5-265x901153 RFQ.pdf

Request for Qualifications

UNDERGROUND UTILITY LOCATION SERVICES

265X901153

ISSUE DATE: March 10, 2026

Due on or before April 7, 2026, by 1:00 PM ET

BUYER OF RECORD: Sarah Dolly

COMMODITY CODE(S): 96291 Utility Locator Services, Underground

REQUESTING AGENCY: MSDGC

ACCEPTANCE PLACE: https://cincinnati-oh.bonfirehub.com/

All proposals must be submitted electronically via the City’s Bonfire portal at the above link. Responses submitted by hard copy, mail, or e-mail will not be accepted. See “RFQ Submissions” for more details.

Office of Procurement Two Centennial Plaza

805 Central Avenue, Suite 234 Cincinnati, Ohio 45202-1947

Table of Contents

I. REQUEST – Page 3

II. CONTENT AND FORM OF SUBMISSIONS – Page 8

III. REQUIRED & MISCELLANEOUS FORMS – Page 9

IV. CONTRACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS – Page 10

I. REQUEST

INTRODUCTION

The City of Cincinnati, Ohio, (hereinafter referred as “City”) is issuing this Request for Qualifications (hereinafter "RFQ") pursuant to the provisions of the Cincinnati Municipal Code (CMC), Chapter 321 and City Manager Administrative Regulation 23 for Professional Services, from parties, (hereinafter "Offerors).

The Offeror shall provide the Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati with Underground Utility Location Services to include utility surveying, locating, ground penetrating radar and utility mapping in accordance with ASCE 38-02.

GENERAL BACKGROUND AND INFORMATION

Underground Utility Location Services will be used to support project planning and to assist inspectors in the field by accurately identifying the location of existing subsurface utilities. These services will include comprehensive marking and mapping of underground infrastructure to improve site awareness, reduce the risk of utility conflicts or damage, and support safe and efficient construction and inspection activities. This process will alert MSDGC to potential conflicts, constraints, or safety concerns early in the project lifecycle, allowing for informed decision-making and timely mitigation of potential issues.

SCOPE OF SERVICES/SPECIFICATIONS

Utility Locating Services to provide underground utility locating, identification, and marking services, including but not limited to:

• Surveying, locating and marking underground pipes, cables, conduits, and other utilities

• Providing digital maps, field sketches, or electronic deliverables

• Utility conflict verification • Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) scanning

• Reporting of findings, anomalies, and limitations

TERM

Five (5) years with One (1) optional 2-year extension.

BUDGET

While the specific budget allocation for this project is confidential, please be advised that the total budget shall not exceed $450,000.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Experience & Expertise – 40 Points

Qualifications of Key Staff Assigned to Project – 20 Points

Quality Assurance & Control – 20 Points

Understanding the Requirements – 20 Points

Technologies for Utility Marking – 10 Points

TIMETABLE

Milestones for the process are: Date

1. Release of RFQ March 10, 2026

2. Date of Pre-Submission meeting N/A

3. Deadline for written questions March 24, 2026

4. Submissions Due in Bonfire April 7, 2026

LATE SUBMISSIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED

5. City initiates negotiations with preferred Offeror (approx.) June 1, 2026

QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE RFQ

All questions or requests for clarification must be submitted in writing no later than March 24, 2026, at 1:00 PM ET. Questions and clarification requests may be emailed to the buyer of record indicated on the cover page of this RFQ, or submitted through the Bonfire portal at https://cincinnati-oh.bonfirehub.com/. If emailing, please reference “RFQ265X901153 Underground Utility Location Services for MSD” in the subject field of the message. Questions received after the designated period may not be considered. Any response made by the City will be provided in writing via Addendum.

Offerors are strictly prohibited from contacting any other City employees or any third-party representatives of the City on any matter having to do with this RFQ. All communications regarding this RFQ must be made to the City’s contact person, or any other City representatives designated by the Chief Procurement Officer in writing.

PREVENTING UNFAIR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES

Fairness and transparency in the procurement process require that Offerors competing for a specific project do not derive a competitive advantage from having provided services related to the project/contract/work assignment in question. To that end, pursuant to Administrative Regulation No. 62 and the City’s RFQ Manual, a firm, and each of its affiliates, hired to provide services for the preparation or implementation of a project shall be disqualified from any subsequent procurement solicitation to provide goods, works, or services resulting from or directly related to the firm’s services for such preparation or implementation, unless an exception is made by the City Manager in writing.

RFQ SUBMISSIONS

The Offeror shall develop a written response to this RFQ structured to comply with Section II of this RFQ.

While each submission will be considered objectively, the city assumes no obligation to accept to take action on any submission. The City assumes no liability for any costs incurred in preparing or submitting any submission.

Responses to this RFQ must be submitted through the City’s Bonfire portal at https://cincinnati-oh.bonfirehub.com/. Responses submitted by hard copy, mail, or e-mail will not accepted.

Important notes:

Logging in and/or uploading your file(s) does not mean your response is submitted. Offerors must successfully upload all file(s) and must click the submit button before closing time.

You will receive an email confirmation receipt with a unique confirmation number once you finalize your submission. This will confirm that you have successfully submitted your response.

If a requested file is mandatory, you will not be able to complete your submission until the requirement is met.

Uploading large documents may take time, depending on the size of the file(s) and your internet connection speed.

Please note the type (.doc, .pdf, etc.) and number of files (one only or multiple) allowed. The maximum file size for upload is 1,000 MB. Please do not embed any documents within your uploaded files as they will not be accessible or evaluated.

For technical questions or issues related to your submission, please contact Bonfire directly at support@gobonfire.com or 1 (800) 354-8010, ext. 2. The support team is available Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. ET. You can also visit their help forum at https://bonfirehub.zendesk.com/hc.

Submissions can be withdrawn at any time until the deadline date, at which time submissions will be considered firm and become the property of the City and will not be returned. Offeror must login to Bonfire to withdraw their submission through the system. If resubmitting, Offeror is responsible for submitting prior to the closing time and receiving a new email confirmation receipt. By responding to this RFQ, Offerors waive any challenge to the City’s decisions.

PUBLIC RECORDS REQUIREMENTS

By submitting this response, Offeror acknowledges that the City is governed by the Ohio Public Records Laws. Notwithstanding any statement to the contrary, the City’s handling of any confidentiality obligations is subject to the limitations of this paragraph. Offeror’s submission may be subject to disclosure under the Ohio Public Records Laws. The City shall have no duty to defend the rights of Offeror or any of its agents or affiliates in any records requested to be disclosed. Confidential proprietary material must be clearly identified by the Offeror as "trade secret" and easily separable from the rest of the submission. The Offeror recognizes and agrees that the City is not responsible or liable in any way for any losses that the Offeror may suffer from the disclosure of information or materials to third parties.

Upon receipt of a public records request for which any document clearly marked by Offeror as “Trade Secret” is responsive, the City will notify Offeror of its intent to release records to the requestor. Offeror shall have a maximum of five (5) business days beginning with the date it receives notification to respond to the City by either accommodating the requestor or pursuing legal remedies to stop the City’s release of requested information. Said notification shall relieve the City of any further obligation under any claim of Offeror or any of its agents or affiliates in any jurisdiction in connection with the disclosure of such records.

Offeror and its agents and affiliates shall have the right to pursue legal and/or equitable remedies to stop or limit disclosure at their sole expense.

SELECTION PROCESS

Selection of a preferred Offeror(s) and subsequent award(s) of contract(s) will comply with City Administrative Regulation No. 23 and the Cincinnati Municipal Code (CMC). The City will award a contract(s) to the successful Offeror(s) considering the total requirements for this procurement and what is “Most Advantageous to the City” in accordance with CMC Chapter 321.

The City’s Selection Committee will review and evaluate all properly submitted proposals that are received on or before the deadline. The Selection Committee will submit its finding to the Chief Procurement Officer as to which proposal(s) is/are “Most Advantageous” to the City taking into consideration price and evaluation factors set forth below. The Chief Procurement Officer will review the Selection Committee’s findings and will then submit a recommendation to the City Manager who will make the award for the City pursuant to CMC Section 321-65.

The City reserves the right to ask for additional information and clarification from or about any or all of the Offerors. The City may require selected Offerors to make an oral presentation of their submission.

PROCESS FOR ENTERING INTO AGREEMENT

The Offeror(s) whose submission(s) is/are found to be the "Most Advantageous" to the City of Cincinnati will be offered the opportunity to negotiate with the intent to enter into an Agreement with the City. The scope, terms and conditions of that Agreement shall be in substantial conformance with the terms, conditions and specifications described in this RFQ and with the proposal that is submitted by the Offeror(s) whose submission(s) is/are found to be the "Most Advantageous" to the City.

Offerors should be prepared to begin contract negotiations upon submitting. If the Offeror is not able to begin contract negotiations, the City may disqualify that Offeror.

The City reserves the right to negotiate the Agreement to include any portion or portions of the services described in this RFQ. The City reserves the right to reject any and all responses in total or by components.

The City reserves the right to make one total award, one award for each section, multiple awards, or a combination of awards, and to exercise its judgment concerning the selection of one or more submissions, the terms of any resultant agreement(s), and the determination of which, if any, submission(s) is/are Most Advantageous to the City, as a result of this RFQ process.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The City reserves the right to check all references furnished and consider responses received in determining the award.

The City reserves the right to perform investigations as may be deemed necessary by the City to assure that competent persons will be and are utilized in the performance of the Agreement and to verify the accuracy of the contents of proposals.

The City publishes information on the City of Cincinnati Internet web site at www.cincinnati-oh.gov, which includes the Cincinnati Municipal Code.

CONTRACTOR REGISTRATION

The Offeror awarded the contract shall be a registrant under Vendor Self Service (VSS) at time of award.

Go to https://vss.cincinnati-oh.gov/vssprod/Advantage4 to register.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

The Contractor shall be subject to the provisions of the City of Cincinnati Municipal Code Chapter 325, regarding Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO). The EEO Program requires the Contractor awarded the contract to complete and submit a DEI 147 form. The DEI 147 form is designed to provide an evaluation of the Contractor’s policies and practices relating to the extension of equal employment opportunity to all persons without regard to race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identification, national or ethnic origin, age, handicap, or Vietnam military service.

Failure to comply with the City’s request for submission of the DEI 147 form within ten (10) days of the date of the request will be sufficient cause to reject the proposal due to the Contractor being nonresponsive.

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT

The City of Cincinnati is committed to supporting the Americans with Disabilities Act. Please contact the City’s Office of Aging and Accessibility if you require any special accommodation.

CONTRACTOR’S COVENANT OF NON-DISCRIMINATION

Pursuant to the City of Cincinnati’s policy of non-discrimination, specifically in its purchasing and contracting practices and as a condition of contract award, we covenant, represent and warrant that:

We will not discriminate against small business enterprises on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender or disability in the process of contracting, subcontracting and purchasing;

We will use good faith efforts to promote opportunities for small business enterprises to participate in and compete for opportunities to the extent of their availability and capacity;

We will submit to ongoing monitoring by and submittal of reports to the City’s Department of

Economic Inclusion;

We will submit to investigations and/or audits by the Department of Economic Inclusion in connection with routine monitoring or as a result of specific allegations of discrimination.

ADMINISTRATIVE FEES

The successful bidder will remit to the City an administrative fee in the amount of one percent (1%) of the total sales from this contract. The City will bill an amount equal to one percent (1%) of all expenditures paid to the contractor each quarter. Payment will be due no later than forty five (45) days after the invoice is sent to the contractor by the City.

Pricing submitted with this bid/proposal shall include the City’s administrative fee and may not be added as a line item on any invoice.

TAXPAYER IN GOOD STANDING

Vendors awarded a contract should be a Taxpayer in Good Standing with the City of Cincinnati. To verify your firm’s standing and receive a verification letter, contact the city’s Income Tax Division. The Taxpayer in Good Standing Request form can be found at https://docs.cincinnati-oh.gov/form/coc/TaxpayerGoodStanding. Please allow three (3) business days for processing after receipt of your request.

Section II – Content and Form of Submissions

1. Cover Letter (1 page limit)

A cover letter introducing your firm and summarizing your submission.

2. Experience & Expertise (5-page limit)

Provide experience & expertise in underground utility locating services, accurately identifying and marking subsurface utilities—including electric, gas, water, sewer, telecommunications, and fiber for municipal projects.

3. Qualifications of Key Staff Assigned to Project (5-page limit)

Provide resumes of experienced key personnel with strong expertise in subsurface utility engineering and field operations.

4. Quality Assurance & Control (5-page limit)

Explain the quality control process to ensure data accuracy and reliability through thorough validation and documentation, resulting in safe, efficient, and dependable project delivery.

5. Understanding the Requirements (5-page limit)

Provide understanding with coordinating utility investigations, ensuring compliance with ASCE 38-02 standards.

6. Technologies for Utility Marking (5-page limit)

Elaborate on utility locators training in advanced locating technologies, including electromagnetic methods and ground-penetrating radar, with a proven record of accurate utility identification.

7. References (1 page limit)

Provide at least two references from past clients or projects that demonstrate your firm’s capability to successfully deliver similar services.

8. Required and Miscellaneous Forms

Offeror must submit all required forms as indicated in Section III of this RFQ.

9. Exceptions

Offeror must include a statement indicating compliance with the Terms and Conditions presented in all sections of this RFQ or any exceptions.

SECTION III – REQUIRED FORMS

Failure to submit all required forms may result in your submission being deemed non-responsive and not scored.

ATTACHMENT 1 – Offeror Corporate and Contact Information o REQUIRED WITH SUBMISSION

ATTACHMENT 2 – Affidavit of Accuracy and Signature Page

ATTACHMENT 3 – Subcontracting Outreach Program o The “SBE Goal Compliance Plan”, which includes the “No Goals Plan” on pages 1 and 3, to be completed and included with the proposal is available at the following webpage:

https://msdgc.org/doing-business-with-us/sbe-program/sbe-forms/

ATTACHMENT 4 – Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Form (DEI147) o REQUIRED WITH SUBMISSION. A copy of the form is available at the following webpage:

https://msdgc.org/doing-business-with-us/contract-compliance/contract-compliance-forms/