RFPQ 26024 Middle Oconee East Trunk Sanitary Sewer Improvements Phase 1A

The Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County is soliciting pre-qualification applications from responsible construction general contractors for the Middle Oconee East Trunk Sanitary Sewer Improvements Phase 1A project in accordance with Georgia's Local Government Public Works Construction Law. The project involves replacing an aging 30-inch concrete pipe trunk line with a proposed 48-inch ductile iron pipe (DIP) system and includes installation of approximately 4,250 linear feet of 48-inch DIP, 50 linear feet of 16-inch DIP, 200 linear feet of 12-inch DIP, 400 linear feet of 72-inch casings for stream crossings, and 26 precast concrete manholes extending from the Middle Oconee Water Reclamation plant to the Macon Highway Bridge. Additional scope includes new trench work, same-trench replacement, one 160-linear-foot jack and bore under Macon Highway, erosion control, landscaping, creek crossings, groundwater dewatering, pavement and sidewalk repair or replacement, traffic control, and large-scale bypass pumping operations throughout project duration. Qualified contractors must demonstrate at least three gravity sewer installation projects completed within the past five years, with all three containing at least 3,000 linear feet of gravity sewer in heavily trafficked areas and at least two including 2,000 linear feet or more of DIP gravity sewer with 24-inch to 30-inch or larger diameters; additionally, contractors must document at least one successful wastewater bypass pumping operation exceeding 6,600 gpm capacity. General Contractors and Project Superintendents must have successfully completed at least three comparable projects with at least one including bypass pumping operations. Evaluation criteria assign 60 percent weight to project construction experience and 40 percent to corporate criteria. The mandatory pre-proposal conference and site visit is scheduled for 10:00 A.M. ET on February 11, 2026, at the Athens-Clarke County Public Utilities Training room, with pre-qualification applications due by 3:00 P.M. ET on March 2, 2026; applicants will be notified of their qualification status approximately two to three weeks after submission, with anticipated project notice to proceed in April 2026.

Contractors must maintain current Georgia General Contractor or Georgia Utility Contractor licensure, have operated under their current corporate name for at least three years, and possess sufficient bonding capacity for 100 percent of the contract amount. Required insurance policies include $1,000,000 workers compensation, $10,000,000 general liability, $5,000,000 excess liability, $1,000,000 automotive liability, and $5,000,000 pollution liability. Disqualifying factors include project defaults or failures to complete within the past ten years, bankruptcy within nine years, project abandonment, litigation or claims against owners or design firms within five years, and current disputes with Athens-Clarke County Government or related entities. The procurement documents do not specify set-aside designations or restrictions limiting responses to particular organization types based on disadvantaged enterprise status. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are identified in the available documentation. The anticipated construction value for this project ranges between $10,500,000 and $11,500,000, with shortlisted proposers subsequently invited to submit cost proposals and preliminary schedules after 100 percent construction drawings are issued.