Port of Port Orford Seawater Delivery System

The Port of Port Orford is soliciting proposals from qualified design-build firms to design, procure, and construct a Seawater Delivery System through a Request for Proposals issued February 1, 2026, with a proposal deadline of March 4, 2026, at 5:00 PM PT. The project requires delivery of a seawater delivery system capable of reliably providing approximately 800 gallons per minute of filtered seawater to support live seafood holding operations, aquaculture enterprises, research activities, and other commercial uses at the Port. The system will serve as an interim operational solution for current users while the Port develops a comprehensive high-capacity seawater system and will subsequently function as a backup and redundancy system. Key deliverables include preliminary evaluation and schedule documents, preliminary design documents, and a proposed Phase 2 contract price, with a final contract requiring design completion by June 15, 2026, permit approvals by August 1, 2026, construction commencement by September 1, 2026, and substantial completion by December 15, 2026, with final completion by January 15, 2027. A pre-bid walk-through is scheduled for February 11, 2026, with a deadline for questions on February 18, 2026, and contractor selection and award anticipated by March 25, 2026. Evaluation criteria include firm qualifications and experience (25 points), technical approach and methodology (25 points), project team qualifications (20 points), project schedule and delivery timeline (15 points), and cost proposal (15 points). Required qualifications include Oregon prevailing wage compliance, workers' compensation coverage, certified payroll reporting, commercial general liability insurance of $2,000,000, commercial automobile liability insurance of $2,000,000, professional liability insurance of $2,000,000 per claim, performance and payment bonds equal to 100 percent of the contract sum, and filing of a $30,000 Public Works Bond.

The procurement documents do not specify set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises or restrictions on the types of organizations that may respond beyond standard Oregon public contracting code requirements. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are identified in the available documentation. The project budget is $500,000, allocated as follows: $118,000 for design, engineering, managing, and permitting; $368,000 for the seawater pumping and distribution system, site work, and structure; and $14,000 contingency for marine construction variables and system testing, with proposers unable to exceed this total budget allocation. The Design-Builder's Phase 2 compensation is proposed as a Guaranteed Maximum Price of $500,000 for construction services, exclusive of permit costs, which will be reimbursed by the Port. The contract utilizes a phased delivery model structured under Oregon Design-Build authority (ORS 279C.800 and 279C.870), with payment made monthly based on progress, 5 percent retainage on progress payments, and release of retained amounts upon substantial completion. Liquidated damages are set at $100 per day for delays beyond the scheduled completion date, and the Port reserves the right to negotiate with the highest-ranked proposer or proceed to second and third-ranked proposers if negotiations fail.