2026-005 RFP Progress Ave Water Main Extension (Design-Bid).docx

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Progress Avenue Water Main Extension Project

By: Jeff Bowra, PE, PMP

1. Introduction

Capital Region Water (CRW) is seeking proposals from qualified professional consultant engineering firms (Engineer) with expertise in designing water main replacement projects.

2. Schedule for Proposal Process

Milestones Date RFP Issued September 23, 2026 Questions/Clarification Requests Due October 21, 2026, at 4:00 PM EST Addenda Issued (no later than) October 23, 2026 Proposals Due October 28, 2026, at 4:00 PM EST Award at CRW Board Meeting November 24, 2026 Notice to Proceed November 30, 2026

3. General Information and Background

Capital Region Water (CRW) is a financially independent municipal authority that owns and operates the drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater utility systems serving the City of Harrisburg and surrounding communities. A significant portion of the water distribution system was constructed in the early 1900s and has experienced increasing frequency of maintenance issues and main breaks consistent with the age and material of the infrastructure. CRW has identified a critical area within its service area where public water will be extended.

The Progress Avenue Water Main Extension Project (Project), located in Susquehanna Township, will include installation of 1,100 linear feet of new 10-inch diameter water main in Progress Avenue between Park Road and Green Hill Road. Associated work includes approximately 8 gate valves, 3 fire hydrants and 19 service lines to the public right-of-way line with associated valves, appurtenances and reconnections. The work is located in Progress Avenue, PennDOT State Route 3015.

The water main water will be extended in Susquehanna Township who are currently on private wells.

CRW has introduced the project to the Township and begun initial coordination, but will require ongoing interaction through design leading up to bidding and construction. CRW has been awarded a PA Small Water and Sewer grant of $500,000 from the Department of Community & Economic Development, administered through the Commonwealth Financing Authority. Grant requirements will be incorporated into the project documents, as necessary.

4. Proposal Scope of Work

Scope of Services

Generally, scope of work shall be in accordance with a standard Basic Ordering Agreement (BOA) between CRW and Engineer. Specifically, the Engineer will complete the following Scope of Services for this assignment. If the selected Engineer does not have a current BOA with CRW, it will be

By: Jeff Bowra, PE, PMP required as part of the award process. CRW would provide our standard agreement only after a recommendation of award is made to Engineer.

General

1. Provide a dedicated project manager for the duration of the Project. The project manager will be responsible for maintenance of the budget and schedule and will be CRW’s primary means of communication with the Engineer project team.

2. The selected Engineer will perform survey, design, traffic control/detour plans, permitting, and prepare bidding documents for water main installation within the existing roadway. The design shall consider constructability, coordination with other utilities, and compliance with applicable CRW and AWWA design standards. Construction phase services are not included and would be a separate authorization, anticipated in early 2027.

3. CRW will provide their standard EJCDC Contract Documents (v. 2018) for use in developing the project manual. CRW will provide Division 00 and 01 and technical specifications. Engineer should assume revisions specific to the project, such as technical specifications.

4. This project will extend CRW’s water system and will require a Public Water Supply Permit from

PA DEP.

5. The project location is located within a PennDOT State Route and therefore will require a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit. Engineer should assume efforts to prepare and submit Susquehanna Township street cut applications for any impacted side-streets, if needed.

Preliminary Design Phase

1. Attend an in-person project kickoff meeting with CRW to discuss the Project, scope of services, and project requirements. It is assumed that the meeting will be held at one of CRW’s offices in Harrisburg.

2. Assume two (2) in-person meetings with Susquehanna Township to present and discuss the project; Engineering shall provide notification on behalf of CRW to new water customers of the project and the Township’s requirement to connect.

3. CRW will provide GIS water and sewer and storm surface features and property parcel lines.

This information will be incorporated into the base map for the Project.

4. Complete PA One-Call for field location of all utilities in the Project Area.

5. Perform field survey, with control points and benchmarks to develop 1-foot contours. Survey shall consist of complete alignments, identification of existing easements and property parcel lines with ownership information, all street surface features, curb lines, sidewalks, driveways, overhead utilities, underground utilities (based upon PA One Call mark-outs), trees/shrubs, and all other necessary data for engineering and designing plans and profiles for the project sites.

6. Basemap will be prepared at 1 in:30 ft scale and profiles will be prepared with a vertical scale of 1 in:5 ft, on standard 24-inch by 36-inch sheets.

7. Design water main improvements. It is assumed that CRW will provide information on the existing water mains within the project area.

By: Jeff Bowra, PE, PMP

8. Prepare Preliminary Design Drawings for the Project including, but not limited to, title sheet, general notes, Erosion and Sedimentation Control Plan with narrative and details, plan and profile sheets and construction details.

9. Based on anticipated site disturbance being less than 1 acre, an NPDES General Permit for Discharges of Stormwater Associated with Small Construction Activities is not included in the scope. The Erosion and Sedimentation Control Plan will need to be submitted to Dauphin County Conservation District due to the disturbance as a result of trenching activities.

10. Prepare complete preliminary Technical Specifications for the Project using CRW’s standards as the basis. Technical Specifications will be prepared using Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) standard format and divisions.

a. Include the CRW-provided “Water Service Card” template in the specifications. (The contractor will complete for each water service installed during construction.)

11. Prepare a Preliminary Construction Cost Opinion (60%) at the completion of Preliminary Design.

12. Provide two (2) full size hard copies and one (1) electronic copy of the Preliminary Design Drawings and Technical Specifications to CRW.

13. Attend an in-person design review meeting (60%) with CRW to present and discuss the Preliminary Design Drawings and Technical Specifications.

Final Design Phase

1. Prepare Final Design Drawings for the Project addressing comments from CRW.

a. Final Design Drawings will include traffic control/detour plans in accordance with PennDOT and Susquehanna Township requirements.

b. It is assumed that all construction activities will be completed within existing rights-of-way or easements.

2. Prepare Final Technical Specifications for the Project, addressing comments from CRW.

3. Prepare construction Contract Documents suitable for public bidding of the Project. The documents will be prepared consistent with Owner and Engineers Joint Contract Document Committee (EJCDC) requirements.

a. It is assumed that there will be no significant changes to CRW’s standard Construction Contract Documents, such as change in the edition of the EJCDC documents used.

b. Engineering should account for effort to include PENNVEST-required documents and language in the bid documents.

4. Prepare a Final Opinion of Probable Construction Cost (100%) at the completion of Final Design, signed and sealed by the responsible professional engineer.

5. Provide two (2) full size hard copies and one (1) electronic copy of the Final Design Documents to CRW.

By: Jeff Bowra, PE, PMP

6. Prepare Susquehanna Township Street Cut Permit Applications for proposed improvements within Township Streets, if required.

a. It is assumed that no ADA curb ramp design is included in this scope of design.

b. The Susquehanna Township Street Cut Permit Applications will be submitted during the bidding phase, or as directed by CRW.

Bidding Phase

1. Prepare the advertisement for public bidding. It is assumed that CRW will be responsible for the cost of the advertisement in local newspaper.

2. Administer the bidding phase using the OpenGov website. The selected Engineer will be responsible for creating a vendor account at https://opengov.com/ if an account has not already been created.

3. Administer a virtual pre-bid meeting and issue meeting minutes promptly thereafter.

4. Respond to bidder questions, in a timely manner, and issue addenda.

5. Review the bids and provide a certified bid tabulation to CRW, signed and sealed by the responsible professional engineer.

6. Make a recommendation to CRW regarding notice of intent to award. This recommendation is to be signed by a professional engineer.

7. Issue Notice of Intent to Award letter.

Other Services

Utility location services are to be included in the Engineer’s scope of work. Include a total of five (5) vacuum-excavation test pits to verify utility depth and/or address potential utility conflicts. The number and location of actual test pits (not to exceed 5), will be determined during the design phase and approved by CRW. Laboratory testing, corrosivity testing, borings and geotechnical reporting should be excluded. Identify this cost as its own line item in the proposal.

5. General Provisions

Addenda

Any necessary additions or corrections to this RFP will be made by addenda and issued to all proposers via email. Addenda become part of the RFP and must be acknowledged by each proposer;

failure to acknowledge any addenda shall not relieve proposers of compliance with the terms thereof.

CRW assumes no responsibility for oral instructions.

Economy of Preparation

Letter proposals should be prepared simply and economically, providing a straightforward, concise description of the proposer’s ability to satisfy the requirements of this RFP.

https://opengov.com/

By: Jeff Bowra, PE, PMP

Contractor Responsibilities; Subcontractors

CRW will enter into a contract with the selected proposer, and that proposer shall be responsible for all products and services required by the RFP.

Conflicts of Interest

The proposer shall identify any actual or potential conflicts of interest that exist, or which may arise if the proposer is recommended for award and propose how such conflicts might be resolved.

Acceptance Time

By submitting a proposal under this solicitation, the proposer agrees that CRW has within 60 days after the due date to accept the proposal. CRW reserves the right to reject, as unacceptable, any proposal that specifies less than 60 days of acceptance time. Upon mutual agreement between the CRW and the proposer, the acceptance time for the proposal may be extended.

Schedule

Based on an anticipated notice to proceed date of November 30, 2026, Engineer shall include key milestones (calendar dates) in their proposal for completion of survey and basemap, 60%, 90%, 100% design, final bid-ready documents, submission of PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit application, and submission of PA DEP Public water Supply Permit Application. Note expected permit application review times.

Other

It is the policy of Capital Region Water to ensure that Small Business Enterprises (SBEs) have an equal opportunity to receive, compete, and participate in all contracts. All efforts are made to ensure nondiscrimination in the solicitation, award, and administration of such contracts. This same intent to ensure nondiscrimination in solicitation and award applies to professional service contracts. Capital Region Water is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

6. Submittal Requirements for Qualifications

Interested firms shall submit a proposal package highlighting specific experience and resources that qualify them to deliver the services required by CRW. Packages must address the following requirements within the noted page limitations.

Experience and Qualifications (limit to 3 pages, including referenced projects)

Describe firm's experience and qualifications providing similar services as required by this RFP.

Information should include:

• At least three (3) relevant projects with descriptions and reference information.

• Any additional information which would serve to distinguish the project team from other firms submitting proposals such as any special expertise or experience of the firm, etc.

By: Jeff Bowra, PE, PMP

Project Team (limit to 2 pages)

• Provide a specific organizational chart identifying all team members and summarizing their roles for the project.

• Project Management – Engineer shall identify their designated Project Manager who will serve as the day-to-day point of contact with CRW. Briefly describe how the Project Manager will lead the project and identify which of the representative experience projects were managed by the proposed Project Manager. Prior experience successfully executing similar projects is required.

• Project Team Resumes – Submit a 1-page resume for key project team members in an appendix.

(Resumes do not count towards the page limit)

Note: If selected, Engineer may not change the staffing assigned to the project without approval by CRW. However, approval will not be denied if the staff replacement is determined by CRW to be of equal ability or experience to the predecessor.

Billing Rates

Engineer must include a labor breakdown table showing hours for each task and associated billing rate. Engineer will also list proposed subconsultants in the table.

Schedule and Total Not-to-Exceed Cost

Provide a schedule with milestones noted in Section 5 and a time and materials Not-to-Exceed project fee for all items contained within scope identified within this RFP.

7. Submission of Qualification and Proposals

• Proposals must be received by 4:00 pm on October 28, 2026.

• The subject line of the submittal email shall include the respondent’s name (firm/company) and

“Progress Ave Water Main RFP.” The body of the email shall contain the full title of the RFP, name of respondent and point of contact, including name, phone, email address. Please note that CRW has an email attachment size limit of 50MB.

• Email proposals to Jeff Bowra, PE, PMP at jeff.bowra@capitalregionwater.com.

• Submit one (1) electronic copy of the information requested. The electronic copy shall be a PDF file type and 8.5"x11" format.

8. Selection Criteria

Evaluation and selection of proposals will be based on content and responsiveness to all proposal requirements. CRW reserves the right to require any firm to submit additional information deemed necessary in evaluating the proposals. It is estimated that the assignment will be awarded at the November 24, 2026, CRW Board meeting.

mailto:jeff.bowra@capitalregionwater.com

By: Jeff Bowra, PE, PMP

Scoring

Upon receipt of the Proposals, CRW will score the technical aspects of the prospective Engineer project team based upon the following criteria:

Technical Information Weight

Vision/Understanding 20

Experience/Qualifications 30

Project Team/Project Management 20

Understanding of Local Issues 10

Overall Proposal Quality 5

Overall Time and Material Not-To-Exceed Cost 15

9. General Terms

• CRW reserves the right to reject any or all proposals and to select the proposal(s) that it determines to be in the best interest of CRW.

• The contract is subject to the approval of CRW's Board and is effective only upon their approval.

• Proposals will remain effective for CRW review and approval for 60 days from the submission deadline.

• The proposer is encouraged to add to, modify or clarify any scope of work items it deems appropriate to develop a high-quality proposal that delivers the greatest value to CRW. All changes shall be explicitly listed and explained. However, the scope of work proposed must accomplish the goals and work stated in the RFP.

• CRW’s Vendor/Contractor Information Technology Acceptable Use Agreement shall be executed with the successful Proposer.

10. Additional Resources

Attachment: Project Location Map