Potable Emergency Firefighting Water System

Project Description

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The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) is soliciting interest and feedback on project delivery methods for construction of the Potable Emergency Firefighting Water System (PEFWS). This inquiry relates specifically to planned Contract B and Contract C (Project). One issue is whether the Project should be delivered through separate contracts or a single contract. SFPUC is also evaluating three delivery methods to determine which approach fits the Project needs balancing risk management, schedule acceleration, cost, and cost certainty:

• Design-Bid-Build (DBB): The traditional low-bid approach (current baseline).
• Construction Manager/General Contractor (CMGC): Early contractor involvement with SFPUC-led designs.
• Design-Build (DB): Including both Progressive Design-Build (PDB) and Traditional Design-Build, where the Contractor holds the single point of responsibility for design and construction.

This Request for Interest (RFI) is for informational purposes only. SFPUC does not guarantee the accuracy of any information contained herein. The information is general and preliminary in nature, subject to change, and will provide the basis for discussion and planning by SFPUC. No person, entity, or other party is entitled to rely on this RFI or the information contained herein for any purpose, including without limitation, submitting a bid or proposal, or entering into a contract related to the Project. This RFI relates to SFPUC’s planned procurement of two or more potential upcoming construction contracts for the Project.

The City’s Emergency Firefighting Water System (EFWS), previously called the Auxiliary Water Supply System (AWSS), is a network of reservoirs, tanks, pipelines, cisterns, pump stations, fire-boats, and fireboat manifolds, aimed to help the San Francisco Fire Department fight fires resulting from large seismic events when the domestic water system may be impacted. The EFWS is an independent high-pressure water supply system dedicated to fire protection. It was installed in 1913 in response to the Great Earthquake and Fire of 1906.

The Potable Emergency Firefighting Water System (PEFWS) will plan, design and construct a seismically resilient high-pressure firefighting water system to the western neighborhoods of San Francisco that also supplies drinking water to the west side during non-fire situations. The system will ultimately be capable of providing water to the San Francisco Fire Department firefighters at the high pressure needed to combat large fires after a seismic event.

The proposed overall PEFWS will install approximately 15 miles of seismically resilient pipelines in multiple phases over multiple decades as funding is provided. The proposed pipelines will be fed by existing reservoirs, existing pump stations, and a future new pump station delivering approximately 45,000 gallons per minute with services to the Richmond and Sunset Districts.

The primary objective of the PEFWS pipelines is to deliver a seismically resilient high-pressure water system to the Sunset and Richmond Districts immediately following a large seismic event on the San Andreas Fault. The Project aims to construct pipelines with available funding to provide immediate increased fire coverage benefits utilizing gravity flow prior to funding/construction of the pump station to increase flow/pressure to the pipelines in the longer term.

SFPUC values early market feedback during the Project development process. Respondents who submit responses are not obligated to propose if/when procurement documents are released. Additionally, responses will remain anonymous and will not be shared with other participants, unless required by law. All information may be subject to Public Records Act or Sunshine Ordinance requests, with potential withholding rights pursuant to San Francisco Administrative Code Section 67.24. SFPUC will endeavor to give the subject Respondent(s) reasonable notice of any such requests, to the extent possible, so that the Respondent(s) may seek court intervention prior to the production deadline.

SFPUC may seek to hold meetings or discussions with the Respondents to this RFI. In that event, SFPUC will issue further notice to all Respondents regarding the opportunity to meet and the guidelines for such meetings. If SFPUC provides this opportunity, it will be made available to all Respondents on equal terms.