city of naperville 26-238 Consulting_Services_for_Soils_and_Materials_Testing (1).pdf

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City of Naperville, IL

26-238

CONSULTING SERVICES FOR SOILS AND MATERIALS

TESTING

RELEASE DATE: September 28, 2026

DEADLINE FOR QUESTIONS: October 19, 2026

RESPONSE DEADLINE: October 28, 2026, 2:00 pm

Please refer to the project timeline in this document for all important deadlines.

RESPONSES MUST BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY TO:

https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/naperville

Request For Qualification #26-238

Title: Consulting Services for Soils and Materials Testing

Table Of Contents

1. Introduction

2. General Information

3. Tentative Schedule

4. Selection Team and Process

5. Instructions for Submitting Responses

6. Scope of Services

7. Technical Qualifications Elements

8. Selection Criteria

9. Qualification Response

Attachments:

A - Sample Professional Services Agreement

B - General Terms and Conditions

1. Introduction

1.1. General Information

The City of Naperville, IL (The City) is seeking to retain the services of qualified and experienced consulting engineer(s) to perform Soils and Materials Testing services on an “as-needed” basis.

1.2. Procurement Contact

Shanel Gayle, Procurement Officer , gayles@naperville.il.us

1.3. Questions

Proposers shall submit all inquiries regarding this solicitation via the City's eProcurement Portal, located at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/naperville. Please note the deadline for submitting inquiries. All answers to inquiries will be posted on the City's eProcurement Portal. Proposers may also click “Follow” on this solicitation to receive an email notification when answers are posted. It is the responsibility of the proposer to check the website for answers to inquiries.

1.4. Delivery Instructions

Proposals must be submitted electronically.

Proposals are due no later than 2:00 pm on Wednesday, October 28, 2026.

Proposers shall create a FREE account with OpenGov Procurement by signing up at https://procurement.opengov.com/signup. Once you have completed account registration, browse back to this page, click on "Draft Response", and follow the instructions to submit the electronic proposal.

Any incomplete submittals may be rejected as non-responsive. Infrequent or first-time users of electronic submissions are encouraged to load their proposals 24 hours prior to the Closing Date and Time.

1.5. Disclaimer - Document Distribution

The City of Naperville Procurement Services and its e-Procurement

Portal https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/naperville are the only authorized sources of solicitation documents. Solicitation documents and forms obtained from any other source may be an incomplete set of documents. Reproduction of these documents without the express permission of the City of Naperville is prohibited.

2. General Information

The City of Naperville is soliciting proposals from qualified firms to provide Consulting services to perform Soils and Materials Testing services for the City on an “as-needed” basis..

The City will select and negotiate with the qualified consultant(s) whose proposals are responsive to this RFQ and are in the best interest of the City. Any competitive proposal submitted in response to this RFQ must provide sufficient detail and information to complete an evaluation of its merits. The instructions contained herein must be followed in order for competitive proposals to be considered responsive to this RFQ. The City reserves the right to reject any or all proposals.

3. Tentative Schedule

Release RFQ Date / Advertised: September 28, 2026

Question Submission Deadline: October 19, 2026, 12:00pm

Question Response Deadline: October 20, 2026, 12:00pm

Qualification Submission Deadline: October 28, 2026, 2:00pm

4. Selection Team and Process

PROCUREMENT SELECTION TEAM

A selection committee comprised of City staff from the Transportation, Engineering, and Development

Business Group and Water Department will review, evaluate and score all submittals and interviews based on the criteria and weights defined below.

In addition to the selection committee members, non-scoring subject matter experts (SME) may also participate in the submittal review and/or attend the interviews/demonstrations to provide SME perspective to the selection committee members regarding the procurement.

The selection committee may conduct discussions with any respondent who submits an acceptable or potentially acceptable submittal. Respondents shall be accorded fair and equal treatment with respect to any opportunity for discussion and revision of submittals. During the course of such discussions, the selection committee shall not disclose any information derived from one respondent to any other respondent.

SELECTION PROCESS

The awarded respondent will be selected based on a four-phase evaluation process.

Phase 1 – Technical Submittal Evaluation

This phase will serve to shortlist the respondents to enter into the interview phase. The selection committee will review, evaluate and score all of the submittals based upon the information provided in the submittal using the criteria and weights defined above. The top respondents with the highest qualification scores may be invited to interview with the selection committee.

Phase 2 – Interviews and/or Lab Visit

If the City decides to conduct interviews, the shortlisted respondents will be scheduled to attend interviews with the selection committee (and SMEs, if applicable). Project Lead, as named in the submittals, are required to be in attendance. Other key team members are strongly encouraged to be present as well.

Following the interviews, the shortlisted candidates may be re-scored by the committee using the criteria and weights defined above to finalize the qualification scores.

Phase 3 – Cost Proposal Review

Upon scoring and ranking proposals from highest to lowest, the proposers with the highest final qualification scores, will be shortlisted. At this time, the cost proposals submitted by the shortlisted firms shall be reviewed and ranked with the lowest cumulative total Cost Proposal ranked first.

Phase 4 - Scope and Contract Negotiations

The City will invite the shortlisted firms to enter into a Professional Services Agreement (PSA). Any exceptions to the PSA shall be included with the firms RFQ submittal. The PSA will be negotiated collectively with all the shortlisted firms. Failure to reach consensus will result in the firm(s) not being considered further. Following the completion of this phase, City staff will recommend the shortlist of firms for City Council approval.

5. Instructions for Submitting Responses

Qualifications are due no later than 2:00 pm on Wednesday, October 28, 2026.

Qualifications shall not be accepted after the designated response due date and time. It is the responsibility of bidders to submit qualifications on or before the response due date and time.

6. Scope of Services

6.1. Evaluation Process

A selection committee comprised of staff from multiple departments within the City of Naperville will review, evaluate, and score all submittals and interviews based on the criteria and weights defined below. After the interviews, there will be a final scoring of firms that will yield a list of firms eligible for future consideration.

In addition to the selection committee members, non-scoring subject matter experts (SME) may also participate in the submittal review and/or attend the interviews/demonstrations to provide SME perspective to the selection committee members regarding the procurement.

The selection committee may conduct discussions with any respondent who submits an acceptable or potentially acceptable submittal. Respondents shall be accorded fair and equal treatment with respect to any opportunity for discussion and revision of submittals. During such discussions, the selection committee shall not disclose any information derived from one respondent to any other respondent.

6.2. Minimum Qualifications and Expectations

The following minimum qualifications and expectations must be met by the respondent in order to be considered:

A. Qualifications

1. Firm shall have a minimum of five years of testing experience.

2. Current Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) pre-qualification status in Quality Assurance

Complete (HMA & Aggregate and PCC & Aggregate).

B. Expectations

1. Staffing - A dedicated Project Manager will be provided for the duration of the contract term who will be responsible for day-to-day communications and coordination.

2. Availability - It is the expectation that the Project Manager and assigned professionals remain involved and be available throughout the duration of the contract.

6.3. Term of the Award

The initial term of this contract will be for two years, from date of award to December 31, 2028. This contract may be extended for up to three additional years in increments of one year if the vendor performs satisfactorily and provided that there are no changes in the terms, conditions, specifications and pricing structure unless mutually agreed to by the parties. Please provide maximum percentage increase for three options years in the cost proposal section of this RFP.

At the end of any contract term, the City reserves the right to extend this contract for a period of ninety (90) days for the purpose of issuing a new solicitation.

6.4. Scope of Services

The consultant(s) will be expected to perform soils and materials testing services in connection with public improvements construction, MFT funded projects, new development and infrastructure construction type projects. The services are needed in several departments of the City as follows:

• Transportation, Engineering and Development Business Group (TED)

• Department of Public Works (DPW)

• Department of Public Utilities (DPU)

The following is a general list of services for which the City can utilize consultant assistance. The consultant will furnish all personnel and testing equipment necessary to carry out the testing services in accordance with the policies and procedures of the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and the City of Naperville.

• Provide Comprehensive Quality Assurance (QA) for the City QA Manager in Quality Control/Quality

Assurance (QC/QA) construction contracts for hot mix asphalt and portland cement concrete

• Concrete and hot-mix asphalt plant proportioning analysis

• Mix designs – verification and selection

• Soil and pavement compaction analysis

• Aggregate certification, conventional and A.G.C.S.

• Aggregate gradation and durability analysis

• Concrete and hot-mix asphalt strength analysis

• Complete reporting and documentation per Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT)

• Certified technician services – field and plant

• Soil boring services

• Pavement coring services

• Traffic control and protection to obtain soil boring, pavement coring and any other related works

6.5. Itemized Descriptions of Services

The consultant should provide units and unit cost rates on the following (or equivalent but not limited to) items:

A. Concrete and Hot-Mix Asphalt QA testing:

A quality assurance plan following the "Quality Assurance/Quality Control Guidelines for Work by

Consulting Engineers" is required. Services include managing the Quality Assurance (QA) requirements for Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) and Portland Cement Concrete (PCC) Quality Control/Quality

Assurance (QC/QA) projects according to the Standard Specifications for Road and Bridge

Construction and any applicable contract special provisions. Services also include coordination of QA activities with the Contractor and the Engineer, QA field and lab tests, inspection of the Contractor's QC activities, reporting (both paper copy and electronic copy) of results and investigations of tests when required by the contract.

B. Soil and Pavement Compaction Analysis

Soil sub grade compaction testing with nuclear density gauge

Pavement base compaction testing with nuclear gauge

C. Laboratory Tests (Aggregates, Asphalt, Concrete Cylinders and Soil)

Gradation, unit weight, and moisture of aggregate

Asphalt cement content in mixture with nuclear asphalt content gauge

Asphalt content by ignition oven

Extraction analysis of asphalt samples

Gyratory compaction of asphalt samples

Concrete cylinder compressive strength

Core density determination

T.S.R. Stripping test – tensile strength ratio

Moisture of soil samples

Atterberg limit (liquid and plastic limits)

Unconfined compressive strength of selected soil samples

Standard proctor test

Illinois Bearing Ratio-soil strength determination (IBR test)

D. Field Sample

Pavement core per location

Soil boring per location (5 feet deep)

Traffic Control and Protection to obtain soil boring and pavement cores-Per Day

6.6. Miscellaneous

Due to the variety of Construction and Engineering Projects with which the City is involved, it will be necessary that these services be provided on a job-by-job basis. The various projects will need to be kept separated in reporting and invoicing, etc., each with their correct respective names and identification numbers, etc.

The report formats and testing requirements for the various testing elements should be in accordance with

IDOT QC/QA, American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM), American Association of State Highway and

Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the City of Naperville procedures and policies.

On a project basis, the city engineer may designate the materials consultant as the QA manager. Hence, the consultant shall be responsible to act the QA manager, schedule appropriate QA/QC testing and submit

QA/QC reports to IDOT as per requirements for project approval.

All reports and documentation must be submitted in duplicate. IDOT requires original reports and documentation. These original reports shall be collated and submitted to the City at the completion of the project for submittal to IDOT.

The Consultant’s Invoices shall be accompanied by a copy of the report and documentation and will be submitted to the appropriate Department to be processed through the City’s Purchase Order System.

7. Technical Qualifications Elements

The Technical Qualification outlines the bidder’s qualifications and proposed plan for addressing the requested item or service. Technical Qualifications should specifically address each of the following elements. Bidders should present their qualifications in the same sequence and with the same numbering scheme and headings shown in this section. If the bidder believes that a subject has been adequately addressed in another part of the Technical

Qualification then a cross-reference to the appropriate part of the narrative must be provided.

7.1. Qualifications of the Offeror

A. Overview of the Responding Organization

Please provide an overview of the company including, but not limited to, the company’s legal name, location of headquarters, professional staff and field offices, number of years in business providing the requested services.

B. Experience

Describe your experience with material testing with roadway and utility work. High scoring proposals will demonstrate a significant degree of experience performing projects of similar size and scope.

C. Staffing

Provide an organizational chart indicating the anticipated roles and responsibilities of the project team for planning and testing services. Provide biographical resumes and statements of professional qualifications and level of training of potential team members for each of the identified roles.

High scoring proposals will demonstrate that the proposed Project Manager and other key staff members have experience in performing projects of similar size and scope.

If any portion of the contract is subcontracted, indicate which team members are subcontractors. If a subcontractor is being used, proposals will demonstrate that the subcontractor’s team member(s) have worked with the responding vendor on similar projects in the past.

D. References

Provide three (3) references from similar city/municipality/county within Illinois, within the last three years demonstrating experience. Include the following information: a description of the services including location, client name and contact information, email address, scope of services delivered by your firm and duration of service.

High scoring proposals will include high quality references from public entities within Illinois.

If any aspect of the project is subcontracted, please provide at least three (3) references for the subcontractor. The references should include client name, contact person, phone number, email address, scope of services provided, and length of time services were provided. High scoring proposals with subcontractors will include projects that the proposer and subcontractor have worked on together in the past.

7.2. Capability and Capacity

A. Lab and Equipment

Provide a summary of your available lab and equipment.

High scoring proposals will demonstrate an organized lab with high quality and current equipment.

7.3. Quality of the Approach

A. Project Approach.

Quality for the approach shall be determined by the responses to the questions in part 4 of the submittal information section of this document.

High scoring proposals will demonstrate a clear understanding of the scope of work, as well as project approach that meets the stated goal.

B. Describe the quality control/quality assurance program your firm proposes to conduct with this engagement.

High scoring proposals will provide a thorough program which identifies the key QA/QC points and how they will be addressed.

7.4. Quality of the Proposal

A. Accuracy and Completeness of the Proposal.

High scoring proposals shall be complete, accurate and include all submission items requested. They should be thoughtful, innovative, comprehensive, and demonstrate a cost-effective understanding of the project.

Proposals that are incomplete, generic or simply reiterate the tasks provided in the RFP document will be viewed as less desirable.

7.5. Pricing Elements and Assumptions for Proposers

The Cost Proposal will be evaluated separately from the proposer’s qualifications.

The proposers should consider the following as they develop their cost proposals:

• Proposers shall provide the hourly rates for every job title that could potentially work on a project. Fee

Schedule is provided in the Attachments.

• Rates shall not change throughout the duration of the contract.

• Rates shall include all administrative and overhead costs including transportation and equipment and supplies necessary to perform testing services

• It is the City’s assumption that there will be no rate adjustments during the initial term of the contract. Any rate of price adjustments with the award of extension, Proposers shall indicate if they will require annual rate adjustments and the maximum annual adjustments, if applicable.

• Historically the City has not paid travel costs for this type of service.

• Cost proposals shall be itemized and correspond with to the rates provided within the Fee Schedule.

• Cost Proposals shall include hourly rates for the various job titles and any other direct or indirect costs associated with the various testing services throughout the duration of this contract.

• Any ancillary costs or minimum hourly requirements shall be clearly stated in the Cost Proposals.

• Transfer total cost for each Cost Proposal to the Fee Summary Worksheet.

Each of the hypothetical project cost proposals shall be multiplied by the number of pre-determined occurrences to arrive at the total cost.

8. Selection Criteria

No. Evaluation Criteria Scoring Method Weight (Points)

1. Qualifications of the Offerer

A. Overview of the Responding

Organization

Please provide an overview of the company including, but not limited to, the company’s legal name, location of headquarters, professional staff and field offices, number of years in business providing the requested services.

B. Experience

Describe your experience with material testing with roadway and utility work. High scoring proposals will demonstrate a significant degree of experience performing projects of similar size and scope.

C. Staffing

Provide an organizational chart indicating the anticipated roles and responsibilities of the project team for planning and testing services.

Provide biographical resumes and statements of professional qualifications and level of training of potential team members for each of the identified roles.

High scoring proposals will demonstrate that the proposed

Project Manager and other key staff members have experience in performing projects of similar size and scope.

If any portion of the contract is subcontracted, indicate which team members are subcontractors. If a subcontractor is being used, proposals will demonstrate that the subcontractor’s team member(s) have worked with the responding vendor on similar projects in the past.

D. References

Provide three (3) references from similar city/municipality/county within Illinois, within the last three years demonstrating experience. Include the following information: a description of the services including location, client name and contact information, N/A N/A email address, scope of services delivered by your firm and duration of service.

High scoring proposals will include high quality references from public entities within Illinois.

If any aspect of the project is subcontracted, please provide at least three (3) references for the subcontractor. The references should include client name, contact person, phone number, email address, scope of services provided, and length of time services were provided. High scoring proposals with subcontractors will include projects that the proposer and subcontractor have worked on together in the past.

2. Capability and Capacity

A. Lab and Equipment

Provide a summary of your available lab and equipment.

High scoring proposals will demonstrate an organized lab with high quality and current equipment.

N/A N/A

3. Quality of the Approach

A. Project Approach.

Quality for the approach shall be determined by the responses to the questions in part 4 of the submittal information section of this document.

High scoring proposals will demonstrate a clear understanding of the scope of work, as well as project approach that meets the stated goal.

B. Describe the quality control/quality assurance program your firm proposes to conduct with this engagement.

High scoring proposals will provide a thorough program which identifies the key

QA/QC points and how they will be addressed.

4. Quality of the Proposal

A. Accuracy and Completeness of the

Proposal.

High scoring proposals shall be complete, accurate and include all submission items requested. They should be thoughtful, innovative, comprehensive, and demonstrate a cost-effective understanding of the project. Proposals that are incomplete, generic or simply reiterate the tasks provided in the RFP document will be viewed as less desirable.

9. Qualification Response

1. Technical Qualification Response* Submit one (1) electronic copy (PDF format), which shall include the following sections:

☐ Qualifications of the Offeror

☐ Capability and Capacity

☐ Quality of the Approach

☐ Quality of the Proposal

*Response required

2. Redacted Technical Qualification Response Submit one (1) electronic copy (PDF format) of the Technical Proposal Response with information that may be exempt from disclosure under FOIA redacted. See the Illinois Freedom of Information Act section of the City’s

General Terms and Conditions regarding what can be redacted.

3. Fee Schedule and Summary Worksheet * Please download the below documents, complete, and upload per the Pricing Elements and Assumptions for

Proposers section.

• Fee_Schedule_and_Summary.pdf

*Response required

4. Cost Proposal * Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• 26-238_Cost_Proposal.pdf

*Response required

5. Exceptions to the City’s Professional Services Agreement Submit one (1) electronic copy (PDF format) of any exceptions to the City’s Consultant Services Agreement set forth in this RFQ. Such exceptions may be considered in the evaluation and award processes. The City will be the sole determiner of the acceptability of any exception. Any exceptions submitted may render the submission as non-responsive to the requirements listed.

6. Proposer Questionnaire*

Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• 26-238_Proposer_Questionnai...

*Response required

7. Affidavit of Compliance* Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• 006-AFFIDAVIT_-_NEW_-_08252...

*Response required

8. The undersigned proposer, having examined the specifications and other documents, hereby agrees to supply services as per the attached specifications and to perform other work stipulated in, required by and in accordance with the proposal documents attached.*

☐ Please confirm

*Response required

9. Additional Information