Pipeline Trail Phase 3 - Architecture and Engineering Services

Pierce County Parks and Recreation is soliciting Statements of Qualifications from multidisciplinary architecture and engineering teams for Phase 3 of the Pipeline Trail under RFQ-based selection, with questions due November 13, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. and qualifications due November 20, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. No set-aside or eligibility restriction applies. Proposers are encouraged, not required, to use minority, women, and veteran-owned businesses and firms certified by the Washington State Office of Minority and Women's Business Enterprises.

The work covers design, engineering, and permitting of a 2.2-mile trail segment connecting the South section of Orangegate Park to the Fruitland Avenue E termination along the Tacoma Public Utilities Pipeline Road corridor. Deliverables include public outreach to support design, grant acquisition support, and construction documents sufficient for public bidding and permitting. Statements of qualifications may not exceed 20 pages, excluding cover letter and resumes, and past performance requires at least five recent projects. Negotiation requires per-employee direct labor rates and audit documentation from WSDOT or other state or federal agencies to establish overhead rates. Submissions are electronic, through Pierce County's eProcurement Portal.

The RFQ states no contract value. The initial term is 30 months with a one-year renewal option. Work begins January 2027, with design through January 2028, permitting and bid documents through March 2029, and construction administration through September 2030. Labor rate adjustments occur no more than once every 12 months, capped at 5 percent annually and tied to the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue CPI. Required insurance includes $1 million commercial general liability per occurrence, $1 million automobile liability, $1 million professional liability per occurrence with $2 million aggregate, and $2 million cyber liability per occurrence. Prevailing wage compliance under RCW 39.12 applies to applicable work. Compensation depends on receipt of funds from the County, state, federal, or other sources.

Evaluation criteria are relevant experience and qualifications (40 points), project approach and methodology (20 points), capacity and availability (20 points), accuracy and completeness of the submission (10 points), and past performance (10 points). Shortlisted firms may be invited to interviews in a second phase. Evaluation concludes about three weeks after the submission deadline, with contract execution about eight weeks after submission. The County negotiates with the highest-ranked firm and, if negotiations fail, proceeds to the next-ranked consultant. The County may reject all submissions. Proposal and interview costs are not reimbursed.