Multi-Provider, On Call, Vactor and Drainage Facility Cleaning services in San Diego and Imperial Counties.

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has issued an Invitation for Bid (IFB) 11A4244 for multi-provider, on-call Vactor and Drainage Facility Cleaning services across San Diego and Imperial Counties. The procurement seeks a contractor to provide comprehensive drainage facility cleaning operations, including labor, tools, materials, equipment, and necessary resources for testing, identifying, reducing contamination, removing, and legally treating waste materials from various drainage infrastructure. Specific cleaning services cover 31 line items encompassing drop inlets, channels, ditches, culvert pipes, confined spaces, pump house chambers, Austin Sand Filters, traction sand traps, and gross solids removal devices. Bidders must possess a Class A General Engineering Contractor license with multiple specialized certifications, including Hazardous Substance Removal Certification, Motor Carrier Permit, Hazardous Waste Transporter Registration, and HAZWOPER certification. Key procurement dates include a written question submission deadline of November 10, 2025, with final bid submissions due November 20, 2025 at 2:00 p.m., followed by bid opening at 2:30 p.m. The proposed contract award date is December 1, 2025, with a contract term running from December 3, 2025 to December 2, 2028.

The solicitation includes specific set-aside and participation goals, mandating a 25 percent Small Business participation objective with preference granted to certified Small Business or Micro Business firms. Additionally, a mandatory 3 percent Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) participation requirement exists, with potential incentive opportunities up to a $100,000 combined cap. Contractors must maintain comprehensive insurance coverage, including $1,000,000 per occurrence general liability, $1,000,000 automobile liability, $1,000,000 employers liability, and $1,000,000 pollution liability coverage. The contract will be structured as a multiple-provider agreement, with work initially assigned to the lowest-ranked bidder and subsequently distributed to other bidders if the primary contractor reaches capacity or has five pending service requests. Prevailing wages will apply if the total bid amount exceeds $15,000, and contractors must comply with State General Prevailing Wage Rates for the specified counties. While the maximum agreement amount is currently listed as "TBD" pending bid evaluation, the comprehensive nature of the services and multi-year contract suggests significant potential value for the selected contractors.