Engineer Recruitment Services

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), Office of Organizational Development, has issued Request for Proposal (RFP) 250000002236 for professional engineer recruitment services to identify, screen, and provide qualified candidates for vacant engineering positions within the department on an as-needed basis. The procurement seeks a single contractor to fill full-time positions across multiple classifications, including Transportation Engineer (grades 9-12), Senior Transportation Engineer (grades 13-15), and Senior Deputy Director (grade 20), with annual salaries ranging from $50,544 to $183,117. The contractor must provide qualified candidates within 60 calendar days of MDOT's request, attend kickoff and monthly progress meetings, and comply with all state Civil Service Commission and Office of Human Resources application and selection policies. Compensation will be structured as a firm percentage fee based on the hired candidate's annual salary, with invoices payable upon the candidate's employment start date; if a hired candidate leaves state employment within 90 days of hire, 100 percent of the search fee must be returned. Technical proposals will be evaluated on 100 points, with only proposals scoring 80 or more points eligible for price evaluation and award consideration, with best value determined by weighing technical score and price factors equally. The deadline for bidder questions was May 12, 2025, with answers posted May 13, 2025; proposals are due May 23, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The contract term is three years (July 30, 2025 to July 31, 2028) with an option to renew for up to four additional one-year periods at the State's discretion.

No set-aside designations or restrictions limiting the types of organizations that can respond have been identified in this procurement. The incumbent contractor is Seacon Associates, which charged 27 percent of hired candidates' annual salaries under the previous contract and successfully filled 25 positions, expending $626,640 from May 1, 2020 to present; the incumbent is eligible to resubmit a proposal. The contractor must maintain commercial general liability insurance with minimum limits of $500,000 per occurrence and $1,000,000 general aggregate, professional liability insurance of $1,000,000, and workers' compensation insurance. The contract is partially funded with federal funds and requires compliance with the Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment for contracts exceeding $100,000. MDOT has estimated a contract value of $400,000 for the three-year term; however, this amount is not guaranteed and the State is not obligated to purchase in this amount. Liquidated damages of $1,000 plus $100 per day will apply for late or improper completion of contract activities.