Street Lighting Projects- FHWA Funded

The City of Tucson is seeking qualified architectural and engineering consultants for two separate street lighting infrastructure projects funded by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) under RFQ No. 230121. The projects involve planning and design services for street lighting improvements on Country Club Road (between Grant Road and 22nd Street) and Nogales Highway (between Drexel Road and Los Reales Road). Consultants are required to prepare comprehensive planning documents, construction drawings, environmental documentation, specifications, and cost estimates for each location. Firms must be pre-qualified with the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) and can indicate interest in one or both projects. The evaluation will be points-based across five key criteria: Experience and Qualifications of Team (25 points), Firm Experience on Similar Projects (20 points), Available Resources (20 points), Project Approach (20 points), and Qualifications of the Firm (15 points). The solicitation was published on May 16, 2023, with proposals due on Tuesday, June 6, 2023, at 2:00 pm local Arizona time. A pre-submittal virtual conference is scheduled for Thursday, May 25, 2023, at 2:00 pm.

The procurement includes specific Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) participation requirements, with separate DBE goals for each project: 7.07% for Country Club Road and 7.01% for Nogales Highway. Consultants must complete an online bidders list and demonstrate either meeting the DBE goals or showing good faith efforts to do so. Potential sanctions for non-compliance include liquidated damages, contract termination, and disqualification from future projects. The project budgets are approximately $150,000 for the Country Club Road project and $125,000 for the Nogales Highway project. The contract will incorporate FHWA Terms and Conditions, requiring detailed record-keeping, monthly payment reporting, and ensuring DBE firms perform a commercially useful function in the contract work. Consultants must submit a DBE Goal Assurance Form with their Statement of Qualifications, with a clear warning that failure to properly complete the form will result in the proposal being considered non-responsive. The contract aims to promote fair participation of disadvantaged businesses while maintaining strict accountability in the procurement process.