RFQ Portage County Professional Engineer Services – Survey, Design, Real Estate, Engineering Traffic Studies, And Construction Management for Highway and Bridges

The Portage County Highway Department in Wisconsin is issuing a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for professional engineering consultant services to support survey, design, real estate acquisition, engineering traffic studies, and construction management activities for highway and bridge projects spanning 2026 through 2028. The procurement encompasses five distinct service areas: survey and roadway design for county-constructed rural roadway projects with 3-to-4 rod-wide corridors; survey and drainage structure design for local-let projects including topographic surveys and hydraulic/hydrologic analysis; construction management and inspection services for locally-funded roadway or structure replacement projects; engineering traffic studies including intersection and corridor safety reviews and speed zone studies; and full-service real estate acquisition services including appraisals and negotiations. Proposers may respond to one or multiple service areas based on capability and expertise. The RFQ was posted March 12, 2026, with written questions due by March 26, 2026, addenda to be posted by March 28, 2026, and proposals due no later than 2:00 p.m. on April 7, 2026 to the Portage County Purchasing Department. The County does not anticipate conducting interviews or site visits and estimates award notification for early May 2026. Evaluation will be conducted on a 900-point scale per service area, allocating 300 points for organization capabilities and key staff qualifications, 400 points for relevant project experience demonstrating at least three similar projects completed within the past three years, and 200 points for cost control methodology and documented cost reduction examples. No cost proposal is required during the initial submission phase; costs will be negotiated separately for each specific project upon award.

Mandatory requirements for participation include current listing on the Wisconsin Department of Transportation Roster of Eligible Engineering Consultants, documented completion of at least three similar projects within the past five years, and provision of certificates of insurance with minimum coverage of one million dollars for both liability and automobile insurance. Proposals must be submitted in sealed packages containing one original plus three identical copies, including a signed cover letter with authority affidavit, responses to evaluation criteria, completed mandatory requirements documentation, and references from at least three comparable clients from the past five years. All subcontractors must be identified in the proposal and pre-approved by the County before commencing work. The RFQ does not specify set-aside designations, disadvantaged enterprise requirements, incumbent vendors, or specific award values or budget ranges; instead, the County reserves the right to award either individual project contracts or a master contract for a one-to-three-year period, with final contract terms and compensation to be negotiated with the highest-scoring proposer or subsequent proposers if initial negotiations are unsuccessful. The County also reserves the right to reject any and all proposals submitted.