Georgetown Railroad Trail, Phase 1 - S 31st Street to S 5th Street (TXDOT Funded)

The City of Temple, Texas, on behalf of Bell County, is seeking sealed bids for the Georgetown Railroad Trail, Phase 1 construction project (CSJ: 0909-36-173), a TxDOT-funded infrastructure initiative. The procurement is structured as a unit price contract requiring bidders to furnish all labor, materials, and services necessary to construct approximately 7,400 linear feet of a 10-foot-wide ADA-compliant hike and bike trail along the Georgetown Railroad corridor from South 31st Street to South 5th Street. The project scope includes landscaping elements, an irrigation system, pedestrian lighting, electrical components, and installation of a pedestrian HAWK signal at the South 31st Street intersection. The selected contractor must complete all work within 210 consecutive calendar days from the Notice to Proceed, and the project is subject to TxDOT Standard Specifications and Davis-Bacon Act prevailing wage requirements. The bid was posted February 9, 2026, with sealed bid submissions due March 3, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. CST, with a pre-bid conference conducted on February 19, 2026, and virtual bid opening scheduled immediately following submission. Bidders must submit a complete Bidder Information Form, acknowledge receipt of all addenda, authorize credit checks to verify financial responsibility, and certify their ability to perform and comply with all contract terms and conditions. The contract evaluation criteria include compliance with all federal and state requirements, bonding capacity, financial stability, and submission of a 5 percent bid bond with the proposal.

There are no indicated set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises, women-owned businesses, or minority-owned businesses listed in the procurement documents; however, the Federal Vendor Certification Form requires contractors to demonstrate affirmative steps for small and minority business enterprise engagement. Bidders must comply with numerous federal certifications and requirements, including Davis-Bacon Act prevailing wage compliance, Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act provisions, Clean Air Act and Federal Water Pollution Control Act compliance, Equal Employment Opportunity standards, System for Award Management debarment verification, Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment compliance, and Buy America preferences. Performance bonds and payment bonds at 100 percent of the contract price, comprehensive insurance coverage including workers' compensation and commercial general liability, and execution of Texas-specific compliance forms including the Child Support Business Ownership Form and Conflict of Interest Questionnaire are mandatory. At least 30 percent of the total original contract cost must be performed by the contractor's own organization, and all subcontracts exceeding $2,000 must include applicable wage determinations. The engineer's estimate of probable cost for this project is $3,780,000, representing the anticipated project budget, with liquidated damages assessed at $630 per calendar day for schedule extensions and retainage held at 10 percent of work performed with payment within 30 days of final acceptance.