RFP #6595-26

8/25/2026

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

RFP NUMBER: 6595-26

RFP TITLE: Wastewater System PFAS Sample Testing Services

RFP COORDINATOR: Connie Wahl, City of Spokane Purchasing Department

PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE: None

QUESTION DEADLINE: TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER

15, 2026 TIME: 11:00 A.M.

PROPOSAL DUE DATE: TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22,

2026 TIME: 11:00 A.M.

PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL:

All Proposals shall be submitted electronically through the ProcureWare online procurement system portal:

https://spokane.procureware.com by the due date and time.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.1 COMMUNICATION

1.2 BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE SUMMARY

1.3 MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

1.4 CONTRACT PERIOD

1.5 ADDENDA

1.6 TERMS AND CONDITIONS

1.7 ESTIMATED SCHEDULE OF PROCUREMENT ACTIVITIES

1.8 DEFINITIONS

2. SCOPE OF SERVICES

2.1 SCOPE OF SERVICES BACKGROUND

2.2 SCOPE OF SERVICES SUMMARY

2.3 SCOPE OF SERVICES

3. PROPOSAL CONTENT

3.1 PREPARATION OF PROPOSAL

3.2 LETTER OF SUBMITTAL

3.3 TECHNICAL PROPOSAL

3.4 MANAGEMENT PROPOSAL

3.5 COST PROPOSAL

4. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION AND EVALUATION

4.1 SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS

4.2 EVALUATION PROCEDURE

4.3 EVALUATION SCORING

4.4 AWARD/REJECTION OF PROPOSAL/CONTRACT

5. GRANT REQUIREMENTS

6. RFP ATTACHMENTS

CITY OF SPOKANE - PURCHASING

& CONTRACTS

915 N. Nelson St.

Spokane, Washington 99202

(509) 625-6400 https://spokane.procureware.com/

1. GENERAL INFORMATION

1.1 COMMUNICATION

For ProcureWare E-procurement system technical issues only and if the deadline for entering clarification questions has passed, contact Purchasing@SpokaneCity.org or call 509-625-6400. All communication between the Proposer and the City of Spokane (hereinafter “City”) shall be with the Request for Proposals Coordinator and submitted through the ‘Clarifications’ tab in the City’s online procurement system portal: https://spokane.procureware.com. Any communication directed to other parties is prohibited.

1.2 BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE SUMMARY

The City, through its Riverside Park Water Reclamation Facility (hereinafter “City”) is initiating this Request for Proposals (hereinafter “RFP”) to solicit Proposals from Firms to provide Sample Testing for Wastewater system PFAS Service.

The City was awarded a grant from Washington State to conduct a fate and transport study of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) within the City’s wastewater system, treatment processes and effluent streams. The City is interested in Firms capable of providing PFAS testing analytical services, as detailed herein, to aid in the goals of this study.

1.3 MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

The Firm must be accredited by the Washington State Department of Ecology to conduct any laboratory analysis proposed by the Firm. Proof of provisional accreditation from the Washington State Department of Ecology submitted with Proposal will meet accreditation requirement.

The Firm must have five (5) years of experience in environmental testing.

Note: In order to enter into a contract, the Firm must be licensed to do business in the State of Washington.

1.4 CONTRACT PERIOD

Any contract resulting from this RFP will be for a period of one (1) year. Contract is renewable for five

(5) additional one year periods upon mutual agreement.

1.5 ADDENDA

It is the responsibility of Proposers to check the City’s online procurement system https://spokane.procureware.com for Addenda or other additional information that may be posted regarding this RFP.

1.6 TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Terms and Conditions applicable to this RFP and potential contract are included herein by reference and attached to this RFP as Attachment 1.

1.7 ESTIMATED SCHEDULE OF PROCUREMENT ACTIVITIES

Deadline for Questions 9/15/2026 – 11:00 A.M.

Proposals Due 9/22/2026 – 11:00 A.M.

mailto:Purchasing@SpokaneCity.org https://spokane.procureware.com/ https://my.spokanecity.org/administrative/purchasing/current-projects/

Evaluation, Negotiation, and Award September - October, 2026 Begin contract work Mid-Late October, 2026

The City reserves the right to revise the above schedule.

1.8 DEFINITIONS

Definitions for the purposes of this RFP include:

City – The City of Spokane, a Washington State municipal corporation, the agency issuing this RFP.

Firm – Consultant, Joint Venture, Team, or Company including Sub-consultants.

Proposal – A formal offer submitted in response to this solicitation.

Proposer – Firm submitting a Proposal in order to attain a contract with the City.

Request for Proposals (RFP) – Formal procurement document in which a service or need is identified but no specific method to achieve it has been chosen. The purpose of an RFP is to permit Firms to suggest various approaches to meet the City’s needs at a given price.

2. SCOPE OF SERVICES

2.1 SCOPE OF SERVICES BACKGROUND

The City of Spokane is looking to characterize the presence, transport, and fate of PFAS within the City of Spokane’s wastewater system to establish a baseline understanding of systemwide concentrations.

Sampling will include domestic, commercial, and industrial sources within the wastewater collection system; influent, effluent, biosolids, and septage at the Riverside Park Water Reclamation Facility (RPWRF); and soils from past and future biosolids land application sites.

2.2 SCOPE OF SERVICES SUMMARY

Analytical services are requested from an experienced environmental laboratory for the determination of PFAS by EPA Method 1633A. Testing will be for liquid, semi-solid, and solid sample matrices. City of Spokane personnel will collect all samples for this study. No field work is required as part of this work.

The selected Firm will provide sampling containers and other needed supplies to carry out the sampling and testing efforts. The Firm must be accredited by the Washington State Department of Ecology to conduct any laboratory analysis and must retain this accreditation throughout the term of the contract.

2.3 SCOPE OF SERVICES

Services to be performed under contract are generally as follows with the understanding that additional requirements or testing needs may be necessary beyond those listed below:

1) Perform PFAS testing of the 40 listed PFAS compounds in Table 1 by LC-MS/MS, utilizing EPA Method 1633A. It is expected that approximately 40 samples per quarter will require testing.

a) Two quarters of sampling are currently planned, which are scheduled to occur in Q4 2026 and

Q1 2027.

b) Should additional funding be made available for this project, testing for additional sampling events in future quarters may also be required.

2) Follow relevant requirements of the Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) currently in development for the study. It is not anticipated that analytical requirements beyond those listed in method 1633A will be required in the QAPP, but should any be identified, selected Firm will work with the City to ensure that they can be adequately addressed.

3) Provide a data turnaround time of at most 20 business days from the receipt of samples.

4) Provide the City with sample containers suitable for the matrices being tested (aqueous, semi-solid, solid), coolers, and ice packs suitable for sample transportation. The sample containers must be certified to be free of the contaminants being monitored.

5) Provide a deliverables package which includes all of the following:

a) A signed and dated electronic data report in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format.

b) An Excel spreadsheet (.XLS, .XLSX, or .CSV format) containing a copy of the analytical data:

i) Data should be in a format suitable for upload into the Washington Department of Ecology’s Environmental Information Management (EIM) database.

ii) The fields used in EIM are listed in Table 2. Only relevant fields are required to be populated, but reported data should fit the format.

c) A case narrative which discusses any analytical difficulties, results that are outside the method acceptance criteria, corrective actions that were taken, and an explanation of data qualifiers that were used.

d) All QA/QC data for each batch of data being reported. This includes Method Blanks, Laboratory Control Samples (LCS), Internal Standards, Labeled Compounds, Surrogates, etc.

e) Report both Method Detection Limits (MDLs) and Reporting Limits (RLs) for each analyte

f) Qualify and report detected values that lie between the MDL and RL as estimates by using the

“J” qualifier code.

g) Report values below the MDL as non-detect by using the “U” data qualifier.

h) Include copies of signed chains of custody for reported samples.

Table 1 – PFAS compounds to be tested Analyte Description CAS Number Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) 375-22-4 Perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA) 2706-90-3 Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) 307-24-4 Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA) 375-85-9 Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) 335-67-1 Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) 375-95-1 Perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) 335-76-2 Perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA) 2058-94-8 Perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA) 307-55-1 Perfluorotridecanoic acid (PFTriA) 72629-94-8 Perfluorotetradecanoic acid (PFTeA) 376-06-7 Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS) 375-73-5 Perfluoropentanesulfonic acid (PFPeS) 2706-91-4 Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS) 355-46-4 Perfluoroheptanesulfonic Acid (PFHpS) 375-92-8 Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) 1763-23-1 Perfluorononanesulfonic acid (PFNS) 68259-12-1 Perfluorodecanesulfonic acid (PFDS) 335-77-3

Analyte Description CAS Number Perfluorododecanesulfonic acid (PFDoS) 79780-39-5 Perfluorooctanesulfonamide (FOSA) 754-91-6 NMeFOSAA 2355-31-9 NEtFOSAA 2991-50-6

4:2 FTS 757124-72-4

6:2 FTS 27619-97-2

8:2 FTS 39108-34-4

NEtFOSA 4151-50-2 NMeFOSA 31506-32-8 NMeFOSE 24448-09-7 NEtFOSE 1691-99-2 9Cl-PF3ONS 756426-58-1 HFPO-DA (GenX) 13252-13-6 11Cl-PF3OUdS 763051-92-9

ADONA 919005-14-4

3:3 FTCA 356-02-5

5:3 FTCA 914637-49-3

7:3 FTCA 812-70-4

NFDHA 151772-58-6

PFMBA 863090-89-5

PFMPA 377-73-1

PFEESA 113507-82-7

Table 2 – EIM Data Fields

Column Letter

Column Number EIM Data Field

Column Letter

Column Number EIM Data Field

A 1 Study_ID AG 33 Sample_Percent_Sorted

B 2 Location_ID AH 34 Result_Parameter_Name

C 3 Study_Specific_Location_ID AI 35 Result_Parameter_CAS_Number

D 4 Field_Collection_Type AJ 36 Lab_Analysis_Date

E 5 Field_Collector AK 37 Lab_Analysis_Date_Accuracy

F 6 Field_Collection_Start_Date AL 38 Lab_Analysis_Time

G 7 Field_Collection_Start_Time AM 39 Result_Value

H 8 Field_Collection_End_Date AN 40 Result_Value_Units

I 9 Field_Collection_End_Time AO 41 Result_Reporting_Limit

J 10 Field_Collection_Comment AP 42 Result_Reporting_Limit_Type

K 11 Field_Collection_Area AQ 43 Result_Detection_Limit

L 12 Field_Collection_Area_Units AR 44 Result_Detection_Limit_Type

M 13 Field_Collection_Reference_Point AS 45 Result_Data_Qualifier

N 14 Field_Collection_Upper_Depth AT 46 Fraction_Analyzed

O 15 Field_Collection_Lower_Depth AU 47 Field_Filtered_Flag

P 16 Field_Collection_Depth_Units AV 48 Result_Basis

Column Letter

Column Number EIM Data Field

Column Letter

Column Number EIM Data Field

Q 17 Well_Water_Level_Measuring_Point_or_TOC_ID AW 49 Digestion_Method

R 18 Sample_ID AX 50 Water_Level_Accuracy

S 19 Sample_Field_Replicate_ID AY 51 Result_Method

T 20 Sample_Replicate_Flag AZ 52 Result_Comment

U 21 Sample_Sub_ID BA 53 Result_Additional_Comment

V 22 Sample_Composite_Flag BB 54 Result_Lab_Replicate_ID

W 23 Storm_Event_Qualifier BC 55 Result_Lab_Name

X 24 Sample_Matrix BD 56 Result_Validation_Level

Y 25 Sample_Source BE 57 Result_Taxon_Name

Z 26 Sample_Use BF 58 Result_Taxon_TSN AA 27 Sample_Collection_Method BG 59 Result_Taxon_Unidentified_Species AB 28 Sample_Preparation_Method BH 60 Result_Taxon_Life_Stage AC 29 Sample_Method_Other BI 61 QC_Blank_Type AD 30 Sample_Taxon_Name BJ 62 QC_Blank_Censor_Factor AE 31 Sample_Taxon_TSN BK 63 Lab_Batch_ID AF 32 Sample_Tissue_Type BL 64 Lab_GC_Column_ID

3. PROPOSAL CONTENT

3.1 PREPARATION OF PROPOSAL

Proposals shall be clear, concise, in sequential order and titled as: Letter of Submittal, Technical Proposal and Management Proposal. Proposals shall be maximum of twenty (20) single sided pages including cover sheet and letter of submittal. MDL/RL tables, example Lab Reports, Accreditation Documentation, Resumes, and Certification Regarding Debarment and Lobbying Form are not included in page limit. Proposals shall be prepared with the most favorable terms that can be proposed. There is not a “best and final offer” procedure.

3.2 LETTER OF SUBMITTAL

The Letter of Submittal shall be signed and dated by a person authorized to legally bind the Firm to a contractual relationship. Include the following information about the Firm and any proposed sub-consultants:

A. Name, address, principal place of business, telephone number, and e-mail address of legal entity or individual with whom contract would be written.

B. Legal status of the Firm (sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, etc.) and location of the facility from which the Firm would operate.

C. Identification of any current or former employees from the participating Agencies employed by or on the Firm’s governing board as of the date of the Proposal or during the previous twelve (12) months.

D. Confirmation that Firm meets minimum qualifications identified in Paragraph 1.3 “Minimum Qualifications”.

E. Acknowledgement that the Firm will comply with all terms and conditions set forth in the RFP, unless otherwise agreed by the City.

3.3 TECHNICAL PROPOSAL

Proposal content for this section shall include an understanding of the City’s requirements with a comprehensive proposed approach, methodology and work plan.

A. Demonstrate a clear and concise understanding of the project requirements along with a proposed approach , methodology for management, and successful completion of the scope of services. Describe how Firm will respond proactively to issues and project scope changes. The Firm may also present any creative approaches that may be appropriate and may provide any pertinent supporting documentation.

B. Provide a detailed description of the work plan with all proposed tasks, services, activities, and other items necessary to accomplish the scope of the project as described in the Scope of Services section. Include a project schedule with completion dates for elements of work and deliverables. If applicable, provide name and address of any sub-consultant and what services they may provide.

Include the Firm’s expectations regarding any required involvement by City staff in the tasks, services, and activities necessary to execute the work plan.

C. Provide an example deliverable, as described in the Scope of Services.

D. Include a copy of the current MDLs and RLs for each analyte listed in Table 1.

3.4 MANAGEMENT PROPOSAL

Proposal content for this section shall include experience, capabilities, qualifications and application of resources to convey the ability to perform the scope of services.

A. Indicate the experience the Firm, staff and any sub-consultants have relevant to the scope of services. Explain how Firm meets the minimum qualifications as identified in Paragraph 1.3 “Minimum Qualifications”. Provide documentation that the laboratory is accredited with Department of Ecology for Method 1633 for both the non-potable aqueous and solids matrices. Provide name, title, brief description of duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and years of pertinent experience. Provide details describing project team, team assignments, allocation of resources, lines of authority, and responsibility. Identify person within the Firm that will have prime responsibility and authority for the work. Indicate availability for each staff member assigned to the project and include percentage of time each will be assigned to the project. Resumes may be included limited to 2 pages per person. The Firm shall commit that staff identified in its Proposal will actually perform the assigned work. Any staff substitution must have the prior approval of the City.

B. Include a list of contracts the Firm has had during the last three (3) years up to a maximum of ten

(10) contracts that relate to the Firm’s ability to perform the services needed under this RFP. Provide contract period, contact names, phone numbers and e-mail addresses. Identify three (3) specific references from this list and briefly describe the work accomplished. Do not include City staff as references. The Firm grants permission to the City to contact the list provided.

C. If the Firm has had a contract terminated for default in the last five (5) years, describe the incident.

Termination for default is defined as notice to stop performance due to the Firm’s non-performance or poor performance and if the issue of performance was either (a) not litigated due to inaction on the part of the Firm, or (b) litigated and such litigation determined that the Firm was in default. Provide other party’s name, address, phone number and email address. If no such termination for default has been experienced by the Firm in the past five (5) years, so indicate.

3.5 COST PROPOSAL

The Cost Proposal shall identify all costs to be charged including any expenses necessary to accomplish the tasks and to produce the deliverables under the contract. Firms are required to collect and pay Washington state sales tax, if applicable. Do not include Washington state sales tax in Proposal.

Once all costs have been determined, develop a unit price for each of the three matrices indicated below in Table 3. The unit price must include any additional costs that the Firm may incur. This includes but is not limited to: staff costs, travel, coolers, sample bottles, freight, handling, fuel, service, billing and sales tax if applicable. If unit price varies depending upon sample matrix, list these separately.

Firm must include shipping of empty coolers and sample bottles in the unit price.

Firm must include return shipping in the unit price.

The Firm’s total cost for the contract will be determined by multiplying each of the unit costs by the total number of samples anticipated to be collected for the term of the contract. See Scope of Services for more details, but assume 62 wastewater/non-potable samples, 10 soils/biosolids samples and 8 semi-solid/septage samples for the initial term of the contract. These are estimates and exact number of total samples and for each matrix are subject to change and can be added or removed as needed.

The contract will be amended to increase cost if number of samples needed is larger.

Table 3 – Unit cost

Analyte/Method Matrix Unit Price ($cost/sample)

40 PFAS Compounds by EPA Method 1633A Wastewater/Non-potable

40 PFAS Compounds by EPA Method 1633A Soils/Biosolids

40 PFAS Compounds by EPA Method 1633A Semi-solid/Septage

4. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION AND EVALUATION

4.1 SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS

Proposals shall be submitted with most favorable terms that can be proposed. There will be no best and final offer procedure. Proposals shall be submitted electronically through the City’s online procurement system portal: https://spokane.procureware.com before the due date and time. Hard paper, e-mailed, or faxed copies will not be accepted. Late Proposals shall not be accepted. Proposers must register if they have not done so previously and follow the steps below to enter and submit the electronic Proposal:

1. Click on “Bids” located on the left hand column.

2. Find the applicable project and click the “Project Number”.

3. Click on the “Response” tab.

4. In the “Questions” tab, answer questions and upload required documents into the bid portal by clicking on “Browse” for each item. Note that only one document can be uploaded per question line item so combine if necessary.

5. Once the Questions have been entered, the yellow “Question Response” information message will change from incomplete to complete. Then the “Submit” button will become available.

6. Click the “Submit Bid” button and review the terms and conditions, pop-up window that appears.

If you agree to the terms and conditions, click the “I Accept and Submit this Bid” button.

7. If you want to remove your Proposal, click the red “Withdraw Bid” button in the “Response” tab for the applicable Proposal.

8. For ProcureWare E-procurement system technical issues only and if the deadline for entering clarification questions has passed, contact Purchasing@SpokaneCity.org or call 509-625-6400.

4.2 EVALUATION PROCEDURE

Responsive Proposals will be evaluated in accordance with the requirements stated in this solicitation and any addenda issued. Proposals will be evaluated including overall completeness, quality of content, and ability to follow instructions demonstrating attention to detail as part of the Technical and Management categories. Point scores are preliminary for evaluation discussion to determine ranking.

The City, at its sole discretion, may elect to select the top-scoring Firms as finalists for an oral presentation and evaluation. Commitments made by the Firm at the oral interview will be considered binding. The RFP Coordinator may contact the Firm for clarification of any portion of the Firm’s Proposal.

4.3 EVALUATION SCORING

The Proposal will be evaluated as follows:

TECHNICAL PROPOSAL – 35%

Project Approach/Methodology/Understanding Work Plan/Schedule/Deliverables

35 Points (Maximum) 35 Points (Maximum)

70 points

MANAGEMENT PROPOSAL – 30%

Firm and Staff Experience/Qualifications/Capabilities Project Team/Allocation of Resources

40 Points (Maximum) 20 Points (Maximum)

60 points

COST PROPOSAL – 35% 70 Points (Maximum) 70 points

GRAND TOTAL FOR WRITTEN PROPOSAL

200 POINTS

4.4 AWARD/REJECTION OF PROPOSAL/CONTRACT

This RFP does not obligate the City to award a contract. Any contract awarded as a result of this procurement is contingent upon the availability of funding.

The City reserves the option of awarding this contract in any manner most advantageous for the City and without further discussion of submitted Proposal. Failure to comply with any part of the RFP may result in rejection of Proposal as non-responsive. The City also reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to waive minor irregularities, reject any and all Proposals received without penalty and to not issue a contract from this RFP. More than one contract may be awarded. Contract negotiations may incorporate some or all of the Proposal.

mailto:Purchasing@SpokaneCity.org

Award of contract, when and if made, will be to the Proposer whose Proposal is the most favorable to the City including, but not exclusively, consideration of the evaluation criteria. Interlocal agreements accessing other agency contracts where applicable may be considered as a Proposal. Contract is optional (non-exclusive) use.

5. GRANT REQUIREMENTS

This project may be funded by federal and state grant monies. Firms are warned to take into consideration applicable federal requirements in making their Proposal and performing the work. One known funding source: Department of Ecology – Columbia River Restoration Program, Spokane River Toxics Reduction Grant (WQCRBR-2527-Spokan-00011).

6. RFP ATTACHMENTS

Attached to this RFP and incorporated herein by reference are the following background documents:

Attachment 1 – Terms and Conditions

Attachment 2 – Certification Regarding Debarment and Lobbying Form