Trash and Recycling Collection Service 2026

The Regional Transportation District (RTD) in Denver is requesting proposals for trash and recycling collection services across multiple RTD facilities throughout the Denver metropolitan area, with proposals due July 2, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. This is a best-value competitive RFP with fixed pricing and a one-year initial term plus four optional one-year renewal periods, effective July 1, 2026.

RTD has not specified a Small Business Enterprise (SBE) participation goal but encourages proposers to document subcontracting, mentoring, joint venturing, or partnering efforts with SBE firms. The scope covers scheduled collection and on-call waste removal across 16 RTD locations including operational divisions (Platte, East Metro, District Shops, Elati, Boulder), transit stations (Denver Union Station, Civic Center Station, Blake Street Facility, Light Rail Facility), and administrative facilities (711 Building, Rio Court, Steele Street, Bus Concourse, SCC, BTS, and MOW). Container sizes range from 3-yard to 40-yard capacity with collection frequencies from once weekly to three times weekly. Critical service requirements include time-of-day restrictions (Blake Street Facility and Civic Center Station pickups before 6:00 a.m. or between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.), 24-hour correction of missed pickups, 48-hour replacement or repair of damaged containers, and 24/7 single point of contact. On-call services require authorization from RTD's Director of Facilities with 24-hour standard response and 4–6 hour emergency response, billed at fixed contractual rates with no surcharges.

Evaluation weighting: cost (40 percent), service reliability and performance history (25 percent), operational capacity and flexibility (20 percent), and customer service and responsiveness (15 percent). Required submissions include technical proposals (maximum 10 pages), cost proposals, organizational conflict of interest certifications, W-9 forms, and key personnel documentation. Proposals remain valid for a minimum of 90 days. The contract requires Commercial General Liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence/$2,000,000 aggregate, Commercial Automobile Liability of $1,000,000 combined single limit, Workers' Compensation with $1,000,000 Employer's Liability limits, and Umbrella/Excess Liability of $5,000,000 per occurrence/$5,000,000 aggregate. Questions close June 17, 2026 at 2:00 p.m., with RTD responses due June 25 at 1:00 p.m. A non-mandatory pre-proposal briefing was held June 10, 2026. Anticipated final selection is July 22, 2026. Addendum #1 (Revision) was posted June 24, 2026.