Third-Party Design Review of Screened Final Effluent Project

The Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) in Wayne County, Michigan is soliciting proposals for third-party design review services related to the Screened Final Effluent (SFE) Rehabilitation project at the Detroit Water Resource Recovery Facility. This qualifications-based, time-and-material procurement seeks an independent, multidisciplinary evaluation of design documents produced by the design-builder to assess quality, completeness, technical soundness, and metallurgy/corrosion risk across multiple disciplines including water quality and process design, structural and geotechnical design, mechanical and electrical systems, controls, architectural elements, and pilot-scale testing effectiveness. Qualified vendors must be licensed engineering firms authorized to practice in at least one U.S. jurisdiction with a minimum of seven years of wastewater engineering design experience on municipal or industrial water resource recovery facilities, demonstrated experience reviewing complex engineering documents for accuracy and completeness, and within the past five years, evidence of technical evaluations, expert opinions, or advisory services such as peer reviews or forensic assessments on comparable engineering projects. Deliverables include a project schedule with biweekly updates, meeting and workshop plans, meeting minutes, a draft technical report with initial findings, and a final technical report assessing key design elements. The solicitation was advertised January 23, 2026, with an optional solicitation meeting scheduled for January 30, 2026 at 1:00 PM EST; questions must be submitted by February 4, 2026 at 12:00 PM EST; and proposals are due February 13, 2026 at 12:00 AM EST, with estimated service start of February 20, 2026. Evaluation criteria include Technical Ability (25%), Availability and Responsiveness (30%), Key Personnel (25%), and Relevant Experience (20%), with proposals not to exceed 10 pages excluding effort tables and schedules, and GLWA reserves the right to interview the top two vendors following submission.

No set-asides or business inclusion and diversity requirements apply to this procurement. The existing design-builder is NORESCO, LLC, with Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. serving as the engineer and F.H. Paschen, S.N. Nielsen & Associates, LLC as an additional contractor; vendors must disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest with these entities. The project involves extensive infrastructure including a new SFE Treatment Building with six vertical turbine pumps (60 million gallons per day firm capacity with future expansion to 84 mgd), cloth disk filtration, chemical storage and feed systems, booster pump systems, and associated electrical, instrumentation, control, civil, structural, architectural, and mechanical systems documented in comprehensive design drawings, basis of design reports, alternatives evaluations, and technical specifications. The contract specifies a not-to-exceed compensation amount to be entered by GLWA, with payment based on fully burdened hourly rates for Project Management, Subject Matter Expert, Review Engineer, and Administrative Support classifications, monthly invoicing within thirty days of calendar month close, and payment due within forty-five days of invoice receipt. Substantial insurance requirements include Workers' Compensation at statutory limits, Commercial General Liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence/$2,000,000 aggregate, Automobile Liability of $1,000,000 combined single limit, Professional Liability of $3,000,000 per claim, and Umbrella/Excess Liability of $4,000,000 per occurrence, with GLWA named as additional insured on the general liability policy.