Materials Testing and Inspection

The City of Long Beach is seeking qualified firms to provide as-needed construction materials testing, hazardous materials testing, and special inspection services under RFQ PW-23-269, with proposals due January 29, 2025. The City intends to pre-qualify multiple contractors across three service categories on a non-exclusive basis; sixteen proposals were received and eight firms selected for construction materials testing, four for hazardous materials testing, and five for special inspection services. All prevailing wage and Project Labor Agreement requirements apply to covered field work.

Proposers may bid on one or multiple service lines: On-Call Materials Testing and Inspection Services, On-Call Environmental Support Services, or On-Call Hazardous Material Testing and Support Services. The scope includes certified laboratory testing, acceptance testing and independent assurance programs under the City's Quality Assurance Program (based on Caltrans Local Assistance Procedures Manual), source inspection of manufactured materials, and special inspection services. All materials laboratories must be private consultants certified by a California registered engineer and participate in correlation testing programs such as AASHTO Materials Reference Laboratory, Cement and Concrete Reference Laboratory, or Caltrans' Reference Samples Program. Personnel must hold certifications from Caltrans District Materials Engineers, the American Concrete Institute, or state and local government-approved organizations. Testing equipment must be calibrated annually to National Institute of Standards and Technology standards.

The contract is awarded for an initial three-year period with options to renew for two additional one-year periods, not to exceed five years total. No minimum work volume is guaranteed. The previous contract valued $36 million aggregate over five years across six consultants; fees are fixed for three years with no escalation allowed. Proposals are evaluated on organizational capacity and experience (35 percent weight), method of approach (25 percent), communication (20 percent), and financial stability (20 percent). A local preference of five percentage points applies to businesses with principal place of business within Long Beach city limits; an additional five points applies to brick-and-mortar or non-residential commercial locations. Contractors must maintain $1 million commercial general liability per occurrence, $2 million aggregate, $1 million professional liability, and workers' compensation coverage. Questions were due January 7, 2025. Eight firms were selected: Kleinfelder, Group Delta Consultants, RMA Group, Ninyo & Moore, Twining, GMU Geotechnical, Willdan Engineering, and S2 Engineering.