WHATCOM COUNTY NOTICE TO CONSULTANTS FOR:
BIRCH BAY LYNDEN ROAD/CALIFORNIA CREEK CULVERT REPLACEMENT PROJECT
CRP NO. 923009, FEDERAL AID NO. ER-2201(012)

RFQ #23-90

Whatcom County (County) solicits interest from consulting firms with expertise in Civil and Structural Engineering Design. This agreement will be for approximately twelve (12) months in duration with the option for the County to extend it for additional time and money if necessary. Consultants will be considered for the following project. The County reserves the right to amend terms of this “Request for Qualifications” (RFQ) to circulate various addenda, or to withdraw the RFQ at any time, regardless of how much time and effort consultants have spent on their responses.

Please be advised that the prospective consultants will be held to Federal EEO requirements, ADA, and Civil Rights language for Whatcom County.

Project Description

The work to be performed by the CONSULTANT for the first phase of the project consists of alternatives analysis and preliminary engineering to aid the County in selection of a preferred alternative to replace the existing culverts on California Creek crossing under Birch Bay Lynden Road. The alternatives analysis should consider applicable roadway and/or bridge design standards, mobility of traffic, Right-of-Way, stormwater, environmental, and fish passage requirements. This project has a 16% DBE goal. The major features of the project are as follows:

• Pre-design work including field investigations/research
• Geotechnical investigation
• Hydrologic and hydraulic analysis and design
• Stormwater/drainage analysis
• Environmental permitting analysis
• Preliminary Engineering
• Mobility of Traffic
• Coordination of design with utility relocation
• Right-of-Way analysis
• Preparation of a Type, Size, and Location (TS&L) Report with preferred alternative recommendation

Consultants shall have expertise in the following:

• WSDOT Local Programs requirements for Federally Funded projects including the Local Agency Guidelines (LAG) Manual

• County, State, and Federal standards
• Environmental permitting requirements and thresholds

The County reserves the right to retain the services of the successful firm(s) for any subsequent phases including but not limited to detailed design including bid-ready plans, design reports, specifications, estimates, environmental/archaeological permitting, and Right-of-Way as well as construction engineering services associated with this project.

Evaluation Criteria; 105 Points Total

Submittals will be evaluated and ranked based on the following criteria:

1. Qualification of Proposed Project Manager and key personnel; 20 points
2. Qualifications/Expertise of Firm; 25 points
3. Ability to meet schedule; 10 points
4. Approach to project; 30 points
5. Familiarity with WSDOT/FHWA standards; 5 points
6. Past Performance/References; 5 points
7. Approach to meet the DBE goal (DBE Participation Plan or SBE Plan); 10 points

Submittal

Submittals should include the following information: Firm name, phone, and fax numbers; Name of Principal-in-Charge and Project Manager; and Number of employees in each firm proposed to project. Additional project information is included in the supplemental information which can be downloaded for no charge at https://www.co.whatcom.wa.us/Bids.aspx . The total length of the SOQ shall not exceed sixteen (16) pages (16 single-sided or 8 pages double-sided), not including a cover page, table of contents page, resumes (limited to 1 page per individual), and firm information forms attached as an appendix. Example Submittal Information Forms to obtain consultant qualifications for Prime and Subconsultants are WSDOT form 140-565 and Form 140-566, respectively.

Please submit one unbound paper copy of your Statement of Qualifications to: Attn: Sara Winger, Senior Purchasing Coordinator, Whatcom County AS-Finance/Purchasing, 311 Grand Ave., Suite #503, Bellingham, WA 98225 no later than 2:30 PM on January 9, 2024. Submittals will not be accepted after that time and date. Any questions regarding this project should be directed in writing via email to Ben Floyd at bfloyd@co.whatcom.wa.us For security reasons, you must enable JavaScript to view this E-mail address. .

Contract Type

Contract type (method of payment) will be Negotiated Hourly Rate utilizing WSDOT’s Local Agency A&E Professional Services Negotiated Hourly Rate Consultant Agreement. Submission of cost proposal or elements of cost shall not be submitted until selection of the most qualified consultant has concluded.

Estimated Procurement Schedule

Advertise RFQ; December 20 and 27, 2023

Deadline for questions; January 2, 2024

Receive SOQs; January 9, 2024

Review and Rank SOQs; January 26, 2024

Consultant Selection Interviews; January 30, 2024

Consultant Selection/Award; January 31, 2024

Scoping and Contract; February 2024

Begin Work; March 2024

Complete Work/End Contract; March 2025

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Information

Whatcom County in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (Section 504) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), commits to nondiscrimination on the basis of disability, in all of its programs and activities. This material can be made available in an alternate format by emailing Purchasing at FN_Purchasing@co.whatcom.wa.us For security reasons, you must enable JavaScript to view this E-mail address. or by calling collect (360) 778-5320.

Title VI Statement

Whatcom County, in accordance with the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (78 Stat. 252, 42 U.S.C. 2000d to 2000d-4) and the Regulations, hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively ensure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprises will be afforded full and fair opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, or national origin in consideration for an award.

Dates of publication in the Bellingham Herald, Daily Journal of Commerce, and Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises (OMWBE): December 20, 2023, and December 27, 2023.

All documents for this solicitation can be downloaded at no charge in PDF format; see "Related Documents" at the bottom of this webpage:

1. Click on the "View Documents" button, which will open up a form requesting basic information about your firm. The entries on this form will populate the official plan holders list. Your accuracy is important to ensure notification of any addenda or other distributed information.

2. After your completed form is accepted, scroll again to the bottom of this page, to find the link(s) for all documents related to this solicitation. If you can see the solicitation documents, you have added yourself to the Whatcom County plan holders list.

If you have downloaded the solicitation documents from the Whatcom County website, that process has already added you to the plan holders list. The Whatcom County plan holders list is created by the download process. If you received the solicitation documents from another source, to add your contact information to the Whatcom County plan holders list, you will need to access the solicitation documents from our website.

To request a current plan holders list, email FN_Purchasing@co.whatcom.wa.us. Include the solicitation number and title in the subject line.