California Gulch Groundwater Monitoring

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), Hazardous Materials Waste Management Division, is requesting proposals for groundwater monitoring services at the California Gulch Superfund Site near Leadville, Colorado, with proposals due November 25, 2026 at 2:00 PM Mountain Time under RFP 2027000068.

Minimum qualifications are decision-flipping: offerors must demonstrate a minimum of five years of experience with groundwater monitoring at California Gulch specifically; a minimum of five years of experience monitoring groundwater in a mining environment or at a Superfund site; a minimum of five years of experience maintaining groundwater monitoring networks, mine pool early alert systems, and groundwater monitoring websites; year-round access to monitoring sites; and successful management of at least three similar projects within the past five years.

The scope encompasses technical support and monitoring services across the 18-square-mile site (12 Operable Units) at approximately 10,000 feet elevation. Deliverables include maintaining and operating continuous groundwater monitoring equipment, downloading quarterly data, submitting quarterly Groundwater Level Monitoring Reports to the CDPHE Project Manager within one month of quarter end, updating the California Gulch website at californiagulch.us, maintaining a Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites agreement, and sustaining an Early Alert System at designated monitoring locations. The contractor must attend a kickoff meeting within 60 days of contract execution.

The annual budget is approximately $75,000, with a total five-year budget not expected to exceed $375,000, subject to funding availability. This is a fixed-price contract with all costs included in the proposal. The initial contract period runs February 1, 2027, through January 31, 2028, with potential renewal for up to four additional one-year periods, not to exceed five years total.

Evaluation criteria include organizational summary, experience and qualifications, supporting documentation, cost reasonableness, and references. Written inquiries are due October 29, 2026, with answers published by November 3, 2026. The anticipated contract start date is February 1, 2027. The State reserves the right to conduct discussions or request best and final offers before award determination.