Sanitary Sewer Master Plan Update

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
City of San Mateo
Public Works Department
Sanitary Sewer Master Plan Update
CITY OF SAN MATEO, CALIFORNIA
March 2026
CITY OF SAN MATEO
Public Works Department
330 West 20th Avenue
San Mateo, CA 94403
650-522-7300

TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION 3
II. SCOPE OF SERVICES 3
III. PROPOSAL 9
A. SUBMITTAL COVER FORM AND COVER LETTER 10
B. PROJECT APPROACH AND PROPOSED SCOPE OF WORK 10
C. EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS 10
D. TEAM ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE 11
E. RESUMES AND QUALIFICATIONS OF PROPOSED PERSONNEL 11
F. FEE SCHEDULE 11
G. CONFLICT OF INTEREST: 11
H. TERMS AND CONDITIONS: 11
IV. AGREEMENT AND PAYMENT 11
A. AGREEMENT 11
B. PAYMENT 12
V. SUBMISSION OF THE PROPOSAL 12
VI. SELECTION PROCESS 12
VII. SELECTION TIMELINE 12
VIII. DOCUMENTS AND QUESTIONS 13
IX. ATTACHMENTS: 13
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REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
City of San Mateo, CA
Public Works Department
On-Call Consultant Services
I. BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION
The City of San Mateo (City) is currently under a Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) Cease
and Desist Order (CDO) requiring improvements to its collection and treatment systems to eliminate
sanitary sewer overflows and unauthorized discharges. The Clean Water Program (CWP) was established
to replace aging infrastructure, enhance reliability, reduce inflow and infiltration, provide capacity for wet
weather flows, and enhance the treatment processes in the City's system. The CWP is expected to be
completed by the end of fiscal year 26-27, and a new master planning effort is needed to determine
existing deficiencies in the system, look at future capacity needs, and provide a complete sewer model for
the City's ongoing needs for analysis of development impacts.
San Mateo's wastewater collection system includes a network of 234 miles of pipe, 5,555 sewer manholes,
and 26 sewer pump stations, divided into five major sewer basins labeled A, B, C, D, and E (refer to Exhibit
A). To rehabilitate all sewer infrastructure, the City of San Mateo has an overall rehabilitation schedule,
which shows a rotating schedule of the five basins' different phases (i.e. CCTV, Evaluation, Design, and
Rehabilitation).
The City is requesting proposals from qualified engineering firms (Consultant) to provide professional
engineering services for the Sanitary Sewer Master Plan Update (Master Plan Update). The final
deliverable will include a prioritized short- and long-term Capital Improvement Program (CIP) plan with
detailed descriptions, planning-level cost estimates, and specific recommended order of implementation.
An analysis of the current funding mechanisms and how to maximize existing funding will also be part of
this Master Plan Update, as well as recommendations for developing long-term, sustainable funding
strategies to maintain the City's sanitary sewer system infrastructure based on a review of the state of
the practice in California.
Proposals shall be submitted to Tom Williams no later than 4:00 P.M. on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. Each
proposer shall submit copies of the proposal(s) in accordance with Section III, "Proposal," of this notice.
II. SCOPE OF SERVICES
The following Scope of Services describes the specific tasks to be performed by the Consultant. If the
Consultant believes that the project can be enhanced in any way by the addition of other tasks or the
deletion of any specified tasks, such information should be included in the proposal.
Task 1 - Project Management and Coordination
This task will include project monitoring and administration, preparation of meeting agendas and
minutes, attendance at meetings, preparation of progress and cost summaries, and other QA/QC
activities:
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Kickoff Meetings
The Consultant will conduct a kickoff meeting with City staff to discuss the project scope,
approach, schedule and assumptions, communications protocol, and data needs for the Sewer
Master Plan.
Progress Meetings
In addition to frequent contact via email and telephone, Consultant will participate in periodic
progress meetings with the City to discuss progress to date, findings, and outstanding issues.
Deliverables:
Agendas and meeting minutes from the kick-off meeting and project progress meetings
Monthly invoices and project progress reports
Task 2 - Data Collection and Review
Review City's sewer system information, including:
Relevant reports, studies, master plans, maps, facility information, and other required data.
Sewer System Maps.
Interview of engineering and maintenance staff, and tour of critical system infrastructure.
Capital Improvement Program (CIP).
Pump station as-built drawings, operating information, and SCADA data.
Clean Water Program documentation, project as-built drawings, and current design and
construction project drawings.
Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) flow and processing data, available operations and
maintenance documentation, and ongoing study and analysis documentation assessing
plant capacity.
Available customer billing or recent water use data.
Maintenance logs, maintenance management system data, sewer blockages, and sanitary
sewer overflow records.
Any smoke test, inspection, and video inspection reports and data.
Review of current sewer model data.
Proposed or planned development projects, and potential growth projections to be included
in the Sewer Master Plan.
- Meet with Planning Department staff to discuss planning issues and expected zoning
changes, and obtain pertinent land use planning maps, data, and documents that
provide required information.
- Meet with Development Review Board staff to discuss current and upcoming
development projects under review, to better understand potential impacts to the
system.
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- Develop loading information for the Foster City, Hillsborough, County of San Mateo, and
College of San Mateo sewer districts discharging into the City's collection System. This
information may be available from the individual district sewer master planning
documentation, but additional investigation and interviews of district staff may be
required.
Deliverables:
Key findings, listings, and descriptions of available information, and analysis of land use
planning criteria.
Task 3 - Flow Monitoring
Develop a flow monitoring plan for the sewer system. The monitoring plan will be designed
to isolate major sewer basins and subbasins in the system and confirm flows in major trunk
sewers.
Confirm the locations are appropriate for monitoring from the standpoint of hydraulic
conditions, safety, and access.
Optional - Calibrate and maintain the flow meters and rain gauges during the rainy season.
Optional - Review the flow monitoring data during the flow monitoring period to ensure
data quality and consistency.
Deliverables:
Technical Memo detailing the basis of approach and implementation strategy for effective
flow monitoring, including maps.
Optional - Draft and Final flow monitoring reports.
Task 4 - Hydraulic Model Development
Develop design criteria to be used to estimate wastewater flows, including wastewater flow
factors for residential and non-residential land uses, diurnal base wastewater flow patterns,
and infiltration/inflow (I/I) parameters.
Develop a hydraulic model to quantify flows in the sewer system and identify capacity
deficiencies and improvement needs.
Review existing parcel, customer billing and water use data, land use type, number of
dwelling units, etc. to determine if the information is sufficient to estimate existing
wastewater flows.
Estimate future flows based on Task 2 data for development and potential growth projection
projects to be included in the Sewer Master Plan.
Assess potential capacity constraints under the model loads developed.
Calibrate the hydraulic model and compare the dry weather and wet weather flow
hydrographs with the flow monitoring data and SCADA data.
Optional - Assist the City in obtaining the necessary model software for City use.
- Evaluate and propose the model software for City consideration.
- Acquisition of the model software on behalf of the City.
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- Training of City staff to use the software, including multiple training sessions and
workshop materials.
Deliverables:
Documentation of the basis for model construction, basin update and modification, as
needed, and model validation.
Hydraulic model files in the determined file formats, including all flow scenarios.
Task 5 - System Performance Evaluation and Improvement Needs
Capacity Evaluation, Design Criteria, and Level of Service:
- Propose appropriate design and hydraulic criteria to be used for assessing the capacity of
existing sewer facilities and sizing new facilities, including pipe friction factors, maximum
flow depth to diameter (d/D) ratios, minimum and maximum velocities, slopes, depth of
cover, and pump station design and reliability considerations (e.g., firm capacity,
efficiency, emergency storage).
- Review the City's existing design criteria as compared to industry and other agencies'
standards.
- Propose an appropriate design storm to be used for assessing system capacity, and
criteria for evaluating the performance of the system under the design event based on
the City's desired level of service and risk acceptance.
Evaluate Existing System Performance
- Using the hydraulic model, Consultant will evaluate the performance of the existing sewer
system under existing and future dry and design wet weather flows.
- Identify capacity deficiencies based on the performance criteria.
- Prepare thematic maps and hydraulic grade line plots to present the identified capacity
problem areas.
Conduct I/I Analysis
- Review the I/I flow characteristics associated with the different subbasins in the system
(based on flow monitoring data and model results) and their location with respect to
identified capacity deficiencies.
- Based on the analysis, identify areas that may be suitable for rehabilitation to further
reduce I/I. Note that a key area of concern is saltwater intrusion from the lagoon system.
Additional analysis will be needed to assess the ability to limit saltwater intrusion to
benefit water quality at the WWTP.
- Develop estimates of the percent I/I reduction that can be achieved through
rehabilitation of various combinations of mains, lower laterals, and upper laterals.
Provide recommendations on how best to reduce I/I from residential and commercial
buildings (private properties).
- Incorporate the I/I reduction estimates into the hydraulic model to determine the effects
of the rehabilitation alternatives on peak flows.
Conduct WWTP alignment Analysis
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- Review the available documentation from the CWP to determine how previous analysis
and assumptions align with the collection system performance and improvement needs
analysis.
- Provide recommendations for the improvement or additional studies of the WWTP
facilities, including the liquid and solid processing operations. The analysis will need to
include the capacity of the current use and future growth needs, as well as the future
regulatory compliance criteria set by the state that are expected to go into effect in the
next decade, if not captured in previous studies.
Develop Capacity Improvement Projects
- Develop solutions to identify capacity deficiencies. Solutions may include upsizing or
paralleling existing pipes, consolidating flows in new sewers or existing sewers with
available capacity, implementing flow diversions at critical locations, or sewer
rehabilitation to reduce I/I.
- Determine sewer rehabilitation needs as well as long-term maintenance needs. Develop
alternatives based on hydraulic modelling results and discussion with the City.
- Based on preliminary model results and discussion with City staff, the alternatives will be
refined and focused on the most viable solutions for more detailed project development.
- Evaluate potential improvement projects in further detail, including conducting field visits
to potential project sites. Confirm the suitability of pipeline alignments and identify any
design, constructability, permitting, or environmental issues that might impact the
project.
- Develop planning level cost estimates based on the most viable construction method for
each potential solution for the identified deficiencies.
Deliverables:
A Technical Memorandum summarizing hydraulic grade line plots of predicted capacity
deficiency areas, including maps of model simulations, and preliminary solutions.
Task 6 - Condition Assessment and Rehabilitation/Replacement Program
Review the CCTV inspection database, video, and reports provided by the City.
Provide recommendations for improvements to data collection methods (observation
coding, segment identification, database management, QA/QC review procedures) for the
City's ongoing CCTV inspection program.
Provide recommendations for improvements to data collection methods from the City's
Operations & Maintenance staff to better coordinate data between groups.
Collaborate with City staff to develop a documented and objective decision process along
with recommended methods to identify the specific defects requiring maintenance, repair,
or rehabilitation/replacement (R/R). The Consultant will work with the City to develop a
prioritized list of R/R needs.
Estimate the overall extent and cost of the required near-term R/R needs and develop long-
term R/R needs based on extrapolation of the results from existing data.
Perform pump stations condition assessment. Review existing available plans, pump
specifications, and operation and maintenance records for the City's pump stations. Meet
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with City staff to discuss any current issues with respect to capacity, operations, or condition.
Conduct site visits and visual assessment of the pump stations. Summarize the findings and
identified improvement needs based on information review and field visits and incorporate
them into a capacity improvement program.
Perform a force main study of the 11.5 miles of active force mains, and 1.9 miles of outfall
from the WWTP. A Force Main Replacement Plan and Inspection Program will be created to
consolidate key information for each force main that would be needed for the City,
consultants, and vendors to accomplish the following in a practical and efficient visual
manner:
- Understand and discuss the age, material, and performance issues for each segment of
force main.
- Understand necessary shutdown and bypass operations needed to isolate force main
sections for replacement and inspection of incremental force main sections, which may
also consider the installation of permanent isolation valves and other features to
facilitate an ongoing program.
- Preparation of force main maps to plan for and define future force main rehabilitation
projects.
- Develop an inspection plan for newer or newly replaced force mains for continued
maintenance of the network
- Develop an Engineer's Estimate of Probable Cost for recommended force main
replacement projects and inspection program.
Deliverables:
Condition Assessment and Rehabilitation / Replacement Program Report (to be incorporated
into the Sewer Master Plan Update).
Task 7- Seismic Vulnerability Assessment
Develop performance and operational criteria for evaluating the sewer system seismic
vulnerability.
Perform a detailed survey by a California registered Structural Engineer to determine the
condition of the sewer system including pump stations and major sewer mains.
Conduct a seismic assessment for each structure using the latest version of the California
Building Code to determine seismic deficiencies.
Meet with staff to discuss findings.
Prepare a report to summarize the findings and conclusions and provide conceptual retrofit
recommendation for elements identified as deficient.
Prioritize list of the retrofit recommendation along with the Engineer's Opinion of Probable
Cost as part of the report. Report shall also include suggested operational changes for the
sewer system, if necessary, to minimize damage from a seismic event.
The Seismic Vulnerability Report shall include all calculations and stamped and signed by a
California registered Structural Engineer.
Deliverables:
Seismic Vulnerability Assessment Report (to be incorporated into the Sewer Master Plan
Update).
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Task 8 - Long-Range Capital Improvement Plan Development
Prioritize the recommended capacity improvement and rehabilitation projects. Prioritization
criteria will include, but not be limited to, the seismic vulnerability, severity of existing capacity
deficiencies as indicated by the extent of surcharge or potential overflows predicted by the
model, and the relative impact of the predicted surcharge or potential overflows on the
following:
Public health and safety, water quality, business and community facilities, etc.
Timing of proposed development/redevelopment.
Maintenance history and/or sewer condition information.
Coordination with other City projects (e.g., road improvements).
The prioritized list will be used to develop a phased Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) for short-
term (10-year) and long-term (20-year) sewer improvements. The phasing will also consider the
City's financial constraints and include recommendations for low, medium, and high levels of
investment for CIP duration terms.
Deliverables:
Sewer System CIP (to be incorporated into the Sewer Master Plan Update).
Task 9 - Sewer Master Plan Update Preparation
Develop and prepare a Sewer Master Plan report that provides a clear rationale for identifying,
justifying, prioritizing, and costing the recommended improvements. The Sewer Master Plan will
serve as a basis for future master plan updates.
Draft Sewer Master Plan Update Report
Incorporate the finding and recommendations of the project into a Draft Sewer Master Plan
report. The Draft Sewer Master Plan will document the methodology and assumptions used to
develop the hydraulic model, recommended performance and design criteria, analyzes of the
model results, and the recommended capacity improvements and sewer R/R CIP program.
Final Sewer Master Plan Update Report.
Prepare Final Master Plan report based on the City's review comments on the draft report.
Deliverables:
Draft Sewer Master Plan Update Report. (Three (3) Hard Copies and PDF)
Final Sewer Master Plan Update Report. (Three (3) Hard Copies and PDF)
III. PROPOSAL
Proposers who wish to be considered for this project must submit an electronic copy of their proposal to
the City for review. 8 1/2" x 11" sheet sizes should be used for the text, with 11" x 17" sheet sizes for any
foldout figures, organizational charts, schedules, or drawings. Electronic documents should be submitted
in PDF form. The proposal shall be limited to twenty-five (25) pages. Resumes for proposed personnel will
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not be counted towards the page limit. Proposals should be clear and concise. At a minimum, each
proposal must include the following information in sections as outlined below.
A. Submittal Cover Form and Cover Letter
The proposal shall be submitted with a cover letter. The letter accompanying the proposal must
provide the name, title, address, telephone number, and signature of the individual(s) authorized
to negotiate and bind the firm contractually. An unsigned proposal or one signed by an individual
unauthorized to bind the firm may be rejected. The cover letter shall provide a summary of the
firm's capabilities and availability of staff, information and qualifications of the proposed lead
who will be representing the firm.
B. Project Approach and Proposed Scope of Work
Provide a detailed description of the firm's proposed approach to implementing the Scope of
Services described in Section II. At a minimum, the approach shall include implementation plan
for the tasks described in the scope of services and any recommended revisions or additions to
the list of tasks.
C. Experience and Qualifications
Provide a brief history of the firm, including name of the firm, general services, experience, the
year the firm was established under the current name, the principal place of business, and the
location of local office(s). Indicate any other previous names for the firm during the last five (5)
years and the year any name change was effective.
Provide a list of at least three (3) prior projects/contracts within the last five (5) years in which
firm provided relevant services similar to this assignment. The list shall include the following for
each assignment:
Name of client
Location (city and state)
Name and brief description of project/services
Start date of construction or agreement/contract and date of completion
Contract value
Respondent's scope and role in the project (include explanation of methodologies and
approaches used)
Client reference for services provided, including name, position, phone, and email.
Identify the personnel that will be assigned to the key positions (refer to Section III.0 -
Resumes and Qualifications of Proposed Personnel). Provide a brief biography and highlight
special qualifications, including:
- Total years of experience, including number of years with the current firm.
- Up to three (3) recent relevant projects; include a brief description of the project (scope,
size, cost, etc.), the individual's specific role on the assignment, the year the individual's
work on the assignment was completed, and the individual's employer while working on
the assignment.
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