Testing, Maintenance, Certification, Repair and/or Replacement of Backflow Prevention Devices, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Trinity, and Del Norte Counties.

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Division of Procurement and Contracts is issuing an Invitation for Bid (IFB) for testing, maintenance, certification, repair, and replacement of backflow prevention devices across Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Trinity, and Del Norte Counties within Caltrans District 01. The contractor must provide all labor, parts, materials, supplies, tools, equipment, travel, vehicles, and incidentals necessary to perform these services at various roadside rest areas, maintenance stations, and landscape areas. The scope of work includes routine testing and maintenance services scheduled primarily between February 1 and June 30 annually, with 16 line items representing estimated quantities ranging from 1 to 75 units, as well as non-routine emergency repair and replacement services available year-round. Routine service requests require a 48-hour response time and 96-hour completion window (excluding weekends and state holidays), while non-routine requests require a 2-hour response and 48-hour completion timeframe. The contractor must possess a valid Class A General Engineering Contractor license or C-36 Plumbing Contractor license from the California Contractors State Licensing Board, current Department of Industrial Relations registration, and employ a Certified Cross Connection Control Tester with an American Water Works Association (AWWA) Certificate of Competence to perform testing services. The bid submittal deadline is February 19, 2026 at 2:00 p.m., with the written question deadline on February 10, 2026, and an estimated contract award date of March 5, 2026. The contract is projected to commence March 1, 2026 and expire February 28, 2029, with the total bid proposal not to exceed $461,000.00.

This procurement includes a 5% Small Business (SB) preference for certified SB, Micro Business (MB), or SB-PW firms, and a 5% Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) incentive for verified 100% DVBE participation; subcontracting is not permitted. State General Prevailing Wage Rates apply if the total bid exceeds $15,000. The contractor must maintain Commercial General Liability insurance ($1,000,000 per occurrence, $2,000,000 aggregate), Automobile Liability insurance ($1,000,000 combined single limit), and Workers' Compensation with statutory limits, and provide two fully functional backflow prevention device testing kits at all times. A payment bond of 100% of the service request price is required for service requests exceeding $25,000, and all repair warranties must be maintained for 90 calendar days. The contractor must assume responsibility for all waste disposal and recycling costs in compliance with Senate Bill 1383 organic waste recycling requirements, with all costs including labor, materials, travel, insurance premiums, taxes, and disposal expenses incorporated into the unit prices. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are identified in this solicitation.