Municipal_Bridge_Inspections.pdf

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

2026-RFP-039-PR

MUNICIPAL BRIDGE INSPECTIONS

County of Dane

City-County Building, Room 425, 53703

Madison, WI 53703

RELEASE DATE: July 13, 2026

DEADLINE FOR QUESTIONS: August 6, 2026

RESPONSE DEADLINE: August 18, 2026, 2:00 pm

RESPONSES MUST BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY TO:

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

County of Dane

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Municipal Bridge Inspections

I. Introduction II. RFP Guidelines and Overview

III. Contract Term IV. Project Overview & Scope of Work V. RFP Response Requirements & Evaluation Criteria

VI. Vendor Questionnaire VII. Standard Terms and Conditions

Attachments:

A - Attachment A- Cost Proposal

B - Attachment_B_-_Bridge_Inspection_Questionnaire

Request For Proposal #2026-RFP-039-PR Title: Municipal Bridge Inspections

1. Introduction

1.1. Summary

The purpose of this document is to provide interested parties with information to enable them to prepare and submit a solicitation response for Municipal Bridge Inspections.

The County intends to use the results of this process to award a contract(s) or issuance of purchase order for the product(s) and or services(s) stated above.

1.2. Contact Information

Hazel Schuster

Purchasing Officer

210 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd

Madison, WI 53703

Email: schuster.hazel@countyofdane.com

Phone: (608) 896-3861

Department:

Highway & Transportation

1.3. Timeline

Release Project Date July 13, 2026

Question Submission Deadline August 6, 2026, 4:00pm

Question Response Deadline August 12, 2026, 4:00pm

Proposal Submission Deadline August 18, 2026, 2:00pm mailto:schuster.hazel@countyofdane.com tel:(608)896-3861

2. RFP Guidelines and Overview

2.1. GENERAL SOLICITATION PROCESS

1. REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS

1. The County will provide reasonable accommodations, including the provision of informational material in an alternative format, for qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. If you need accommodations at a vendor conference or site visit, contact the Purchasing Officer listed or call WI Relay 711 for TDD Services.

2. VENDOR REGISTRATION

1. Interested vendors are required to register at the County's eProcurement Portal. Registration is free and will ensure that you receive notifications of solicitations that match your profile and category codes as well as providing the County with up-to-date company contact information.

2. Once registered, please double check to make sure your vendor information including commodity codes is up-to-date by signing into your account at the County's eProcurement

Portal.

3. CALENDAR OF EVENTS

1. Specific and estimated dates and times of actions related to this solicitation are listed in the timeline in the Introduction Section. The actions with specific dates must be completed as indicated unless otherwise changed by the County. In the event that the County finds it necessary to change any of the specific dates and times in the calendar of events listed below, it will do so by issuing an addendum to this RFP and posting such addendum on the Dane

County eProcurement Portal.

4. CLARIFICATION OF THE SPECIFICATIONS / QUESTIONS

1. All inquiries concerning this solicitation must be submitted via the County's eProcurement

Portal.

2. Questions must be submitted before 4:00 pm on Thursday, August 6, 2026.

1. Requests submitted after that time frame will not be considered.

3. Proposers are expected to raise any questions, exceptions, or additions they have concerning the solicitation at this point in the process. If a proposer discovers any significant ambiguity, error, conflict, discrepancy, omission, or other deficiency in this solicitation, the proposer should immediately notify the contact person of such error and request modification or clarification to the solicitation document.

4. Proposers are prohibited from communicating directly with any employee of Dane County, except as described herein. No County employee or representative other than those individuals https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofdane https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofdane https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofdane https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofdane listed as County contacts on this solicitation is authorized to provide any information or respond to any question or inquiry concerning this solicitation.

5. ADDENDA & REVISIONS

1. In the event that it becomes necessary to provide additional clarifying data or information, or to revise any part of this bid, addenda and/or supplements will be posted via the

County's eProcurement Portal. Bidders are responsible to regularly monitor the web site for any such postings. It is recommended to check the eProcurement Portal for addenda prior to submitting a proposal. Bidders must acknowledge the receipt/review of any addenda via the eProcurement Portal.

2. The Purchasing Division has the sole authority for modifications to specifications and/or the solicitation document.

6. INSPECTION OF PREMISES/VENDOR SITE VISIT - when applicable

1. When applicable, bidder’s may inspect site(s) prior to submitting bids to determine all requirements associated with the project by contacting Hazel Schuster. Failure to do so will in no way relieve the successful bidder from the necessity of providing, without additional cost to the County, all necessary services that may be required to carry out the intent of the resulting contract.

2.2. BID / PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

Dane County strongly encourages all vendors to submit proposals well in advance of the solicitation deadline. By doing so, if there are any technical difficulties, there is time to attempt to resolve the situation before the deadline. Late bids will not be accepted.

If there are technical difficulties while trying to submit, first, contact OpenGov Support by clicking into the small blue circle on the bottom, right side of your screen while logged into the OpenGov system.

1. SUBMITTAL INSTRUCTIONS

1. Dane County reserves the right to accept any part of this bid deemed to be in the best interest of the County. The County also retains the right to accept or reject any or all bids.

2. Proposals must be submitted via the County's eProcurement Portal before 2:00 pm on Tuesday, August 18, 2026. Late, faxed, mailed, hand-delivered, or incomplete proposals will be rejected unless otherwise specified. Dane County is not liable for any cost incurred by proposers in replying to this solicitation.

3. To Submit a Proposal:

1. Register at the County's eProcurement Portal at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofdane https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofdane https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofdane https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofdane https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofdane https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofdane

2. Click on the green "+Subscribe" button on the left side of the screen and proceed to create an account or sign in if an account already exists.

3. Once registered, click on the "draft" button to draft your proposal.

4. Provide company information

5. Complete the entire Vendor Questionnaire

6. Where indicated, upload the required documents.

7. The file upload status can be seen for each document uploaded.

8. Confirm all files have been uploaded

9. Review your work and click on "submit" proposal

10. Acknowledge any addenda

2. MULTIPLE PROPOSALS & ACCEPTANCE

1. Multiple proposals from a vendor will be permissible; however, the proposer must create separate accounts with separate log-in sequences, emails, and passwords on the

County’s eProcurement Portal. Each such proposal must be submitted separately and labeled as

Proposal #1, Proposal #2, etc.

2. Please message procurementsupport@opengov.com with any questions regarding set up.

3. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS ON SUBMITTING COST PROPOSALS

1. The Cost Proposal section of this solicitation will either be incorporated into the system as a

Pricing Table or as a separate Cost Proposal Attachment that must be downloaded, completed, saved, and uploaded to the Vendor Questionnaire section.

2. Price(s) quoted shall include all labor, materials, equipment, shipping and other costs and conditions outlined within the bid. Pricing shall remain fixed.

4. RIGHT TO REJECT PROPOSALS & NEGOTIATE CONTRACT TERMS

1. The County reserves the right to accept any part of a submission deemed to be in the best interest of the County and to reject any and all proposals and to negotiate the terms of the contract, including the award amount, with the selected proposer prior to entering into a contract. If contract negotiations cannot be concluded successfully with the highest scoring proposer, the County may negotiate a contract with the next highest scoring proposer.

2.3. VENDOR QUESTIONNAIRE DEFINITIONS

1. LOCAL VENDOR PURCHASING PREFERENCE - applicable to RFBs - DOES NOT APPLY TO PUBLIC WORKS

BIDS

mailto:procurementsupport@opengov.com

1. Under Dane County Ordinance 25.08(11)(c-e), a Locally Based and Owned Vendor, Locally

Operated Vendor, or Non-Locally Operated Vendor may be invited to match the low bid if the low bid is offered by a vendor that is not identified as a Locally Based and Owned Vendor, Locally Operated Vendor, or Non-Locally Operated Vendor according to Dane County Ordinance requirements. Local Vendor Preferences do not apply to bids for sand, gravel, salt, asphalt and concrete.

Locally Based and Owned Vendors:

1. When bids are reviewed, the County will determine if a Locally Based and Owned Vendor responding to the bid is the low bidder. If a Locally Based and Owned Vendor is the low bidder, they will be awarded the bid.

2. If a Locally Based and Owned Vendor is not the low bidder but is within 15% of the low bid, the

County will contact the Locally Based and Owned Vendor and provide that vendor the option of matching the low bid price.

3. If no Locally Based and Owned Vendors are among the responding bidders, or the Locally Based and Owned Vendor declines to match the low bid, then the County will determine if a Locally

Operated Vendor has responded to the bid.

Locally Operated Vendors:

4. If a Locally Operated Vendor is within 10% of the low bid, the County will contact the Locally

Operated Vendor and provide that vendor the option of matching the low bid price.

5. If no Locally Operated Vendors are among the responding bidders, or the Locally Operated

Vendor declines to match the low bid, then the County will determine if a Non-Locally Operated

Vendor has responded to the bid.

Non-Locally Operated Vendors:

6. If a Non-Locally Operated Vendor is within 5% of the low bid, the County will contact the Non-

Locally Operated Vendor and provide that vendor the option of matching the low bid price.

7. If no Non-Locally Operated Vendors are among the responding bidders, or the Non-Locally

Operated Vendor declines to match the low bid, then the County will award the bid to the low bidder without regard to the location of the vendor.

2. LOCAL VENDOR PURCHASING PREFERENCE - applicable to RFPs - DOES NOT APPLY TO PUBLIC WORKS

BIDS

1. Under County ordinances, a Local Vendor is defined as a supplier or provider of equipment, materials, supplies or services that has an established place of business within the County of

Dane. An established place of business means a physical office, plant or other facility. A post office box address does not qualify a vendor as a Local Vendor.

1. County ordinance provides that a local vendor (within Dane County) automatically receive five points toward the evaluation score.

2. County ordinance provides that vendors located within the counties adjacent to Dane County

(Columbia, Dodge, Green, Iowa, Jefferson, Rock, Sauk) automatically receive two points toward the evaluation score.

3. LOCAL CONTENT VENDOR PREFERENCE - generally only applicable to RFBs - DOES NOT APPLY TO

PUBLIC WORKS BIDS

1. Under Dane County Ordinance 25.08(4)(f-j), bidders offering goods made in Dane County, its surrounding counties, or the State of Wisconsin receive a price preference on sealed bid solicitations. Bids are first evaluated to determine if any bidders are offering products that qualify as Dane County-Made Goods, Regionally-Made Goods, or Wisconsin-Made Goods. Local

Vendor Preferences do not apply to bids for sand, gravel, salt, asphalt and concrete.

2. A bidder offering Dane County-Made Goods will be considered the successful bidder if their price is up to 15% higher than the low bid for goods that are not Dane County-Made Goods. If no vendors meet this criteria, then the County will determine if any bidder is offering Regionally-

Made Goods. If so, then such a bidder will be considered successful if their price is up to 12.5% higher than the low bid for goods that are not Regionally-Made Goods. If no vendors meet this criteria, then the County will determine if any bidder is offering Wisconsin-Made Goods. If so, that bidder will be considered successful if their price is up to 10% higher than the low bid for goods that are not Wisconsin-Made Goods. If no vendors are offering Dane County-Made, Regionally-Made, or Wisconsin-Made Goods, then the County will evaluate the low bid without regard to the content of the goods.

4. FAIR LABOR PRACTICES CERTIFICATION

1. Dane County Ord. 25.09 (1) is as follows:

1. (28) BIDDER RESPONSIBILITY. (a) Any bid, application or proposal for any contract with the county, including public works contracts regulated under chapter 40, shall include a certification indicating whether the bidder has been found by the National Labor Relations

Board (NLRB) or the Wisconsin Employment Relations Committee (WERC) to have violated any statute or regulation regarding labor standards or relations within the last seven years.

The purchasing manager shall investigate any such finding and make a recommendation to the committee, which shall determine whether the conduct resulting in the finding affects the bidder’s responsibility to perform the contract.

2. If a company indicates that they have been found by the NLRB or WERC to have such a violation in the Vendor Questionnaire section, a copy of any relevant information regarding such violation with is required to be uploaded with the bid submission.

3. Additional information about the NLRB and WERC can be found using the following links:

www.nlrb.gov and http://werc.wi.gov.

5. COOPERATIVE PURCHASING

1. Participating in cooperative purchasing gives vendors the opportunity for additional sales without additional bidding. Municipalities and state agencies use cooperative purchasing to expedite purchases. A “municipality” is defined as any county, city, village, town, school district, https://www.nlrb.gov/ http://werc.wi.gov/ board of school directors, sewer district, drainage district, vocational, technical and adult education district, or any other public body having authority to award public contracts (s.

16.70(8), Wis. Stats.). Federally recognized Indian tribes and bands in this state may participate in cooperative purchasing with the state or any municipality under ss. 66.0301(1) and (20, Wis.

Stats.

2. In the Vendor Questionnaire section, you will have the opportunity to participate in allowing municipalities and state agencies to piggyback this bid. Participation is not mandatory. A vendor’s decision on participating in this service has no effect on awarding the bid.

3. Dane County is not a party to these purchases or any dispute arising from these purchases and is not liable for delivery or payment of any of these purchases.

6. DESIGNATION OF CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETY INFORMATION - generally only applicable to RFPs

1. RFP responses are public records under Wisconsin Law. Dane County may be required to release your RFP response if someone makes a public records request. There are few exceptions to disclosure under Wisconsin’s Open Records Law.

2. All proposed restrictions on the use of data contained within a proposal and all confidential information must be clearly stated on the Vendor Information Attachment under the

“Designation of Confidential and Proprietary Information” section.

3. Proprietary information submitted in a proposal, or in response to the RFP, will be handled in accordance with the applicable Wisconsin State Statute(s) to determine whether such information must be disclosed. Dane County shall not provide advance notice prior to release of any requested record.

4. Submitted pricing will always become public information when proposals are opened and therefore cannot be designated as confidential. Designating the RFP response or proposal in its entirety as confidential is never warranted and will result in its release.

5. One exception under the Wisconsin Open Records Law is if information constitutes a “trade secret.” Trade secret is defined in Sect. 134.90 (1)(c)) of the WisconsinStatutes, as follows:

"Trade secret" means information, including a formula, pattern, compilation, program, device, method technique or process to which all of the following apply:

1. The information derives independent economic value, actual or potential, from not being generally known to, and not being readily ascertainable by proper means by other persons who can obtain economic value from its disclosure or use.

2. The information is the subject of efforts to maintain its secrecy that are reasonable under the circumstances.

County cannot guarantee that such information will be treated as a trade secret or confidential.

6. To the extent permitted by law, it is the intention of Dane County to withhold the contents of the proposal from public view until such times as competitive or bargaining reasons no longer require non-disclosure, in the opinion of Dane County. At that time, all proposals will be available for review in accordance with the Wisconsin Open Records Law.

7. In the event the Designation of Confidentiality of this information is challenged, undersigned agrees to provide legal counsel or other necessary assistance to defend the Designation of

Confidentiality and to hold Dane County harmless for any costs or damages arising out of Dane

County withholding the materials. .

8. Failure to designate confidential and proprietary information within the Designation of

Confidential and Proprietary Information section of the Vendor Information Attachment may mean that all information provided as part of the proposal response will be open to examination or copying. The County considers other markings of confidential in the proposal document to be insufficient. The undersigned agrees to hold the County harmless for any damages arising out of the release of any material unless they are specifically identified within the Designation of

Confidential and Proprietary Information section of the Vendor Information Attachment.

2.4. EVALUATION

1. PRELIMINARY EVALUATION

1. The proposals will first be reviewed to determine if all applicable requirements are met. Failure to meet mandatory requirements may result in the proposal being rejected. In the event that all vendors do not meet one or more of the mandatory requirements, the County reserves the right to continue the evaluation of the proposals and to select the proposal which most closely meets the requirements specified in the solicitation.

2. PROPOSAL SCORING - applicable to RFPs

1. Accepted proposals will be reviewed by an evaluation team and scored against the stated criteria in the evaluation section of the RFP posting. This scoring will determine the ranking of vendors based upon their written proposals. If the team determines that it is in the best interest of the County to require a Phase 2 Evaluation which may include oral presentations, the highest-ranking vendors will be invited to make such presentations. Those vendors that participate in the interview process will then be scored, and the final ranking will be made based upon those scores.RFP Cost Proposal's will be scored using a standard quantitative calculation where the most cost criteria points will be awarded to the proposal with the lowest cost.

3. ORAL PRESENTATIONS/INTERVIEW - applicable to RFPs

1. Top ranked selected proposers may be required to make oral interview presentations and/or site visits to supplement their proposals, if requested by the County. The County will make every reasonable attempt to schedule each presentation at a time and location that is agreeable to the proposer. Failure of a proposer to conduct a presentation to the County on the date scheduled may result in rejection of the vendor’s proposal.

2.5. AWARD

1. RFB AWARD

1. The County will award the bid to the most responsive and responsible bidder whose bid is most advantageous to the County. In determining the most advantageous bid, the County may consider criteria such as, but not limited to, cost, bidder’s past performance and/or service reputation, and service capability, quality of the bidder’s staff or services, customer satisfaction, references, the extent to which the bidder’s staff or services meet the County’s needs, bidder’s past relationship with the County, total long term cost to the County, fleet continuity and any other relevant criteria listed in this solicitation.

2. A resulting award and any part thereof shall not be subcontracted or assigned to another

Contractor without prior written permission of the County. The Contractor shall be directly responsible for any Subcontractor’s performance and work quality when used by the Contractor to carry out the scope of the job. Subcontractors must abide by all terms and conditions under this Contract.

2. RFP AWARD

1. An RFP award will typically be granted in one of two ways.

1. The award may be granted to the highest scoring responsive and responsible proposer.

2. Alternatively, the highest scoring proposer or proposers may be requested to submit final and best offers. If final and best offers are requested, they will be evaluated against the stated criteria, scored and ranked. The award will then be granted to the highest scoring proposer.

2. A resulting award and any part thereof shall not be subcontracted or assigned to another

Contractor without prior written permission of the County. The Contractor shall be directly responsible for any Subcontractor’s performance and work quality when used by the Contractor to carry out the scope of the job. Subcontractors must abide by all terms and conditions under this Contract.

3. PAYMENT TERMS AND INVOICING

1. Unless otherwise agreed upon in writing, Dane County will pay properly submitted vendor invoices within thirty (30) days of receipt of goods or services. Payment will not be made until goods or services are delivered, installed (if required), and accepted as specified. Invoices presented for payment shall be submitted to via email to the Department Invoice Email

Address shown on the Bill To section of the PO issued. The Dane County purchase order number must be noted on the submitted invoice.

2. Other incidental or standard industry charges not identified herein, are not allowed under this contract. Miscellaneous service charges used to help the Contractor pay various fluctuating current and future costs are not allowed. These charges include, but are not limited to, costs directly or indirectly related to the environment, energy issues, fuel charges, service and delivery of goods and services.

4. NOTIFICATION OF INTENT TO AWARD

1. Upon finalizing the award, a notification email may be sent via the OpenGov system showing the awarded vendor(s).

2. As a courtesy, the County may send a Notice of Intent letter to responding vendors at the time of the award. - applicable to RFPs

3. Written notice of award to a vendor in the form of a purchase order or other document, mailed or emailed to the address shown on the bid will be considered sufficient notice of acceptance of bid.

5. CERTIFICATE OF INSURANCE

1. The successful vendor is required to submit to Dane County a Certificate of Insurance prior to performing any work under this contract. The certificate is required prior to issuance of purchase order. See the Insurance Responsibility section within the Standard Terms &

Conditions.

2. Please contact your insurance representative to issue an Additional Insured Endorsement naming County of Dane, a municipal corporation, its boards, commissions, agencies, officers, employees and representatives listed as an ADDITIONAL INSURED on the General Liability policy.

3. Indicate mailing address as:

o County of Dane

Risk Management

City County Building Room 425

210 Martin Luther King Jr., Blvd.

Madison, WI 53703

4. Please inform your insurance representative that you have agreed to provide us with 30 Days written notice in the event of cancellation for any reason before the expiration date of your policy or policies.

5. Vendor may email Certificates of Insurance to risk.management@danecounty.gov.

6. Call 608-266-4965 with any questions.

6. PERMITS & LICENSES

mailto:risk.management@danecounty.gov

1. The Contractor selected under this bid shall be required to obtain the necessary permits and licenses prior to performing any work under this contract. The Contractor will be required to demonstrate valid possession of appropriate required licenses and will keep them in effect for the term of this contract.

2. Contractor must be financially responsible for obtaining all required permits and licenses to comply with pertinent regulations, municipal, county, State of Wisconsin and Federal laws, and shall assume liability for all applicable taxes.

7. SATISFACTORY WORK

1. Any work found to be in any way defective or unsatisfactory shall be corrected by the

Contractor at its own expense at the order of the County. The County also reserves the right to contract out services not satisfactorily completed and to purchase substitute services elsewhere. The County reserves the right to charge the vendor with any or all costs incurred or retain/deduct the amount of such costs incurred from any monies due or which may become due under this contract.

8. GOVERNMENT STANDARDS

1. All materials, equipment, and supplies provided to the County must fully comply with all safety requirements as set forth by the Wisconsin Department of Commerce and all applicable OSHA

Standards. Bidders shall comply with all local, state and federal regulations, directives and laws.

9. DANE COUNTY SUSTAINABILITY PRINCIPLES

1. On October 18, 2012, the Dane County Board of Supervisors adopted Resolution 103, 2012-2013 establishing the following sustainability principles for the county:

o Reduce and eventually eliminate Dane County government’s contribution to fossil fuel dependence and to wasteful use of scarce metals and minerals;

o Reduce and eventually eliminate Dane County government’s contribution to dependence upon persistent chemicals and wasteful use of synthetic substances;

o Reduce and eventually eliminate Dane County government’s contribution to encroachment upon nature and harm to life-sustaining ecosystems (e.g., land, water, wildlife, forest, soil, ecosystems); and o Reduce and eventually eliminate Dane County government’s contribution to conditions that undermine people’s ability to meet their basic human needs.

2.6. CONTRACTING

1. CONTRACT/PROJECT ADMINISTRATION

1. The County department(s) utilizing the service will be responsible for drafting, coordinating, monitoring and administering the resulting service contract/purchase order. The department shall be responsible for notifying the awarded vendor about contract renewals or extensions.

Any modifications or additions to the contract(s)/purchase order(s) shall be communicated by the department to the Purchasing Division.

2. CONTRACT ASSIGNMENT - SUBCONTRACTORS

1. A resulting contract and any part thereof shall not be subcontracted or assigned to another

Contractor without prior written permission of the County. The Contractor shall be directly responsible for any subcontractor's performance and work quality when used by the Contractor to carry out the scope of the job. Subcontractors must abide by all terms and conditions under this Contract.

3. CONTRACT ADDITIONS

1. The County reserves the right to add new items and locations at a price conforming to other like items on the contract. The procedure for such additions shall be as follows:

1. The County Purchasing Officer will contact the vendor requesting pricing for the item(s) to be added.

2. The vendor, within three working days, should respond in writing and include the bid number, contract period and the price for each item or service to be provided.

3. Upon receipt, the County shall issue a Change Order adding the service or product(s) to the

Contract or Purchase Order.

2. The County reserves the right to accept or reject prices and obtain bids on the open market for these add ons.

3. When applicable, Contractor may be required to sign a Dane County Contract.

4. CONTRACT TERMINATION

1. If for any reason the successful contractor fails to fulfill the requirements of the contract for providing the specified services, the County shall have the right to cancel the contract at any time and negotiate for the services with another contractor.

3. Contract Term

The contract shall be effective on the date indicated on the Dane County Purchase Order or the Dane

County Contract execution date. The initial term length and renewal terms available are estimates only and are subject to change.

If applicable, any optional or renewal terms are not automatic extensions. Renewal terms must be agreed upon mutually by Dane County and Contractor.

Anticipated Term (Calendar Dates)

Term 1: Contract Execution - December 31, 2027

4. Project Overview & Scope of Work

The following definitions and links are used throughout the RFP.

County: Dane County

County Agency: Department/Division utilizing the service or product.

Dane County Purchasing website: https://www.danepurchasing.com/

Proposer/Vendor/Firm/Contractor: a company submitting a proposal in response to this RFP.

4.1. Specification Overview

1. The work under this agreement with a Wisconsin Department of Transportation approved professional engineering firm, and Dane County Department of Public Works, Highway and

Transportation, shall consist of the inspection of bridges in various locations within Dane

County.

2. These inspections must conform to and be in accordance with Wisconsin Statutes 84.17 and

TRANS 212, Standards for the Inspection of the Bridges in the State of Wisconsin. The inspections shall be in conformance with the procedures set out in the Wisconsin Department of

Transportation, State of Wisconsin Structure Inspection Manual at the time of inspection.

3. The County will provide a detailed list (see Attachment A - Cost Proposal) of the bridges that are to be inspected at the time the RFP was written. The list will also indicate bridges requiring underwater dive or fracture critical inspections.

4.2. Scope of Work

1. Perform all required individual bridge inspections as indicated on the Cost Proposal for the

2026/2027 cycle. Reports of the 2026 & 2027 inspections shall be entered into the HSIS database per WisDOT requirements. Additional update information that cannot be entered into the database shall be submitted directly to the WisDOT bridge section.

2. For all bridges requiring a structure inventory and assessment inspection, the provider is responsible for updating the structure inventory and assessment forms to the New SNBI elements using both existing plans sets and field measurements.

3. The provider is responsible for reviewing past inspection reports and/or conducting site visits to determine necessary inspection methods and equipment required to conduct all bridge inspections. All equipment required for the inspection shall be provided by the consultant with the exception of the reach-all truck.

1. Dane County will coordinate with WisDOT for the use of WisDOT’s reach-all truck to perform inspections.

4. A summary report stating the overall findings of the bridge inspections and recommended bridge maintenance work for each structure shall be submitted to the County no later than

December 15, 2026 and 2027 respectively.

https://www.danepurchasing.com/

5. A copy of individual bridge inspections and a summary report indicating recommended maintenance actions shall be submitted to each municipality either electronically or by mail no later than December 15, 2026 and 2027 respectively.

6. The cost of bridge inspection reports, inventory update reports, underwater inspections as required, bridge location data and summary reports shall be incidental to the costs of the individual bridge inspections and shall constitute no additional compensation.

7. Failure to have all inspection reports entered into HSIS within 30 days of their due date or failure to have summary reports submitted to the County and inspection and summary reports submitted to Municipalities by the dates specified above will result in a $100 per day penalty being assessed against the Provider until all required reports are received.

8. The COUNTY reserves the right to disapprove any inspection reports for failure to meet bridge inspection requirements, provided that such disapproval is given to the Provider within thirty

(30) days of date of delivery of the bridge inspection reports. Disapproval is deemed delivered as of the date of mailing, postage prepaid, addressed to the Provider at the address set forth in this document. The Consultant has thirty (30) days to address the report deficiencies and resubmit to the County. Failure to address the report deficiency may result in a reduction of pay for the bridge inspection in question.

9. All reports and documents prepared under the Agreement become the property of the County, WisDOT and the Bridge Owner. The Consultant shall not disclose report information to any third party except by written order of the County. The County reserves the right to cancel this

Agreement at any time upon ten (10) days notice, deemed delivered as of the date of mailing, postage prepaid, to the Provider at the address set forth in this document.

4.3. Inspection Requirements

The objective of this contract is to provide bridge inspection services for the County and Local

Municipalities within Dane County required to meet WisDOT, Federal and County requirements. The technical requirements listed below describe the basis of the inspection requirements.

1. The Provider shall conduct inspections and inspection activities as shown in the Cost

Proposal. The inspections shall meet the requirements of the current versions of the WisDOT

Structures Inspection Manual, WisDOT Bridge Inspection Update Training and WisDOT Bridge

Inspection Field Manual for each bridge.

2. Bridge inspections along with all supplemental information are to be completed and entered into the HSIS system by the inspection date deadline. Supplemental information includes but is not limited to the following: photographic documentation, underwater stream profiles and scour measurements as applicable.

3. The inspectors shall be trained and certified for the type of inspection being performed. (i.e.

Team leaders for fracture critical inspections must have successfully competed fracture critical training within the last 10 years.)

4. If the condition of an element has changed significantly, the Provider shall take field measurements and/or photographs to document the change. If the condition is critical or near critical, the Provider shall so advise the County and the municipality immediately so that necessary action can be promptly initiated.

5. Elements that are rated CS3 or CS4 require photo documentation.

6. Elements that are rated as a CS4 require one of the following actions to be taken.

1. Element not structural. Consultant to provide necessary documentation to meet CS4 reporting requirements. Documentation shall be incidental to the Bridge Inspection.

2. Element is structural but does not require structural analysis. Consultant to provide necessary documentation to meet CS4 reporting requirements. Documentation shall be incidental to the Bridge Inspection.

3. Element is structural and requires a structural analysis or load rating. Consultant to submit a proposal to complete this work using fee structure listed in the cost proposal. No work to proceed until contract amendment for the additional work is approved.

7. Several municipalities requested that they be notified 3 days prior to the anticipated inspection date. The successful proposer will be provided this list upon award.

8. At the time of the RFP, structures for which 2026 re-inspections are known to be required are noted in the Cost Proposal. If a 2026 bridge inspection rating creates the need for a 2026 inspection the vendor shall notify the County and provide a cost for the contract amendment to complete a 2027 re-inspection.

9. The Consultant is responsible to determine the construction schedule for bridges noted for reconstruction. If the project is a Local Let project and not a federally funded bridge replacement, the consultant shall inspect the new bridge after work is complete. This routine inspection and all required reports will be paid as per the amount listed on the cost sheet.

10. Consultant is responsible to answer questions from WisDOT or the local municipality about the bridge inspection. This work is incidental to the cost of the inspection.

11. WisDOT and Federal Highways occasionally audit County and Local bridge inspections. The

Consultant shall accompany the County on the audit inspection of bridges that they were responsible for inspecting. This will be considered extra work and will be paid at the appropriate rates from the Cost Proposal.

4.4. Deliverables

The following items are required:

1. Consultant shall enter all inspections into the HSIS system.

2. Consultant shall submit a summary report to Dane County outlining results of the inspections.

3. Consultant shall submit individual bridge inspection reports and a summary report to each municipality.

4.5. Invoices

Each invoice is to include a detailed attachment of the bridges being billed including the following information on a sortable .xlsx file.

1. Municipality

2. Bridge #

3. Bridge inspection cost

4. Cost subtotal for each Municipality

4.6. Detailed Bridge List

1. The Attachment A - Cost Proposal contains a detailed list of the bridges to be inspected including inspection type information.

5. RFP Response Requirements & Evaluation Criteria

1. RFP Response - Proposers shall upload and submit their proposal response document(s) to Section 1 of the Vendor Questionnaire.

• The RFP Response shall be organized to comply with the section numbers and names as shown below. Each section heading shall be clearly marked.

o If applicable, the Local Vendor Preference section is answered within the Vendor

Questionnaire and doesn't need to be included in the RFP Response document.

• Cover Letter / Cover Page o Provide a Cover Letter or Cover page and at minimum should include:

▪ Contact Person for the RFP process

▪ RFP Title

▪ RFP #

▪ Name of Proposer

• Table of Contents may be included but is not required.

• Graphics may be included but are not required.

2. Cost Proposal Response

• Complete the Pricing Table if there is one located within the RFP Posting.

• If there is no Pricing Table within the RFP Posting:

o Download and complete the Pricing Section document from the Attachment Section of the

RFP Posting.

o Upload the completed Pricing Section document to Section 1 of the Vendor Questionnaire.

3. Document Formatting - The RFP Response and Cost Proposal (if applicable) documents must be saved in PDF format unless otherwise specified within the RFP document and the file name shall include the

RFP# and name of business submitting proposal.

• Example of how to name the files:

o RFP Response Document: "2023-RFP-025 – Vendor Name" o Cost Proposal Document (if no pricing table): "2023-RFP-025 – Vendor Name - Cost

Proposal"

4. Evaluation Criteria - each section includes the Point Value assigned to it for evaluation purposes.

No. Evaluation Criteria Scoring Method Weight (Points)

1. Firm Description & Relevant Firm Experience

1. Confirm that your firm is a registered vendor for the Wisconsin

Department of Transportation.

2. Provide a description of the firm including the services provided, unique skills and expertise offered, length of time in business, form of incorporation, and the location of the primary office that will work on the project.

3. Provide a description of the work performed, budget, dates and a client contact for projects the respondent firms have completed that are relevant to the scope of services requested in the RFP.

Points Based 20 (19% of Total)

2. Project Team, Roles & Resumes Including

Attachment B

1. Provide a project organization chart and overview of the roles, responsibilities and level of effort to be provided by the primary team members.

2. Provide a resume or information relevant to each member’s capabilities, experiences and education to complete the project as proposed.

3. Complete and insert Attachment B –

Questionnaire in this section.

Points Based 20 (19% of Total)

3. Project Understanding & Approach

3. Project Understanding & Approach

1. Provide the Proposer’s understanding of the project and expected outcomes and describe the approach to completing the services as outlined in the Project Overview &

Scope of Work Section of the RFP and the deliverables to be provided.

1. This should include how the

Consultant intends to address the issues and objectives described in Inspection

Requirements section of the

Scope of Work.

2. Respondents may offer an alternate set of tasks as they deem appropriate provided that the entire scope of work and deliverables as described are addressed.

3. The tasks used to present the approach should track with those used to describe the roles of project team members, the project schedule and cost proposal.

Points Based 30 (28.6% of Total)

4. Project Schedule

1. Provide a project schedule that indicates how the Proposer will meet the date requirements scheduled by

HSIS.

Points Based 10 (9.5% of Total)

5. Scope and Requirements Compliance

1. Provide confirmation that the Scope of Work, Inspection Requirements, Deliverables and Invoices sections outlined within Project Overview

& Scope of Work section of the RFP will be complied with.

2. If there are any deviations, please state them in this section.

Points Based 10 (9.5% of Total)

6. Cost Points Based 10 (9.5% of Total)

7. Local Vendor Preference Points Based 5 (4.8% of Total)

6. Vendor Questionnaire

6.1. RFP DOCUMENT UPLOADS

6.1.1. Single Proposal Submission*

Only 1 proposal is allowed to be submitted per Vendor Account. This means if you are submitting multiple proposals, you must follow the instructions set forth within the Section 2.2 RFP Guidelines and

Overview - Multiple Proposals & Acceptance.

It is understood that if multiple proposals are uploaded using 1 vendor account, the entire submission will be subject to disqualification.

☐ Please confirm

*Response required

6.1.2. RFP Response Document - Upload your Proposal*

Please DO NOT include Cost information in this section.

*Response required

6.1.3. RFP Response - Supplemental Document Upload

Upload any additional or required information documents that supplements this solicitation.

Please DO NOT include Cost information in this section.

6.1.4. RFP Cost Proposal Document - Upload Attachment B - Cost Proposal * Upload Attachment B- Cost Proposal in MS Excel format.

Pricing shall be inclusive of all labor, delivery costs and other expenses necessary to provide product in accordance with the specifications and terms and conditions of this bid document and your proposal.

*Response required

6.1.5. W9 Upload*

Upload your company's W9 form.

NOTE: The W9 is required to be signed within the past 12 months

*Response required

6.2. VENDOR INFORMATION

6.2.1. Local Vendor Preference *

Select a Local Vendor Preference:

Vendors located within Dane County automatically receive five points toward the evaluation score.

Vendors located within the counties adjacent to Dane County (Columbia, Dodge, Green, Iowa, Jefferson, Rock, Sauk) automatically receive two points toward the evaluation score.

Vendors located outside of Dane County and the 7 counties adjacent to Dane County would choose "No

Preference".

NOTE: A post office box address does not qualify as an established place of business.

☐ No Preference

☐ Yes - Dane County

☐ Yes - Columbia County

☐ Yes - Dodge County

☐ Yes - Green County

☐ Yes - Jefferson County

☐ Yes - Iowa County

☐ Yes - Rock County

☐ Yes - Sauk County

*Response required

6.2.2. Fair Labor Practice Certification *

Has your company been found by the National Labor Relations Board ("NLRB") or the Wisconsin

Employment Relations Commission ("WERC") to have violated any statute or regulation regarding labor standards or relations in the seven years prior to the date this bid submission is signed?

If yes is answered, a copy of any relevant information regarding such violation is required to be uploaded with your bid submission.

Additional information about the NLRB and WERC can be found using the following links:

www.nlrb.gov and http://werc.wi.gov.

☐ No, our company has NOT been found by the NLRB or the WERC to have violated any statute or regulation regarding labor standards or relations in the seven years prior to the date this bid submission is signed.

☐ Yes, our company HAS been found by the NLRB or the WERC to have violated any statute or regulation regarding labor standards or relations in the seven years prior to the date this bid submission is signed.

*Response required

6.2.3. Cooperative Purchasing*

Reference Guidelines - Section F.

Does your company agree to furnish the commodities or services of this bid to municipalities and state agencies?

☐ Yes

☐ No

*Response required

6.2.4. Designation of Confidential and Proprietary Information* Please specify what information you wish to designate as confidential and proprietary. Please identify section/ pages/ topic /documents, etc.

NOTE: Pricing sections cannot be designated as confidential and proprietary.

http://www.nlrb.gov/ http://werc.wi.gov/

If nothing will be designated, simply type "None" in the section below.

*Response required

6.3. RFP ADDENDA

6.3.1. I understand that if any addendum is issued I will have to acknowledge the posted addendum. * ☐ Please confirm

*Response required

6.3.2. If an addendum is posted after I have submitted my proposal response and the resulting addendum requires action to be taken either in the Specification Section or Pricing Section, I understand that:*

1. I will have to unsubmit my proposal response.

2. I will have to acknowledge the posted addendum.

3. I will have to take action in responding to the changes on either the Specification Section or Pricing

Section.

4. I will then have to resubmit my proposal response.

Further instructions on addendum(a) postings can be found here.

☐ Please confirm

*Response required

6.4. SIGNATURE DECLARATION

6.4.1. RFP Solicitation Response Declaration*

In submitting and confirming this solicitation response, we certify that we have not, either directly or indirectly, entered into any agreement or participated in any collusion or otherwise taken any action in restraint of free competition; that no attempt has been made to induce any other person or firm to submit or not to submit a solicitation response; that this solicitation response has been independently arrived at without collusion with any other vendor competitor or potential competitor; that this solicitation response has not been knowingly disclosed prior to the opening of bids to any other vendor or competitor; that the above statement is accurate under penalty of perjury.

Further, by submitting this solicitation response, firm agrees with all the terms, conditions, and specifications required by the County in this solicitation and declares that the corresponding solicitation response and pricing are in conformity therewith.

I have read and understood the entire document.

I declare under penalty of false swearing under the law of Wisconsin that the foregoing is true and correct.

☐ Please confirm https://help.procurement.opengov.com/en/articles/4413350-managing-addenda

6.4.2. Signed on: *

Write in month, day, year and city/state in which the submission occurred.Example: June 27, 2025 in Madison, WI

*Response required

6.4.3. Electronically signed by:*

Provide First Name, Last Name and Title

7. Standard Terms and Conditions

7.1. APPLICABILITY

The terms and conditions set forth in this document apply to Requests for Proposals (RFP), Bids and all other transactions whereby the County of Dane acquires goods or services, or both.

7.2. ENTIRE AGREEMENT

These Standard Terms and Conditions shall apply to any contract, including any purchase order, awarded as a result of this request. Special requirements of a resulting contract may also apply. Said written contract with referenced parts and attachments shall constitute the entire agreement, and no other terms and conditions in any document, acceptance, or acknowledgment shall be effective or binding unless expressly agreed to in writing by the County. Unless otherwise stated in the agreement, these standard terms conditions supersede any other terms and/or conditions applicable to this agreement.

7.3. DEFINITIONS

As used herein, “vendor” includes a provider of goods or services, or both, who is responding to an RFP or a bid, and “bid” includes a response to either an RFP or a bid.

7.4. SPECIFICATIONS

The specifications herein are the minimum acceptable. When specific manufacturer and model numbers are used, they are to establish a design, type of construction, quality, functional capability or performance level, or any combination thereof, desired. When alternates are proposed, they must be identified by manufacturer, stock number, and such other information necessary to establish equivalency. Dane County shall be the sole judge of equivalency. Vendors are cautioned to avoid proposing alternates to the specifications that may result in rejection of their bid.

7.5. DEVIATIONS AND EXCEPTIONS

Deviations and exceptions from terms, conditions, or specifications shall be described fully in writing, signed, and attached to the bid.