On-Call Consulting Services for Annual Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation RFQ

2026 Request for Qualifications
On-Call Consulting Services for
Annual Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation
Public Works Department
City of San Mateo
330 West 20th Avenue
San Mateo, CA 94403
April 21, 2026
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Request for Qualifications
On-Call Consulting Services for
Annual Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation
Job No. 46S191 & 46S193
The City of San Mateo (City) is accepting Statements of Qualifications to select a qualified consulting firm
or firms to provide professional design services for the rehabilitation of various segments of sewer pipe
and manholes throughout San Mateo. All questions regarding this Request for Qualifications (RFQ) shall be
directed to Laura Webb, Project Manager, Clean Water Program, at lwebb@cityofsanmateo.org by the
date and time specified in Section II.B of this RFQ. The RFQ is available for viewing online at
http://www.cityofsanmateo.org/bids.aspx.
Statements of Qualifications (SOQs) shall be submitted by firms that have a capable and demonstrable
background in the type of work described in this RFQ and Attachment A, "SCOPE OF SERVICES," of this
notice. In addition, all interested firms shall have sufficient, readily available resources in the form of
trained personnel, support services, safety protocols, specialized Consultants, specialized field
equipment, and financial resources to carry out the work without delay or shortcomings. Services
required by this request for qualifications shall be performed under the responsible charge of a Project
Manager with a minimum of 10 years of applicable experience and who is a licensed California
Professional Engineer.
Respondent shall submit a ready-for-print PDF of the SOQ via email to the City's Project Manager no later
than:
2:00 p.m. PST on May 19, 2026
The email's subject line shall be titled:
SUBJECT: SOQ Submittal - On-Call Consulting Services for Annual Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation
The body of the email submittal shall include the Respondent's name, contact information, RFQ Title, and
City Job Number. SOQs must be received in the Project Manager's email address inbox by the date and
time specified. Any SOQs received after the deadline will not be considered.
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Contents
Section Page
I. Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1
A. Background ......................................................................................................................... 1
B. Organizational Conflicts of Interest .................................................................................... 1
C. Ex-Parte Communications ................................................................................................... 1
D. Commitment of Firms and Key Personnel .......................................................................... 2
II. Procurement Process ...................................................................................................................... 2
A. General Information ........................................................................................................... 2
B. Schedule and Addenda ....................................................................................................... 3
C. Submittal of Questions ....................................................................................................... 3
D. Award and Negotiations ..................................................................................................... 3
III. Evaluation and Selection Criteria .................................................................................................... 4
A. SOQ Scoring ........................................................................................................................ 4
B. Interview Scoring (Optional, at City's Discretion) ............................................................... 4
C. Final Scoring and Selection ................................................................................................. 4
IV. Documentation. .............................................................................................................................. 5
A. Submittal ............................................................................................................................. 5
B. Format Requirements ......................................................................................................... 6
C. Parts of the SOQ .................................................................................................................. 6
V. Evaluation Criteria and Submittal Information .............................................................................. 6
A. SOQ Evaluation Overview ................................................................................................... 6
B. SOQ Submittal Information ................................................................................................ 8
C. Interviews (Optional, at City's Discretion) .......................................................................... 9
D. Selection Process .............................................................................................................. 10
VI. Scope of Services and Schedule .................................................................................................... 10
A. Scope of Services .............................................................................................................. 10
B. Schedule ............................................................................................................................ 10
Attachments
A Scope of Services
B Standard Agreement for Professional Consultant Services
C Sample Rate and Cost Schedule
D Key Personnel Resume Template
E City of San Mateo Collection System Basin Delineation

I. Introduction
A. Background
The City of San Mateo (City) is currently under a Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) Cease
and Desist Order (CDO) requiring improvements to its collection and treatment systems to eliminate
sanitary sewer overflows and unauthorized discharges. The Clean Water Program (CWP) has been
established to replace aging infrastructure, enhance reliability, reduce inflow and infiltration, provide
capacity for wet weather flows, and enhance the treatment processes in the City's system.
San Mateo's wastewater collection system includes a network of 240 miles of pipe, 6,032 sewer
manholes and 27 sewer pump stations, divided into five major sewer basins labeled A, B, C, D and E
(refer to Attachment E). To rehabilitate all sewer infrastructure, the City of San Mateo has an overall
rehabilitation schedule, which shows a rotating schedule of the five basins' different phases (i.e. CCTV,
Evaluation, Design, and Rehabilitation).
For this RFQ, the Consultant(s) will be working on up to five of the City's Basins: Basin A, Basin B, Basin C,
El Camino Real (ECR), and Basin D. The ECR package is separated from the main Basins due to the
Caltrans permit requirements. For all projects, the Consultant will perform several tasks, including
performing CCTV, evaluating the CCTV data, design of the repairs/rehabilitations, bid support services,
and engineering services during construction. At the City's discretion, the projects and phases may be
split amongst multiple firms, or they may be given to a single firm.
See the chart below for the approximate number of manholes and length of pipe located in each of the
three Basins, as well as the approximate length of pipe from various previous projects, as of 2025:
Basin Manholes Pipes (LF)
A 972 223,963
B 1,019 235,366
C 937 170,980
ECR 148 56,657
D 1,168 245,030
B. Organizational Conflicts of Interest
An organizational conflict of interest is a situation in which, because of other activities, relationships, or
contracts, a Consultant is unable, or potentially unable, to render impartial assistance or advice to the
City; a Consultant's objectivity in performing the contract work is or might be otherwise impaired; or a
Consultant has an unfair competitive advantage. The City will evaluate future procurements related to
this contract to determine if there is an organizational conflict of interest. If an organizational conflict of
interest exists, the City may prohibit the Consultants, subconsultants, subcontractors, and/or members
of the consultant team from participating in such related procurement/projects. Jacobs is providing
program management support services and is not eligible to compete as a prime or subconsultant on
this procurement.
C. Ex-Parte Communications
Respondents are expected to conduct themselves with professional integrity and to refrain from
lobbying activities. During the procurement process, commencing with the issuance of the RFQ and
continuing until the award of a Contract for the project (or cancellation of the procurement), no
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employee, member, agent, vendor, advisor or consultant of any Respondent shall have ex-parte
communications, directly or indirectly, regarding this procurement with any representative or elected
official of the City involved in this procurement, except for communications permitted by this RFQ. Any
verified allegation that a Respondent or team member has engaged in such prohibited communications
or attempted to unduly influence the selection process may cause the City to disqualify a Respondent or
a member of a Respondent's team from participating in this process, all at the sole discretion of the City.
D. Commitment of Firms and Key Personnel
1. The City expects all firms and personnel proposed to be available to provide services for this
contract. At any point after submittal of a SOQ, a Respondent must notify the City, in writing
to the Project Manager, when a member of the Respondent's team is no longer
participating in the SOQ.
2. Prior to public announcement of the shortlist (if an interview is used) by the City, a
Respondent may request the ability to substitute a firm or an individual filling a Key
Personnel position, with reasonable justification. Any substitution request granted by the
City shall result in rescoring of the SOQ.
3. Following announcement of the shortlist (if an interview is used), Respondents shall not
substitute a firm or an individual filling a Key Personnel position, except in unavoidable
circumstances. In such circumstances the Respondent shall notify the Project Manager in
writing, and the City shall rescore and re-rank, and thereafter make a determination as to
whether that Respondent may continue to compete in the selection process.
4. After Notice of Selection, the selected Respondent shall not substitute a firm nor an
individual filling a Key Personnel position. In such circumstances the Respondent shall notify
the Project Manager in writing that a firm or individual is no longer available to participate
on the team and explain why. The City will then make a determination as to whether that
Respondent may continue in the negotiation process.
II. Procurement Process
A. General Information
1. Compliance with Legal Requirements.
a. The procurement of these consultant services will be in accordance with applicable City,
federal, state and local laws, regulations and procedures. City reserves the right to reject
any and all SOQs.
b. City will evaluate the SOQs in accordance with the provisions set forth herein. The final
selection, if any, will be that Respondent which, in the opinion of the City, best meets
the requirements set forth in the RFQ and is determined to be the most highly qualified.
2. Costs borne by Respondents. All costs incurred in the preparation of a SOQ and participation
in this RFQ and negotiation process shall be borne by the proposing firms.
3. Public Disclosure. SOQs shall become property of the City and considered public documents
under applicable California laws. All documentation provided to the City may be subject to
disclosure in accordance with California public disclosure laws.
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B. Schedule and Addenda
1. Anticipated Schedule.
The selection process is anticipated to proceed as outlined below; however, it is subject to
change at the discretion of the City:
Project Benchmarks Date (No Later Than)
Request for Qualifications Available April 21, 2026
Deadline for Inquiries/Questions May 8, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. PST
Statement Due to the City May 19, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. PST
Consultant Short List June 2, 2026
Consultant Interview(s), if necessary June 10-11, 2026
Consultant Selection June 18, 2026
Consultant Negotiations June 25, 2026
Council Meeting - Award Contract August 17, 2026
2. Addenda
Responses to inquiries that materially change the intent of this RFQ will be issued via
addenda and posted to the San Mateo website http://www.cityofsanmateo.org/bids.aspx.
Oral clarifications shall be non-binding. The City will not notify respondents of addenda; it is
the responsibility of respondents to check the website for all issued addenda. Failure to
include acknowledgement of all addenda may be cause for rejection of the SOQ.
C. Submittal of Questions
1. Prospective respondents may contact Laura Webb, Senior Engineer, Clean Water Program,
at lwebb@cityofsanmateo.org for further information regarding contractual questions for
this RFQ. All requests for interpretation or questions must be sent in writing and must
clearly include the subject line "RFQ: On-Call Consulting Services for Annual Sanitary
Sewer Rehabilitation." The deadline for inquiries is specified in Section II.B. Responses to
inquiries will be published via addenda to the City's identified procurement website.
D. Award and Negotiations
1. The successful respondent(s) will be asked to enter into a contract with the City reflecting
the terms and conditions of the SOQ plus the City's standard professional services
agreement requirements. A copy of the City of San Mateo Public Works Department
Standard Agreement for Professional Consultant Services is provided in Attachment B.
2. The City will provide a written Notice of Selection to the selected firm or firms. The notice
shall indicate whether the City has accepted any of the changes to the terms and
conditions proposed by the Respondent in its SOQ.
3. The City will negotiate for these services. Negotiation of a contract will be in conformance
with City policies and procedures, applicable federal, state and local laws, and regulations.
This will include but not be limited to, negotiation of labor rates, overhead rates, fee, and
other direct costs.
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4. After successful negotiations and issuance of a contract, the City will make an award
recommendation to Council.
5. After the contract is executed, the City may pursue issuing a Task Order with the
Consultant. To initiate this process, the City will issue the consultant a Request for
Proposal (RFP). The consultant shall prepare a Level of Effort (LOE) and schedule. The LOE
shall be based on the contract's labor rates, overhead rates, fee, and other direct costs.
The City and Consultant may negotiate the Task Order scope of work (SOW), LOE, and
schedule. If the City and Consultant come to terms, the City will route the finalized Task
Order for execution.
III. Evaluation and Selection Criteria
A. SOQ Scoring
1. All SOQs will be evaluated in accordance with the criteria established herein.
2. A total of 100 points has been assigned to the Evaluation Criteria for the SOQ submittal.
Maximum points by category/criteria are listed in this RFQ below.
3. Evaluators will use the available points to score each SOQ.
4. SOQs will be ranked and the City will either select a single Consultant or create a short-list of
the most highly ranked Respondents for the purpose of oral interviews.
5. The City reserves the right to select a Consultant or Consultants from the information
presented in the SOQs. However, interviews may be held with short-listed Respondents.
B. Interview Scoring (Optional, at City's Discretion)
1. If deemed necessary to clarify qualifications or differentiate between Respondents, an oral
interview with one or more of the Respondent firms may be requested after written SOQs
have been received by the City.
2. Interviews for shortlisted firms will have a maximum value of 100 points.
3. Failure of a Respondent or any proposed team member requested by the City to participate
in the interview process may result in the Respondent's disqualification from further
consideration.
C. Final Scoring and Selection
1. Each evaluator will put the scores for the initial SOQ evaluation in rank order, with the
highest scored Respondent 1st, the second-highest scored Respondent 2nd, etc.
2. If an interview is not required, the written SOQ scores will be used to determine the final
ranking.
3. If used, interviews will be similarly scored and the combined SOQ and interview ranking will
be used to determine the final ranking.
4. The City may choose to award work to one or multiple Consultants based on the evaluation
criteria assessment for each project and the City's project implementation goals.
5. A Notice of Selection will be provided to the Respondent firm, or firms, selected.
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IV. Documentation
A. Submittal
1. The prime Respondent shall submit a ready-for-print PDF of the SOQ via email to the City's
Project Manager. The email's subject line shall be titled:
SUBJECT: SOQ Submittal - On-Call Consulting Services for Annual Sanitary Sewer
Rehabilitation
The body of the email submittal shall include the Respondent's name, contact information,
RFQ Title, and City Job Number.
2. SOQs shall remain effective for ninety (90) days beyond the submittal date.
B. Format Requirements
The SOQ shall comply with the following format requirements:
1. SOQs should be concise, legible, and provide all the information requested. Font size shall
be 11 points (or larger) in text and graphics.
2. SOQ shall be prepared on 8 1/2" by 11" paper, with the exception of charts or graphs
which may prepared on 11" x 17" paper. Page orientation may be either portrait or
landscape.
3. SOQ shall be limited to a maximum of 25 pages, including cover letter but excluding
resumes of key personnel.
a. A "page" shall be defined as one single-sided 8 1/2" by 11" piece of paper, or one single-
sided 11" by 17" piece of paper (quantity limited as described below), that has words,
charts, tables, pictures, graphics, and/or diagrams.
b. The SOQ shall be limited to no more than three 11" by 17" sheets of paper (both sides
can be used to present requested information). This number of sheets includes schedule
information specifically requested to be presented on 11" by 17" sheets. Each side of
the three 11" by 17" sheets that is not blank shall be considered one "page".
c. Tabbed or other dividers used to organize the SOQ shall carry only the appropriate
section name. Dividers that include any additional information such as narrative, charts,
tables, pictures, graphics, and/or diagrams shall be included in the page count.
d. All indexes, excluding an index of the resumes, if used, shall be included in the page
count.
e. The only documentation not included in the page count is: (1) front and back cover of
the SOQ; (2) dividers; (3) blank sides of "pages", (4) index to resumes, and (5) resumes.
4. All pages in excess of the specified page limits will be removed. The last page will be
removed first. This content will not be included in the evaluation or considered for scoring
to meet the evaluation criteria.
5. Resumes for proposed key personnel shall not exceed a maximum of two (2) pages for each
key personnel member. Resumes may be prepared using the template provided in
Attachment D. Resumes not utilizing the provided template must provide the same
information as shown on the template. Resumes in excess of two pages will not be
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evaluated and no points will be awarded for that key person.
6. Do not submit resumes for any team members that are not listed as Key Personnel.
Respondents can determine how to present qualifications of other team members at their
own discretion within the allocated page count.
7. The City may waive minor informalities and irregularities in the format of an SOQ.
C. Parts of the SOQ
1. Cover Letter (no points). The Cover Letter shall contain the following information:
a. RFQ Title.
b. Respondent's name, mailing address, contact person, e-mail address, telephone and fax
numbers.
c. Complete list of proposed subconsultants, if any, with their address, contact person, e-
mail address and telephone and fax numbers.
d. Identification of the principal contact person authorized to commit the respondent to a
contractual agreement, including address, e-mail and phone number.
e. Identification and commitment of the proposed project manager and their
distinguishing qualifications.
f. Identification of the prime Consultant's corporate headquarters (city and state). An
expression of the respondent's interest in being selected for this project.
g. Pertinent characteristics that differentiate the respondent in its ability to perform the
proposed work.
h. A statement confirming the commitment of key personnel identified in the submittal to
the extent necessary to meet the City's quality and schedule expectations.
i. Acknowledgement of addenda issued for this procurement process.
j. A statement regarding agreement, or exception, to the terms and conditions contained
in the Standard Agreement for Professional Consultant Services. If exceptions are taken,
clearly identify these in the body of your submittal (not in the cover letter) with
requested modifications clearly noted using strikeout and underline formatting.
Inclusion of this content counts towards the total page count limits identified herein.
2. Response to Evaluation Criteria. Address the evaluation criteria and provide all information
identified in Section V. Evaluation Criteria and Submittal Information.
V. Evaluation Criteria and Submittal
Information
A. SOQ Evaluation Overview
1. The City will evaluate the experience, technical competence, qualifications, and past record
of performance of the project team, including firms and personnel and the proposed project
understanding and approach, with points distributed as follows:
a. Prime and Subconsultant Firms' Project Experience and Past Performance - 30 points
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b. Key Project Personnel - 30 points
c. Project Understanding and Approach - 40 points
2. Respondents are responsible for ensuring that the information in their SOQ is correct as of
the date of submittal.
3. Similar Scope & Complexity Elements.
The City believes projects having the following elements are similar in scope and complexity
to this project. When providing projects as examples, for resumes, or cited otherwise in the
SOQ, use projects with as many of these elements as possible:
a. Prime Consultant Project Experience and Past Performance
b. Subconsultant Project Experience and Past Performance
c. Prime and subconsultant project experience and past performance will be evaluated
based on relevant similar experience with the following:
i. Completion of sanitary sewer rehabilitation projects, including all related disciplines.
ii. Validation of sanitary sewer rehabilitation requirements.
iii. Completion of sanitary sewer CCTV analyses.
iv. Coordinating with CCTV contractor, ensuring all manholes and pipes have been
cleaned, investigated and documented.
v. Proposed prime and subconsultants working together on projects qualifying as
relevant similar experience in accordance with this RFQ.
4. Key Project Personnel (limit to no more than 5 staff from prime consultant; up to two
additional resumes may be provided from subconsultants to verify NASSCO certified
personnel will be involved in the project):
a. Project Manager. The Project Manager (PM) shall be licensed in California as a
professional engineer and demonstrate strong management skills and successful past
experience managing projects of similar scope and complexity. It is preferred that the
PM have project management experience on at least two projects that include as many
as possible of the Similar Scope & Complexity Elements.
b. Design Manager. The Design Manager shall be licensed in California as a professional
engineer and demonstrate expertise and experience in leading design projects of similar
scope and complexity. It is preferred that the Design Manager have experience leading
at least three projects that include as many as possible of the Similar Scope &
Complexity Elements. The Design Manager and the Project Manager may be the same
person; however, the depth of proposed team resources may limit the amount of work
that may be awarded to a single Respondent.
c. Project Engineer. The Project Engineer shall demonstrate expertise and experience in
hands-on consulting design services related to sanitary sewer rehabilitation and design.
It is preferred that the Project Engineer demonstrate the required experience on at least
three projects that include pipe rehabilitation design. The Project Engineer may not be
the same person as the Project Manager.
d. Other Specific Subject Matter Experts. Other specific subject matter experts shall be
included on the Project Team as needed for the Respondent to demonstrate expertise
and experience in all pertinent aspects of the design of sanitary sewer rehabilitations.
These subject matter experts should demonstrate detailed expertise and experience in
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