2-1. RFQ S2026-013 Owners Rep Services for AWPF.pdf

City of Liberty Hill Purchasing Department Solicitation Number: S2026-013

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Request for Qualification

Solicitation Number: S2026-013

Project Name: Owners Representative Services for Advanced Water Purification Facility

Project Number: N/A

NIGP Class/Items: 911-51 • 958-77

Schedule of Events Solicitation Posted Date: April 15, 2026 Vendor Questions Due: April 28, 2026, at 5:00pm

Answers Posted to Bonfire: On or before April 30, 2026, at 5:00pm Response Due Date: May 6, 2026, at 1:30pm

Oral Presentation (if necessary) TBD Expected Contract Award Date: June 2026

Purchasing Department 926 Main St.

Liberty Hill, TX 78642

ATTENTION: It is the responsibility of interested parties to periodically check the City’s Bonfire website [https://libertyhilltx.bonfirehub.com/] for updates to the solicitation prior to submitting a response. The respondent’s failure to periodically check the City’s Bonfire website will in no way release the selected Vendor from additional information resulting in additional costs to meet the requirements of the solicitation.

The City will not be held responsible for any further communication beyond updating the Bonfire website.

https://libertyhilltx.bonfirehub.com/

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Table of Contents Part I – General

1. Purpose

2. Definitions, Terms and Conditions

3. Attachments

4. City Contact and Prohibited Communication

5. Respondent Requirements

6. Committee Review

7. Agreement Term

8. Award

9. Prompt Payment Policy

10. Non-Appropriation

11. Confidentiality of Content

Part II – Response Instructions

1. Schedule of Events

2. Response Submission

3. Agreement Negotiations

4. Post Award Meeting

5. Costs Incurred

6. Ethics Ordinance and Disclosure Statements

Part III – Scope of Services

1. Scope

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Part I – General

1. Purpose

The City of Liberty Hill, herein after “City”, seeks to enter into an agreement with a qualified Individual, Firm or Corporation, herein after “Respondent”, to provide Professional Services, herein “Services”, for Owner’s Representative Services to assist the City in delivering the Advanced Water Purification Facility (AWPF) in a timely manner while adhering to State and Federal requirements. This project requires a wide range of expertise, including land planning, infrastructure phasing, funding partnerships with State and Federal agencies, construction management, and construction materials testing.

2. Definitions, Terms and Conditions By submitting a response to this solicitation, the Respondent agrees that the City’s standard Definitions, Terms and Conditions, in effect at the time of release of the solicitation, shall govern but shall be superseded by those terms and conditions specifically provided for otherwise within this solicitation, in a separate agreement or on the face of a purchase order. The City’s Definitions, Terms and Conditions are herein made a part of this solicitation and can be found on the City’s website by visiting https://www.libertyhilltx.gov/511/Purchasing.

2.1 Any exception to additional terms and conditions attached to the response will not be considered unless respondent specifically references them on the front of the Solicitation Document. WARNING: Exception to additional terms and conditions may result in disqualification of the response.

3. Attachments Attachments are herein made a part of this agreement:

3.1. Attachment A – Reference Form

3.2. Attachment B – WIFIA Specifications Packet

3.3. Attachment C – CIP Detail Sheet

3.4. Attachment D – Verification Form

4. City Contact and Prohibited Communication Contact: All requests, questions, and other communications about this solicitation shall be made in writing to the City’s authorized contact, addressed to the following assigned Team Member:

Primary Contact: Kelly Wenzel, Procurement Administrator

Email: kwenzel@libertyhilltx.gov

Prohibited Communications: Upon posting of this solicitation, City of Liberty Hill, its representative(s), or partners will not answer questions or otherwise discuss the contents of this solicitation with any potential respondents or their representative(s). Attempts to ask questions by phone or in person will not be allowed or recognized as valid. Failure to observe this restriction may result in disqualification of any subsequent response to this solicitation. Respondent may rely only on written statements issued through or by City of Liberty Hill authorized contact. This restriction does not preclude discussions between affected parties for the purposes of conducting business unrelated to this solicitation.

https://www.libertyhilltx.gov/511/Purchasing mailto:kwenzel@libertyhilltx.gov

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5. Respondent Requirements The opening of a solicitation shall not be construed as the City’s acceptance of such as qualified and responsive.

5.1. Respondents shall be firms, corporations, individuals or partnerships normally engaged in services outlined in this solicitation in the State of Texas;

5.2. In the case of a firm or corporation, City shall contract only with an experienced team member of the firm with direct expertise in the project type specified. City shall require that only the agreed-to and contracted team interact with City staff. Any changes in staff must be communicated to the City immediately.

5.3. Persons and firms practicing Engineering or Architectural Services in the State of Texas must possess proper licensing and registration in accordance with Texas laws.

5.4. Respondents shall include at least one registered professional engineer or architect, as Project Manager, with a minimum of five (5) years of experience in providing specified services.

5.5. Respondents shall maintain staffing levels to provide prompt, efficient service to the City.

6. Committee Review By submitting a response to this Request for Qualifications, respondent accepts the evaluation process as outlined in the following section.

A committee of City staff shall be established to evaluate the responses, herein after “Committee”. The Committee will review each response to determine the most highly qualified Respondents based on demonstrated competence and qualifications using the following weighted criteria. A consensus score will be assigned to each response.

Respondents may be required to make an oral presentation to the selection team to further present their qualifications. These presentations will provide the Respondent the opportunity to clarify their qualifications and ensure a mutual understanding of the services to be provided and the approach to be used.

Criteria Possible Points Relevant Qualifications and Experience of the Proposed Project Team: Provide detailed information on Respondent and project team experience with providing Services as described.

• (Project Manager – 20 points; Project Principal – 10 points): City is interested in the experience of the Project Manager and Project Principal, on type/discipline of projects listed in this solicitation. Points will be awarded as indicated above. Only one individual per job responsibility should be designated. Project Manager and Project Principal must be employed by the prime firm and may be the same individual. Project Manager must be licensed as a professional engineer in the State of Texas at the time of submittal. List no more than five (5) projects meeting these criteria which have been completed in the past ten (10) years for each individual.

Available Resources and Location:

Prime firm must have adequate and experienced current staff (including professionals registered in applicable fields, other professionals, and technicians) to competently and efficiently perform the work. Prime firm must commit that staff proposed in this submittal would be available for the proposed work.

Prime Firm’s Comparable Experience (past 5 years): City is interested in the prime firm's history and success with projects of similar programs, budgets, and/or clients for 35

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Criteria Possible Points type/discipline projects described in this solicitation. List no more than five projects that provided Owner’s Representative/Owner’s Advisor services to a municipal client for large water/wastewater capital improvement projects that utilized both Texas Water Development Board and Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) funding.

The list shall include, but not limited to, the location, City, services provided by the Respondent, term of services, project construction cost and an owner contact name, telephone and e-mail address. In addition, City may consider history of firm in complying with project programs, schedules, and budgets on previous City projects.

Team’s Structure and Approach: Respondent shall define the method and approach to be used. Respondent shall identify reporting responsibilities and how the firm will interface with the City’s Project Team. Describe any significant project issues and how the respondent will address these issues.

Previous Litigation History: Firms current and past project-based litigation pursued or in progress by the Firm against the City, or other governmental entities within the previous five

(5) years; and current or past project-based litigation brought against the Firm in the previous five (5) years or currently in progress.

References Acceptable/ Inacceptable

Total 100

The evaluation process may reveal additional information for consideration. The City reserves the right to modify, without notice, the evaluation structure and weighted criteria to accommodate these additional considerations to serve the best interest of the City.

7. Agreement Term The terms of the awarded agreement shall include but not be limited to the following:

7.1. The term “agreement” shall mean the executed contract awarded as a result of this solicitation and all exhibits thereto. At a minimum, the following documents will be incorporated into the agreement:

7.1.1. Solicitation document, attachments and exhibits;

7.1.2. Solicitation addendums, if applicable;

7.1.3. City’s Definitions, Terms and Conditions;

7.1.4. Successful Respondent’s submission.

7.2. If the Respondent fails to perform its duties in a reasonable and competent manner, the City shall give written notice to the Respondent of the deficiencies and the successful Respondent shall have thirty (30) days to correct such deficiencies. If the Respondent fails to correct the deficiencies within the thirty (30) days, the City may terminate the agreement by giving the Respondent written notice of termination and the reason for the termination.

7.3. The City shall also have the right to terminate the Agreement, in whole in part, without cause anytime upon thirty (30) calendar days’ prior written notice. Upon receipt of a notice of termination, the Respondent shall promptly cease all further work pursuant to the Agreement, with such exceptions, if any, specified in the notice of termination. The City shall pay the Respondent to extent of funds appropriated or otherwise legally available for such purposes, for all goods delivered and services performed and obligations incurred prior to the date of termination in accordance with the terms hereof.

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7.4. If the agreement is terminated, for any reason, respondent shall turn over all material, records and deliverables created to date within fifteen (15) working days after completion of duties through the termination date.

8. Award The City reserves the right to enter into an Agreement with a single award, split awards, non-award, or use any combination that best serves the interest and at the sole discretion of the City. Award announcement will be made upon City Council approval of staff recommendation and executed agreement. Award announcement will appear on the City’s website: https://libertyhilltx.bonfirehub.com/.

8.1. The City reserves the right to reject any or all responses, or delete any portion of the response, or to accept any response deemed most advantageous, or to waive any irregularities or informalities in the response received that best serves the interest and at the sole discretion of the City.

8.2. The City reserves the right to automatically disqualify a response if the responding entity has had any negative performance marks related to other City projects within the last five (5) years.

8.3. Chapter 176, Texas Local Government Code requires that disclosures of certain relationships be made in relation to certain contracts with the City. Local government officers are the members of the City Council, the City Administrator, and other City employees or agents who exercise discretion in planning, recommending, selecting and contracting of a vendor. Please contact the City Secretary for a list of City employees and agents who may qualify as local government officers. Click here Chapter 176, Texas Local Government Code, to review this requirement.

8.4. A completed CIQ Form is required with each response. If no conflict is present, respondent must fill out section one, write “N/A” in section three, write in “N/A” in section five, and sign section seven https://www.ethics.state.tx.us/forms/conflict/

8.5. Once a selection is made and the City has the intent to award, the successful respondent will be required to submit Form 1295 to the State of Texas electronically prior to executing the agreement or purchase order.

https://www.ethics.state.tx.us/whatsnew/elf_info_form1295.htm

9. Prompt Payment Policy Payments will be made in accordance with the Texas Prompt Payment Law, Texas Government Code, Subtitle F, Chapter 2251. The City will pay Vendor within thirty days after the acceptance of the supplies, materials, equipment, or the day on which the performance of services was completed or the day, on which the City receives a correct invoice for the supplies, materials, equipment or services, whichever is later. The Vendor may charge a late fee (fee shall not be greater than that which is permitted by Texas law) for payments not made in accordance with this prompt payment policy; however, this policy does not apply to payments made by the City in the event:

9.1. There is a bona fide dispute between the City and Vendor concerning the supplies, materials, services or equipment delivered or the services performed that causes the payment to be late; or

9.2. The terms of a federal agreement, grant, regulation, or statute prevent the City from making a timely payment with Federal Funds; or

9.3. There is a bona fide dispute between the Vendor and a subcontractor or between a subcontractor and its suppliers concerning supplies, material, or equipment delivered or the services performed which caused the payment to be late; or https://libertyhilltx.bonfirehub.com/ https://www.ethics.state.tx.us/forms/conflict/ https://www.ethics.state.tx.us/whatsnew/elf_info_form1295.htm

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9.4. The invoice is not mailed to the City in strict accordance with instructions, if any, on the purchase order or agreement or other such contractual agreement.

10. Non-Appropriation The resulting Agreement is a commitment of the City’s current revenues only. It is understood and agreed that the City shall have the right to terminate the Agreement at the end of any City fiscal year if the governing body of the City does not appropriate funds sufficient to purchase the estimated yearly quantities, as determined by the City’s budget for the fiscal year in question. The City may affect such termination by giving Vendor a written notice of termination at the end of its then current fiscal year.

11. Confidentiality of Content All documents submitted in response to a solicitation shall be subject to the Texas Public Information Act.

Following an award, responses are subject to release as public information unless the response or specific parts of the response can be shown to be exempt from the Texas Public Information Act. Pricing is not considered to be confidential under any circumstances.

11.1. Information in a submittal that is legally protected as a trade secret or otherwise confidential must be clearly indicated with stamped, bold red letters stating "CONFIDENTIAL" on that section of the document. The City will not be responsible for any public disclosure of confidential information if it is not clearly marked as such.

11.2. If a request is made under the Texas Public Information Act to inspect information designated as confidential, the Respondent shall, upon request from the City, furnish sufficient written reasons and information as to why the information should be protected from disclosure. The matter will then be presented to the Attorney General of Texas for final determination.

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Part II – Response Instructions

1. Schedule of Events

City of Liberty Hill intends to proceed according to the following schedule. These dates represent a tentative schedule of events. City of Liberty Hill reserves the right to change the dates in the Schedule of Events upon written notification to prospective Respondents through posting an Addendum on the City of Liberty Hill e-procurement system.

Schedule of Events Solicitation Posted Date: April 15, 2026 Vendor Questions Due: April 28, 2026, at 5:00pm

Answers Posted to Bonfire: On or before April 30, 2026, at 5:00pm Response Due Date: May 6, 2026, at 1:30pm

Oral Presentation (if necessary) TBD Expected Contract Award Date: June 2026

All questions regarding the solicitation shall be submitted through the e-procurement system by 5:00 PM on the due date noted above. A copy of all the questions submitted and the City’s response to the questions shall be posted through the e-procurement system.

2. Response Submission The City of Liberty Hill utilizes an e-Procurement Portal that will accept submission of the electronic response to this solicitation.

2.1. Submission Instructions:

2.1.1. Respondent shall upload response content using the City of Liberty Hill e-

Procurement Portal. The link is found at: https://libertyhilltx.bonfirehub.com/

2.1.2. VENDOR REGISTRATION REQUIRED: Prior to submitting your response, Respondents are required to register in the e-Procurement Portal. Registration is free and easy. Using this link (https://libertyhilltx.bonfirehub.com/), click on the “Login” button at the top. Registration will allow you to submit your response to this solicitation.

2.1.3. When registering, have your Texas Vendor ID number, DUNS, and W-9 form ready.

2.1.4. If Texas ID number is unknown, enter the Federal Employer Identification Number.

2.1.5. Respondents will have the ability to modify their submissions up to the Response

Due Date in the e-Procurement Portal.

2.1.6. Responses received after this time and date shall not be considered.

2.1.7. No response can be withdrawn after opening without written approval from the

City for an acceptable reason.

2.1.8. Telephone or faxed Responses will not be considered.

2.1.9. The City will not be bound by any oral statement or offer made contrary to the written specifications.

2.1.10. Interested Respondents are encouraged to register in advance and submit their intent to bid notification, if requested on the e-Procurement Portal.

2.2. Submission Support:

2.2.1. The City of Liberty Hill e-Procurement Portal is compatible with the following browsers: Internet Explorer 11, Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, or Mozilla Firefox. Browser cookies and JavaScript must be enabled on the browser.

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Submission by other methods will not be accepted unless non-electronic samples are required for this solicitation.

2.2.2. Respondents should contact Bonfire at support@gobonfire.com for technical questions related to submissions or visit Bonfire’s help forum at https://vendorsupport.gobonfire.com/hc/en-us.

2.2.3. Support through Bonfire or the City of Liberty Hill is not guaranteed one hour prior the submission due date. Interested Respondents are encouraged to begin the submission process one week prior to the bid due date. This allows time to troubleshoot any submission issues.

2.2.4. Page limit of the response shall not exceed 15 pages, excluding resumes and required forms.

3. Agreement Negotiations In establishing an agreement as a result of the solicitation process, the City must follow the process outline in Texas Government Code, Subtitle F, Chapter 2254, Sec. 2254.004.

4. Post Award Meeting The City and Respondent shall have a post award meeting to discuss, but not be limited to the following:

Identify specific milestones, goals and strategies to meet objectives.

5. Costs Incurred Respondent shall acknowledge that the issuance of a solicitation shall in no way obligate the City to award a contract or to pay any costs associated with the preparation of a response to said solicitation. The costs in developing and submitting proposals, preparing for and participating in oral presentations or any other similar expenses incurred by a Respondent are the sole responsibility of the Respondent and shall not be reimbursed by the City.

6. Ethics Ordinance and Disclosure Statements The City’s Ethics Ordinance requires persons seeking to enter discretionary contracts with the City or appearing before the City Council or another City board or body to disclose certain conflicts of interest.

The relevant sections of the Ethics Ordinance are set forth below. The Ethics Ordinance can be found in Article 2.05 of the City’s Code of Ordinances at the following link: https://ecode360.com/LI6389 mailto:support@gobonfire.com https://vendorsupport.gobonfire.com/hc/en-us https://ecode360.com/LI6389

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Part III – Scope of Services

1. Scope Liberty Hill will require the selected firm to provide (and not limited to) the following:

1.1. General Scope of Services

1.1.1. The Owner’s Advisor will support and augment the City of Liberty Hill’s staff in planning, coordination, execution, and delivery of the projects listed in Exhibit B. The work to be performed shall consist of some or all the following general activities in assistance and support to the City of Liberty Hill staff, and/or additional activities in concert with the overall purpose of the contract, as authorized by the City’s authorized representative:

1.1.1.1. Track and maintain overall project delivery concept and schedule.

1.1.1.2. Monitor project progress.

1.1.1.3. Assure operational staff involvement in design review.

1.1.1.4. Perform project controls, including budgeting and communications.

1.1.1.5. Review design submittals.

1.1.1.6. Perform data management and quality assurance.

1.1.1.7. Management of funding requirements for project including TWDB and WIFIA requirements.

1.1.1.8. Evaluation of other potential funding mechanisms for water/wastewater treatment projects.

1.1.2. It is anticipated that the winning Consultant/Firm will have expertise in the following areas:

1.1.2.1. Management of large and complex water and/or wastewater treatment projects.

1.1.2.2. Project financing through TWDB and WIFIA.

1.1.2.3. Alternative project delivery methods.