PC-550000-CAW82.pdf

STATE OF FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES LETTER OF RESPONSE

375-030-22

PROCUREMENT

04/18

Advertisement No.: 25334 DOT FM Number: 22362417222

Submittal Date: 1/28/2025 Project Name: Districtwide NPDES Consultant

Consultant’s Name: RES Florida Consulting, LLC dba E Sciences (Firm must use the name shown on the Consultant’s qualification letter.)

Street Address: 34 E. Pine Street

City: Orlando State: FL Zip: 32801

Office Location: Orlando Contact person: Karen Snyder, PE

Phone: 407.481.9006 Contact email: ksnyder@res.us By submittal of this letter the Consultant certifies that all information provided in the letter is true and accurate. The Consultant further certifies that staff proposed are currently employed by the firm(s) identified, or the Consultant shall provide a statement indicating when staff will become employed by the identified firm(s).

The Letter of Response should address the following information:

• Proposed approach and understanding of critical issues.

• Relevant project experience – Similar type of work experience.

• Other content provided by firm.

• Proposed key personnel and their proposed roles (do not include resumes).

Consultants: Please be aware that all font (including font in graphics, tables, and captions on photos) must be standard Arial Narrow, 11 point, single line spacing with no modification of font or spacing allowed. ½” clear margin on all sides must be maintained on all pages. It is the Consultant’s responsibility, due to font and format restrictions within this form, to work within the constraints of the form and its format. Character styling such as use of color, bold, and italics is allowed. Use of a table is recommended for text boxes. The page layout may be modified to add columns, tables, graphics, and photos. All graphics and photos must be created in a clean, blank word document and the “text wrapping square” option applied before cutting and pasting into this form. Consultants may add their logo at the top of the first page (directly underneath the header), however, the Consultant shall not extend the form beyond the pages allocated for the Letter to accommodate insertion of the logo. Consultants are not permitted to insert any other information in the header other than the logo. After pasting your letter into this form, highlight all text and ensure the font size of Arial Narrow, 11 point was retained. Once your content is inserted, delete any additional blank pages that are generated by pressing your delete key after the last word in the Letter of Response. Recreation of the form in another software application to modify the form format is not permitted. This form works best when saved with a .docx extension. *Please retain the source document as it may be requested at a later date in the procurement, to verify adherence with aforementioned restrictions. Note: You may begin typing on this page.

RES Florida Consulting, LLC dba E Sciences (RES) is pleased to submit our Letter of Response for this contract. E Sciences was acquired by RES on 1/27/2022, and is now a wholly owned subsidiary of RES. The RES team continues to provide the same level of experience, support, resources, and staff to our clients. Our strong, multi-disciplinary team will provide outstanding client support and technical expertise on this contract. Our team is fully prequalified as required in the advertisement and will aspire to meet the Department’s goals as listed in Standard Note 9 of the advertisement.

Through our experience managing and providing support for NPDES contracts for FDOT Districts and Central Office, RES has developed a comprehensive understanding of the Department’s compliance and permitting programs and an excellent understanding of the regulatory framework of the NPDES program. To date our team has:

• Performed over 12,000 FDOT stormwater asset inspections and 1,000 FDOT construction site compliance inspections.

• Completed over 3,450 design plan reviews, including SWPPP and erosion control plan reviews.

• Inspected, inventoried, and mapped more than 4,800 FDOT MS4 outfalls and performed and assisted with IDDE investigations.

• Successfully compiled over 145 NPDES Phase I and Phase II MS4 annual reports for FDOT.

• Experience with FDOT’s MRP, MMS, RCI, GIS, ERC, OSP, CIM, SWAM, and SAMS databases.

• Performed and updated Pollutant Load Analyses for 7 FDOT counties.

• Assisted with and prepared 10 BPCPs and have been actively involved in 30 BMAPs and several RAPs.

Key Personnel and Roles Our Project Manager, Karen Snyder, PE, has 34 years of professional experience, and has extensive knowledge of the Department’s NPDES MS4 and Construction programs in leading D5’s Program as the Environmental Permit Coordinator and the Assistant District

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PROCUREMENT

Drainage Engineer. Ms. Snyder will be assisted by Leilani Farrell, who has more than 19 years of professional experience, including managing D1 and D5 and assisting with the D3 NPDES MS4 contract. Ms. Snyder will work closely with RES’ QA/QC Officer, James Orioles, PE, to ensure all project deliverables meet regulatory requirements and company technical and quality standards. RES has a stringent quality control program that requires multiple levels of review before written documentation and deliverables are submitted to the Department. Applied Technology & Management, A Geosyntec Company (ATM) will provide TMDL and BMAP support, water quality modeling support, and compliance inspections, led by Robert Potts, MBA and Steve Peene, PhD.; DRMP will assist with drainage design, survey, and facility compliance inspections, led by Luis Maldonado, PE; Environmental and Geotechnical Specialists (EGS) will be led by Tom Hayden, PE providing geotechnical services; First City Engineering, LLC, led by Jamie Nicholson, PE will provide compliance inspection support, data collection, and as-built plan collection; and Ackuritlabs, Inc. will provide laboratory service. We are pleased to present the same team of professionals to D3.

Approach and Understanding of Critical Issues and Relevant Experience RES’ NPDES contract experience gives us a true understanding of the services required under this contract. We understand the interrelationships between PD&E, Design, Construction, and Maintenance that are necessary to successfully manage the Department’s NPDES MS4 program. Below is an overview of our experience and approach to meeting the Department’s needs for each of the scope of service items.

Facilities Inventory/Mapping and Surveying: RES understands the need for accurate facility inventories for the successful management of the Department’s NPDES program. Our team has extensive experience developing NPDES inventory databases for FDOT, including the development of the NPDES and permit tracking databases for D1 and D5. Our team member, ATM, is the lead for the development of FDOT’s SAMS database which is used statewide for stormwater facility inventory and inspections; outfalls; tracking maintenance needs; and automating annual reporting. Our team has direct operational experience with SAMS database and has extensive experience using SAMS for inventory management, compliance inspections, maintenance needs tracking, and annual reporting. Our approach includes coordinating directly with city, county, WMD, and FDOT staff to collect maps, straight-line diagrams, and as-built plans to ensure the Department’s facility inventory is accurate and up to date. We will continue to update, verify, and maintain the Department’s stormwater inventories using SAMS, and we look forward to assisting D3 with the next phase of SAMS which includes the collection of C3F assets such as pipes, inlets, catch basins, manholes, and junction boxes.

Facility Maintenance and Inspection System: Based on our review, in Leon County, the Department currently manages 145 stormwater treatment facilities and 33 major MS4 outfalls. In Escambia County, the current inventory includes 70 stormwater treatment facilities and 94 major MS4 outfalls. For the Phase II Counties (Bay, Walton, Okaloosa, and Santa Rosa) the Department manages 219 stormwater treatment facilities and over 324 MS4 outfalls. Our staff has extensive experience inspecting and evaluating FDOT stormwater infrastructure. RES’ staff has performed over 12,000 FDOT stormwater treatment facility inspections; numerous operations facility inspections; and inspected, inventoried, and mapped over 4,800 FDOT MS4 outfalls. Our approach will be to inspect the Department’s stormwater infrastructure and treatment facilities according to the WMD, FDEP, and NPDES MS4 permit requirements and to assist D3 with maintaining compliance with permit conditions. We will continue to use the SAMS application to maintain an accurate inventory of D3’s stormwater infrastructure, perform and document compliance inspections, and identify and track observed maintenance needs.

Field Inspections: FDOT stormwater treatment facilities will continue to be inspected by experienced team members to document compliance with regulatory requirements and to verify the facility's functional status. Major and non-major outfalls will be inspected consistent with NPDES MS4 permit conditions. Proactive illicit discharge inspections will be conducted and documented during routine stormwater facility and outfall inspections. To be consistent with Central Office’s E-Maintenance initiative, RES’ approach will be to follow the systematic inspection and reporting process established in the SAMS application that use standardized inspection forms. Inspections will be performed using mobile devices to ensure field observations are accurately and efficiently documented. Inspections will include recommendations for maintenance needs and repairs, if necessary. Our team is familiar with the Department’s new Comprehensive O&M Program and can assist D3 with developing cost estimates for the Certification of Financial Capability for Perpetual Operation of Maintenance Activities as required under the new State Stormwater Rule. RES recognizes a qualified inspector will be required for inspection of stormwater facilities conducted on or after June 28, 2025, in accordance with the new State Stormwater Rule.

Illicit Discharge Program: Our team members are trained to recognize and investigate illicit discharges, connections, and illegal dumping activities. RES staff have provided annual IDDE refresher training to more than 85 D3 staff at the Chipley, Midway, Marianna, and Ponce de Leon operations facilities. Additionally, RES staff developed FDOT’s statewide IDDE training and Spill Prevention and Reporting training videos for maintenance staff and contractors. Further, during routine stormwater treatment facility inspection activities, our team will review contributing areas for potential illicit discharges or connections and coordinate with Department staff to facilitate their elimination. Our staff also has experience with the Department’s OSP database for drainage connection permits and evaluating potential sources of non-stormwater discharges to the FDOT drainage system. Our approach will be to assist the Department with the identification and elimination of suspected illicit discharges and connections which will be documented in SAMS. Further our team can provide IDDE and Spill Prevention and Reporting training to D3 staff and contractors.

NPDES Permit Development and Maintenance: The Department is a co-permittee with Leon and Escambia Counties under two separate NPDES Phase I MS4 Permits. The Department’s NPDES Phase II MS4 permit covers the urbanized areas within Bay, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, and Walton Counties. The annual reporting periods and due dates for D3’s NPDES MS4 program are as follows:

NPDES MS4 Permit Annual Reporting Period Permit Expiration Date Annual Report Due Date Leon County Phase I (FLS000033) July 15th – July 14th July 12, 2022 January 15th Escambia County Phase I (FLS000019) July 10th – July 9th July 9, 2022 January 10th Phase II MS4 (FLR04E023) September 16th –

September 15th September 15, 2025 March 15 (Year 2)

March 19 (Year 4) RES has experience developing over 145 NPDES MS4 annual reports for FDOT statewide. Our approach is based on utilizing our extensive knowledge of the nine core components of the Phase I MS4 permit requirements and the six core minimum control measures of the Phase II MS4 permit to ensure the Department’s NPDES program remains in compliance. RES recognizes that FDEP will be issuing new Cycle 5 Phase I MS4 permits this year. Our staff has reviewed and provided comments to FDEP on the draft Cycle 5 Phase I MS4 permit template for FDOT. Additionally, we understand that FDEP has identified 7 counties within D3 which may be designated for Phase II MS4 permit coverage during the term of this contract. Our team is experienced with navigating the process of applying for and developing NOIs for new Phase II MS4 permits. Our team is currently assisting D3 in developing the NOI for the current Phase II MS4 permit.

Other Tasks:

Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans: RES has conducted over 3,450 plan reviews for FDOT design projects. Our approach to performing plan reviews is to focus on evaluating compliance with FDOT specifications and regulatory agency requirements for erosion and sediment controls during design, including the Stormwater Runoff Control Concept, and the SWPPP during construction.

TMDL and BMAP Requirements: RES recognizes that the NPDES MS4 program has become the regulatory mechanism for implementation of the State's TMDL program. Our team is actively engaged in the TMDL process and has provided data collection and pollutant load modeling services on multiple TMDLs. On behalf of the FDOT D1, D3, D4 and D5, RES has provided technical support on the development and implementation of more than 16 BMAPs. Our team member, ATM/Geosyntec, is currently providing statewide TMDL support to FDOT Central Office and recently to D3 for the Upper Wakulla River and Wakulla Springs BMAP status update. Our approach will be to utilize our team’s extensive experience to assist D3 with reviewing and commenting on draft TMDLs, provide technical support during BMAP development, provide updates to FDEP’s BMAP STAR portal, provide recommendations for pollutant load reduction projects, and to review and analyze pollutant loading models to ensure the model accurately reflects the District’s contributions to the impaired waterbody.

Interlocal Agreements: RES has assisted D3 with the review and updates of the Leon County and Escambia County interlocal agreements. Additionally, we have experience developing multiple interlocal agreements for other FDOT Districts related to TMDL / BMAP support, water quality monitoring, pollutant loading analysis, IDDE, and education activities. Our approach will be to prepare and assist in the renewal of interlocal agreements consistent with the Department’s NPDES permits to ensure requirements are being met.

This effort will be critical for ensuring compliance with the pending Cycle 5 NPDES Phase I MS4 permit, once issued.

Design: The RES team is fully capable of providing design and retrofit services to D3 to maintain compliance with current and future water quality criteria established through TMDLs, NNC, and the new Statewide Stormwater Rule.

Training: RES is able to provide training to the Department staff in a variety of NPDES-related activities, including IDDE; FDEP Erosion and Sediment Control; Spill Prevention and Reporting; SAMS Refresher; and WMD Permit Compliance. Our NPDES staff includes 4 FSA Certified Level II Stormwater Facility Inspectors; 27 FDEP Certified Erosion and Sediment Control Inspectors and 5 FDEP Certified Erosion and Sediment Control Instructors. We are the only team that can provide hands-on SAMS training to D3 staff and contractors.

Public Information Programs: RES realizes that Public Information/Education Programs are a vital component of the NPDES MS4 program. RES excels in developing programs, such as training videos, flyers, and brochures, to educate and solicit community input on stormwater, IDDE, pollution prevention, and water quality related topics.

Coordination with Co-Applicants: RES is committed to attending meetings with state, local, and federal agencies as requested. We routinely travel on behalf of other FDOT Districts and Central Office to FDEP-sponsored meetings and NPDES program audits, co-permittee meetings, TMDL development, and BMAP meetings.

Thank you for your consideration. We greatly appreciate the opportunity to continue providing these services to the Department.

Sincerely, RES Florida Consulting, LLC dba E Sciences

Karen Snyder, PE James J. Orioles, PE Project Manager Chief Engineer

Prequalification of Prime Consultant and any proposed Subconsultants by advertised type(s) of work:

Consultant Name Project Advertised Major & Minor Work Types

2.0 3.1 8.2 9.1 9.2 DBE SB UU

Prime RES Florida Consulting, LLC dba E Sciences

Su bc on su lta nt s

ATM, A Geosyntec Company

DRMP

Environmental and Geotechnical Specialists, Inc.

First City Engineering, Inc.

Ackuritabs, Inc.

SB = Small Business UU = Under-utilized work type; subconsultant is a professional services firm and is prequalified in the Under-Utilized Work Group. Refer to the advertisement for applicability.

My firm has submitted a Bid Opportunity List through the Equal Opportunity Compliance System for this project.

https://fdotwp1.dot.state.fl.us/EqualOpportunityCompliance/Account.aspx/LogIn?ReturnUrl=%2fEqualOpportunityCompliance