Engineering Services For South Water Reclamation Facility (SWRF) Advanced Wastewater Treatment Improvements

Orange County, Florida is seeking engineering services for the South Water Reclamation Facility (SWRF) Advanced Wastewater Treatment Improvements project (Y23-825), a comprehensive infrastructure upgrade designed to enhance the existing wastewater treatment facility's performance. The procurement will involve a two-phase selection process for a qualified engineering firm to design, permit, and provide construction administration for advanced wastewater treatment improvements across the facility's 56 MGD average daily flow. Key deliverables include preliminary engineering, surveying, geotechnical investigation, stormwater management, design and construction document preparation, permitting, bidding assistance, and construction administration. Proposers must meet stringent technical requirements, including achieving advanced wastewater treatment standards of 5 mg/L BOD, 5 mg/L TSS, 3 mg/L TN, and 1 mg/L TP. The solicitation includes a non-mandatory pre-proposal conference scheduled for June 28, 2023, via Webex Events, with questions accepted until July 12, 2023, and final proposals due electronically by August 1, 2023, at 4:00 pm EST through the OpenGov e-Procurement Platform. Firms must achieve a minimum score of 255 points to advance to Phase 2, where each qualified proposer will be eligible for a $50,000 stipend.

The contract includes specific Minority/Women Owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE) participation requirements, with a goal of 27% contract value participation and workforce diversity goals of 18% minority and 6% women employee levels. Additional bonus points are available for hiring dislocated workers and registered service-disabled veterans. The project requires professional liability insurance of $5,000,000 and emphasizes maintaining existing plant operations during construction improvements. The estimated construction contract price is $110,000,000, with the engineering services contract valued at approximately $19,800,000. The contract term is set for 1,095 days after the Notice to Proceed, with special consideration required for phasing and screening due to the proximity of a Universal theme park expected to open in 2025. Three alternative approaches were evaluated, including Conventional 5-Stage Biological Nutrient Removal (BNR), 5-Stage BNR with Membrane Filtration, and 5-Stage BNR with Nuvoda MOB media, with construction cost estimates ranging from $107.4 million to $383.8 million.