PA DEP Certified Drinking Water Operator

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP), in conjunction with Fulton County, are issuing an Invitation for Bids (IFB) for a PA DEP Certified Drinking Water Operator to provide comprehensive operation and maintenance services for the water supply system at the Warfordsburg Rest Area & Welcome Center, located at 1001 Quarry Road, Warfordsburg, PA 17267 (Site B, I-70 West, 0.5 miles west of the PA/MD state line). The contractor shall be responsible for treating approximately 870 gallons per day through softening and reverse osmosis filtration systems, sodium hypochlorite disinfection, and all associated pumping, storage, and distribution operations in compliance with Pennsylvania's Safe Drinking Water Act and Title 25 PA Code Chapter 109 regulations. Required deliverables include routine equipment inspections, chemical tank level monitoring, chlorine residual maintenance, filter replacements, system testing, water quality sampling and analyses, and 24/7 emergency callout services with a two-hour maximum response time. The contractor must employ only certified Class D water treatment plant operators with subclasses 6, 8, 9, and 12 certifications and must maintain a contracted certified drinking water laboratory for all required microbiological and chemical analyses. The contract comprises three pay items: Operation and Maintenance billed as a monthly unit cost, Additional Labor Hours billed hourly for emergency work, and Material and Equipment Contingency for approved parts and materials exceeding $100. The mandatory site visit is scheduled for Thursday, April 30, 2026, at 10:00 AM at the Treatment Building, with contact Jamie Chestney at 814-932-2491 to schedule an appointment. All questions must be submitted by Friday, May 1, 2026, at 1:00 PM, and bids are due by Wednesday, May 6, 2026, at 1:00 PM, with a virtual bid opening via Microsoft Teams at that time.

The contract incorporates the Commonwealth's Domestic Workforce Utilization Certification requiring offerors to commit to performing all direct labor exclusively within the United States or within World Trade Organization Government Procurement Agreement countries; no specific set-asides for disadvantaged enterprises are identified in the procurement documents. All contractors must comply with Pennsylvania labor laws, nondiscrimination provisions, contractor integrity standards, enhanced minimum wage provisions of $15.00 per hour adjusted annually, and comprehensive insurance requirements including workers' compensation and general liability insurance with minimum coverage of $250,000 per person and $1,000,000 per occurrence, with the Commonwealth named as additional insured. The initial contract term is one year commencing July 1, 2026, with renewal options for an additional one-year term at the Department's discretion and the ability to extend any single term up to three months, though specific award values or budget ranges are not disclosed in the procurement documents. The contract will be awarded to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder, and no incumbent vendor or current contractor information is provided. Bids must be submitted electronically through the Commonwealth's Sourcing and Relationship Management (SRM) system, and all contractors must submit ACH information within ten days of award for payment processing.