RFQ documents

City of Young Harris (“Owner”)

Request for Qualifications

To Provide

Engineering Services For

Public Infrastructure Improvements

Request for Qualifications Engineering Services

Public Infrastructure Improvements

The City of Young Harris (“Owner”), is soliciting Statements of Qualifications (“SOQs”) from professional firms interested in providing Engineering Services for water, sewer and/or other public infrastructure projects. This Request for Qualifications (“RFQ”) seeks to identify potential providers of the above-mentioned services. One or more firms that respond to this RFQ and who are determined by the Owner to be especially qualified may be deemed eligible and may be invited to discuss and negotiate for these services. All respondents to this RFQ are subject to instructions communicated in this document and are cautioned to completely review the entire RFQ and follow instructions carefully. The Owner reserves the right to reject any or all SOQS or proposals and to waive technicalities and informalities at the sole discretion of the Owner. Please note: The issuance of this RFQ invokes a Restriction of Communication on potential respondents, which, if violated, may result in rejection of the SOQ (See Section 8 for details).

1. General Project Information

Project Description

Under the guidance of the Owner, it will be the responsibility of the selected firm(s) to provide, on an “as-needed” basis, initial consultation and evaluation, funding assistance, preliminary Engineering Reports (PER), final design, construction administration, and inspection and close out services for public infrastructure projects. The expectation is that selected companies will provide the technical skills necessary for capital improvement or maintenance projects, or evaluate such projects on very short notice, as determined by the Owner.

Project Goals/ Scope of Services

The location of the work arising as a result of this RFQ will be in Towns County, Georgia primarily within the municipal limits of the City of Young Harris. The scope and duration of contracts arising as a result of this RFQ are unknown at this time, but may include engineering and design services related to any of the following:

• WWTP Treatment Plant Upgrades

• Sewer Collection System Improvements

• Sewer Line extensions

• Water System Improvements

• Transportation Improvement

• Other infrastructure rehabilitation and expansion projects

The final scope of services will be developed by the Owner and communicated to eligible firm(s) prior to actual agreement.

2. Engineering Requirements

Interested engineering firms are requested to submit information detailing the resources of the firm, the firm’s experience and qualifications, and a statement of the firm’s suitability to perform the proposed work, as more fully set forth in Section 5 below.

3. RFQ Schedule of Events

The following Schedule of Events represents the schedule that will be followed. All times indicated are prevailing times in Georgia. The Owner reserves the right to adjust the schedule as the Owner deems necessary.

• February 3, 2023: Owner issues public advertisement of RFQ

• February 24, 2023 at 5PM: Deadline for written questions/requests for clarification

• March 1, 2023 at 5PM: Deadline to publish any addenda to this RFQ

• March 17, 2023 at 3PM: Deadline for submission of Statements of Qualifications

• April 5, 2023: Owner completes evaluation, posts results, and issues

Notification to Finalist(s)

4. Selection Process

A Selection Committee consisting of representatives of the Owner will identify the finalist firm(s) through a qualifications-based selection process. The Selection Committee will receive and evaluate SOQs submitted in response to this RFQ using the following criteria:

Criteria for evaluation of Statements of Qualifications

10% Stability of the firm, including the firm’s corporate history, growth, resources, form of ownership, litigation history, financial information, and other evidence of stability.

30% Firm’s relevant project experience and qualifications, including the demonstrated ability of firm in effective engineering services for projects comparable in complexity, size, and function. This includes relevant experience and qualifications of the principal engineering services lead staff and level of experience in a leadership role over multiple providers and phases of construction for GEFA, EDA, CDBG, USDA, OneGeorgia, REBA, and/or ARC Projects.

30% Past performance of the firm including references about the quality of leadership of the firm in engineering services, the overall services of the firm to previous customers, the firm’s ability to meet established project goals, the firm’s response to the Owner’s needs throughout the project, and the financial and technical success history of the of projects in which the firm provided leadership.

30% Firm’s apparent suitability to provide services for a project, including the firm’s apparent fit to the project type and/or needs of the Owner, any special or unique qualifications for the project, current and projected workloads, proximity of office or lead staff to the project location, experience working with the local government, and services offered by the firm. The firm’s non-discrimination policies, any policies and past efforts for W/MBE inclusion will be a part of this evaluation, as well as the firm’s record and methodology of addressing public safety and environmental concerns.

Finalist Notification/Award

The name of the firm or firms selected as finalists will be posted on the Georgia Procurement

Registry. The Owner will contact the firms selected as finalists and coordinate a time to discuss and potentially negotiate a contract for services. Negotiations may then be initiated with the firm to finalize the terms and conditions of a contract, including the fees to be paid. In the event the terms of a satisfactory contract cannot be reached with the highest scoring firm, the Owner will formally terminate the negotiations in writing and enter into negotiations in turn with the second highest scoring firm, and so on until a mutual agreement is established and the Owner awards an engineering services contract. The actual Form of Contract shall be developed by the parties.

5. Statements of Qualifications – Required Content

Each SOQ must include a cover/transmittal letter. Each SOQ shall provide a straightforward, concise delineation of respondent’s capabilities. Fancy, colored displays, and promotional materials are not desired. Emphasis must be on completeness, relevance, and clarity of content.

The content of all SOQS must be categorized and numbered as outlined below, and responsive to all requested information:

A. Description and Resources of Firm

i. Provide basic company information: Company name, address, name of primary contact, telephone number, fax number, email address, and company website (if available). If the firm has multiple offices, the qualification statement shall include information about the parent company and branch office separately. Identify office from which project will be managed and this office’s proximity to the project site. Provide form of ownership, including state of residency or incorporation, and number of years in business. Is the offeror a sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, Limited Liability Corporation (LLC), joint venture, or other structure?

ii. Briefly describe the history and growth of your firm(s). Provide general information about the firm’s personnel resources, including disciplines and numbers of employees and locations and staffing of offices.

iii. Has the firm been involved in any litigation in the past five years? Describe your experience with litigation with Owners and/or Contractors. List any active or pending litigation and explain.

iv. Provide a statement of disclosure, which will allow the Owner to evaluate possible conflicts of interest. Respondents must provide, in their own format, a statement of all potential legal or otherwise significant conflicts of interests possibly created by the respondent’s being considered in the selection process or by the respondent’s involvement in the project. Respondents should include information as to the nature of relationship(s) with parties in such potential conflict.

v. Has the firm ever been removed from a Services contract, had a contract terminated for default, or failed to complete a contract as assigned?

B. Experience and Qualifications

i. Provide professional qualifications and description of experience for principal engineering services personnel. (At this stage, firms are asked for information on lead staff only, but may list qualifications and experience on more than one lead individual who is qualified and available for proposed project. If the firm is selected as finalist, the Owner may request detailed information on the exact proposed expanded team and their relevant experience.)

Firms that respond as joint teams will be expected to clearly demonstrate their team members’ shared experience, as a joint team, on prior projects of similar magnitude and complexity.

ii. Provide information on the firm’s engineering services experience on projects of similar type, size, function, and complexity. Describe no more than 10 and no less than five projects, in order of most relevant to least relevant, which demonstrate the firm's capabilities to perform the project at hand. For each project, the following information should be provided:

a. Project name, location, and dates during which services were performed.

b. Brief description of project and physical description.

c. Services performed by your firm.

d. Project owner’s stated satisfaction level in the engineering services and/or overall service of your firm.

e. Project owner contact information.

iii. Include any certifications, industry ratings, and achievement recognitions, etc., to attest to the level of experience and success. Describe innovations that the firm might have introduced or employed to increase project adherence to technical standards.

C. Statement of Suitability

i. Provide any information that may serve to differentiate the firm from other firms in suitability for the project. Suitability may include, but is not limited to, the firm’s fit to the project and/or needs of the Owner, any special or unique qualifications for the project, current and projected workloads, the proximity of office to Project location, past experience with the local government, and any services offered by the firm that may be particularly suitable for this project.

ii. Provide any non-discrimination and affirmative action policies of the firm and the firm’s history of W/MBE inclusion in sourcing for projects.

6. Statements of Qualifications – Required Format

SOQs pursuant to this RFQ may be submitted prior to the deadline indicated in Section 3 above in any of the following methods: 1) by email; 2) by hand, or 3) mail. If submitted by hand or by mail, the submittals shall be delivered to the address listed below. If submitted by email, the submittal shall be delivered to mayor Andrea Gibby at the email address listed below. SOQs received after the deadline indicated in Section 3 will not be considered. The pages of the SOQ must be numbered, and a table of contents, with corresponding tabs, must be included to identify each section. SOQs are limited to 20 pages or less using a minimum of an 11-point font. Any exhibits, affidavits, or other enclosure information called for may be included in an appendix and will not count toward the page limit.

A) Submittal by email. A single PDF file of the SOQ shall be prepared and emailed to Andrea

Gibby prior to the submittal deadline. Each submittal must include a cover/transmittal letter, which may be the body of the email itself, or a separate PDF. Emailed submittals must be able to be printed on 8 ½” x 11” paper and the words “Statement of Qualifications, Engineering Services for Public Infrastructure Improvements” must be clearly indicated in the subject line of the email.

B) Hand delivered or mailed submittals. Hand delivered or mailed submissions must come in one sealed envelope. The outside of the envelope must be clearly labeled with the Company’s name, address, contact information and labeled “Statement of Qualifications, Engineering Services for Public Infrastructure Improvements”. The SOQ envelope must contain five (5) copies and may contain one digital copy on a CD or flash drive of the SOQ.

Each submittal must include a cover/transmittal letter and be printed on 8 ½” x 11” paper

SOQS must be received by the Owner prior to the deadline indicated in the Schedule of Events (See Section 3) at the exact address below:

City of Young Harris ATTN: Andrea Gibby, Mayor

50 Irene Berry Drive Young Harris, GA 30582 andreagibby@cityofyoungharris.net

7. Submittal of Questions and Requests for Clarification

Questions about any aspect of the RFQ must be submitted in writing by mail or email. Emailed questions are preferable and shall be sent to mayor Andrea Gibby at the email address listed in Section 6. Mailed or hand delivered questions must be delivered to physical address listed in Section 6. The deadline for submission of questions relating to this RFQ is listed in the Schedule of Events (Section 3). Submitting firms are cautioned to review and adhere to the Restriction of Communication (See Section 8) for this RFQ.

8. Restriction of Communication

From the issue date of this RFQ solicitation until a successful SOQ is selected and the selection is announced, submitting firms are not allowed to communicate about this RFQ for any reason with any members of the Selection Committee, or agents or employees of the Owner, except for submission of questions as instructed in the RFQ, or as provided by any existing work agreement(s). For violation of this provision, the Owner reserves the right to reject the SOQ of the offending firm.

9. Additional Conditions for Projects Involving the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) State Small Cities Program

Many projects which are large in size and scope may require the Owner to pursue additional funding sources to finance the proposed project. In order to comply with the requirements of other funding programs, the following provisions are included:

The City of Young Harris and any project conducted which would involve the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) and the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program are subject to Federal and State contract provisions and must also abide by the following laws as they pertain to HUD Assisted Projects: Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; Section 109 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, Title 1; Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (Fair Housing Act); Section 104(b)(2) of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974;

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended; Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA); and the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968.

In addition, this project is covered under the requirements of Section 3 of the HUD Act of 1968, as amended and Section 3 Business Concerns are encouraged to apply.

10. Submittal Costs and Confidentiality

All expenses for preparing and submitting SOQs are the sole cost of the party submitting the SOQ. The Owner is not obligated to any party to reimburse such expenses. All submittals upon receipt become the property of the Owner. Labels on information provided in SOQs such as “proprietary” or “confidential”, or any other designation of restricted use will not protect the information from public view. Subject to the provisions of the Georgia Open Records Act, the details of the SOQ documents will remain confidential until final award.

11. Award Conditions

This request is not an offer to contract or a solicitation of bids. This request and any SOQ or proposal submitted in response, regardless of whether the SOQ is determined to be the highest rated, is not binding upon the Owner and does not obligate the Owner to procure or contract for any services. Neither the Owner nor any party submitting a response will be bound unless and until a written contract mutually accepted by both parties is negotiated as to its terms and conditions and is signed by the Owner. The Owner reserves the right to waive non-compliance with any requirements of this RFQ and to reject any or all SOQ submitted in responses. Upon receipt and review of responses, the Owner will determine the party(s) and SOQs that in the sole judgment of the Owner is in the best interest of the Owner (if any is so determined), with respect to the evaluation criteria stated herein. The Owner then intends to conduct negotiations with such party(s) to determine if a mutually acceptable contract may be reached.

12. Submitting Firms’ Agreement to the Terms of this RFQ

With submission of a SOQ, the submitting firm agrees that it has carefully examined the RFQ, and agrees that it is the submitting firm’s responsibility to request clarification on any issues in any section of the RFQ with which the submitting firm disagrees or needs clarified. The submitting firm also understands that failure to mention these items in the SOQ will be interpreted to mean that the submitting firm is in full agreement with the terms, conditions, specifications and requirements in the RFQ. With submission of a SOQ, the submitting firm hereby certifies: (a) that its SOQ is genuine and is not made in the interest or on behalf of any undisclosed person, firm, or corporation; (b) that the submitting firm has not directly or indirectly included or solicited any other submitting firm to put in a false or insincere proposal; and (c) that submitting firm has not solicited or induced any person, firm, or corporation to refrain from sending a SOQ.