Invitation to Submit Qualifications
Vernal City is inviting engineering firms to submit a Statement of Qualifications to provide professional design services for the water and sewer lines and other associated infrastructure as described in this RSOQ. A mandatory pre-submittal conference will be held on June 30th at 3:00 pm in the planning conference room at City Hall, 374 East Main, Vernal, Utah. Additional information will be given at the conference and proposers will have the opportunity to ask questions.
Project Need and Current Conditions
Much of the city’s culinary water system is extremely dated, exceeding 50 yrs old. It is constantly in need of repairs or causing property damage and expenses due to the frequent breaks and leaks. Early designs placed a feeder line under Highway 40, this poses significant logistical hurdles when issues arise on that line. Some of the fire hydrants are nearly 70 yrs old and no longer meet the minimum standard requirements.
Many sewer collection lines are also aged. Growth (actual and projected) means some lines are at, or nearly at capacity. Past fixes to problems have led to inefficiencies (e.g. 3 man holes within 20 feet in the intersection of a state highway).
All of these items cause concern for safety as well as difficulty in our effort to provide safe and effective distribution of drinking water as well as collection of wastewater.
Scope of Project
This project is part of the City's goal to update our utility infrastructure and we plan on upgrading water mains, service laterals, meter pits as well as sewer mains and manholes. Due to required separation distances, a significant portion of the roadway will be affected and the City hopes that rather than just patching the affected areas along the stretch this can be used as an opportunity for reconstruction as needed. The proposed project will all be located within Vernal City limits. It includes replacing the older undersized water and sewer lines as well as the roadway on 100 North, from 1000 West to 500 East.
Qualifications
Replacing existing lines is not the same as building new infrastructure, significant interface with other underground utilities is expected. This project will also present unique challenges as sewer bypass pumping will be needed. It is our hope to find a firm that will successfully navigate the existing utility conflicts and is skilled and experienced in the aspects of water and sewer line replacement as well as road reconstruction design.
Project Overview and Components
Vernal City is seeking to retain professional engineering firms and/or teams to provide planning, design, bidding and construction administration services related to this water and sewer line construction project. The Project includes the following elements:
Design Phase
? Draft contract documents, construction specifications and drawings (including the
? locations of existing utilities)
? Establish pay limits for aspects of the project e.g. asphalt replacement, bypass pumping, etc.
? Provide bidding package (contract documents, construction specifications and drawings)to potential contractors
? Answer questions from potential bidders
? Hold pre-bid meeting
? Assess bids and help City select contractor
Construction Phase
? Provide construction management (contract administration, pay request processing, plan
approval and operating permit from state, RFIs, project closeout, as-built plans, etc.)
? Meet weekly with city staff and contractor for project updates
? Coordinate public outreach to affected individuals and businesses
? Be available to respond to issues that arise during construction in a timely manner
? Provide part time oversight of construction activities
Selection Timeline
June 23, 2025 RSOQ Letter of Interest
June 30, 2025 at 3:00 pm Mandatory Pre-submittal Conference
July 15, 2025 at 5:00 pm Last Day to Submit Questions for Clarification
July 22, 2025 at 4:00 pm SOQ Due
August 7, 2025 Announce Team Selection
We anticipate a construction bid opening in late 2025 with construction starting spring of 2026.
Submittal Requirements
Proposers must submit one printed copy of the SOQ and one electronic copy in PDF format on a flash drive. Submittals are to be delivered in a sealed envelope marked “Statement of Qualification for the 100 North Water and Sewer line Replacement Project” and received at the City no later than July 22, 2025 at 4:00 pm.
SOQs must be delivered to the following address:
Vernal City Finance Department
Attn: Finance Director
374 East Main
Vernal, Utah 84078
Mailed SOQs that arrive after 4:00 pm on July 22, 2025 will not be considered. Vernal City will not be responsible for delays in the mail system.
Statements of Qualifications must have the following components, limited to the number of pages stated:
Letter of Interest - 1 page
Design Team - 1 page
Project Understanding and Work Plan – 2 pages
Similar Projects – 4 pages
References from Past Similar Projects - 1 page
Proposed Project Timeline - 1 page
Selection Process and Evaluation Criteria
Vernal City will form a review committee to evaluate the statements of qualifications. The SOQs will be evaluated on the following criteria:
Design Team Composition - 20%
Previous Waterline Replacement Experience - 20%
Previous Sewerline Replacement Experience - 20%
Previous Road Reconstruction Design Experience - 20%
References - 20%
Questions regarding this RSOQ should be directed to Keith Despain at
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