Bid#36-26 City of Valdosta Filter Press for Withlacoochee Water Plant

The City of Valdosta, Georgia, in Lee County, is soliciting sealed bids for the procurement and installation of a replacement belt filter press system at the Withlacoochee Water Pollution Control Plant, identified as Bid #36-26. The project encompasses demolition of the existing 2-meter Belt Filter Press (BFP-906) and supporting infrastructure, procurement and installation of one new belt filter press with complete dewatering capabilities, polymer blending and feed systems, diaphragm-type metering pumps, process control and enterprise management systems with SCADA integration, electrical modifications, piping work, and structural modifications at the facility located at 3180 Wetherington Lane, Valdosta, Georgia 31601. Key deliverables include shop drawings, software documentation, testing procedures, operation and maintenance manuals, spare parts packages, specialized tools, and comprehensive training for Owner personnel. The equipment must achieve minimum performance specifications of 15.0 percent cake dry solids content and 95.0 percent minimum solids capture, verified through factory testing, field quality control testing, and five-day acceptance testing with continuous operation. The bid security requirement is five percent of the total bid amount in the form of a bid bond or certified check, and the successful bidder must execute the agreement and furnish 100 percent performance and payment bonds. The contract period is 395 calendar days from Notice to Proceed to Substantial Completion, with an additional 30 days for final completion, and liquidated damages are assessed at $1,300 per calendar day for delays in achieving substantial completion and $500 per calendar day for delays beyond final completion. Sealed bids must be received at the City of Valdosta Purchasing Department, 216 East Central Avenue, 2nd Floor, Valdosta, Georgia 31601, no later than 10:00 AM on March 24, 2026, at which time bids will be publicly opened and read aloud. A mandatory pre-bid site visit is required and must be scheduled in advance with Superintendent Rick Cornelius at (229) 292-0842 or Assistant Superintendent Mike Duval at (229) 232-9332; bids submitted without evidence of a site visit will be returned unopened. Technical questions must be submitted in writing to Engineer Yanni Polematidis at polematidisim@cdmsmith.com by 5:00 PM on March 3, 2026, and procurement-related questions must be directed to Utility Director Jason Barnes at jbarnes@valdostacity.com by the same deadline. The City of Valdosta reserves the right to accept or reject any and all bids. No electronic or faxed bids are accepted; only sealed physical bids with the bid number clearly written on the outside of the mailing envelope will be considered.

The successful bidder must be currently licensed in Georgia as a certified general contractor, certified electrical contractor, or underground utility contractor and must have successfully completed at least three similar projects within the past five years, with the contract awarded to the lowest responsible and responsive bidder pending City Council approval after evaluation of bidder qualifications, proven skill and experience, facilities, and previous satisfactory performance. The procurement is subject to federal and state regulations including the Davis-Bacon Act wage requirements and Anti-Kickback Act compliance, and the contractor must maintain plant operations (MOPO) constraints as the facility operates continuously during construction. The equipment shall include a three-year manufacturer's warranty for the belt filter press frame and coating system, five-year warranty for roller bearings, and 2,000-hour warranty for belt life. The specifications require factory-authorized representative presence for startup and testing assistance and comprehensive operator training to Owner personnel. No set-aside designations, incumbent vendors, or specific budget ranges are identified in the available procurement documents. Bid documents are available on the City of Valdosta website at www.valdostacity.com/Finance/Purchasing/Bid Opportunities.