Underground utility location services

The Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati (MSDGC), acting through the City of Cincinnati's Office of Procurement in Hamilton County, Ohio, is seeking qualified offerors to provide Underground Utility Location Services through a Request for Qualifications issued March 10, 2026, with a submission deadline of April 7, 2026, at 1:00 PM ET via the City's Bonfire portal. The services encompass utility surveying, locating, ground penetrating radar scanning, and utility mapping in accordance with ASCE 38-02 standards to support project planning and assist field inspectors in identifying existing subsurface utilities including electric, gas, water, sewer, telecommunications, and fiber lines. The contract term is five years with one optional two-year extension, and the successful contractor must demonstrate expertise across five evaluation criteria weighted as follows: Experience & Expertise (40 points), Qualifications of Key Staff Assigned to Project (20 points), Quality Assurance & Control (20 points), Understanding the Requirements (20 points), and Technologies for Utility Marking (10 points). Offerors must submit corporate contact information, an affidavit of accuracy notarized and signed by authorized representatives, organizational structure documentation, comprehensive business history, disclosure of any judgments or contract noncompliance findings within the past ten years, subcontracting outreach program plans, and an Equal Employment Opportunity compliance form (MSDGC Form 147). The deadline for written questions is March 24, 2026, and contract negotiations with the preferred offeror were anticipated to commence approximately June 1, 2026.

All contractors must comply with the MSDGC Small Business Enterprise Program, which establishes mandatory subcontracting targets of at least 20 percent of contract value to small business enterprises and 5 percent to women-owned business enterprises (WBEs), with comprehensive documentation required to demonstrate good faith outreach efforts. Offerors must maintain Equal Employment Opportunity compliance throughout contract performance, including maintaining an Affirmative Action Plan with established goals and timetables for minority and female workforce participation, and they are subject to monitoring by the Department of Economic Inclusion and potential compliance audits. The organization type (Professional Services, Construction Services, Supplier, or Other) must be identified, and corporate authorization documentation appropriate to the entity's legal structure—including corporate resolutions for corporations or affidavits of authority for LLCs and partnerships—is mandatory. Upon award, the successful contractor must register with Vendor Self Service, maintain taxpayer good standing status with the City, and remit an administrative fee equal to one percent of total contract sales payable quarterly within forty-five days of invoice. The total contract budget shall not exceed $450,000, and the selected contractor must maintain insurance coverage including general liability of One Million Dollars per occurrence and Two Million Dollars per project aggregate, professional liability of One Million Dollars per claim, and automobile liability of One Million Dollars per occurrence, with the City named as additional insured.