Owner’s advisor and design services for mercy west advanced treatment system

The City of Cincinnati, on behalf of the Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati (MSDGC), is soliciting qualifications for an Owner's Advisor and Design Services firm to support the Mercy West Advanced Treatment System (MWATS) project in Hamilton County, Ohio, through Request for Qualifications #265X901171. The selected firm will provide comprehensive technical and project management support throughout all project lifecycle phases, including study, planning, design, and construction closeout. Key deliverables include serving as the Owner's Advisor Project Manager, preparing design-builder-operator RFP specifications and bid documents, developing site preparation design documents, supporting procurement and contract execution processes, managing project scope and schedule progression, and providing technical support for Ohio EPA State Revolving Fund reporting requirements. The MWATS project focuses on implementing an advanced treatment system to address antimicrobial resistance by treating hospital wastewater from Mercy West Hospital through a membrane bioreactor (MBR) and advanced oxidation process (AOP) utilizing UV and hydrogen peroxide technologies to remove antibiotic-resistant bacteria and genes before discharge into the collection system. The project is designed for average daily flows of 77,000 gallons per day with peak hourly flow capacity of 200,000 gallons per day, and will include one year of pre-installation sewershed characterization and one-year post-installation monitoring. Evaluation criteria are weighted as follows: Overall Qualifications of the Firm (15%), Qualifications of Key Personnel (30%), Project Approach and Management (20%), Similar Completed Projects (15%), and Small Business Enterprise Participation (20%). The pre-submittal meeting is scheduled for June 2, 2026, at 10:00 AM in Cincinnati, Ohio; the RFQ questions/comments deadline is June 9, 2026, at 1:30 PM; and all submissions must be uploaded to the City's Bonfire portal (https://cincinnati-oh.bonfirehub.com/) by June 23, 2026, at 1:30 PM. Evaluation will occur between June 22 and June 30, 2026, with negotiation and award anticipated by August 1, 2026.

This solicitation includes a Small Business Enterprise (SBE) set-aside designation with a 13% SBE participation goal that comprises 20% of the overall evaluation score, reflecting the City's commitment to economic inclusion and providing opportunities to both established and emerging SBE firms. Firms must be certified in applicable NIGP and/or NAICS codes to qualify for SBE credit, and SBE certifications are accepted from four approved certifying agencies: City of Cincinnati (SBE, SLBE, and BSBE designations), State of Ohio EDGE program, City of Dayton PEP SBE, and U.S. SBA 8(a) program. Offerors must submit a Qualifications Questionnaire with five attachments addressing overall firm qualifications, key personnel qualifications with resumes and organizational chart, project approach and management narrative, similar completed projects, and SBE participation documentation including a Subconsultant Utilization Plan and Statements of Intent to Contract and Perform for each proposed SBE subconsultant. The anticipated contract term is three years with two optional one-year extensions for a possible total duration of five years, with compensation structured on a time and materials basis calculated as actual salaries paid multiplied by a Direct Labor Multiplier as specified in the contract exhibits, with subconsultant costs subject to a maximum five percent markup. The selected firm must maintain general liability insurance of at least one million dollars per occurrence and two million dollars per project aggregate, professional liability insurance with a combined single limit of one million dollars per claim, workers compensation insurance as required by Ohio law, valuable papers insurance, and automobile liability insurance of one million dollars per occurrence. Funding for the MWATS project is anticipated through Ohio's Clean Water State Revolving Fund under the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, including Supplemental and Emerging Contaminants grants available in Fiscal Year 2025, with the Emerging Contaminants grant providing 100% principal forgiveness that effectively functions as grant funding by reducing eligible capital costs.