Microsoft Word - Engineering RFP Oct 9 2008

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Engineering Design and Specifications BRIDGE TO BRIDGE Underpass Project

City Contact Representative Steven Westbay

Community Development Director Phone#: 970/641-8152 Fax #: 970/641-8051

[email protected] This Request for Proposal (RFP) has been developed to solicit proposals from engineering consultants who have specific expertise in the design of bicycle/pedestrian trail structures across state highways and working on projects subject to FEMA regulations for developing facilities in the designated Floodway. Responses Due: November 12, 2008 Close of Business: 5:00 P.M.

1.0 THE SOLICITATION The City of Gunnison is seeking a Colorado Professional Engineer to develop a set of detailed civil engineering plan designs for non-motorized access across two sections of highway in the vicinity of the City. The purpose of this project is to construct bicycle/pedestrian structures providing connectivity to trail segments of the BRIDGE TO BRIDGE trails project as part of the City of Gunnison Trails Master Plan. The initial thought is develop non-motorized underpasses at two bridges crossing the Gunnison River. One bridge is on Highway 50 west of Gunnison (TWIN BRIDGES SEGMENT) and the other is on Highway 135 north of Gunnison (UNDERPASS AT NORTH BRIDGE SEGMENT). However, the City is open to exploring other means to accomplish highway crossings. Alternatives include, but are not limited to box culverts, or pedestrian overpass bridges. In addition to the underpass crossings, two non-motorized bridges crossing the Gunnison River will also be designed. One bridge, adjacent to Highway 50, will cross the river and connect to the Whitewater Park. The other bridge will be adjacent to Highway 135 and will connect the underpass structure to the boat launch located on the north river bank. The City of Gunnison will utilize Trails Design and Management Handbook (Open Space and Trails Program, Pitkin County, Colorado) and any other applicable codes as a basis for general trail designs. 2.0 INTRODUCTION The City of Gunnison has adopted a Trails Master Plan to construct a trails system in, and around the city to

provide safe access for bicycles and pedestrians to city amenities and schools as well as outlying recreation areas. The proposed trail system will provide access to schools, Western State College, city parks, the Community Center, the Gunnison River, and the Hartman Rocks Recreation Area from all points within the city limits. Residents in unincorporated subdivisions will have safe access to town and the schools and non-motorized travelers will benefit from separated highway crossings. The BRIDGE TO BRIDGE project will improve accessibility and connectivity for all points from three miles north of town to three miles south of town. Following passage of a bond issue dedicating a sales tax base for development of the trails system, a Request for Proposals (RFP) was issued and Recreation Engineering and Planning consultants (REP) were retained to develop a phased implementation strategy prioritizing various segments of the trails system based upon the social and economic benefits provided, land availability, and funding. A Colorado State Trails Grant was secured to fund development of the Trails Master Plan. The adopted Gunnison Trails Master Plan (2008) is available for view at the city of Gunnison web-site, under City Departments, Parks and Recreation (www.cityofgunnison-co.gov) Planning for a trails system did not begin with the passage of the bond initiative in 2007. The 1997 Three Mile Plan, the Update to the Transportation Element of the City Master Plan (2000), and the City of Gunnison Master Plan, adopted April 25, 2007, contain several goals and policies related to development of a trails system. The West Gunnison Neighborhood Phase I Initial Plan contains a Transportation Opportunities and Constraints Map suggesting an alignment providing greater access to neighborhood services, employment opportunities and outdoor recreation. In July and August 2007 public meetings were held to provide opportunities for stakeholders and the public to review and comment on various options for trail alignment. The Bureau of Land Management, United States Forest Service, Colorado Division of Wildlife, National Park Service, and County Airport were all involved participants. The Gunnison County Trails Commission and Gunnison Nordic Council were, and continue to be, involved in the plan development. Following the public meetings the consultants and City staff conducted fieldwork and research to determine the delineation of the Outer Loop, which will connect multiple City-owned parcels, the college, Gunnison County, public schools, and the proposed Gunnison Rising annexation. The consultant’s recommendations provide basic alignment information to include a recommendation to use existing river bridge structures to establish separated non-motorized crossings of the related highways. At this point the city staff intuitively feels that the utilization of the bridge structures is the most cost effective means to accomplish the crossings, but the city is open to alternative means to develop safe highway crossings if cost savings can be accomplished. The remainder of this RFP will focus on the bridge underpass designs. 3.0 PRELIMINARY SCOPE OF WORK 3.01 Introduction The City is in the initial scoping process for development of construction-level engineer plans for the underpasses at the bridges crossing the Gunnison River on Highway 135 north of the city and

on Highway 50 southwest of the city. The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) requires a License Agreement to construct these underpasses. The License Agreement requires CDOT review of construction level engineering designs. In the interim, the City has received a letter of support from CDOT for the project, but the permitting element is contingent upon engineering plan detail. The City, under a separate contract, is in the process of developing a site survey of the underpass areas to include adjacent property boundaries, two-foot contour data, and elevation datum for the bridge structures. Site survey data will be prepared in an AutoCad file format and will be provided to the selected engineer for this project. The City has also initiated field work to identify jurisdictional wetlands affected by the underpass construction. Permitting requirements under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act will be handled by the city under a separate contract with the project wetland consultant. The initial thought is to construct the underpass facilities so they would not be inundated during a 10-year flood event or high water from a typical spring runoff. However, there will be times when the underpass structures would be inundated, and they would have to convey flows in a manner that will not affect Base Flood discharge. It is anticipated that hydrologic and hydraulic analyses must be established to demonstrate that any structures in the proposed encroachments will not result in any increase in flood levels within the community during the occurrences of Base Flood discharge (44CFR 60.3(d)(3)). Design considerations will be utilized that minimize maintenance requirements through proper drainage, access, construction, stabilization, and location. 3.02 Conceptual Description At the TWIN BRIDGES SEGMENT appriximately 300 ft. concrete ramp and underpass will be constructed on the east side of the Gunnison River under the bridge on Highway 50, providing safe access without crossing the highway. On the south side of the highway bridge a 170 ft. steel pedestrian/bicycle bridge will be constructed over the river, providing access to the Whitewater Park and a connection to other sections of the Outer Loop and to the Hartman Rocks Recreation Area. On the east side of the river, between Highway 50 and the frontage road, connecting to the concrete ramp, will be a 350 ft., 10-12 feet wide, soft surface detached trail. A Pedestrian/Bicycle License Agreement is being developed with the Colorado Department of Transportation for construction of the trail segments within CDOT rights-of-way.

The Highway 50 Bridge is a steel I-beam structure with three segments. Two bearing structures are located in the river channel to support the bridge center span segments. The embankment structure is a concrete grade beam bearing on two concrete piers. Electrical lines and a gas line are attached to the bridge facility. The bridge embankment is lined with large rip-rap to protect from channel erosion. As noted by the image, vertical clearance will be a challenge; an eight foot clearance is desirable but may not be achievable without significant excavation. The underpass facility will require adequate design to maintain the embankment structural integrity from erosion forces. More images of the bridge structure are provided in Appendix 1. The UNDERPASS AT NORTH BRIDGE will be the other link of the BRIDGE TO BRIDGE project. It will be approximately 375 feet long, 10-12 feet wide concrete ramp and underpass under the Highway 135 Bridge that crosses the Gunnison River. On the west side of the highway a ±220 ft. pedestrian/bicycle bridge will be constructed over the river, providing access to the rafter boat launch site. This proposed bridge is being constructed by Gunnison County and it is likely that the final engineering contract will include the County’s bridge design, but final agreement details between the City and County have not be completed. The existing Highway 135 bridge structure is also a three-segment steel I-beam design with two bearing supports in the channel carrying the center spans. The concrete support structure at the channel embankment is a continuous grade beam. It is likely that a continuous footer is located at the base of the grade beam, but the structure’s base is not exposed. The Highway 135 Bridge has natural gas lines on both the east and west side of the bridge and those lines are attached to the bridge platform. Height separation under the Highway 135 bridge is not an issue, but the highway ROW width and grade change on the east side of the river will present a design challenge. Engineering plans for both bridge structures are being provided to the City from CDOT and those plans will be made available to the firm chosen for this project. 3.03 Basic Design Elements As previously noted there are no preliminary concepts for the underpass designs. A review of similar designs in other communities indicates two types of design may be applied for the Bridge to Bridge project. One type of design is a raised platform established along the embankment. The other design is a concrete stem wall used to divert channel flow. The firm selected for this project will also be responsible for the engineering design of a non-motorized bridge spanning the Gunnison River at the Twin Bridges. The bridge design shall be completed in a manner as to minimize channel disturbance. The initial thought has been to develop a clear-span structure, but final cost, function and durability will be used to determine final design.

As previously noted Gunnison County is also working to develop another non-motorized bridge structure at the North Bridge site. The County has not started engineering or permitting process and has expressed interest in working with the city on the design under this RFP and contract. It is anticipated that City and County will work on a joint engineer design program but final agreement details still need to be worked out. It is requested that RFP respondents provide project cost estimates to include the County’s addendum work. All final drawing sets shall include the engineer of record stamp. Engineered plans will likely include, but not be limited to, the following: • Geotechnical soils investigation as necessary to obtain adequate data to complete civil

engineering designs; • plan view drawings; • grading and drainage plan; • trail profile drawings; • typical trail sections; • elevations depicting the bridge structure in relation to trail surface; • specifications for structural fill; • bases coarse depth; • concrete slab specification; • details of specific features; • detailed project cost projection along with specific material list; • material specifications; and, • other narrative and drawings as need to provide for successful project construction. Design details will include the underpass approach, facilities within river embankment, retaining walls for underpass approach areas, erosion control elements, and other features as determined by the design program. Facilities shall be sufficient to maintain structural competency when subjected to the hydraulic forces of the river and shall not affect the structural integrity of the CDOT bridge facilities. All engineer plans for facilities in the CDOT rights-of-way may need to be designed in accordance with CDOT related specifications. The initial thought is that the underpass structures will be designed to be operational during a 10-year Flood Event, but will be designed to convey flows from a Base Flood event without increase of the flood elevation. Additionally, the underpass and bridge should be ADA accessible. The scope of work must include the costs required for the on-site construction supervision of the project during critical construction period. The City shall have the final determination if the contract will include on-site supervision of the construction activity. In regard to existing soil, the materials found in at the two sites are typical of those found in a mountainous river. Alluvial material from cobble to silt and clay size material are typical. It is very unlikely that any expansive soil conditions will be found on the site. Both bridges are located outside the city limits. Gunnison County participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Underpass structures will be located in the designated A Zone and will impede into the designated Floodway. Based on 44 CFR 60.3(d), construction of the underpasses will require an encroachment review, and will be subject to an Encroachment

Certification based on FEMA protocol. Therefore, the project engineer shall be required to develop hydrologic and hydraulic data of sufficient detail to obtain the NFIP Encroachment Certification. 4.0 QUALIFICATIONS & DELIVERABLES 4.01 Qualifications The firm selected shall demonstrate the ability and expertise to address the civil engineering design for a project of this nature being within a Floodway. Additionally the consulting firm shall have the ability to work with CDOT to ensure that designs are in accordance with all CDOT related specifications. At a minimum the firm shall have specific expertise in civil engineering, hydrology, fluvial geomorphology, and riverine hydraulics. The selected firm shall have competent staff, including Professional Engineers registered by the State of Colorado. 4.02 Deliverables The project will be split into a two-part review; preliminary design and final design. Deliverable documents shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following: • ten copies of the construction-level drawings on 24” x 36” paper; • ten copies of construction manuals, details and other related narrative data; • two DVDs containing AutoCad drawings of all of the drawing pages; • five copies of reports, plan specifications, data and other related information to obtain FEMA

permits; • two DVD’s of FEMA-related information; and, • signed permits as necessary from FEMA, the State of Colorado, and Gunnison County

regarding NFIP.

5.0 REQUIRED RFP SUBMITTALS Submittals shall clearly demonstrate the consultant’s ability to provide the services as outlined in this RFP. The proposal shall contain the following: Cover Letter: A cover letter shall be provided which succinctly explains the consultant’s interest in the project. The letter shall contain the name, address, and telephone number of the firm’s Principal contact and shall identify individuals who will be making the presentation on behalf of the firm. The statement shall bear the signature of the person having proper authority to make formal commitment on behalf of the firm. Qualifications: of Key Personnel: Submit résumés of all those who will be involved in completing the Scope of Work (SOW). Please include their experience in performing the required and necessary services. The project personnel must have completed two contracts of the same size and scope within the past five years. Firm Experience: Submittals will include a detailed description of the firm’s overall capabilities, experience and approach in providing the SOW described herein. Cost Estimates: Submittals will include cost estimates for the complete project design and engineering services. Specifically, the projected costs will include engineering fees for elements: 1. design fees for the pedestrian underpass facilities; 2. design fees for the pedestrian bridge design to the Whitewater Park;

3. design fees for the County’s pedestrian bridge on Highway 135 at the north bridge; 4. fees to complete FEMA permitting requirements; 5. fees for geotechnical investigation and soils report; 4. fees required for construction inspection at critical path points of the project; and 5. cost estimates for any alternative structure that provides separated non-motorized access

across the highways. References: Provide at least four references for projects of similar size and scope, including at least two references for projects completed during the past two years. Include the client’s name, a brief summary of the work, and the name and telephone number of a responsible contact person. Financial Statement: Provide a financial statement or some other means to demonstrate and confirm the financial stability of the business and its capacity to undertake this project. Proposal: A summary presentation will be given by applicants. The audience will be City Staff, and certain City Council and Planning and Zoning Commission members. Additional Information: Provide any additional information that will aid in evaluation of the consultant’s qualification with respect to this project. 6.0 SELECTION PROCESS The City of Gunnison, at its sole discretion, shall determine whether particular consultants have the best qualifications and proposal to complete the project. City staff will make a recommendation to the City Council regarding this selection. The City reserves the right to reject any and all submittals. The following will be used to evaluate the proposals: Qualifications of Key Personnel: The knowledge and experience of the identified personnel

is directly related to the needs of the project. Firm Experience: The team has a demonstrated track record of a similar size and scope

project, with the overall capability and experience to complete the project. Team Composition: The respondent has assembled a team that has expertise in

planning/design, economics, demographic assessment and transportation planning. The respondent must demonstrate the ability to work in an open public process of this nature, as well as coordinating with municipal staff and the applicant in a joint effort that will result in the successful outcome of this project.

Critique of the Draft Scope of Work: The presentation shall include a critique of the Draft

Project Scope of Work with recommendations for strengthening and/or improving the efficiency of the SOW.

Projected Costs: The presentation materials shall include projected costs for the professional planning and facilitation services associated with the project.

Quality of Presentation: The presentation is professional, thorough and adequately conveys

the firm’s ability to be part of the team bringing forth a successful project. 7.0 PRE-SUBMITTAL SITE VISIT AND MEETING At 1:00PM on October 27, 2008 the City will host a pre-submittal site visit and meeting. It is not mandatory to attend the meeting. City staff will discuss the project details, answer questions and conduct a site visit to the bridge sites. 8.0 SUBMISSION INFORMATION & DEADLINE Submittal Address. Responses with all deliverables shall be mailed or delivered to: City of Gunnison Community Development Department Attn: Mr. Steven Westbay PO Box 239 Gunnison, CO 81230 The original and 10 copies of the response shall be mailed or delivered in a sealed package with the following information clearly delineated on the outside of the package: Company Name RFP – Engineering for the BRIDGE TO BRIDGE Underpass Project Responses Due: November 12, 2008 Close of Business: 5:00 P.M. 9.0 GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS 9.0.1 Late Responses Responses received after the time and date specified, whether delivered or mailed, will not be considered and will be returned unopened. It is the sole responsibility of each respondent to ensure that their submittals arrive at the City Community Development Department prior to the time and date specified. 9.0.2 Rejection of Submittals The City reserves the right to accept or reject any or all submittals received in response to this solicitation. The City further reserves the right to waive any informalities and/or minor irregularities in submittals received, if deemed to be in the best interest of the City. 9.0.3 Proprietary Information All submittals in response to this request become public record and become subject to public inspection. Any confidential information contained in the submittals must be clearly identified as such or it will not be treated as confidential or proprietary by the City and then only to the extent allowable by law in the Open Records Act. Unrestricted disclosure of propriety or confidential information submitted by any consulting firm in an RFP response places it in the public domain. Proprietary or confidential information is defined by the City to be any information that is not

generally known to competitors and which may provide a competitive advantage. Submittals in their entirety cannot be specified confidential or proprietary. 9.0.4 Submittal Ownership All materials submitted with regard to this solicitation become the property of the City and will only be returned at the City’s option. The city shall have the right to use all ideas or adaptations of the ideas contained in proposals received, subject to the confidential or proprietary limitation contained herein. Disqualification of any document does not restrict or eliminate this right. 9.0.5 Expenses Expenses incurred in preparation, submission, and presentation of this RFP is the responsibility of the company and cannot be charged to the City. 9.0.6 Sovereign Immunity The City of Gunnison specifically reserves its right to sovereign immunity pursuant to Colorado State Law as a defense to any action arising in conjunction to this agreement. 9.0.7 Venue The laws of the State of Colorado, County of Gunnison, and City of Gunnison, with any Rules and Regulations issued, prevail with regard to any contract documents, possible terms and conditions disagreements, arbitration, or litigation. 9.0.8 Compliance with Laws All proposals must comply with applicable federal, state, county and city laws governing this procurement. Note that the consultant must comply with provisions of Colorado House Bill 1323 as it may be applicable. 9.0.9 Amendments Amendments to this RFP may be issued at any time prior to the time set for receipt of proposals. 9.0.10 Oral Statements Oral statements by representatives of the City or the responding company shall not modify or otherwise affect the terms, conditions, or specifications stated in this document. All modification to this request must be made in writing. 9.0.11 Conflict of Interest No City official and/or employee shall have interest in any contract resulting from this RFP. 9.0.12 Insurance Requirements The selected consulting firm will be required to provide, at their own expense, without cost to the City, the following minimum insurance: General Conditions: Policies of insurance shall be written by companies authorized to write

such insurance in Colorado. General Liability & Automobile Insurance: During the life of the contract a comprehensive

general liability and automobile insurance policy with liability limits in amounts not less than

$600,000 per incident and $150,000 per person. Said polices of insurance shall include coverage for all operations performed for the City by the contractor; coverage for the use of all owned, non-owned, or hired automobiles, vehicles and other equipment both on and off work, and contractual liability coverage shall specifically insure the hold harmless provision in favor of the City.

Worker’s Compensation Insurance: The contractor shall comply with the provisions of the

Worker’s Compensation Act. 9.0.13 Indemnification The selected consulting firm shall defend, indemnify and save harmless the City of Gunnison, State of Colorado, and all its officers, employees, insurers, and self-insurance pool, from and against all liability, suits, actions, or other claims of any character, name and description brought for or on account of any injuries or damages received or sustained by any person, persons, or property on account of any negligent act or fault of the selected consultant, or of any consultant's agents, employees, sub-consultants or suppliers in the execution of, or performance under, any contract which may result from the proposal award. The selected consulting firm shall pay any judgment with cost which may be obtained against the City growing out of such injury or damages.

Appendix I – Images of Existing Bridge Structures

Figure 1 Twin Bridge Embankment Structure Figure 2 Twin Bridge Embankment Structure

Figure 3 Twin Bridges erosion control and Figure 4 Twin Bridges north approach approximate alignment between Frontage Road

Figure 5 Twin Bridges south of Highway 50 Figure 6 HWY 135 approximate path alignment

Figure 8 HWY 135 Bridge east side approach

Figure 7 HWY 135 Bridge looking upstream, 8-10’ clearance

Figure 7 HWY 135 Bridge west side approach