Turn Lanes on SR 416

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City of Sevierville
120 Gary Wade Boulevard
P. O. Box 5500
Sevierville, TN 37864-5500
(865) 453-5504
Fax: (865) 453-5518
For Specific Information on Project:
Doug Tarwater, P.E., Public Works Director
865-429-4567
dtarwater@seviervilletn.org
June 2026

INFORMATION FOR PROPOSING COMPANIES
RECEIPT AND OPENING OF PROPOSALS
The City of Sevierville, Tennessee (herein called the "Owner") invites proposals from qualified firms (herein called
"Design firms") for Turn Lanes on SR 416. The following pages summarize the scope of work and requirements for
the proposal. The Owner will RECEIVE QUALIFICATIONS UNTIL July 15, 2026 at 3:00 pm at Sevierville City Hall,
120 Gary Wade Boulevard, Sevierville, Tennessee, 37862 (Mailing address: P. O. Box 5500, Sevierville,
Tennessee, 37864). The envelopes containing the proposals must be sealed, addressed to Linda Underwood, and
must bear the following information:
Name of Proposing Firm
Design Firm's Address
Date and Time of Proposal Opening
Proposal Enclosed: SR 416 Turn Lanes
ENCLOSE THE ORIGINAL, FIVE (5) COPIES, AND ONE (1) ELECTRONIC COPY
The Owner may consider informal any proposal not prepared and submitted in accordance with the provisions
hereof, and may waive any informality or reject any and all proposals. Any proposal received after the time and
date specified may not be considered.
INTRODUCTION AND DESCRIPTION
The City of Sevierville, Tennessee, hereinafter referred to as "Owner" seeks to retain the services of a professional
consultant engineering firm/team, hereinafter referred to as "Design Firm" to provide services related to the
planning, permitting, design, utility coordination, right-of-way acquisition, public outreach, bid process
administration, and construction support for proposed improvements to be made to State Route 416 in
Sevierville.
The project area includes State Route 416 in Sevierville between Jack Delozier Drive and Maples Branch Road.
The project will include intersection improvements at Jack Delozier Drive, Shaconage Trail, Murphy's Chapel
Drive, and Maples Branch Road. The plan view below illustrates an unsignalized left-turn lane with an acceleration
lane, which represents an acceptable approach. However, proposer is encouraged to suggest alternative
configurations that achieve equal or greater operational and safety benefits, provided the proposed design is
supported by sound engineering analysis and meets applicable design standards.
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SCOPE OF SERVICES
The City intends to deliver this project as efficiently as possible and encourages innovative, cost-effective
solutions that minimize right-of-way impacts, utility relocations, environmental impacts, and construction costs.
The intent of this project is to construct improvements at the locations specified above to help reduce anticipated
delays for turning vehicles and enhance overall traffic operations for the corridor, and to help reduce corridor
wide crashes.
It is the intent of this Request for Qualifications to include all services from preliminary planning through
construction support for this project. A separate contract will be awarded at a later date for Construction
Inspection.
It is anticipated that responsibilities of the Design Firm may include, but are not limited to the following:
(a) Preliminary Project Planning
(b) Survey services for the project area.
(c) Pre-design meetings and planning sessions with affected utilities, city officials, the public, and others
if necessary.
(d) Utility design will be included in this project for some utilities.
(e) Utility coordination with affected utilities.
(f) Geotechnical investigation and design as needed.
(g) Any required Federal, State, or Local permitting.
(h) Right of Way valuation and acquisition on behalf of the owner, including obtaining any necessary title
reports or searches.
(i) Engineering design services to prepare project specifications and bid/construction documents for the
construction of project.
(j) Preparation of itemized estimates of probable cost using TDOT average unit price data, specific to the
Sevier County market.
(k) Assistance with applying for any Federal, State or Private funds that may come available to complete
the proposed project.
(l) Assistance in evaluation of bids and recommendation for contract award, including pre-bid meetings,
addendum publishing, etc.
(m) Coordination Meetings during construction including shop drawing reviews, RFI responses, change
order review, and other services as needed.
(n) Preparation of agendas, presentations, reports, and other documents, and attend regular and special
meetings of the Owner's governing board.
(o) Any other services necessary to complete the design and completion of the project.
The Design Firm shall provide complete design deliverables, including drawings and specifications in both hard
copy and electronic formats. These documents shall contain sufficient detail to clearly illustrate the scope of work
and convey the necessary information for the proper execution of the project. While the Design Firm is
responsible for the preparation and submission of all design and specification documents, the Owner shall be
responsible for advertising the project and administering the bidding process. The winning firm shall plan to hold
at minimum of 1 public meeting prior to any ROW acquisition. The selected design firm will be expected to
coordinate closely with TDOT and obtain all required approvals for work within state right-of-way.
RFQ CONTENT REQUIREMENTS
GENERAL INFORMATION
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Design Firm must provide a brief profile of the company, including a brief history of the company, corporate
structure, ownership interest, and the length of company's existence. All personnel proposed to be
employed on this project should be listed with biographical information. An organizational chart with key
personnel and their affiliation with the project shall be included.
QUALIFICATIONS
Design Firm shall include a detailed description of its experience and qualifications for this type of project-
specifically the individual personnel that will be assigned to this project. Related projects and similarities as
well as details about how the organization worked to make the projects successful should also be described.
The Owner may make such investigations as he/she deems necessary to determine the ability of the Design
Firm to supply the necessary services, and the Design Firm shall furnish to the Owner all such information
and data for the purpose as the Owner may request. The Owner reserves the right to reject any proposal if
the evidence submitted by, or investigation of, such Design Firms fail to satisfy the Owner that such Design
Firm is properly qualified to carry out the obligation of the contract by supplying the service contemplated
therein.
PROJECT APPROACH
Design Firm shall describe their project approach and identify any particular problems, design issues, or
options that may be made apparent in its investigation based on past experience or its review of the project.
DESCRIPTION OF TASKS
Design Firm shall describe the tasks that it will require to accomplish this project. The description should
include a detailed scope of the services expected to be performed.
REFERENCES
Proposals shall include company/agency names, contacts, phone numbers and detailed description of
projects for at least five (5) references. The Owner will most likely contact all listed references as well as any
other client listed in the proposal.
CURRENT WORKLOAD
Design Firm shall show the amount of work currently under contract with other clients and how that relates to
current staff as well as how this proposed additional work will affect the efficiency of the firm.
UTILITY RELOCATION
Utility relocation coordination is expected to be a substantial portion of this project. Design firms shall detail
their experience with utility relocation in state highway rights-of-way.
ESTIMATION OF COSTS
No billing information is required with the initial submittal. Design Firms will be evaluated for qualifications
based on submitted information, interviews, and other information gathered during the process.
Contract negotiations with the selected Design Firms will include establishment of billing rates and "not to
exceed" ceilings. If those negotiations fail to result in a contract that is acceptable to the Consultant
Evaluation Committee, that Design Firm will be dismissed. The next qualified Design Firm will be called in for
negotiations, and this process continued until an acceptable contract is negotiated.
SUBMISSION SIZE
For submission of qualifications, less is better than more. Please keep resumes for each team member to one
page each and show enough relevant information for the Design Firm qualifications for the Owner to make
an informed decision. Minimum font size shall be 10pt.
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SELECTION CRITERIA AND PROCESS
SELECTION PROCESS
This will be a qualifications-based selection process. The Owner, through a Consultant Evaluation
Committee, will evaluate the qualifications for those submitting responses and may (1) select firm with which
to attempt negotiations for the contract or (2) develop a "short list" of firms for further evaluations. Each
Design Firm from which a response was received will be informed of their success or failure after the initial
evaluation. The factors that will be considered in evaluation of proposals are:
a. Responsiveness to the RFQ. (10%)
b. Past experience with projects of similar scope. (25%)
c. Qualifications of individuals to be assigned to this project and availability of staff. (25%)
d. Demonstrated ability to meet schedules and work efficiently without compromising sound
engineering practice. (10%)
e. Design Firm's approach to the project. (10%)
f. Amount of work under contract with other clients. (10%)
g. Experience coordinating utility relocations on roadway projects within state highway rights-of-way
(10%)
Post-proposal interviews may be utilized as the final step in selecting the Design Firm. To be responsive, the
proposal team must make themselves available for an interview at the time offered.
Evaluation proceedings will be conducted within the established guidelines regarding equal employment
opportunity and nondiscriminatory action based upon the grounds of race, color, sex, creed or national
origin. Interested certified Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) firms as well as other minority-owned
and women-owned firms are encouraged to respond to all advertisements by the City of Sevierville,
Tennessee.
The Owner intends to select Design Firm that has the experience and resources to perform this project. The
design effort should include a team of seasoned professionals with demonstrated experience in the type of
work described herein.
The intent is to employ a Design Firm to accomplish these functions in an effective and cooperative effort
with the Owner.
PRE-PROPOSAL MEETING
No pre-proposal meeting is scheduled for this project. Please submit your questions by email to Doug
Tarwater, PE, at dtarwater@seviervilletn.org. All questions will be answered directly then posted on the
City's website to be available to all interested parties. The deadline for questions will be one week prior to
the advertised receipt date/time.
FORMAT AND NUMBER OF COPIES
Design Firms must submit the original and five (5) copies as well as one electronic copy of their response to
this RFQ in portable document format (PDF). The electronic copy may be submitted after the advertised
receipt date/time. It is preferred that submissions be formatted on 812 x 11 paper.
SELECTION SCHEDULE
The Owner anticipates that a Design Firm will be selected by August 31, 2026 and a contract for services will
be negotiated and executed shortly thereafter. The Design Firm will be expected to commence its services
immediately upon contract execution, depending upon the Owner's budgeting process.
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GENERAL CONDITIONS
The Owner reserves the right to:
* Waive minor irregularities.
* Modify or cancel the selection process or schedule at any time.
* Negotiate with the second choice Design Firm if it is unable to negotiate an acceptable contract with the
first choice Design Firm within a reasonable period of time.
* Reject any and all submissions and to issue a new request for qualifications when it is in the best interest
of the Owner to do so.
* Seek any clarification or additional information from Design Firms as is deemed necessary to the
evaluation of a response.
* Judge the veracity, substance, and relevance of the Design Firms' written or oral presentations, including
seeking and evaluating independent information on any of the Design Firms' work cited as relevant
experience.
* Contract with separate entities for various components of the services.
CONTRACT TERMS
No proposal will be finally accepted, and no agreement will be binding on Owner, until Owner and the Design
Firm have signed a written contract containing all terms of the agreement between Owner and the Design
Firm. The selected Design Firm will be responsible for providing a contract for services to the Owner. The
contract will be based on the proposal that is most beneficial to Owner and best suits the needs of Owner.
OBLIGATION OF PROPOSING COMPANY
At the time of the opening of proposals, each Design Firm will be presumed to have read and to be
thoroughly familiar with the proposal requirements. The failure or omission of any Design Firm to examine
all the forms, instruments, and documents shall in no way relieve the Design Firm from any obligation in
respect to a proposal.
EXPENSES INCURRED:
This invitation does not commit the Owner to award a contract agreement. Nor shall the Owner be
responsible for any cost or expense incurred by any Design Firm in preparing and submitting a proposal, nor
for any cost or expense incurred by any Design Firm prior to the execution of a contract agreement. The
Owner reserves the right to require any or all Design Firms to appear for interviews and/or oral presentations
at no cost to the Owner.
NOTICE OF ACCEPTANCE AND EXECUTION OF CONTRACT
Upon the acceptance of the proposal, a letter, electronic mail, and/or facsimile will notify the successful
Design Firm. The successful Design Firm will be responsible for preparing a standard contract for services and
forwarding it to the Owner for review. Upon execution of the contract, the successful Design Firm will be
notified by letter and/or electronic mail to proceed with the work.
DESIGN FIRM'S AGREEMENT
By the submission of their proposal, each Design Firm shall be deemed to have agreed that this request and
the contract documents referred to in the Contract Form are by this reference made a part of their proposal;
that they will not withdraw their proposal during the period of time from the proposal opening until sixty (60)
days thereafter.
PAYMENT
The Design Firm will invoice the City of Sevierville on a monthly basis for services provided under this
contract. Invoices shall be in accordance with the unit prices set forth in the schedule contained in the
contract. Payment will be made within twenty (20) working days after receipt of accepted itemized and
certified invoices for services rendered.
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DURATION OF CONTRACT
The time required for completion of this work will be included in the final contract negotiations. Included will
be the option to assess liquidated damages for failure to deliver the report within the mutually agreed time
period.
TITLE VII, VENDOR INFORMATION, W-9, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE
Each Design Firm must fill out and return the attached Title VII Information sheet, Vendor Information sheet,
and W-9 form as a part of the proposal package.
If awarded this contract agreement the Design Firm must comply with the following:
1) All Design Firms shall be licensed as required by the State of Tennessee and all local codes and
ordinances applicable to their work.
2) All Design Firms are required to include in the proposal an affidavit attesting that effective no later
than proposal date, Design Firms operate a drug-free workplace program that complies with the
requirements of Tennessee Code Annotated Section 50-9-101 through 50-9-144 OR a program at
least as stringent as the program operated by the City of Sevierville.
The City of Sevierville operates a drug-free workplace program that complies with the above-referenced law.
The City of Sevierville performs drug or alcohol tests at the following times: a. Job Application b. Reasonable
Suspicion c. Post-Accident d. Routine Fitness for Duty e. Follow-up f. Random. All testing and specimen-
handling procedures conform to the standards of the U.S. Department of Transportation guidelines. A
Medical Review Officer (MRO) provides medical oversight to assure appropriate processing and accurate
interpretation of the results. Failure to submit to substance abuse testing or testing positive for prohibited
drugs and/or alcohol may result in discipline up to and including termination.
For further information on the drug-free workplace program operated by the City, please contact Rebecca
Nowack, City Risk Manager, at (865) 453-5504.
INSURANCE COVERAGE REQUIREMENTS
These coverage requirements apply to the Design Firm and any subcontractors who may perform services
under the contract.
Commercial General Liability Insurance - $1,000,000 limit per occurrence for property damage and bodily
injury. Coverage should be occurrence form.
Business Automobile Liability Insurance - $1,000,000 limit per accident for property damage and personal
injury.
Workers' Compensation and Employers' Liability Insurance - Workers' Compensation statutory limits as
required by Tennessee law. This policy should include Employers' Liability coverage for $1,000,000 per
accident.
Professional Liability Insurance - $1,000,000.
CONDITIONS FOR ALL COVERAGES
Additional Insured: The City of Sevierville, its Board of Mayor and Aldermen, and all officers, employees,
agents, representatives, boards, commissions, committees and volunteers will be covered as Additional
Insured respecting: liability arising out of activities performed by or on behalf of the Design Firm; products
and completed operations of the Design Firm; premises owned, leased or used by the Design Firm or
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premises on which Design Firm is performing services on behalf of City. The coverage will contain no special
limitations on the scope of protection afforded to the Owner. This clause does not apply to Workers'
Compensation Insurance.
Notice of Cancellation or Non-renewal: Each insurance policy required by this clause will be endorsed to state
that coverage will not be suspended, voided, cancelled, reduced in coverage or in limits except after thirty
(30) days prior written notice has been given to the City's Risk Coordinator.
Acceptability of Insurers: Insurance will be placed with financially sound Tennessee admitted insurers (Best's
rating of A or better) or other insurers approved by the City's Risk Coordinator: Rebecca Nowack, phone 453-
5504
Certificates of Insurance: Design Firms will furnish the City with certificates of insurance with original
endorsements affecting coverage required by this clause. The certificates and endorsements for each policy
are to be signed by a person authorized by that insurer to bind coverage on its behalf. The certificates and
endorsements are to be received and approved by the City's Risk Manager before work commences. The
certificates of insurance should be directed to Rebecca Nowack, the City's Risk Coordinator and must also be
accompanied by a copy of the Notice of Bid Award Letter.
Defense, Indemnification and Hold Harmless Agreement: Design Firms hereby agree to indemnify, defend
and hold harmless the City from any and all loss, damage, cost, expense, liability, claims, demands, suits,
fines, penalties, attorney's fees and judgments, whether civil or criminal, arising directly or indirectly from or
in any manner related to the work, project, event or other purposes, including but not limited to the service
of beer, wine and liquor, in connection with the Design Firms' performance or failure to perform under the
terms of the contract, regardless of the active or passive nature of any negligence by the City. Design Firms
will not be responsible if liability arises from the sole negligence of the City. Design Firms will pay the City for
any costs incurred in enforcing Design Firms' obligations to indemnify.
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AFFIDAVIT REGARDING DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE PROGRAM
STATE OF _______________________
COUNTY OF ______________________
The undersigned, having been duly sworn, deposes and says as follows:
1. I am over 18 years of age, and I have personal knowledge of the matters stated herein.
2. I am the ____________________of_________________ hereinafter referred
(Position) (Name of Company)
to as "the Design Firm".
3. As of the date of the submittal of its Proposal, the Design Firm has a drug-free workplace program that
complies with the requirements of Tennessee Code Annotated Section 50-9-101, seq. OR a program at
least as stringent as the program operated by the City of Sevierville.
_________________________ _________________________
Authorized Signature Name (Printed)
_________________________ _________________________
Title Date
Sworn to and subscribed before me, this ___________day of___________2013,
______________________
Notary Public Signature
My commission expires: ________________
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TITLE VII INFORMATION
The City of Sevierville complies with all applicable federal and state civil rights laws, including but not limited to
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000e.), and the City does not discriminate based on race, color,
gender, religion, age or national origin. By virtue of submitting a response to this solicitation, bidders agree to
comply with the same non-discrimination policy.
Bid Item/Project Name:
Bid Date:
*For Title VII compliance, we ask for voluntary disclosure of the following information for the majority
owner of the business:
Gender: ___ Male ___ Female
Race: ___ Caucasian ___ African American
___ Other (please specify)
Company Name:
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