Services for Sanitary Sewer System Hydraulic Modeling and Program Management

a. Summary

The Town of Lexington’s Utility Department (The Town) is looking for a discipline partner to provide select program management support centered around the creation and routine updating of an effective, accurate sanitary sewer hydraulic model. Successful firms will demonstrate their expertise, specific project approaches, and a successful history of providing these services to similarly sized organizations. The Town will review responses to this solicitation to determine the most qualified consultant. The Town reserves the right to interview firms to aid in this determination. The Town will then select the consultant that best meets the Town’s needs and enter negotiations with that firm.

1. RFP Release Date: August 25, 2026.
2. Question Submission Deadline: 4:00 pm, September 8, 2026.
3. Question Response Deadline: 5:00 pm, September 15, 2026.
4. Mandatory Pre-submission Meeting: September 17, 2026. Meeting to be held at 3:00 pm at 284 Bruner Road. *Town responses to questions, as well as insight into specific priorities and expectations, will be discussed at this meeting. Each respondent must have a representative attend the pre-submission meeting in its entirety. This is a condition of eligibility to submit a response to this RFP, and failure to do so will render the respondent’s submission non-responsive and ineligible for consideration. No exceptions will be made unless expressly authorized in writing by the Town prior to the meeting.

1. Proposal Submission Deadline: 3:00 pm, October 20, 2026.

1. Approval by Town Council (estimated): December 7, 2026.
2. Project kick-off meeting (estimated): December 9, 2026.
3. Completion of comprehensive hydraulic model (estimated): March 15, 2028.

Sealed responses should be addressed to the attention of Laurie Starnes, with the RFP number clearly displayed. Responses may either be dropped off at the Lexington Municipal Complex at 111 Maiden Lane, Lexington, SC or mailed to the Town of Lexington, Post Office Box 397, Lexington, South Carolina 29071.

Any questions or clarifications regarding this solicitation, as well as one electronic copy of the submittal sent after the Proposal Submission Deadline, should be sent to David R. Wiman at For security reasons, you must enable JavaScript to view this E-mail address. . All electronic communications should also copy Laurie Starnes at For security reasons, you must enable JavaScript to view this E-mail address..

The purpose of the sewer system hydraulic model is to help assess current and future capacity and conveyance deficiencies during normal and peak flows, at both a localized level and overall system level, to understand the impact of proposed growth and development, and help develop and justify needed capital improvement projects (CIP) to address both localized issues and long-term sustainability.

It is expected that this would be accomplished through the review and collection of relevant data, the development of future system demands, the inspection of targeted system facilities and structures, and a field-testing program for model calibration. The model is expected to be routinely updated.

The purpose of the Program Management component is to utilize the resultsof the hydraulic model, along with inspection results, maintenance records and other pertinent data, to provide guidance necessary for the effective and efficient operation of the sanitary sewer system to include budget forecasting via capital improvement planning, the investigation and support needed toobtain grants and other funding, as well as the development of a Master Planand the presentation to council of such.

The services performed as part of this task also include providing technical consulting support to the Town for the sewer system, such as serving as the CIP reviewer, guiding Inflow and Infiltration investigation, one-off easement plats, emergency field support, providing input on the City of Cayce’s treatment plant expansion as it relates to the Town’s needs and analysis anddevelopment of capital improvements planning to formulate a phased program of sewer system improvements. This would include a comprehensive capital improvements program report summarizing the project work and why it is needed, as well as the outcome once completed. The Consultant shall coordinate with the Town on all aspects of agreed-upon CIP execution including, but not limited to:

1. Participation in coordination meetings.
2. Participation in project workshops at key technical milestones during the project implementation.
3. Completion of all Project Management tasks including inspection services and Quality Assurance (QA)/Quality Control (QC) on all work completed for the Town.

Necessary tasks such as those listed above shall be forecasted with as much notice as possible to allow for proper budgeting of funds.

1. The contract period will be for a period of five years with mutually agreed annual extensions thereafter.
2. Tasks associated with this contract will be time and materials based according to the rate schedule provided. The task approach, such as the job category and hours required, will be negotiated and approved subject to the Town’s Procurement Policy.
3. The rate schedule shall increase each year of the contract based on the Consumer Price Index, not to exceed 3% without written approval from the Town.
4. The contract will be governed by the Town’s terms on insurance requirements , legal jurisdiction (Lexington, South Carolina) and any indemnification language should be removed or stated equally for both parties.

The submittal shall be limited to eighteen (18) pages, not including tabs, resumes, or appendices. Each page will be printed on one side of an 8.5” x 11” sheet. Anything larger will count as two pages. Seven (7) hard copies and one electronic copy should be submitted to the Town as previously described.

1. Cover Letter – Include a signed cover letter from a person within the Firm who is authorized to make representations on behalf of the Firm and to bind the Firm contractually. One (1) page limit.
2. Firm Overview – Include the name, size, and brief description of the Firm, including the same information for any proposed partners or subconsultants. Include the office location responsible for managing the project. One (1) page limit for each organization. Multiple organizations per page is acceptable.
3. Project Team – Identify the proposed professional staff members, including their position on the rate schedule and their relative experience, who will be assigned to this project. Provide an overview of their roles and the extent of their availability. Identify the Project Manager or point of contact for all management issues.

If partnering and/or subconsultants are to be used, describe the role proposed for each. Include a description and graphic or organizational chart outlining the structure of the proposed team. If more than one Firm or subconsultant is involved, make sure to include the staff’s affiliation. Include all potential team members that may have a role subject to final scope negotiation. Identify the office location of each team member. Two(2) page limit for the team overview.

Include a one (1) page resume for each professional staff member that details that person’s qualifications, years and types of experience, education, pertinent professional registrations, and accomplishments. If there is a partnering effort and/or if a subconsultant is also part of the proposed team, provide the same level of detail for those individuals.

iv.  Project Approach – For both hydraulic modeling and Program Management, and within a total eight (8) page limit, provide:

1. A demonstrated understanding of the project and proposed approach to efficiently manage and deliver the project while minimizing the impact on Town staff. Include a detailed description of the proposed investigations and design efforts to be used to complete the project and explain why your firm’s staffing and approach are best suited to deliver the project needs.
2. A description of the management approach, including coordination of activities, suggested interim deliverables, and communication with Town staff.
3. A description of the QA/QC procedures that will be used in performing the work to ensure high-quality deliverables.
4. A list of any potential risks and/or obstacles that could negatively impact the project and describe the general methods that will be used to manage and mitigate those items.

v. Project Experience – Provide four (4) examples of similarly scaled projects completed in the last ten years. Each will be limited to one (1)page and should include a project description and a client point of contactto provide a potential reference.

vi. Project Schedule – Provide a one (1) page project schedule that includes the time frame in which on-site mobilization of the work can begin, a breakdown of the work milestones, any required input by the Town, as well as any potential submittal modifications that need to be made by the Consultant.

1. Appendix A – Include a copy of the Firm’s typical contract. The agreement shall include standard terms and conditions.

1. Appendix B – Include a copy of the Firm’s standard hourly rates by job/ position category. Include all the intended disciplines that might be included in the negotiated scopes of work as well as the markup percentage on reimbursables and subcontracted services.
2. Appendix C – Include an itemized cost estimate for the fully developed hydraulic model that includes labor broken down by job/position category, equipment rentals, subcontractors, materials, reimbursables, etc. The estimate should align with the project schedule noted in thepreceding section to include subtotals and a final sum total.

A selection committee will review submittals in a timely manner based on thefollowing criteria:

1. Project Understanding and Approach: 30 points max.
2. Experience: 25 points max.
3. Proposed Team: 10 points max.
4. Proposed Schedule and Deliverables: 25 points max.
5. Estimated cost: 10 points max.

The Town may ask any or all respondents to elaborate or clarify specific points or portions of their submissions. Clarification may take the form of written responses to questions or meetings/calls to discuss the participant’s response. If you make assumptions about the meaning or accuracy of information contained herein, youshould state the assumptions in your submission. The Town may interview finalists.

The Town reserves the right to reject any or all submissions and to waive anyinformality and/or any minor irregularity within the submittals. As such, the Town is not obligated to enter into any agreement based on any submittal. Nor will any agreement guarantee the successful firm additional work beyond the scope of this RFP.

The selected firm must have or set up an active vendor account and business licensewith the Town’s Finance Department within five (5) business days of beingannounced as the successful firm.