Pre-Advertisement Notice for Architectural, Engineering, Design and Construction Phase Services

The City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management is conducting a Professional and Consultant Services procurement pursuant to City of Atlanta Code 2-1193 to select qualified firms to provide on-call architectural, engineering, design, and construction phase services supporting the city's Capital Improvement Program and operational infrastructure needs. The procurement seeks to award agreements to up to six qualified consulting firms capable of delivering multidisciplinary engineering design services for water and wastewater treatment, water distribution, wastewater collection, watershed protection, and related infrastructure projects. Deliverables include initial planning, programming, design, engineering support during construction and start-up phases, and knowledge transfer activities. Prime proposers or lead joint venture partners must demonstrate a minimum of fifteen years of experience in multidisciplinary engineering design for water and wastewater infrastructure, with documented experience managing at least one similar as-needed engineering agreement with a contract fee of at least $3 million. All key staff must possess a minimum of ten years of experience in relevant disciplines and documented construction management assistance on at least five projects totaling not less than $100 million in combined construction value within the past ten years. Non-leading joint venture partners require a minimum of fifteen years in business or five years combined with a principal having fifteen years of experience. Evaluation criteria include demonstrated professional qualifications, technical expertise, staffing capacity, regulatory coordination experience, and past performance on complex water, wastewater, stormwater, and watershed infrastructure projects. The pre-solicitation conference is to be noticed separately, with a pre-advertisement notice posted on April 6, 2026, and proposals due May 15, 2026.

Each agreement will have a maximum five-year term with a not-to-exceed amount of $4 million per consultant, resulting in a cumulative not-to-exceed total of $24 million across all six agreements. Compensation will be provided through hourly billing rates for labor plus separately billed reimbursable expenses and other direct costs subject to pre-approval, with all 2026 billing rates required and annual escalation permitted only based on the Consumer Price Index for the Atlanta MSA. The maximum billing rate is capped at $240 per hour, including rates for firm principals. Consultants must submit an Overhead and Profit Schedule using a provided Excel template, with an Effective Overhead and Profit Rate not to exceed 3.20, and subconsultant markup is limited to 5 percent of actual labor costs, with no markup permitted on materials or other direct costs. Eligible reimbursable expenses include large-format reproductions, rendering costs, and pre-approved out-of-town travel, while non-reimbursable expenses include printing, computer time, plotting, local travel, and cell phone charges. The documentation does not specify set-aside designations, restrictions on organization types, incumbent vendors, or specific technology integration requirements. The City of Atlanta retains the right to commence, close, reduce, or extend services based on changing needs and fund availability.