2026 Electric Department Engineering Services RFP

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Engineering Services

for the Light and Power Department

City of Fort Morgan, Colorado

January 14, 2026

John Bain

Light and Power Department Superintendent

CITY OF FORT MORGAN

P.O. 100

FORT MORGAN, COLORADO 80701

(970) 542-3913

The City of Fort Morgan is accepting Proposals for Engineering Services for the Light and Power Department until 3:00 p.m. (our clock) on January 30th, 2026 at City Hall located at 110 Main Street, Fort Morgan, Colorado 80701.

If delivered, they are to be sent to 110 Main Street, Fort Morgan, CO 80701. If mailed, the address is PO Box 100, Fort Morgan, CO 80701. If emailed, the address is cfm.bids@cityoffortmorgan.com.

Proposals must be received at City Hall prior to 3:00 p.m. (our clock) on January 30th, 2026.

No pre-proposal meeting will be held.

All questions regarding this Request for Proposals should go to John Bain, Light and Power Superintendent, in writing and can be e-mailed to john.bain@cityoffortmorgan.com. The cut-off date and time for questions is January 21st, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. It is the responsibility of the Respondent to contact John Bain at (970) 542-3913 to verify receipt of questions.

A copy of the RFP and associated documentation may be obtained as follows:

1. The City website at www.cityoffortmorgan.com

2. City Hall located at 110 Main Street, Fort Morgan

I. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS:

All Proposals must be properly signed by an authorized representative of the company with the legal capacity to bind the company to the contractual agreement. In addition, the authorized representative’s signature of the Proposal assures the company’s understanding of the City’s Procurement Policy. A copy of the policy is available upon request at the City Clerk’s Office.

Proposals may be withdrawn up to the date and time set for closing upon written, faxed or e-mailed notice to the City. Proposals may not be withdrawn for a period of sixty (60) days after the date of opening. Negligence upon part of the bidder in preparing their Proposal shall not constitute a right to withdraw a Proposal subsequent to the submittal deadline. A conditional or unqualified Proposal may be cause for rejection.

Only Proposals properly received will be accepted. Each Proposal and applicable documentation as requested must be submitted in a sealed envelope (if mailed or hand-delivered), addressed to:

City of Fort Morgan

Engineering Services for the Light and Power Department

Attn. John Bain

And bear the name of the Respondent and their address.

• If Proposal is to be delivered via private courier, such as FedEx, UPS, etc., it is to be sent to: 110 Main Street, Fort Morgan, CO 80701.

• If Proposal is to be mailed via USPS, it is to be sent to: PO Box 100, Fort Morgan, CO 80701.

• If Proposal is to be emailed, it is to be sent to: cfm.bids@cityoffortmorgan.com.

The City of Fort Morgan reserves the right to reject any or all Proposals, in whole or in part, to make multiple awards, partial awards, award by types, or item by item, whichever may be most advantageous to the City of Fort Morgan. Upon selection, the City will issue a Notice of Award and a contract must be completed and signed by all parties concerned within ten days of issuance of the Notice of Award. If this date is not met, the City may elect to cancel the Notice of Award (if the delay is not the fault of the City). The City reserves the right to incorporate standard contract provisions into any contract as a result of a Proposal submitted in response to this Request for Proposal (“RFP”).

This RFP is issued to serve as the basis for the selection process for Professional Engineering Services to be provided on an as needed basis for the City of Fort Morgan’s Light and Power Department.

II. PROJECT OVERVIEW

The City of Fort Morgan Light and Power Department maintains a distribution system of approximately 25 square miles. Within the service area, the City of Fort Morgan Light and Power Department has 7.5 miles of 115 kV transmission lines, 5 substations and 92 miles of 12.5 kV distribution lines. There are 1,800 distribution transformers on the system and 6,300 meters are served. The City of Fort Morgan is seeking an engineering firm to provide comprehensive engineering, design and related consulting services for a period of up to three (3) years for upcoming projects in the Light and Power Department. The initial contract will be for one year with an automatic renewal for two additional one year terms subject to agreement of the parties and annual appropriations.

Prospective firms should offer complete engineering and project management services from conceptual/master planning to final design, construction and operational assistance. Services provided will generally be for either capital projects or operations and maintenance tasks. Services will be segregated into three phases: preliminary, final design and construction phase. It is understood that the engineering firm is to provide a complete package of design services that is normal in the industry.

III. PROJECT SCOPE

Potential upcoming projects requiring services include SCADA upgrades, substation upgrades, distribution line rebuilds, coordination of transmission and distribution systems, solar system impact studies, system design and relay coordination between substations, transformer upgrades and substation expansions and design as per the Light and Power Department’s master plan.

A. GENERAL:

1. The City and Consultant will meet periodically. These progress meetings will be used to coordinate the work effort and resolve problems, and the meetings will be required throughout the development of the projects.

2. Project development needs will require review with City staff of all existing documentation and field conditions. The Consultant may be required to communicate with private entities, other governmental entities and the public, as needed, concerning the project function, design, schedule, or any other applicable requirements.

3. The Consultant will review the initial concept, technical issues, and project requirements with the City. Any existing permits, agreements, contracts, studies and/or maps necessary for development of a project will be required will be identified. The City will provide applicable information as available at no cost. Additional information required outside of current City ownership will be at the Contractors cost.

IV. CONFLICT OF INTEREST AND GOOD FAITH

In preparation of the Proposal, Respondents must declare among their team, any business entity or individual who is, or is associated with in any way, likely to create a conflict of interest or a perception of conflict of interest. Furthermore, by submitting it Proposal, the Respondent is declaring that its submittal is in good faith and will disclose to the best of its knowledge whether there are any circumstances whereby any member of Council or any officer or employee of the City would gain any pecuniary interest, direct or indirect and that it has not and will not participate in any collusive scheme with any entity or person in developing this RFP.

If the Respondent considers that a particular relationship or association does not create a conflict of interest and will not create a perception of conflict of interest, but is concerned that the City could arrive at a different conclusion, the Respondent should fully disclose the circumstances to the City at the earliest possible date, and request that the City provide an advance interpretation as to whether the relationship or association will be likely to create a conflict of interest or a perception of conflict of interest.

Failure to comply with this provision may result in disqualification of the Proposal from the RFP process or, if the City becomes aware of a breach of this provision after the detailed Proposal has been requested, disqualification from the further processes.

V. CONFIDENTIALITY AND PRIVACY

Information provided to a Respondent by the City, or acquired by a Respondent by way of further enquiries or through investigation, is confidential. Such information shall not be used or disclosed in any way without the prior written authorization of the City. The Respondent shall not make any statement of fact or opinion regarding any aspect of the RFP and any subsequent proposal to the media or any member of the public without the prior written authorization of the City.

Respondents are advised that the City is subject to freedom of information laws, such as the Colorado Open Records Act and that the Respondent will be expected to comply with the obligations imposed upon the City.

To the extent permitted, the City shall treat all submissions as confidential. However, the Respondent is advised that any information contained in any submission may be released if required by City policy or procedures, by other authorities having jurisdiction, or by law.

All Proposals submitted to the City will be kept in confidence with the City administrators for the sole purposes of evaluating and developing the best possible strategic option for the City. Submitted Proposals will become the property of the City. The City will have the right to make copies of all Proposals for its internal review process and to provide such copies to its staff, legal, technical and financial advisors and representatives.

All information will become and remain the property of the City; none will be returned. If the application contains any proprietary or trade secret information, said information must be indicated as such.

VI. INSURANCE AND INDEMNIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

The Respondent(s) and proposal(s) chosen by the City (hereinafter identified as the “Contractor”) shall be required to maintain, and keep in full force and effect, a policy or policies of Comprehensive General Liability Insurance with minimum limits of One Million Dollars ($1,000,000) for each occurrence, combined single limit, against any personal injury, death, loss or damage resulting from the wrongful or negligent acts by the Contractor.

The Contractor shall agree to maintain in force at all times during the performance of work under the agreement worker’s compensation insurance as required by law.

The Contractor shall require each of its sub-consultants or sub-contractors to maintain insurance coverage which meets all of the requirements of the agreement.

The Contractor understands and agrees that if it does not keep the aforementioned insurance in full force and effect, City may either immediately terminate the agreement or, if insurance is available at a reasonable costs, City may take out the necessary insurance and pay, at Contractor’s expense, the premium thereon.

VII. SELECTION PROCESS AND SCHEDULE

The City shall be the sole and exclusive judge of quality and compliance with Proposal specifications in any of the matters pertaining to this RFP. The City reserves the right to award the contract in any manner it deems to be in the best interest of the City.

All Proposal information will be evaluated according to the criteria listed herein, and the firms selected will be chosen on their apparent ability to best meet the overall expectations of the City of Fort Morgan.

By submitting an RFP submission and participating in the process as outlined in this document, Respondents expressly agree that no contract of any kind is formed under, or arises from, this RFP and that no legal obligations will arise. The City will have no obligation to enter into negotiations, or to contract, with a Respondent, even though one or all of the Respondents are determined to be responsible and qualified, and the proposals are determined to be responsive.

If the City proceeds to request a more detailed Proposal from Respondents, who are determined to be qualified under the RFP process, the City will have no obligation to award a Contract where:

(a) One submission is received; or

(b) In the judgment of the City, the interests of the City would best be served by not entering into a Contract.

The City of Fort Morgan reserves the right to reject in whole or in part any or all proposals. The City reserves the right to cancel or modify this solicitation at any time. Interested parties are advised to monitor the website for any updated information released after initial distribution of this RFP.

A. Proposal (RFP):

The Respondent shall submit one copy of their Proposal.

All Proposals shall be limited to the following prescribed information:

1. LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL: Clearly indicate the single contact (principal-in-charge), mailing address, email address, telephone and facsimile numbers.

i. Indicate unique features of the organization and the project team that makes the team uniquely suited to undertake these types of projects.

ii. Signify commitment to comply with all insurance requirements.

2. KEY PERSONNEL: Identify the individuals from the firm who will be involved in projects and their responsibilities. Provide brief biographical data of the primary participant(s), including the lead designer(s), task managers, and the project manager, if different.

3. APPROACH, ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT OF THE PROJECT:

i. Describe how projects will be organized, both internal by the Respondent and how coordination with the project stakeholders will be undertaken.

ii. Summarize what work the Respondent will self-perform and what work might be performed by subconsultants/subcontractors.

iii. Describe the Respondent’s management approach to project phases. Describe how the work will be accomplished in a thorough, effective, and timely manner.

4. PROJECT EXPERIENCE: Describe the Respondent’s experience in similar projects. Provide:

i. Examples of previous similar projects that involved grant applications, public relations, and related design services for improvement projects which have similar size and work elements to those identified in this request for proposal.

ii. Relevant examples of project budgeting, cost estimating, results, e.g., estimated cost vs. bids and final project costs on projects of similar size and scope.

B. Proposal/ RFP Selection Criteria:

Submitted Proposals will be rated by City staff and the Respondents rated the highest may be invited to an interview.

i. The City shall be the sole and exclusive judge of quality and compliance with Proposal specifications in any of the matters pertaining to this RFP. The City reserves the right to award the contract in any manner it deems to be in the best interest of the City.

ii. All Proposal information will be evaluated according to the criteria listed herein, and the Respondents selected will be chosen on their apparent ability to best meet the overall expectations of the City of Fort Morgan.

C. Fee Proposal:

All Respondents that are notified that they have been placed on a short list shall submit three (3) printed copies of a full service maximum fixed price Fee Proposal to the City. By submitting a Fee Proposal, it shall be understood that the City may, at its option, hold the final selected Respondent to any or all of the stated Fee Proposal prices without negotiation. The selected finalists shall submit to the City the following information as part of its comprehensive Fee Proposal. If an acceptable fee structure cannot be negotiated or finalized with any one firm, the City shall notify the next ranked firm and so on until a final agreement can be reached.

1. BILLING RATES: Any billing rate shall include a complete list of classifications and hourly billing rates for all of the Respondent's personnel. The hourly rate schedule shall equal payroll cost times a markup for overhead and profit.

2. ADDITIONAL REIMBURSABLE EXPENSES: An expense list shall be submitted for any additional or unforeseen services that may be required. The Respondent shall include in the Fee Proposal the cost of travel, meals, mileage, miscellaneous printing and producing up to five (5) sets of documents for any project.

D. Oral Presentation/ Interview:

Short Listed Respondents may be invited to make an oral presentation at a time and place to be determined by the City. Respondents shall be represented by at least one member of their firm as well as selected subconsultants/subcontractors of their choosing. Respondents are free to prepare their own agenda for the presentation. The presentation should demonstrate the proposed design approach and understanding of projects, the methodology for meeting the design criteria, as well as addressing how the design team will interface with the City, external agencies, and the internal project management team. Respondents shall be prepared to answer questions on the submitted Fee Proposal.