NEW BID DATE: Field Investigation, Post-Closure Land Use Plan/Site Remediation and Maintenance Plan Development, and LEA/CalRecycle Support for Recreation Park

The City of Escondido, California is requesting bids on digester cleaning services at the Hale Avenue Resource Recovery Facility wastewater plant under RFB No. 26-08, with sealed bids due June 11, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. at the City Clerk's office and a pre-bid meeting and site walk at 9:00 a.m. the same day. The work is designated specialty work, requiring the prime contractor to perform at least 51 percent of the adjusted total bid value using its own labor, materials, and equipment, with subcontractor work not exceeding 49 percent.

The scope encompasses cleaning and removal of all sludge, solids, liquids, hair, plastics, trash, organic and inorganic material, and leakage from three primary digesters and one secondary digester; onsite dewatering of removed contents; legal disposal of dewatered solids; high-pressure cleaning of interior digester walls, floors, ceilings, covers, piping, valves, draft tubes, and materials; and cleaning, inspection, and testing of gas diffusers and associated piping. The City may direct the contractor to perform additional repairs or installation work following inspection. The contractor must be a Class A licensed California contractor with experience completing at least three similar digester cleaning projects within the last five years.

The contract comprises six line items: mobilization and demobilization (not to exceed 10 percent of total bid price), digester cleaning and disposal paid per dry ton, Cal/OSHA safety compliance, temporary environmental controls, a $50,000 bid allowance for sludge transfer on a time and materials basis, and a $100,000 bid allowance for as-needed repairs and replacement on a time and materials basis. The contractor must submit a time and materials rate sheet with its bid. Bid security of 10 percent of the total bid is required. The successful bidder must furnish a faithful performance bond and labor and material bond each equal to 100 percent of the contract amount. Work must commence within one week of notice to proceed and be completed within 90 calendar days; liquidated damages of $1,500 per day apply for delays beyond that deadline. Prevailing wage rates apply per California Labor Code. The contractor must maintain California Workers' Compensation insurance and procure commercial general liability ($3 million), automobile liability ($3 million), and contractors pollution liability ($2 million), naming the City as an additional insured.