RFP-Construction Materials Testing for Public Improvements

Location:	Michigan
Posted:	Nov 7, 2025
Due:	Dec 9, 2025
Agency:	City of Port Huron
Type of Government:	State & Local
Category:	56 - Construction and Building Materials H - Quality Control, Testing, and Inspection Services
Publication URL:	To access bid details, please log in.

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CITY OF PORT HURON

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

A26-0010

CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS TESTING

FOR PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS

Department of Public Works/Engineering Division

Issued: November 7, 2025

1. PURPOSE

The City of Port Huron (City) seeks proposals from qualified firms to provide professional construction

materials testing services on an as-needed basis from January 1, 2026 (or upon contract award) to

December 31, 2028. Services include, but are not limited to:

 Density testing

 Concrete and asphalt testing

 Soil borings

 Pavement corings

Materials to be tested primarily include Portland cement concrete, hot mix asphalt, soils and aggregates.

All testing must comply with the latest ASTM and AASHTO standard, the 2020 Michigan Department of

Transportation (MDOT) Standard Specifications for Construction, and City of Port Huron specifications.

Proposed rates shall remain firm for the entire contract period and be provided for the units specified in

the Proposal Pricing Form (Appendix A).

2. METHOD

This Request for Proposals (RFP) will be evaluated by a Selection Committee based on the criteria

outlined in the RFP. The contract will be awarded to the firm deemed most qualified, in

accordance with the selection criteria, to perform the services outlined in this RFP and other

services as deemed necessary by the City. Pricing is one of several evaluation criteria.

Proposals will be opened on the submission deadline, with the submitting firm’s name, address and

the date and time the proposal was submitted recorded. Proposal content, including pricing, will

remain confidential until contract award. The City reserves the right to reject any or all proposals,

waive irregularities in the proposals, or cancel the process if it serves the public interest. The City is

not responsible for costs incurred in preparing proposals.

3. PROPOSAL DEADLINE

Proposals must be received by 3:00 p.m. on December 9, 2025. Late proposals, regardless of the cause

of delay, will not be accepted. Only hard-copy submissions are permitted; emails or faxed proposals

will not be accepted.

4. PROPOSAL FORMAT

Proposals must be organized as follows to ensure consistency and facilitate evaluation:

 Business Organization: Provide the firm’s full name, address, and contact details for the entity

performing the services.

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 Scope of Work: Detail the firm’s understanding of the project as outlined in the Scope of

Services. Include a statement that indicates the firm’s available laboratory resources to perform

these services.

 Technical Experience: Describe methods for performing the requested services. Provide the

firm’s current laboratory accreditation certificate. Include at least three (3) references (with

contact names, emails, and phone numbers) for similar work performed within the past five

years.

 Personnel Experience: List certifications and qualifications of personnel involved in testing and

analysis procedures.

 Subcontractors: Identify any subcontractors that will be used in any part of this contract.

Include copies of their applicable licenses and permits.

 Pricing Proposal: Submit unit prices for all items listed in the Proposal Pricing Form (Appendix A)

for each contract year (2026, 2027, 2028). Propose additional pricing for anticipated services

not listed, if applicable. Include a sample billing for each type of test or procedure, denoting the

typical staff positions involved.

5. SELECTION PROCEDURE

An evaluation committee from the Public Works Department will review proposals. The selected firm

shall have best explained their qualifications and shown the best service value for the rates quoted.

The City reserves the right to cancel, suspend, or restart the selection process and is not responsible

for proposal preparation costs.

6. SELECTION CRITERIA

Proposals will be scored based on the following (100 points total):

 Experience, Qualifications and Expertise (30 points): Firm’s experience and reliability in

providing similar services, resources available and proposed methods.

 Scope of Work (30 points): Understanding of services to be provided under this contract.

 Pricing (10 points): Reasonableness of proposed pricing, compared to industry standards and

historical data. All pricing shall exclude sales tax as the City of Port Huron is exempt.

 Quality, Thoroughness and Responsiveness of Proposal (30 points): Adherence to the specified

format and completeness of information provided.

7. SCOPE OF SERVICES

Services include, but are not limited to, sampling, curing and testing of Portland cement concrete, hot

mix asphalt, soils, and aggregates. Laboratory and field testing, sampling and analysis of soils including

recommendations for soil stabilization. Subjects to be addressed in proposals include, but are not

limited to:

 Testing Standards: All testing must conform to ASTM and/or AASHTO standard test methods, as

applicable, for determining the physical properties of soils, cements, aggregates and other

construction materials.

 Laboratory Standards: Laboratories and equipment must meet ASTM/AASHTO standards. All

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laboratories conducting geotechnical testing must be AASHTO Materials Reference Laboratory

(AMRL) accredited.

 Supervision: Testing must be supervised by a Michigan Licensed Professional Engineer, with

certified personnel performing tests.

 Quality Assurance: Provide details on the laboratory’s quality assurance program, procedures

for handling technical complaints, equipment inventory, and calibration/verification procedures.

 Chemical Testing: The laboratory’s scope of its chemical testing and the qualification of these

tests. These methods must be qualified using a NIST Standard Reference Material (SRM) to the

limits set forth in C114 of the Methods for Chemical Testing Standards.

8. PROPOSAL PRICING FORM

Firms must provide unit prices for the items listed in Appendix A for each contract year (2026, 2027,

2028) on separate pricing forms. Quantities are estimated for a single year and are for comparison

purposes only; actual quantities may vary. The quantity of tests anticipated for the duration of this

contract is dependent on the number of projects under construction at any time and weather

conditions. These are estimated quantities only, not guarantees of the amount of work to be provided

in any category. Invoices will reflect the quoted unit prices regardless of quantities. Firms should

provide additional pricing for other anticipated services not listed above for review and consideration by

the City.

9. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

 Pre-Construction Meetings: attend pre-construction meetings as requested by the City, billable

under Item 18 (Project Engineer hours).

 Resources: Provide all labor, equipment, materials and incidentals necessary to perform services

to the City’s satisfaction and professional standards. Multiple employees may be required on

any given day.

 Coordination: Coordinate testing with the City’s Project Engineer or designated representative

via phone or email.

 Compliance: Adhere to federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations. Perform field

operations in accordance with OSHA and MIOSHA regulations and accepted safety practices.

Perform in compliance with the standard construction practices of the Michigan Department of

Transportation (MDOT), the City of Port Huron, the project construction contract, proposal and

plans; the 2020 MDOT Standard Specifications for Construction and applicable publications

referenced within; the Michigan Construction Manual; the MDOT Material Source Guide; the

MDOT Quality Assurance Procedures Manual; and all other references, guidelines and

procedures manuals needed to carry out the work described herein in an appropriate manner.

 Personnel Changes: notify the Project Engineer or designated representative, in writing, of

personnel changes from those specified in the Firm’s original approved proposal. Substitutions

are subject to City approval.

 Certifications: Provide technicians certified by the MDOT for concrete, asphalt, soils and nuclear

density gauge use. Technicians performing the respective tests shall be thoroughly familiar

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with the applicable testing procedure and shall be currently certified or approved where

applicable, prior to running each respective test. For testing performed on MDOT projects, the

technician shall be appropriately and currently certified in compliance with applicable MDOT

requirements. Concrete technicians must be certified as a Concrete Technician Michigan Level

I through a program certified by the Michigan Concrete Association Board of Examiners or the

Michigan Concrete Paving Association. Aggregate technicians must be Michigan Certified

Aggregate Technicians. Density testing personnel must complete the Michigan Density

Technology Certification Program and radiation safety training. Certifications must be valid at

submission and throughout the contract term.

 Material Testing: Sample and test materials to be incorporated into the work, including but not

limited to, concrete quality assurance testing, testing on-site aggregates and density testing and

reporting, according to the MDOT Material Source Guide, and reject Contractor’s work and

materials not meeting the Specifications, Plans, Proposal and the Michigan Construction

Manual, the MDOT Materials Quality Assurance Manual and all other applicable references,

guidelines and procedural manuals. Provide recommendations on non-compliant materials in

coordination with the City’s Project Engineer.

 Material Certification: Coordinate with the City to ensure that acceptable test reports and

material certifications from the supplier have been received, prior to the incorporation of

materials in the work, for material tested off the project site.

 Material Reports: Submit materials test reports (e.g., Moisture and Density 582B, Inspector’s

Report of Concrete Placed 1174R/S, HMA QA reports, Concrete QA reports, etc., on MDOT local

agency projects, or comparable format reports on non-MDOT projects) daily, within one

workday of testing, per the distribution list. Immediately notify the City and the Project Engineer

or Resident Project Representative of failed field tests, providing preliminary results via email of

hardcopy before leaving the site. Notify the City of failed laboratory tests within four hours of

obtaining preliminary results, except for extraction tests which must be reported by the next

business day after placement of the asphalt. Submit final copies of all test reports to the City

Engineering Division within two weeks of completion of the respective test procedure.

 Traffic Control: For soil borings, traffic control (e.g., signage, flaggers per MMUTCD, current

edition) is included in the unit price for soil borings and shall not be paid separately.

10. PROPOSAL PRICING SPECIAL PROVISIONS

Unit prices for Work Items identified in the proposal include all labor, equipment, materials, handling,

supplies, processing, pick-up and delivery, testing, compilation and evaluation of results, preparation

and supply of reports, complete, for each item. All such costs associated with that travel time are to

be included in the unit prices for the respective work items. For those items paid for by the hour,

there shall be no markup for overtime pay. All such cost associated with payment of overtime shall

be included in the unit prices for the respective work items. There will be no direct reimbursement

for travel time, vehicle rental and mileage. Chargeable time will begin when the technician(s) arrive at

the project site or the project office as directed.

The following are special considerations that each firm should take into account in preparing unit

pricing for the following items:

 Technician and Nuclear Density Gauge Field Testing: Unit price per hour and includes all labor,

equipment and materials for trench back fill, subgrade, and HMA density testing on the job site,

excluding those costs associated with determining proctors in the laboratory.

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 Technician for Field Testing of Concrete: Unit price per hour includes all labor, equipment and

materials for on-site concrete testing as requested. Costs associated with transporting,

stripping, curing, and breaking cylinders or beams in the laboratory are paid for separately

under the item 6, Concrete Cylinder Test or item 7, Concrete Flexure Beam Test.

 Bituminous Plant Inspection: Unit price per hour includes quality assurance testing and

observation of hot mix asphalt (HMA) batch plant operations in accordance with MDOT

sampling and testing procedures and City special provisions. Includes a minimum one 8-hour

shift per project by a Batch Plant Technician for initial inspection at the beginning of a project

requiring batch plant inspection; additional inspections as requested by the Project Engineer.

 Concrete Plant Inspection: Unit price per hour includes observation of Portland cement

concrete (PCC) batch plant operations in accordance with MDOT sampling and testing

procedures and City special provisions. Includes a minimum one 8-hour shift per project by a

Batch Plant Technician for initial inspection at the beginning of a project requiring batch plant

inspection; additional inspections as requested by the Project Engineer.

 Extraction and Gradation Test (ASTM D2172): Unit price per each and includes all labor,

equipment and materials to extract aggregates from HMA samples, perform gradation analysis

and report results as directed by the City.

 Concrete Cylinder Tests (ASTM C39): Unit price per each and includes all labor, equipment and

materials to transport, strip, cure, test (compression), document and report the results for

each sample tested in accordance with ASTM C39. Includes cost of supplying cylinder molds,

mold caps and sample I.D. tags to inspectors, and retrieving samples to the lab.

 Concrete Flexure Beam Tests: Unit price per each and includes all labor, equipment and

materials necessary to transport, strip, cure, test (flexure), document and report the results for

each sample. Includes costs for supplying beam molds and sample I.D. tags to inspectors, and

retrieving samples and to the lab.

 Moisture Density Relationship Test (Modified Proctor, ASTM D1557): Unit price per each

includes all labor, equipment, and materials to determine the maximum dry unit weight and

optimum moisture content of soils using ASTM D1557.

 Sieve Analysis: Unit price per each and includes all labor, equipment and materials to perform

sieve analysis on aggregate samples as required by the City in accordance with ASTM C136.

 Proctors Standard, 4 & 6 inch mold (ASTM D698): Unit price per each and includes all labor,

equipment and materials to determine soil and aggregate proctors, per ASTM D698, for use in

field density tests.

 Soil Boring – Various Depths: Unit price per foot and includes all labor, materials and equipment

for soil borings at the specified depths in accordance with ASTM D1452, D1587, D6151 and any

Special Provisions set forth by the City. A soil log/soil profile and visual soil classification shall be

included as part of the soil boring item. Each foot in a particular soil boring will be paid for at the

same unit price. It is based upon the TOTAL depth of desired boring. (Example: all 30 feet of a

30-foot boring will be paid for with item “Soil Boring Up to 30 Ft Depth”). Boreholes shall be

backfilled with excavated soil and boreholes through pavement shall be filled with excavated

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This is the opportunity summary page. It provides an overview of this opportunity and a preview of the attached documentation.