CR232410_Backup_OSP RFP Final Resubmitted 20261014.pdf

RFP - AGENCY SOLICITATION SPECIFICATIONS

TITLE: PERMANENT PFAS WATER TREATMENT FACILITY

DESCRIPTION: THE RI DIVISION OF PURCHASES ON BEHALF OF THE UNIVERSITY OF

RHODE ISLAND (“URI” OR “UNIVERSITY”) ISSUES THIS REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

(“RFP”) FROM QUALIFIED FIRMS (“RESPONDENTS” OR “VENDOR”) TO DESIGN,

ENGINEER, AND CONSTRUCT THE PERMANENT PFAS WATER TREATMENT FACILITY

IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE WESTON AND SAMPSON BRIDGING DOCUMENTS AND

THE CRITERIA SPECIFIED HEREIN.

PRE-BID/ PROPOSAL CONFERENCE: YES

October 22, 2026 at 1:00 PM

URI Purchasing Conference Room- First Floor

210 Flagg Road

Kingston, RI 02892

MANDATORY: NO

BONDING REQUIREMENTS

BID SURETY BOND REQUIRED: YES

PAYMENT AND PERFORMANCE BOND REQUIRED: YES

CONTRACT TERMS

The Request for Proposals will include a Design-Build Contract, which is attached as Exhibit E and Exhibit F of this RFP, that commences at Purchase Order issuance with the design and construction of the Water Treatment Facility and related work which shall achieve Substantial Completion by December 15, 2028 with Final Completion by January 31, 2029 and a one year warranty period through December 25, 2029.

Insurance Requirements

See Exhibit F of this RFP which includes Insurance and Bond Requirements of the Design-Build Contract.

Important Instruction to bidders:

Requests For Information may be submitted regarding contract terms during the Q/A portion of the bid process. All exceptions to contract terms must be included and accounted for in Vendor’s proposal. No contract negotiation after Award.

The Following Documents are included in this RFP and/or attached to this RFP:

• SECTION A – BACKGROUND

o Article 1 – Institutional Overview o Article 2 – Water Supply System Characteristics

• SECTION B – SCOPE OF WORK AND REQUIREMENTS

o Article 1 - General Overview o Article 2 – Scope of Work

• SECTION C – PROPOSAL CRITERIA

o Article 1 - Technical Proposal o Article 2 - Cost Proposal o Article 3 - Supplemental Bidder Attestation Form o Article 4 - ISBE Proposal

• SECTION D – EVALUATION AND SELECTION – SOLICITATION SPECIFIC

• SECTION E – APPENDIX DOCUMENTS

o RFP Exhibit A - Weston and Sampson Bridging Documents o RFP Exhibit B – Interim facility as-builts by Woodward & Curran o RFP Exhibit C – PARE Engineering sanitary sewer system plan o RFP Exhibit D - Bid Form o RFP Exhibit E – AIA A141 Standard Form of Agreement between Owner and Design-Builder, as amended, with the Design Build Amendment (A141 Exhibit A), as amended o RFP Exhibit F - AIA A141 Insurance and Bonds (A141 Exhibit B), as amended o RFP Exhibit G – Project Schedule o RFP Exhibit H – Division 01 Specifications o RFP Exhibit I – Design Build Compensation Matrix

SECTION A - BACKGROUND

Article 1. Institutional Overview

URI is the State’s public land- and sea-grant research university. We are a community joined in a common quest for knowledge. URI is the only public institution in Rhode Island offering undergraduate, graduate, and professional students the distinctive educational opportunities of a major research university. Our undergraduate, graduate, and professional education, research, and outreach serve Rhode Island and beyond. Students, faculty, staff, and alumni are united in one common purpose: to learn and lead together.

Our vision is that the University of Rhode Island will be a leading global research university that drives positive social, cultural, economic, and environmental change by contributing and instilling new knowledge to address the world’s greatest challenges.

URI’s Strategic Plan, Focus URI 2022-2032, lays out the strategic vision for the University for the next decade, outlining four strategic priorities and the actions the University will take to achieve them:

Strategic Priority 1: Broaden the University’s impact through a reinvigorated commitment to its land- and sea-grant missions and the State of Rhode Island

Strategic Priority 2: Enhance student achievement by cultivating an engaged and inclusive learning environment

Strategic Priority 3: Foster an inclusive, people-centered culture

Strategic Priority 4: Implement leading-edge administrative and financial systems and practices to power the University of the future

To meet this vision, the University's Kingston Campus must provide potable water of high quality and quantity meeting all applicable rules and regulations to service current and future program and life safety demands. The following information generally describes the University’s water supply system.

Article 2. Water Supply System Characteristics

Sources

The water system is supplied by three gravel pack wells located in the Chipuxet Aquifer. These wells were installed between 1949 and 1974 and have seen various upgrades over the years to ensure reliability. Current total pump capacity is 2.5 MGD or 2300 gallons per minute (gpm) with well capacity capable of 28.1 million gallons per day (MGD).

Treatment In June 2000, URI began treatment for corrosion control and pH adjustment by adding hydrated lime to its water system. In 2010 the URI voluntarily installed hypo-chlorination. A supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system continuously monitors water quality and control of system operation. On December 19, 2023, the University began a design-build contract for a new interim water treatment system consisting of granulated activated carbon removal of PFAS. This project achieved substantial completion in the fall of 2024, and final completion December 2024. The interim system is intended to be expandable and incorporated into the permanent water treatment facility project.

Distribution and Storage

The distribution system is composed of approximately 15 miles of pipe. Ninety percent of the pipe is less than 50 years old and constructed of lined ductile iron pipe. Water is stored in a 1-million-gallon elevated storage tank. This tank received an interim coating in the fall of 2022 and is expected to be fully restored within the next several years. URI also has contemplated designing and building a new water tower on campus to address resiliency of our water supply system.

Interconnections

URI maintains three (3) interconnections with Kingston Water District for emergency supply.

Population and Projections

The boundaries of the service area include approximately 1,200 acres of area. The current water system serves a population of 19,354 during the academic school year. In the five-year planning horizon, we project construction of new residence halls and academic buildings to further the mission of the University. This equates to an increase in our annual demand of 17.5 million gallons per year. Beyond this construction, the twenty-year planning horizon sees numerous renovations of existing buildings that do not substantially add square footage, so any increase in demand is negligible.

Water Use

URI provides services for all water needs including residential, academic, research, irrigation and operations. On average the URI supplies approximately 0.377 MGD. This average has decreased from a peak of 0.491 MGD over the past 15 years while the URI has added substantially to the student body and building square footage.

Peak daily demand can reach 0.669 MGD, typically in September. URI is the only customer, and the largest user is the boiler plant. The boiler plant can consume up to twenty percent of daily production, but average annual consumption is about eight percent. The URI service area is limited to the Kingston campus of the URI and surrounding area owned by URI and used for support and other facilities of URI. The boundaries of the service area include approximately 1,200 acres of area.

URI has a comprehensive campus wide conservation program where cost savings are used to fund additional improvements. This program has made vast improvements to URI’s steam distribution system that has reduced make-up water demand. URI regularly performs leak surveys, estimates un-accounted for water and conducts leak surveys if unaccounted for water exceeds 10%. Water use has decreased nearly 10% over the past ten years while at the same time the campus has added 500 beds and 425,000 square feet of academic space.

Metering

Each production well is equipped with a venturi style water meter. These meters are continuously monitored, and operators log daily measurements as well. The URI supplies water only to itself. As the campus grew and buildings were added, water meters were not installed. Starting in 2004 most new buildings included water meters in the design. As part of the URI’s Demand Management Strategy that was approved by the Water Resource Board staff in 2014, the URI reads existing meters quarterly and uses these figures to estimate water use in non-metered buildings. The URI then calculates non-accounted water. URI requires water meters in all new construction and significant building renovations.

Non-Account Water

Non-accounted water is estimated from reading meters in existing buildings and calculating water use per bed or per square foot. These factors are then applied to non-metered buildings and water use is estimated by totaling water use for various user classes. Total estimated customer consumption is then compared to well production to determine unaccounted water.

Demand Management

URI has been active in utilizing various elements of demand management to encourage efficient use of water. Our 2015 average per capita usage was 20 gallons/person/day. We review quarterly meter readings and investigate buildings with abnormal use. URI is implementing the following actions to improve the efficient use of water:

• Assess the end use fixtures in all buildings

• Identify improvement actions for fixture replacement/upgrading

• Reduce/eliminate once through water use fixtures for air-conditioning, food preparation, etc.

• Improve boiler plant condensate return efficiency,

• Irrigation control using sensors and/or timers and

• Public education program to educate freshmen on conservation.

URI monitors daily, monthly and annual water production and calculates water use for each building quarterly in accordance with the approved Demand Management Strategy. This information is then used to calculate unaccounted for water.

URI performs triennial leak detection surveys to ensure water efficiency. Furthermore, if annual unaccounted water is greater than 10% a leak survey will be conducted in accordance with AWWA Manual 36.

Supply and Demand Management URI has taken active measures to protect its water supply wells and monitor and mitigate future contaminants of concern. Improvements to infrastructure and conservation measures have reduced annual demand below 1968 levels when the campus population was half what it is today. The current per capita usage is 20 gallons per day per person.

Available Water and Alternative Supplies

The existing three wells that serve the URI can pump 2.5 MGD or 912 MG per year. At the present time, URI considers its current sources to be sufficient to meet future demands for the planning periods noted above. However, URI recognizes that its current wells are located down gradient of campus, and that there is moderate risk to groundwater contamination from campus activities. As a result, URI is seeking an alternate well site from the Rhode Island Water Resource Board located on Wolf Rock Road in Exeter, RI.

This site draws from the Chipuxet aquifer but up stream of URI.

Kingston Water District (KWD) also draws from the Chipuxet aquifer from three shallow wells located downstream from URI. URI maintains three interconnections with KWD. KWD notes that they could provide water to URI on a long-term basis, but upgrades to their treatment systems would be necessary.

Anticipated Future Demands

Current annual demand is 137 MG. Based upon information from Campus Planning and Design, URI expects water annual demand to increase to 161 MG by 2034 or an increase of existing demand of approximately 64,109 gallons/day. Much of this added demand will occur in the next five years with the addition of new residence halls and the expansion of existing buildings. URI will continue to make infrastructure improvements and conservation efforts to ensure system resiliency and efficiency.

Supply Augmentation Studies

URI has been actively pursuing improvement to its existing supply wells including well rehabilitation, well redevelopment, new pumps and motors, new well stations, treatment system improvements, and installation of well field piping to allow blending and treatment of all sources. URI maintains a library of reports and publications on the Chipuxet Aquifer that is used to support design and operation of the supply wells.

The URI is seeking alternate remote well fields that could supply the URI in the event the existing well field is contaminated. Lastly, URI maintains three interconnections with Kingston Water District that can supply water to meet the demands of URI. Kingston Water District is pursuing interconnection with Veolia of Wakefield that is interconnected with utilities that are supplied from outside the Chipuxet Aquifer.

Water Quality Protection

URI has developed a comprehensive Wellhead Protection Program to protect and maintain water quality.

This plan targets and tracks emerging contaminants, develops construction standards and development restrictions within the wellhead protection area, develops road salt and fertilizer management programs, targets land for purchase or protection and coordinates with URI Planning and the Town of South Kingstown Planning Department. URI has also developed a Groundwater Protection Policy that is currently being incorporated into the Campus Master Plan.

System Management Water is critical to URI achieving its educational mission. As a result, URI provides the necessary resources to ensure the water system is resilient, compliant with state and federal requirements and is effectively operated and maintained. URI performs proactive planning, maintenance and operational programs to ensure interruption-free service to the system users. URI maintains an inventory of replacement parts and contracts for emergency service to make any necessary repairs.

Emergency Management URI maintains an Emergency Response Plan that identifies and provides critical system personnel and emergency contacts, critical system information, damage assessment and response procedures and various forms for logging information during an emergency. This plan is prepared to be an operational guide during an emergency and is updated annually.

Drought Management URI, because of the academic calendar, requires 30% less water during the summer periods of a year when drought conditions would be most severe. Nevertheless, URI monitors drought conditions and has established triggers that implement drought management strategies. Management strategies include adjustments to well pumping rates and cycles, issuing drought advisories and restrictions, restricting water use, restricting irrigation and vehicle washing.

Financial Management URI operates as an organizational element of the State of Rhode Island. All water-related operations are funded through the University’s operating budget. No specific charges or user fees are levied to users of the water system. The budget for the water system is prepared to incorporate all the costs of operations and maintenance.

Coordination

URI’s Facilities Services and Office of Capital Projects are involved in the planning for URI’s growth. URI has updated its wellhead protection plan and is working to incorporate this plan in the URI Master Plans.

Implementation of this plan involves URI, Town of South Kingstown, Town of Exeter, the Water Resource Board and local organizations and land holders. URI works with these entities as needed to ensure the protection and viability of the Chipuxet Aquifer.

Source Water Assessment

The University of Rhode Island retained Woodard & Curran to assess potential PFAS source areas to evaluate alternatives to support the University in selecting an approach to meet PFAS interim drinking water quality standards and USEPA Health Advisories. The Summary Report is available upon request.

Current Status

The University completed the Interim Water Treatment Facility in December 2024 via two (2) granular activated carbon (GAC) vessels that are currently online. Two (2) additional GAC vessels have been pre-purchased. All work associated with the coordination of the delivery, including rigging these two (2) GAC vessels in place, and any on-site or offsite storage that may be required, is the responsibility of this Vendor.

SECTION B – SCOPE OF WORK AND REQUIREMENT

Article 1. General Overview

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) recently published regulations for the limits of per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) compounds in drinking water systems. The University responded by assessing our drinking water supply and developed a two-phased approach to removing PFAS from our drinking water. The first phase included the procurement of a design-build (DB) contract for an Interim Water Treatment System was completed and operational by the end of the calendar year 2024. The Phase 1 project uses granulated activated carbon (GAC) and bag filtration as the means to reduce PFAS from our drinking water supply sources. We anticipate this system will remain in operation for 3 years while the New Permanent Water Treatment Facility (Phase 2) is designed and constructed. The University is currently in discussions with the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) regarding an extension of the compliance deadline.

This RFP includes a design-build contract to develop the Permanent Water Treatment Facility considering the interim water treatment system, stormwater permit from the RI Department of Environmental Management, consent agreement from the RI Department of Health, including the incorporation of the two

(2) GAC vessels pre-purchased under the interim project for assignment to the successful design-build contractor, who will take ownership of the vessels and coordinate the delivery, and complete the installation.

Article 2. Scope of Work

The selected Design-Builder shall be responsible for providing all engineering, architectural design, permitting, civil, landscape architecture, construction, equipment integration, geotechnical engineering, site survey, startup, testing, and commissioning required to deliver a complete and fully operational permanent Water Treatment Facility (WTF). The work shall be based on the January 2025 Basis of Design (BOD) bridging documents, Exhibit A.

The permanent improvements include, but are not limited to, the construction of new Permanent Water Treatment Facility, including the following:

• Structural Additions: North Addition (75' x 60') to house greensand filtration, controls, and utility spaces. South Addition (23' x 42') to house the second GAC filtration system and chemical feeds.

• Process Systems: Installation of one (1) horizontal pressure filter system utilizing GreensandPlus media or equal, with a design flow of 1,100 gpm; and one (1) additional pair of 12-foot-diameter GAC adsorbers (Aqueous Vets Model 12-1240 Lowpro or equal). The GAC vessels are pre-purchased under the Interim Project and assigned to the successful Design-Builder, who will assume ownership, coordinate delivery, and complete installation and integration to operate in a lead/lag configuration with the existing interim GAC pair. The scope also includes a 57,000-gallon below-slab concrete backwash waste storage tank.

• Well Pump Upgrades: Replacement of vertical turbine pumps at Wells 2, 3, and 4 with higher TDH pumps to overcome an additional 108 ft (47 psi) of process headloss.

• Chemical Feed Systems: Upgrade of chemical feeds transitioning from hydrated lime to 45% Potassium Hydroxide (KOH) for pH adjustment and upgrading Liquid Sodium Hypochlorite systems.

• Site/Civil & Utilities: Refer to Exhibit A

• Electrical & SCADA: New 800A, 480V, 3-phase service panel, 400 kW, 4160/2400V exterior standby diesel generator, and comprehensive SCADA system integration.

SECTION C – PROPOSAL CRITERIA

Article 1. Technical Proposal

Narrative and format: Vendors must submit a technical proposal which addresses each of the following elements and is limited to six (6) pages (this excludes any appendices and as appropriate, resumes of key staff that will provide services covered by this request):

A. Staff Qualifications – Provide staff resumes/CV and describe qualifications and experience of key staff who will be involved in this project, including their experience in the design and construction of the Water Treatment Facilities.

B. Capability, Capacity, and Qualifications of the Vendor - Please provide a detailed description of the Vendor’s experience as a Design - Build vendor. The description should include a narrative of no longer than 3 pages and include water treatment facilities. In addition, list a minimum of three

(3) relevant client references, to include client names, addresses, contact names with emails and phone numbers, dates of service and type(s) of service(s) provided.

C. Work Plan/Schedule - Please describe in detail the framework within which the requested Design Build services will be performed. The following elements should be included in the schedule: duration for the design development milestones (60%, 90%, and final Permit Docs, etc.), including URI review time and subsequent meetings at each stage.

D. Approach/Methodology – Define the methodology to be used for the completion of the design, permitting, and procurement of long lead materials and equipment that will become integral to the Project Schedule.

Article 2. Cost Proposal

This contract will be awarded on a Stipulated Sum (Fixed Price) basis. The Bid Form (Exhibit D) shall require the stipulated sum to be broken down into the following components:

• Total Design Fee: Shall represent the complete cost of all design services. The Design Fee is Not to Exceed 10% of the total project cost.

• Hard Construction Costs: Direct costs associated with construction, including labor, materials, equipment, and subcontractor work. Payments will be made on a percentage-of-completion basis.

• Design-Builder Fee: The Design-Builder's fee for overhead and profit (OH&P) associated with the project. Payments will be made on a percentage-of-completion basis of the construction tied to the payment of the Hard Construction Costs.

• General Conditions: Direct administrative, management, and site supervision costs required to execute the project, provided as a stipulated sum.

• General Requirements: Specific operational, logistical, and site-support services required to perform the construction work, provided as a stipulated sum.

In addition to Exhibit D, the following supplemental information shall be submitted with the Cost Proposal: a detailed Schedule of Values (SOV), projected cash flow for both design and construction, and a milestone project schedule that aligns with the projected cash flow.

Article 3. Supplemental Bidder Attestation Form

See Appendix A on the “Overview” tab in Ocean State Procures™ for information. Vendors are required to complete, sign and submit this form with their overall proposal.

Article 4. ISBE Proposal

See Appendix B on the “Overview” tab in Ocean State Procures™ for information and the MBE, WBE and/or Disability Business Enterprise Participation Plan form(s). Vendors are required to complete, sign and submit these forms with their overall proposal. Please complete separate forms for each MBE, WBE, and/or Disability Business Enterprise subcontractor to be utilized on the solicitation.

SECTION D – EVALUATION AND SELECTION – SOLICITATION SPECIFIC

The evaluation of Technical Proposals will be split into two phases; the first phase will be the review and scoring of the written Technical Proposal by the Technical Review Committee (TRC) and the second phase will be the scoring of the Interview of services offered.

In Phase 1, the TRC will score submitted written proposals. Proposals that meet or exceed a minimum threshold of 45 out of a maximum of 60 points to advance to Phase 2. Any technical proposals scoring less than 45 points shall be disqualified.

In Phase 2, URI will schedule the advanced suppliers an interview with the TRC and score the services accordingly.

Advanced suppliers must score a minimum of 5 out of ten points in Phase 2 (interview), as well as a minimum of a combined total score of 50 out of 70 available points to have the cost opened and evaluated and assigned up to a maximum of 30 points in cost category, bringing the total potential evaluation score to 100 points. As the total possible evaluation points are determined, vendor ISBE proposals shall be evaluated and assigned up to 6 bonus points for ISBE participation.

Proposals shall be reviewed and scored based upon the following criteria:

Criteria Possible Points

Phase 1: Evaluation of the Technical proposal

Staff Qualifications 20 Points

Capability, Capacity and Qualifications 15 Points

Additional evaluation criteria can be found at:

• For those with an OSP account, see the “Requirements” tab of this solicitation in OSP for additional information on the evaluation and selection process in the “RFP Standard Specification” section.

For those without an OSP account, public access to the full bid can be found at https://ridop.ri.gov/vendors/bidding-opportunities. Search for this solicitation, open the record, click on the “Print/Download Solicitation Summary” button in the upper right corner for all the solicitation requirements and supporting documents are found at the bottom of the page in the “Solicitation Attachments” section.

SECTION E – APPENDIX DOCUMENTS

• RFP Exhibit A - Weston and Sampson Bridging Documents

• RFP Exhibit B – Interim facility as-builts by Woodward & Curran

• RFP Exhibit C – PARE Engineering sanitary sewer system plan

• RFP Exhibit D - Bid Form

• RFP Exhibit E – AIA A141 Standard Form of Agreement between Owner and Design-Builder, as amended, with the Design Build Amendment (A141 Exhibit A), as amended

• RFP Exhibit F - AIA A141 Insurance and Bonds (A141 Exhibit B), as amended

• RFP Exhibit G – Project Schedule

• RFP Exhibit H – Division 01 Specifications

• RFP Exhibit I – Design Build Compensation Matrix

Work Plan/Schedule 15 Points

Approach/Methodology 10 Points

Total Possible Points for Phase 1 60 Points

Phase 2: Interview

Interview 10 Points

Total Possible Technical Points 70 Points

Cost Proposal 30 Points

Total Possible Evaluation Points 100 Points

ISBE Participation 6 Bonus Points

Total Possible Points 106 Points