QBS for Professional Design and Engineering Services for Dredging at Levings Lake

The Rockford Park District is conducting a Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS) procurement for professional design and engineering services related to dredging at Levings Lake in Rock Island County, Illinois. The district seeks a design professional specializing in hydrological engineering, water resources engineering, environmental engineering, or aquatic surveying to provide comprehensive services including design, engineering, permitting, construction plan preparation, bidding, and construction administration. The project involves dredging an upstream sedimentation basin located west of Levings Lake and potentially executing partial or full dredging of the lake itself, with the primary objective of addressing increasing sedimentation in the lake and surrounding watershed. Evaluation of proposals will be conducted by a committee scoring submissions across four categories: background and introduction (30 points), example projects (20 points), project approach and understanding (20 points), and overall qualifications (30 points). Key dates include a pre-proposal conference on September 24, 2025, at 10:00 a.m., proposal submissions due on October 1, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. via Zoom, finalist interviews scheduled for October 14, 2025, and anticipated Board of Commissioners approval on November 11, 2025.

The solicitation does not explicitly mention specific set-aside designations or restrictions for disadvantaged enterprises. The Rockford Park District will comply with prevailing wage requirements and follow environmentally preferable purchasing guidelines during the procurement process. While specific budget details are not explicitly stated in the documentation, the district intends to negotiate fees with the selected firm after the evaluation process. The selected professional will be expected to provide comprehensive services including sampling, disposal recommendations, and alternative analysis for dredging scenarios ranging from 1/3 to full lake removal. No incumbent vendors or existing contractors are mentioned in the documentation, and there are no specific references to required technology integrations. The procurement will follow a qualifications-based selection method, with the ultimate goal of selecting a highly qualified engineering firm to address the sedimentation challenges at Levings Lake.