Community Services Agency Sacramento County Water Agency

Request for Proposal for Consulting Services

On-Call General Engineering Services

RFP publish date: July 23, 2026

Closing date for questions: August 28, 2026

Proposals due date: September 14, 2026

Table of Contents 1 Introduction

1.1 Purpose of Request for Proposal

1.2 Background

1.3 Scope of Work

1.4 Scope of Services

2 General Rules

2.1 RFP Overview

2.2 Estimated Timeline and Extension of Time

2.3 Proposal Format and Content

2.4 Proposal Submission

2.5 Questions and Communication

2.6 Addenda

2.7 Agency’s Right to Withdraw, Cancel, Suspend and/or Modify RFP

2.8 Proposer’s Right to Edit or Cancel Proposal

2.9 Proposals Will Not be Returned

2.10 Public Disclosure of Proposal Documents

2.11 Proposer’s Costs

2.12 Proposer’s Ideas

2.13 Collusion

2.14 Conflict of Interest

3 Evaluation and Selection

3.1 Proposal Evaluation and Recommendation for Selection

3.2 Evaluation of Responsiveness

3.3 Evaluation of Responsibility

3.4 Evaluation Panel and Evaluation Criteria

3.5 Execution of Contract

4 Attachments

1 Introduction

1.1 Purpose of Request for Proposal

The Sacramento County Water Agency (“Agency”) is soliciting proposals from qualified engineering firms to provide professional services in support of capital water facility design projects. Agency intends to negotiate and execute an on-call professional services agreement with the selected firm for a period of three (3) years, with the option to extend the agreement at Agency’s sole discretion.

Compensation for services shall be on a time-and-materials basis in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in the agreement.

1.2 Background

The Sacramento County Water Agency owns, operates, and maintains multiple public water systems located throughout Sacramento County, including service areas within the incorporated cities of Elk Grove and Rancho Cordova. Agency is responsible for the planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of water supply, treatment, storage, and transmission facilities necessary to meet current and future demands, comply with applicable regulatory requirements, and address system condition and performance.

Agency implements capital improvement and facility rehabilitation projects on an ongoing basis to expand, replace, and improve its water system infrastructure. Such infrastructure includes, but is not limited to, groundwater production wells, raw and treated water transmission mains, groundwater and surface water treatment facilities, storage reservoirs and tanks, and pumping and conveyance facilities.

The design and construction of these facilities require the application of specialized engineering expertise, including, but not limited to, mechanical, structural, electrical, and control systems engineering, outside fiber optic design, in addition to civil engineering. While Agency maintains limited in-house civil engineering resources, Agency does not maintain in-house capabilities for the full range of required engineering disciplines and, therefore, relies on qualified consulting firms to provide such professional services.

Accordingly, Agency intends to procure such services through an on-call professional services agreement to support the delivery of its capital improvement program. Services to be provided may include, without limitation, engineering analysis, design, preparation of plans and specifications, engineering support during construction, and review of technical submittals. This Request for Proposals seeks proposals from qualified firms to provide these services.

1.3 Scope of Work

The following is a summary of Agency projects that the selected consultant could potentially work on during the contract years. This list is not comprehensive and subject to change as warranted by system demands and development trends.

• Walnut Grove Water Treatment Plant

- 200,000 gallon above ground storage tank, booster pump station, back wash tank, arsenic treatment, well equipment, control building, site improvements, and coordination with SMUD for power.

• Miscellaneous Treatment Plant Retrofit Projects

- Filter upgrades.

- Tank and booster pump upgrades.

- Backwash tank replacement.

- Recoating projects.

• Pressure Reducing Stations

- Piping and valving station.

- Site improvements.

• Wholesale Water Meter Station

- Piping and meter station.

- Site improvements.

• Miscellaneous Transmission Main Projects

- Transmission mains installed in existing roads

• Miscellaneous Well Site Improvement Projects

- All necessary designs to equip a well site.

• Pump, piping, grading, building, etc.

1.4 Scope of Services

The Consultant shall furnish all labor, materials, equipment, and incidentals necessary to perform professional engineering services on an as-needed basis. Services to be provided under this Agreement shall include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Design Engineering Services The Consultant shall provide mechanical, civil, structural, electrical, fiber optic, and control systems engineering services in support of capital improvement and facility projects. Such services may include, but are not limited to, treatment plant design and upgrades, equipping well sites, site improvements, transmission main design, and associated electrical and structural systems.

Deliverables shall include, without limitation, design calculations, improvement plans, and technical specifications. All drawings shall be prepared using AutoCAD Release 2024 or later, in accordance with Agency standards set forth in Attachment 4. All specifications shall conform to Agency-adopted Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) format standards.

2. Bidding and Construction Support Services The Consultant shall provide technical support during the bidding and construction phases of assigned projects. Such services shall include, but are not limited to, responding to bidder inquiries; preparing addenda and written clarifications; responding to contractor Requests for Information (RFIs); reviewing and evaluating contractor submittals for conformance with contract documents; attending project meetings; and identifying and resolving design-related issues, conflicts, or deficiencies.

Construction inspection will be conducted by county staff.

3. General Engineering and Advisory Services The Consultant shall provide general engineering consulting services, including, but not limited to, responding to technical and design inquiries; interpreting applicable codes, regulations, and standards;

evaluating and recommending design alternatives; preparation of cost estimates; and performing quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) reviews for Agency projects.

4. Coordination and Administration The Consultant shall perform all services under the direction of Agency and shall coordinate, as necessary, with other County departments, regulatory agencies, and external stakeholders. The specific scope of services for each task order shall be developed in consultation with Agency and may differ from the anticipated services described herein.

Final scopes of work shall be subject to negotiation and written authorization by Agency.

2 General Rules

2.1 RFP Overview

This Request for Proposals (“RFP”) is an invitation for proposers to submit a proposal to the Agency. This RFP does not commit the Agency to award a contract to any respondent/proposer. Submission of a proposal shall neither obligate nor entitle a proposer to enter into a contract with the Agency.

2.2 Estimated Timeline and Extension of Time

Please refer to the OpenGov Procurement project page for information on timelines.

These dates are subject to revision or cancellation by the Agency in its sole and absolute discretion.

2.3 Proposal Format and Content

When submitting a proposal, proposers must follow the format and contents detailed in Attachment 1. Failure to do so will likely prolong the evaluation process and could result in a proposal not being considered.

2.4 Proposal Submission

Proposals must be received by the submission deadline in OpenGov Procurement via the solicitation link at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/saccounty/projects/285921.

Failure to submit a proposal on time may be grounds for rejection of the proposal; however, the Agency reserves the right, in its sole and absolute discretion, to accept proposals after the proposal due date.

2.5 Questions and Communication

Questions concerning this RFP must be submitted to this solicitation’s Question & Answer page in OpenGov Procurement.

Questions received via phone or e-mail to direct points of contact for this RFP will not be considered nor responded to. Agency shall respond to questions https://secure.procurenow.com/login https://secure.procurenow.com/login https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/saccounty/projects/285921 properly submitted as described above via addenda if the answer presents a material change to the solicitation. The Question & Answer section in OpenGov Procurement may be used for non-material answers.

By submitting a proposal, proposer affirms review of all solicitation documents including all questions submitted and answers issued by the Agency on this solicitation.

2.6 Addenda

Agency reserves the right to modify the RFP at any time prior to the proposal due date. Agency will modify the RFP only by formal written addenda.

Proposer’s proposal should be based on this RFP document and any formal written addenda. Proposers should not rely on oral statements.

Addenda will be posted in OpenGov Procurement. It is the responsibility of each prospective proposer to assure receipt of all addenda.

2.7 Agency’s Right to Withdraw, Cancel, Suspend and/or Modify RFP The Agency reserves the right to withdraw, cancel, suspend, and/or modify this RFP for any reason and at any time with no liability to any prospective proposer for any costs or expenses incurred in connection with the RFP or otherwise.

2.8 Proposer’s Right to Edit or Cancel Proposal

Proposers may edit or cancel their proposal in OpenGov Procurement prior to the due date.

2.9 Proposals Will Not be Returned

Upon submission, proposals will not be returned.

2.10 Public Disclosure of Proposal Documents

Agency will treat all information submitted in a proposal as available for public inspection once negotiations with the selected party have been completed. If copies of proposals are included with Board materials, the Agency will make proposals available for public inspection once staff has made a recommendation for award.

If a proposer believes protected data is included in its proposal, the proposer shall clearly identify the data and provide the legal basis in support of the asserted classification. Proposer must present such information separately as part of its proposal OR type in bold red letters the term “CONFIDENTIAL” on that specific part or page of the proposal which proposer believes to be confidential. Classification of data as trade secret data will be determined pursuant to applicable law, and, accordingly, merely labeling data as “trade secret” does not necessarily make the data protected as such under any applicable law.

In order for the Agency to assert the confidentiality of any such information in the event a Public Record Act request is received, the proposer must request, execute and submit an Agency-prepared written agreement to defend and indemnify the Agency for any liability, costs and expenses incurred in asserting such confidentiality as part of the proposal. A copy of that written agreement is attached as Attachment 2.

The final determination of whether the Agency will assert a proposer’s claim of confidentiality shall be at the sole discretion of the Agency. Any information determined to be non-confidential shall be considered public record. If the Agency determines that your information does not meet the criteria for confidentiality, you will be notified of the Agency’s intent to release the public record pursuant to any Public Records Act request.

Proposer agrees, as a condition of submitting its proposal, that the Agency will not, as between the parties, be liable or accountable for any loss or damage, which may result from a breach of confidentiality related to the proposal. Proposer agrees to indemnify and hold the Agency, its officials, agents, and employees harmless from all claims arising out of, resulting from, or in any manner attributable to any violation of any provision of the California Public Records Act, including legal fees and disbursements paid or incurred to enforce this provision.

2.11 Proposer’s Costs

Agency shall not be responsible for any costs incurred by proposer in connection with this RFP. Proposer shall bear all costs associated with proposal preparation, submission, and attendance at interviews, or any other activity associated with this RFP or otherwise.

2.12 Proposer’s Ideas

To the extent permitted by law, the Agency reserves the right to use any or all ideas, concepts, or other information provided in any proposals. Selection or rejection of the proposal does not affect this right.

2.13 Collusion

If the Agency determines that collusion has occurred among proposers, none of the proposals of the participants involved in the collusion shall be considered. The Agency’s determination shall be final.

2.14 Conflict of Interest

Proposer affirms that to the best of its knowledge the submission of its proposal, or any resulting contract, does not present an actual or perceived conflict of interest. Proposer agrees that should any actual or perceived conflict of interest become known, it will immediately notify the Agency and will advise whether it will or will not avoid, mitigate, or neutralize the conflict of interest.

The Agency may make reasonable efforts to avoid, mitigate, or neutralize a conflict of interest by a proposer. To avoid a conflict of interest by a proposer, the Agency may utilize methods including disqualifying a proposer from eligibility for a contract award or cancelling the contract if the conflict is discovered after a contract has been issued. The Agency may, at its sole and absolute discretion, waive any conflict of interest.

3 Evaluation and Selection

3.1 Proposal Evaluation and Recommendation for Selection

Agency reserves the following rights, to be exercised in the Agency’s sole and absolute discretion: 1) to determine whether any aspect of a proposal satisfactorily meets the criteria established in this RFP; 2) to seek clarification or additional information from any proposer; 3) to negotiate, sequentially or simultaneously, pricing and/or terms with any proposer or vendor; 4) to reject any or all proposals with or without cause; 5) to waive any irregularities or informalities in a proposal; 6) to cancel or amend by addenda this RFP, in part or entirely; 7) to award multiple contracts to Proposers; and/or 8) award a contract to a vendor that did not submit a proposal.

Evaluation of proposals by a selection committee, evaluation panel, Agency staff, a technical advisory committee, or by another group, individual or entity is advisory only. The Sacramento County Water Agency Board of Directors or its designee may consider or reject such evaluation(s) for any or all proposals. Such evaluations are for the sole benefit of the Sacramento County Water Agency Board of Directors or its designee, and as such, they are not binding upon the Agency, nor may they be relied upon in any way by a proposer.

3.2 Evaluation of Responsiveness

The Agency will consider all the material submitted by the proposer to determine whether the proposer’s offer is in compliance with the terms and conditions set forth in this RFP. Proposals that do not comply with the provisions in this RFP may be considered nonresponsive and may be rejected.

3.3 Evaluation of Responsibility

To determine whether a proposer is responsible, the Agency will consider the proposer’s general qualifications to perform the requested services in a satisfactory manner; financial responsibility; integrity; skill; past performance; and ability. Proposals from proposers considered non-responsible will be rejected.

3.4 Evaluation Panel and Evaluation Criteria

After review of each responsive proposal, the Agency may award a contract to a successful proposer based on the evaluation criteria, or it may establish a short list of Proposers for further consideration. The short list of proposers may be asked to provide additional information. The short list of proposers may also be asked to attend an in-person or telephone interview or presentation, as determined by the Agency in its sole discretion.

Evaluation criteria shall include the following:

1. Responsiveness of the RFP:

• Consultant meets the requirements of the RFP.

• Staff redundancy, geographic proximity, availability during construction.

2. Qualification and Resources of the Firm:

• Consultant has the qualifications and team to perform the engineering and construction support.

3. Project Team Experience and Fit:

• Qualifications, registrations, availability, technical expertise, and experience of staff.

• Relevant experience with water capital improvement projects, construction support, and public agency support.

4. Past Performance and Reference Checks:

• Consultant has at least five similar projects in the last four years that include the engineering and construction support of similar projects, client satisfaction, schedule/budget performance, responsiveness, and quality of deliverables.

• References.

5. Rate Schedule:

• Competitiveness and reasonableness of billing rates and overall value.

3.5 Execution of Contract

The selected proposer shall execute an agreement with the Sacramento County Water Agency, using the standard consulting agreement (Attachment 2). Any requested revisions, deletions, or additions, to the language in the attached sample agreement shall be clearly set forth in the proposal for the Agency’s consideration.

Before a contract becomes effective between the Agency and any proposer, the contract must be reviewed by Agency Counsel and the contract award must be approved by the Agency Board of Directors or its designee. If for any reason the Agency Board of Directors or its designee does not ratify and sign the contract, then there are no binding obligations whatsoever between the Agency and the proposer relative to the proposed contract.

4 Attachments Attachment 1 – Proposal format and content Attachment 2 – Sacramento County Water Agency Standard Consulting Agreement Attachment 3 – Written Agreement to Indemnify for Release of Propriety Information Attachment 4 – Sacramento County Water Agency Plan Submittal Requirements and Drafting Standards

4 Attachments