Request for Proposal Job Order Contracting Consulting Services.pdf

CAPITOL REGION PURCHASING COUNCIL

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)

CONSULTANT SERVICES TO DESIGN, IMPLEMENT, AND

MAINTAIN A JOB ORDER CONTRACTING PROGRAM

Issue Date: January 7, 2026 (9:00 a.m. EST)

Deadline for Questions: January 28, 2026 (2:00 p.m. EST)

Response Date/Time: February 11, 2026 (2:00 p.m. EST)

Response Location: crcog.bonfirehub.com

RFP: CONSULTANT SERVICES TO DESIGN, IMPLEMENT, AND MAINTAIN A JOB ORDER

CONTRACTING PROGRAM

I. Introduction and Intent

The Capitol Region Council of Governments (CRCOG) seeks proposals from experienced consulting firms to manage a Job Order Contracting program for the members of the Capitol Region Purchasing Council (CRPC), a cooperative procurement council currently comprised of approximately 150 municipalities, Boards of Education, and other government entities in the State of Connecticut.

Our intent is to identify the best value, responsible, responsive vendor to manage the existing program, and to award a contract to that vendor.

To facilitate the efficient administration of this program, CRCOG intends to serve as an umbrella contracting authority on behalf of its members. Accordingly, CRCOG will enter into an agreement with the selected consulting firm for the management of a complete job order contracting program.

II. Background and Introduction

A. Current Program Scope and Design

The current job order contracting program began as a pilot in 2009. Since then, over 116 CRPC members have used the job order contracting program to complete construction projects ranging from $800 to $18 million dollars. The job order contracting program is open for use by all members of the Capitol Region Purchasing Council upon submission of a signed side letter. The current program consists of two different job order contracting programs: General Construction and a separate Road and Bridge Maintenance. Our membership represents a diverse group of communities, including small, medium and large municipalities of rural, suburban and urban character—and a wide range of annual project work that can be completed with our job order contracting system. Appendix A.

outlines a three-year summary of project volume.

For purposes of clarity, this RFP refers to the Job Order Contracting Program Vendor as “Consultant” and the contractors who participate in the various programs as “Contractors”.

The design of our current job order contracting program is as follows:

1. The current contract with our job order contracting consultant expires on 12/31/2026.

a. This contract would be a 5-year term with optional extensions.

Consultant provides the structure of the construction program, including the construction task catalog and software for Contractors to use to develop price proposals.

b. Consultant provides training for General Contractors new to the job order contracting program.

c. Consultant is a liaison between the municipality and the Contractor should any problems arise during the project.

d. Consultant assists with developing Invitations to Bid and Contracts for the regional General Construction Contractor and Road and Bridge Maintenance Contractor.

e. Consultant provides a monthly report of all projects.

f. Consultant works with CRCOG to organize an Annual User’s Group meeting.

g. Consultant reports on any ongoing problems with a project or contractor.

2. Contractor contracts with CRCOG for a 1-year term with the option of two

(2) 1-year extensions prior to rebidding. At the end of the first term and the first extension, CRCOG asks for a pricing update and, if mutually agreed upon, the contract is extended for an additional year. CRCOG has and will exercise the right not to extend a contractor and has done this in the past because members have asked for the removal of the Contractor, the Contractor has asked to be removed, or the Contractor has not performed adequately.

a. We have four (4) contracts for General Construction, organized by CT

Department of Labor regions (Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, Southwest). Currently two (2) contractors service the four regions (two contracts each).

b. We have four (4) contracts with regions organized by CT Department of Transportation regions (1, 2, 3, 4). Currently three (3) contractors service Road and Bridge Maintenance, with one Contractor holding two contracts.

c. The current Contractor information is available on our website:

https://crcogct.gov/municipal-services/crpc/joc-construction/ Accordingly, the hired Consultant must be capable of handling a broad spectrum of projects simultaneously that may involve multiple jurisdictions as well as a pool of local and out-of-state vendors.

d. CRCOG cannot in any way guarantee or commit itself or its members to any minimum amount of eligible project work, but in the current program, we estimate that any contractor awarded a region can expect to do approximately $1 million dollars - $5 million dollars of work in each region during the term of the contract. It is important to note that the range can fluctuate significantly if there are single multi-million-dollar projects.

The current program is paid for with a fee that is paid by the member towns, which is divided between the Consultant and CRCOG.

III. Scope of Services

The hired Consultant will:

1. Attend transition meetings and assist with implementation of the new job order contracting program.

2. Work with CRCOG project managers to specifically outline areas of responsibility for all involved parties, create a working timetable document with completion dates for all milestone tasks, and facilitated a ‘pilot’ program with the initial municipal projects;

https://crcogct.gov/municipal-services/crpc/joc-construction/

3. Provide a full set of customized documents in support of a fully operational job order contracting program, to include;

a. a catalog of construction tasks along with associated units of measure and pricing;

b. related technical specifications that shall be developed in conjunction with and be directly related to the catalog of construction tasks referenced above. This document shall include existing CRCOG standards and requirements; and

c. a set of contractual terms and conditions that shall be developed in consultation with CRCOG.

4. Provide marketing and contractor outreach services, including orientations and pre-bid conferences for prospective bidders and using agencies. This shall include a requirement to perform proactive contractor outreach to increase bid participation among a diverse pool of qualified contractors.

5. Develop the Request for Proposals document(s) to be used to secure master contracts with firms covering the provision of construction and construction-related services;

6. Provide a user-friendly management information system to allow for, at minimum, project tracking, automated cost proposal development, scheduling, budget and cost controls and generating customizable reports;

7. Provide training for all potential users of the system. This may include, but shall not be limited to, CRCOG and its member’s procurement, facilities and maintenance staff, architects and professional consultants, construction and maintenance vendors and other individuals designated by CRCOG;

8. Monitor initial job orders and audit vendor performance;

9. Provide on-going technical support services for the life of the contract, general troubleshooting assistance, system auditing services and continuous process improvement support; and

10. Provide cost updates when required.

IV. Preparing a Response

Respondents are asked to submit all responses to crcog.bonfire.com. Please note, all firms have the option to submit alternate proposals and will only be required to submit unique documents for the options as indicated.

1. Questionnaire. All firms are required to fill out and upload the questionnaire for this RFP at crcog.bonfire.com. This questionnaire has 4 tabs (Note: To submit any additional information or examples/screenshots related to the questionnaire, please reference, upload, and label appropriately.)

1. Company Information;

2. Current Users and References. A list of at least five (5) references for similar consulting work performed in the last two years. Preference for cooperative or regional programs. (Note: if you have additional references you would like to submit, please submit as a separate document and label appropriately;

3. Project Team. A list of three personnel who will be assigned to service the CRCOG contract. (Note: Project Team resumes should be uploaded separately and in the Requested Information section);

4. Construction Management Software.

2. Company Background. This is a PDF document that the vendor should upload. This will serve as your Letter of Introduction and should include the following information:

• A brief description of your firm;

• A detailed description demonstrating significant experience providing complete job order contracting solutions to other public agencies (include specific examples of how your firm has successfully customized similar solutions to serve the unique needs of a regional program or purchasing cooperative);

• A summary of relevant products and services;

• A description of why your firm is the best qualified to serve the needs of the Capitol Region Purchasing Council.

3. Project Understanding/Approach to Provide Requested Services. This is a PDF document that the vendor should upload. A complete description of the work to be performed, including a step-by-step review of all tasks required to bring a fully operational job order contracting system on-line (please highlight areas of responsibility for all involved parties and estimated completion timeframes for all milestone tasks).

Please include samples of all final work products. Please include the following:

• Unit price books

• Technical specifications

• General terms and conditions

• Orientation and pre-bid meeting documents

• Day-to-day procurement procedures

• Construction services RFP’s

• Other relevant documents

This document should include a section regarding Cost Estimating Methodology. A description of the cost estimating methodology used to create the unit price book, how the price book is updated, and how prevailing wage projects and projects that do not require Connecticut prevailing wage are handled.

4. Construction Management Software. This is a PDF document that the vendor should upload. Provide a complete description of your firm’s construction management software. Include screenshots and training material where appropriate. Your submission should include the following information;

• Description of the software key functionalities and how it increases efficiency of the JOC process

• Description of Construction Project Creation Capabilities o Typical construction projects o Complex construction projects o Project modeling o ERP interfacing

• Description of Project and Task Management o Creating project schedules and alerts o Assigning project tasks

• Description of End User Training Programs and Resources

• Description of Customer Service Process o Support ticket/issue process o Customer service staff responsibilities

• Description of Additional Modules;

• Description of Report Generator o Included and additional features

• Description of Data Security Measures

5. Fee Proposal. This is a PDF document that the vendor should upload.

Provide all-inclusive fees for the performance of services outlined in Scope of Services Section above. CRCOG prefers that consultant fees are collected as a fixed percentage of all JOC projects issued throughout the program, and there are no direct costs to CRCOG. CRCOG currently collects a .75% fee on all projects, do not factor in this fee in your fee proposal.

Respondents are encouraged to provide additional payment options if available. Firms are also encouraged to highlight any and all additional services not listed that would be available to the Council and its members in support of a job order contracting program and the costs associated therewith. Said costs may be presented as hourly/daily rates or on an activity/service basis.

CRCOG reserves the right to negotiate fees and project scope with the successful respondent if it is deemed to be in the agency’s best interest. All proposals submitted shall be considered valid for ninety (90) days from the opening date.

6. Insurance. All respondents are required to submit, with their responses, a copy of the cover sheet from their insurance policy(ies) (or an equivalent piece of documentation) which demonstrates the firm’s current coverages and limits for General Liability, Automobile Liability, Professional Liability and Worker’s Compensation Insurance as appropriate for the project work required herein.

7. Additional Required Data. The following are additional questions or data CRCOG is also requesting from each vendor.

• Acceptance of all terms, conditions and requirements contained in the RFP. If you do not accept all terms, conditions and requirements, please upload a separate document under Relevant Experience that details an explanation.

• Are you legally licensed/registered to do business in Connecticut?

(True/False question)

• Non-Collusion Certification (True/False): The company certifies that this RFP is being submitted without any collusion, communication or agreement as to any matter related to the RFP with any other respondent or competitor.

• Will any services be subcontracted out? If yes, please submit a separate document under relevant experience that describes subcontracted services.

Responses must be submitted no later than the time and date as listed on crcog.bonfirehub.com. Responses should be submitted online at crcog.bonfirehub.com. Any responses received after this date and time will not be considered.

V. RFP Award and Selection Process

The following is a general description of the process by which a consultant will be selected for award of a contract to perform the services described in this RFP:

1. Request for Proposals (RFP) is released to prospective consultants.

2. All questions regarding this RFP, as well as the CRCOG's responses to the questions, will be posted as an addendum to the RFP.

3. All proposals must be received by CRCOG no later than the date and time specified on the cover sheet of this RFP. Late proposals will not be considered or reviewed.

4. Following the due date and time when proposals are due, the package containing the proposals from each responding firm will be opened by CRCOG personnel. The opening of the proposals is not open to prospective consultants or the public.

5. CRCOG’s evaluation team expects to take the following actions to determine the merits of the proposals that are submitted:

a. Review of Proposals: Review the proposals to determine whether they are responsive to the RFP and that they were submitted by responsible companies.

b. Evaluation of Proposals: Proposals shall be evaluated by using the following criteria:

Element Weighting

Overall strength of proposal and experience 10

Project Understanding / Approach 4 40

Quality of References 20

Fee Proposal 30

Minimum Requirements Met Pass/Fail

Non-Collusion Statement Answered as True Pass/Fail

c. Selection: Selection shall be made of one or more respondents deemed to be fully qualified and best suited among those submitting proposals on the basis of the evaluation factors included in the Request for Proposals.

d. Oral Presentation: At the option of the evaluation team, the evaluators may request oral presentations by any number of the finalists for the purpose of clarification and amplification of the materials presented in any part of the proposal. The evaluators may also request best and final offers (BAFOs) from one or more prospective consultants. However, prospective consultants are cautioned that the evaluators are not required to invite oral presentations, request clarification, or conduct negotiations and may award a contract based on the original proposal. Therefore, all initial proposals should be complete and reflect the consultant’s most favorable terms.

e. Negotiation: At the discretion of the evaluation team, negotiations shall be conducted with the respondent(s) so selected.

After negotiations have been conducted with the respondent so selected, the CRCOG shall select the respondent which, in its opinion, has made the best proposal, and shall award the contract to that respondent if it so chooses.

f. Award or Non-Award: Should CRCOG determine in its sole discretion that only one respondent is fully qualified, or that one respondent is clearly more highly qualified than the others under consideration, a contract may be negotiated and awarded to that respondent. The award document will be a contract incorporating by reference all the requirements, terms and conditions of the solicitation and the consultant’s proposal as negotiated. CRCOG reserves the unqualified right to reject any and all proposals when such rejection is deemed to be in its best interest.

VI. Questions

Questions shall be submitted only via crcog.bonfirehub.com by time and date on the coversheet or as listed on crcog.bonfirehub.com. No oral interpretations shall be provided. Responses shall be posted as addenda at crcog.bonfirehub.com. It is the respondent’s responsibility to check the website for addenda prior to submission of any proposal.

VII. RFP General Terms and Conditions

1. Acceptance or Rejection by the Capitol Region Council of Governments

The CRCOG reserves the right to accept and or reject any or all proposals submitted for consideration or to negotiate separately in any manner necessary to serve the best interests of the CRCOG and its members. Respondents whose proposals are not accepted shall be notified in writing.

2. Ownership of Proposals All proposals submitted in response to this RFP are to be the sole property of CRCOG and shall be subject to the provisions of Section 1-210 of the Connecticut General Statutes (re: Freedom of Information).

3. Changes to Proposals

No additions or changes to the original proposal will be allowed after submittal.

4. Contract Requirements A formal contractual arrangement will be entered into with the consultant, selected as per the CRCOG standard form of agreement. The contents of the proposal submitted by the successful respondent and the RFP will become part of any Contract award.

5. Amending or Canceling Request CRCOG reserves the right to amend or cancel this RFP, prior to the due date and time, if it is deemed to be in its best interest to do so.

6. Waiver of Informalities The Capitol Region Council of Governments reserves the right to accept or reject any and all responses to this Request for Proposals, or any part thereof, and to waive any informalities and/or technicalities that are deemed to be in its best interest.

7. Collusion By responding, the firm implicitly states: that his/her proposal has not been made in connection with any other competing firm submitting a separate response to this RFP; is in all respects fair; and has been submitted without collusion or fraud. It is further implied that the firm did not participate in the RFP development process, had no knowledge of the specific contents of the RFP before its issuance, and that no employee of CRCOG either directly or indirectly assisted in the vendor’s proposal preparation.

8. Assigning/ Transferring of Agreement Any successful firm is prohibited from assigning, transferring, conveying, subletting or otherwise disposing of the resulting agreement or its rights, title, or interest therein or its power to execute such an agreement to any other person, company or corporation without prior consent and approval in writing from

CRCOG.

9. Termination

CRCOG may terminate any contract(s) or any part of any contracts resulting from this process at any time for: cause, default or negligence on the part of the vendor; or if the vendor fails, in the opinion of the Agency, to meet the general terms and conditions of any resulting contract or to provide a level of service that is deemed to be in the best interest of the Agency.

10. Severability If any terms or provisions of this Request for Proposal shall be found to be illegal or unenforceable, then such term or provision shall be deemed stricken and the remaining portions of this document shall remain in full force and effect.

11. Anti-Discrimination By signing the proposal sheet for this bid, all vendors and Consultant agree to this condition of doing business with the towns and should the towns choose to audit their compliance, the vendor agrees to cooperate fully in anti-discrimination as outlined in this section.

The CONSULTANT agrees to abide by Executive Orders Number 3 and 17 of the State of Connecticut; and Presidential Executive Order “Ending illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-based Opportunity,” dated January 21, 2025.

In carrying out this contract, the CONSULTANT shall not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, mental disability, physical handicap, or sexual preference.

The CONSULTANT shall post in conspicuous places, available to employees and applicants for employment, notices to be provided by the Federal Government, setting forth the provisions of the non-discrimination clause. The CONSULTANT shall state that all qualified applicants shall receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, mental disability, physical handicap, or sexual preference. The CONSULTANT shall incorporate, or cause to be incorporated, this provision in any and all subcontracts entered into pursuant to this Agreement.

The CONSULTANT shall comply with all applicable state regulations.

12. Insurance Requirements The Respondent shall, at its own expense and cost, obtain and keep in force during the entire transition and contract period the following insurance coverages covering the Respondent and all its agents, employees and sub-contractors and other providers of services, and shall name the Capitol Region Council of Governments and its employees and agents as an Additional Insured on a primary and non-contributory basis to the Respondent’s Commercial General Liability and Automobile Liability policies. These requirements shall be clearly stated in the remarks section on the Respondent’s Certificate of Insurance.

In addition:

1. All policy forms shall be on the occurrence form.

2. Acceptable evidence of coverage will be on the ACORD form or a form with the same format.

3. All renewal certificates shall be furnished at least 10 days prior to policy expiration.

4. Each certificate shall contain a 30-day notice of cancellation.

5. Insurance shall be issued by an insurance company licensed to conduct business in the State of Connecticut which has at least an “A-“policy holders rating according to Best Publications latest edition Key Rating Guide.

Required insurance coverage:

1. Professional Liability Insurance with limits up to $2,000,000 aggregate limit issued on claims made basis for the term of the contract and continuing for two years following the completion of the contract at the Vendor’s cost.

2. Comprehensive General Liability Insurance: Vendor shall, at its own cost and expense, obtain and keep in force during the Term of the Agreement general liability insurance with minimum limits of 1 million per occurrence/ 2 million aggregate and shall name the CRCOG and their respective officers, officials, employees, agents, boards, and commissions as Additional Insureds on a primary and non-contributory basis. There shall be no special limitations on the scope of protection afforded to the CRCOG. Vendor shall assume any and all deductibles in the described insurance policies and Vendor’s insurer shall have no right of recovery or subrogation against CRCOG. These requirements shall be clearly stated in the remarks section on Vendor’s Certificate of Insurance. Insurance shall be written with insurance carriers approved in the State of Connecticut and with a minimum Best’s Rating of A-and all deductibles, if any, are the sole responsibility of Vendor.

3. Automobile Liability Insurance including non-owned and hired vehicles in the same limits as indicated above.

4. Workers' Compensation Insurance at the Connecticut statutory limit including Employers' Liability with limits of $100,000 each accident, $500,000 for each disease/policy limit, and $100,000 for disease for each employee.

5. Excess Liability Umbrella Form over sections B, C, and D-Employers' Liability with limits up to $4,000,000.

13. Hold Harmless and Indemnification In addition to its obligation to provide insurance as specified above, the Vendor, its subcontractors, agents and assigns shall indemnify and hold harmless the Capitol Region Council of Governments and its member municipalities, including but not limited to, its elected officials, and its officers, from any and all claims made against the CRCOG, including but not limited to, damages, awards, costs and reasonable attorney’s fees, to the extent any such claim directly and proximately results from the negligent acts, errors, or omissions in performance of services by the Vendor during the Vendor's performance of this Agreement or any other Agreements of the Vendor entered into by reason thereof. CRCOG agrees to give the Vendor prompt notice of any such claim and absent a conflict of interest, an opportunity to control the defense thereof.