Wes Brown Water Treatment Plant Ponds Sludge Removal and Disposal

The City of Thornton, Colorado is requesting proposals for sludge removal and disposal services at the Wes Brown Water Treatment Plant on an on-call, as-needed basis under an open-ended General Service Agreement, with proposals due October 20, 2026. The contract does not guarantee any minimum volume of services, and Thornton reserves the right to award to multiple Service Providers.

The scope covers removal and disposal of sludge generated at three operational sludge ponds at 3651 East 86th Avenue, Thornton, Colorado. The sludge consists primarily of powder activated carbon and aluminum, iron, and calcium resulting from water treatment chemicals. Thornton's goal is to remove sludge from all ponds annually, typically between spring and fall, weather permitting.

Service Providers must demonstrate successful completion of similar projects in Colorado within the past five years. Required insurance includes Workers' Compensation, Commercial General Liability ($2 million per occurrence / $4 million aggregate), Automobile Liability ($1 million), and Professional Liability ($2 million each claim / aggregate) if applicable.

Compensation may be structured through Time and Material with specified markup percentages for insurance, bonds, overhead, and profit; Unit Pricing for discrete work elements; Lump Sum quotes; or Competitive Sealed Bids from pre-qualified firms. The RFP specifies three disposal options with unit pricing: removal in gallons for composting, removal in gallons for land application, and removal in dry tons for landfilling. Rate adjustments may be renegotiated annually, limited to the yearly increase in the Engineering News Record Construction Cost Index.

The Agreement commences upon execution and terminates December 31, 2031, unless sooner terminated by Thornton with seven calendar days' written notice. Proposals must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. local time on October 20, 2026, either electronically through BidnetDirect.com or physically to the Contract Administration Office at City Hall.