2025 Reservoir Painting

The City of Madison Water Utility is soliciting bids for the 2025 Reservoir Repainting project, which involves comprehensive painting and restoration of two municipal water storage reservoirs: Reservoir 20, a 4.2-million-gallon steel ground-level standpipe, and Reservoir 225, a 500,000-gallon spheroid elevated tank. The project requires complete removal of existing coatings using lead abatement procedures, applying approved paint systems, installing new overflow pipe systems, replacing cathodic protection systems, installing fall protection equipment, and replacing roof vents. Bidders must be prequalified, demonstrating successful completion of at least ten tank painting projects on tanks smaller than 1,000,000 gallons or five projects on larger tanks within the past five years. A mandatory pre-bid virtual meeting is scheduled for December 2, 2025, at 2:00 PM CST, with questions due by December 4, 2025, and answers posted December 10, 2025. Sealed electronic bids are due by December 17, 2025, at 2:00 PM CST, with work anticipated to begin in spring 2026 and be completed by October 30, 2026.

The procurement includes specific insurance requirements, with contractors needing Commercial General Liability insurance of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence, Workers' Compensation insurance, and Professional Liability insurance of $1,000,000. Contractors employing 15 or more employees with aggregate annual business of $50,000 or more must file an approved Affirmative Action Plan within 30 days of the contract effective date. The project will be awarded to the lowest responsible, responsive bidder meeting prequalification and specification requirements, and is funded through the City of Madison's water utility budget. The contract includes three cash allowances: $20,000 for exterior cathodic protection equipment, $5,000 for interior wet pit filling repairs, and $10,000 for structural engineering evaluation. Liquidated damages will be assessed for exceeding milestone outage durations, with daily work hours restricted to 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM. The project is subject to Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Construction Permit requirements, OSHA compliance, and comprehensive environmental regulations including lead abatement and waste disposal protocols.