Wastewater Annual Engineering Services

The City of Richmond, Virginia (the “City”), on behalf of the Department of Public Utilities (“DPU”), seeks proposals through competitive negotiation for professional services to establish a contract for on-call services to support utility surveying, planning, investigation, engineering and architectural design, permitting and plan review support, bidding, construction, operations, and overall engineering support for capital improvement program (“CIP”) projects and larger operations and maintenance projects for DPU's Wastewater Utility. The Wastewater Utility currently covers sanitary sewers, sanitary pumping stations, wastewater retention, wastewater treatment (preliminary, primary, secondary, tertiary, disinfection, solids), associated infrastructure, and associated regulatory permitting. The City issues this Request for Proposals pursuant to the authority in section 21-68(c) of the Richmond City Code (see also Virginia Code section 2.2-4302.2).

The City has developed a capital improvement plan in which a large number of CIP projects have been planned and over the next ten years will be funded. Additional CIP projects may arise based on available funding and prioritization of needs by the City. See Attachment L– AE Presentation - For Information Only for an overview of DPU’s CIP.

Due to the evolving nature of the CIP and complex engineering projects, the City is seeking engineering firms who can support City staff “on-call” as tasks and projects arise, or new priorities come to light. If awarded, the Contractor must foster collaborative and professional relationships with the City and stakeholders, which is important since the Contractors awarded will represent the City's interests in dealings with subcontractors, suppliers, equipment manufacturers and others providing goods and services to CIP projects. It is vital that the City and Contractors have a professional relationship characterized by mutual trust, respect, and effective communication.

The City operates the wastewater treatment, sanitary sewer system, and combined sewer systems under integrated Virginia Pollutant Discharge Elimination System and Virginia State Water Control Law Permit number VA0063177 (the “Integrated Permit”). The Integrated Permit allows for total annual nutrient and suspended solids load limits for all discharges and combined sewer system annual reporting among other provisions.

The Treatment Works consists of a sanitary sewer and combined sewer collection system, in-line and off-line combined sewer retention facilities, sanitary and combined sewage pumping stations, and a large wastewater treatment plant discharging treated effluent to the James River. Plant flows average approximately 45 mgd dry weather flow. The plant’s treatment capacity is 75 mgd full tertiary treatment with another 65 mgd primary and disinfection only treatment for a total wet weather capacity of 140 mgd. Class B biosolids are land applied through a third party vendor.

The combined sewer system encompasses approximately one third of the City and consists of retention facilities (most notably the Shockoe Retention Facility and the Hampton/McCloy Tunnel), sanitary and combined sewage pumping stations, 28 combined sewer flow regulators, and 25 overflow outfalls. The combined system conveys flow to the wastewater plant for dry weather flows and for wet weather flows up to 140 MGD.