The Town of Chestertown invites submittal of responses to this Request for Proposals (RFP) from qualified professional engineering firms to provide preliminary engineering, design, permitting, bidding assistance, and construction-phase engineering services for improvements to or replacement of components at three pre-selected wastewater pumping stations: Cannon Street SPS, Domino's SPS, and College Heights SPS. The intent is to improve each facility's reliability, efficiency, and long-term operational performance. The Town will evaluate proposals per the RFP criteria and award a contract by the Mayor and Town Council to the proposer determined to be in the Town's best interest.
Project description and objectives:
- Provide all personnel, equipment, supervision, and incidentals necessary to perform the engineering scope for rehabilitation/upgrade of two sewage pumping stations and complete replacement of one pumping station located in Kent County, Maryland. All three stations shall be designed under a single design effort and bid and constructed under a single construction contract. The Consultant shall prepare one complete set of bid documents (one Project Manual and one drawing set) covering all three stations, with the work at each station separately identified in the Proposal Form and drawings.
Station-specific summaries and minimum anticipated improvements:
- Cannon Street SPS (upgrade): Approximately 60 years old; reinforced concrete wetwell/drywell substructure with brick superstructure; two dry-pit submersible pumps; Pow'r Gard 60 kW diesel generator. Site conditions of note: located in street right-of-way (not Town property), within or adjacent to wetlands, within FEMA 100-year floodplain (elevation 7.0), 3-phase overhead power line directly over station affecting crane access and generator placement, single influent sewer with no isolation. Known deficiencies include deteriorated brick/façade, corroded ladders, inadequate ventilation, aging pumps, and piping/valves in fair condition. Minimum improvements anticipate new pumps, pump control panel (Mercoid MPC or Owner-approved equal), wet well instrumentation, new generator/ATS, aluminum working platform and guardrails, wet well concrete repair and lining, HVAC, masonry repairs, wet well ladders and access hatches, retrieval mast, sluice gate, FRP doors, installation/removal crane system, and new flowmeter.
- Domino's SPS (replacement): Unknown age, in poor condition, located in a wooded area apparently on private property. Consists of wet well with two grinder pumps; force main ~700 LF. Approximately seven facilities discharge to the station. Electrical service is uncertain. The station shall be replaced with a new duplex packaged grinder pump station using EBARA grinder pumps or Owner-approved equal; includes two new submersible grinder pumps, new stainless steel or FRP rack-mounted control panel, wet well instrumentation and controls, confirmation/upgrade of electric service, standby power as necessary, precast concrete wet well structure, and new flowmeter.
- College Heights SPS (upgrade): Located on Owner-owned property; reinforced concrete and brick wetwell/drywell substructure and brick/CWU superstructure. Contains two 7.5 HP dry-pit submersible pumps and an Alban 60 kW diesel generator; force main ~1,330 LF. Structural condition fairly good but pumps and drywell piping in poor condition. Critical code issue: electrical panels located in operating room open to wet well, creating a Class I, Division 1 hazardous location. Consultant shall design a safe, code-compliant solution which may include relocation of electrical equipment or physical separation of operating room from wet well.
Regulatory and design requirements:
All work shall be designed in accordance with Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) requirements (including sewerage construction permitting and plan approval), Ten States Standards (Recommended Standards for Wastewater Facilities), Hydraulic Institute standards, NFPA 70 (NEC) including Article 500 hazardous location requirements, applicable OSHA standards (confined space entry, fall protection), applicable state and local building/plumbing/mechanical/electrical/fire codes, FEMA and local floodplain management requirements (Cannon Street), and federal/state wetlands and waterway regulations as applicable.
Scope of Services (minimum required):
- Task 1: Project management and administration (kickoff, monthly progress reports, monthly meetings, QA/QC, project record file, subconsultant coordination).
- Task 2: Field investigation and condition assessment including data collection and records review, interviews with Owner operations staff, property/right-of-way review, utility coordination, detailed physical inspection with photographic documentation, structural/mechanical/electrical/HVAC/standby power/site assessments, topographic and boundary/right-of-way surveys, interior 3D LiDAR scans, geotechnical investigation as needed, wetland delineation at Cannon Street, force main investigation, hydraulic and capacity evaluation, pump recommendations, and surge analysis.
- Task 3: Preliminary Engineering Report (PER) covering all three stations in a form suitable for MDE and funding agencies. PER content shall include executive summary, project background, existing conditions, condition assessment findings, hydraulic analysis and pump selection basis, regulatory/code evaluation, alternatives evaluation for each station with recommended alternative and basis of design, preliminary sketches and one-line diagrams, required permits and approvals, property/right-of-way and easement needs, construction sequencing and maintenance of operations, opinion of probable construction cost (OPCC) itemized by station and major categories, recommended project delivery and bid structure, and appendices with supporting documentation. Draft and Final PER submittals, workshop, comment responses, and PE seal required.
- Task 4: Design phase services (preliminary/60%, intermediate/90%, and final/100% submissions), preparation of complete bid documents (drawings in AutoCAD/Civil3D/Revit, specifications in CSI MasterFormat), bid form structured to separate station costs and alternates, coordination for maintenance of sewer service during construction, erosion and sediment control, hazardous location and ventilation design, dimensional verification for equipment, permitting submittals and agency coordination, and property/ROW/easement support including exhibits and legal descriptions.
- Task 5: Bidding phase services (assist with advertisement, plan holders list, pre-bid conference, respond to bidder questions/addenda, prepare bid tabulation, evaluate bids and recommend award, assist with conformed contract documents and review bonds/insurance).
- Task 6: Construction phase services (pre-construction conference, review/approve submittals, respond to RFIs, review substitutions, monthly site visits and progress meetings, review pay applications, evaluate and prepare change orders, witness equipment startup and performance testing, review O&M manuals, conduct substantial and final completion inspections, prepare record drawings, and assist with closeout). Resident Project Representative (RPR) observation is optional and to be priced separately.
Deliverables and schedule references:
- Consultant to provide hard copy and electronic deliverables as specified (hard copy counts defined per submission). Draft and Final PER, 60/90/100% design submissions with review periods assumed to be 30 calendar days per submission, final bid documents for advertisement, and deliverables sealed/signed by Maryland-licensed Professional Engineers where required. The Owner's target timeline references: RFP issued 2026-10-27; pre-submittal meeting 2026-11-04; proposals due 2026-11-20; services intended to begin no later than 2027-01-01 following NOA/NTP.
Submission format and required contents (high level):
- Proposals to be submitted in two separate parts: a Technical Proposal and a separately sealed Fee Proposal. Technical Proposal: four (4) bound hard copies plus one (1) electronic copy (searchable PDF); fee proposal: two (2) hard copies plus one (1) electronic copy in a separate sealed envelope. Technical Proposal organized into Tabs 1–9 containing Letter of Transmittal; Firm Qualifications; Project Team and Key Personnel; Relevant Experience and References (10 similar projects; 5 client references); Project Understanding and Technical Approach; Project Schedule (Gantt); QA/QC; Level of Effort (hours only); and Required Forms/Certifications. Technical Proposal page limit 35 pages. Fee Proposal to include total fee, detailed fee breakdown by task (hours, rates, labor costs), subconsultant costs, reimbursable expenses, separately priced optional services, and statement fee valid for at least 90 days. Fee Proposals will remain sealed until technical ranking is complete. The Owner intends to negotiate fee with highest-ranked firm and may proceed down the ranking if negotiations fail.
Evaluation and contract:
- Proposals evaluated by Owner-appointed selection committee using weighted criteria: firm experience (30%), key personnel (30%), understanding/technical approach (20%), schedule/level of effort/capacity (10%), and past performance/references (10%). The Owner reserves rights to reject any or all proposals, waive minor irregularities, issue addenda, shortlist and interview firms, and make award determined to be in Town's best interest. Form of agreement will be EJCDC E-500 Agreement Between Owner and Engineer for Professional Services. Insurance, licensing, professional liability, and other contract terms are specified in the RFP.
