On-Call Fiber Utility Trench & Substructure Installation Contract

The City of Palo Alto Utilities Department (Invitation for Bids #IFB197363) seeks a qualified contractor to provide on-call fiber utility trench and substructure installation services under a three-year contract spanning the 2026-2029 budget years. The procurement encompasses trenching, boring, excavation, installation of conduits and substructures, backfill, paving, and surface restoration for new fiber services and system modifications. The contractor must furnish all labor, tools, equipment, materials, supplies, manufactured articles, and transportation required for the work, with labor demonstrating a minimum of five years of experience in the same type of work and holding relevant trade certifications and proper personal protective equipment. Deliverables include weekly pre-construction meetings, detailed construction schedules, traffic control plans, written job estimates by bid item number, daily reports with receipts submitted at day's end, monthly invoices with detailed cost breakdowns, and final worksheets comparing estimated versus actual costs per bid item with explanations for significant variances. Key objectives include responding to service requests within twenty-four hours of initial contact, maintaining normal work hours of 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., establishing a construction headquarters with secure material storage at an engineer-approved location, and completing work within sixty working days from the Notice to Proceed. Evaluation criteria include ability to perform work within specifications and timeframe, equipment and facilities availability, satisfactory prior performance history, and compliance with applicable laws and regulations. A non-mandatory pre-bid meeting is scheduled for April 14, 2026, at 11:00 a.m.; written questions must be submitted by April 17, 2026, at 1:00 p.m.; and electronic bids are due by April 28, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. through the City's procurement portal, with work anticipated to commence on or about August 1, 2026.

There are no specific set-aside designations or disadvantaged enterprise restrictions identified in the procurement documents. Contractors must hold a valid California Class A General Engineering Contractor's license and maintain current Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) registration; the project is subject to California prevailing wage requirements under Labor Code Sections 1720 et seq., mandating compliance with prevailing wage rates, certified payroll reporting, and apprenticeship requirements. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are listed in the available documentation. Bid security of ten percent of the aggregate bid amount is required for all bids exceeding $25,000, and performance and payment surety bonds equal to 100% of the contract sum must be provided within ten business days of award. Compensation is structured on a cost-plus-markup basis for materials and disposal fees, with the City paying for actual work performed at hourly rates for labor and equipment as bid; the specific award value or budget range is not disclosed in the procurement documents, though the contract encompasses multiple labor categories (estimated at 10 to 8,000 hours) and equipment categories (estimated at 50 to 3,000 hours) across the three-year period. Liquidated damages of five hundred dollars per day may be assessed for unexcused delays, and the award will be made to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder.