of this bid via Zoom Meeting at:

https://link.edgepilot.com/s/72026a0a/vScHndadGUqgTn8jHzPYJQ?u=https://toledo-oh-gov.zoom.us/j/96570601158

This meeting is available to all interested parties. Preliminary Bid results will be available within one day on the PlanetBids website after bid opening. Bid results will be published to the PlanetBids website once awarded.

City of Toledo

One Government Center

640 Jackson Street

Toledo, Ohio 43604