RFSQ CMAR for Copeland Basin Complex Expansion

Coconino County Flood Control District is requesting Statements of Qualifications from Construction Manager at Risk firms for post-wildfire flood mitigation infrastructure improvements at the Copeland Basin Complex on U.S. Highway 89 north of Flagstaff, Arizona, with SOQs due September 30, 2026, and a pre-proposal meeting scheduled for September 10 at 11:00 a.m. via Microsoft Teams. This is a qualifications-based selection under Arizona Revised Statutes 34-601 through 34-612, with the District intending to award one contract to the best-qualified respondent following a one-step process; short-listed firms may be invited for interviews before negotiations commence. Women and minority-owned businesses are encouraged to submit; the selected CMAR is required to use best efforts to engage minority business enterprises, women business enterprises, and local contractors or suppliers.

The scope encompasses value engineering, cost estimating, and expansion of five existing detention basins into four larger basins requiring approximately 350,000 cubic yards of excavation (with 35,000 cubic yards placeable on-site), four concrete flood control structures, outlet banks, headwalls, rip-rap, access roads, guardrails, handrails, fencing, and hydroseeding. The project addresses closures of U.S. Highway 89 caused by flooding following the Pipeline Fire, which burned 26,532 acres in June 2022. Ardurra Engineering, Inc. is providing engineering design with 60% of plans completed; JE Fuller is performing hydrologic modeling. The NEPA process is underway.

The District has secured $15,590,568 in U.S. Department of Transportation PROTECT grant funding and $3,705,842 in Arizona SMART grant funding. The anticipated construction season runs November 2026 through June 2027, with substantial completion targeted for June 30, 2027, and final completion by July 15, 2027. The selected CMAR will work under a phased agreement model beginning with pre-construction services on an hourly basis with a not-to-exceed fee, followed by submission of a Guaranteed Maximum Price proposal for construction.

Evaluation criteria total 100 points: general information (10 points), experience and qualifications with CMAR delivery and similar detention basin projects (30 points), key personnel qualifications (15 points), project approach and management philosophy (20 points), and specific capabilities in post-wildfire flood mitigation and federal funding requirements (25 points). Vendors must demonstrate completion of at least five similar projects within the past 60 months and provide references. Respondents must be registered with the Arizona Corporation Commission and authorized to conduct business in Arizona.