Wes Brown Water Treatment Plant Ponds Sludge Removal

CITY OF THORNTON
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
FOR
WES BROWN WATER TREATMENT PLANT PONDS
SLUDGE REMOVAL AND DISPOSAL
PROJECT NO. 288-26
SEPTEMBER 2026

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II. INDEX OF CONTENTS
I. TITLE PAGE
II. INDEX OF CONTENTS
III. NOTICE REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
IV. PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS AND INFORMATION
V. PROPOSAL PREPARATION
VI. ATTACHMENT 1 - ACCEPTANCE OF CONDITIONS STATEMENT
VII. ATTACHMENT 2 - GENERAL SERVICE AGREEMENT
EXHIBIT A SERVICE PROVIDER'S GENERAL SCOPE OF WORK
EXHIBIT B SERVICE PROVIDER'S KEY PERSONNEL AND
SUBCONTRACTORS LISTING
EXHIBIT C SCHEDULE OF CHARGES
EXHIBIT D SPECIAL CONDITIONS
EXHIBIT E GENERAL CONDITIONS
EXHIBIT F LABOR AND MATERIAL PAYMENT BOND FORM
EXHIBIT G PERFORMANCE BOND
VIII. ATTACHMENT 3 - REFERENCE AUTHORIZATION AND RELEASE FORM
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III. NOTICE
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
The City of Thornton, Colorado, ("Thornton") respectfully requests separate sealed
Proposals for Wes Brown Water Treatment Plant Ponds Sludge Removal and
Disposal, Project No. 288-26 (hereinafter referred to as "Project"). Proposals will be
received until 5:00 p.m., local time, October 20, 2026 in the Contract Administration Office,
9500 Civic Center Drive, 2nd Floor City Hall, Thornton, CO 80229-4326.
Approved Methods for Submission of Proposals:
* Electronic proposals shall be submitted/uploaded to BidnetDirect.com website in
response to this solicitation;
* Physical proposals may be submitted by mail or courier service;
* Physical Proposals will be received in the Contract Administration Office, 9500 Civic
Center Drive, 2nd Floor City Hall, Thornton, CO 80229-4326.
Late Proposals will not be accepted under any circumstances.
Project Description: Thornton is seeking Proposals from Service Providers on an on-call,
as-needed basis under an open-ended General Service Agreement. Thornton is seeking
Proposals from Service Providers to remove and dispose of sludge that is generated as a
byproduct of the potable water treatment process at the Wes Brown Water Treatment Plant
(WBWTP) located at 3651 East 86th Avenue, Thornton, Colorado, 80229. Currently there
are three (3) sludge ponds in operation, and Thornton's goal is to remove the sludge from
all ponds each year pending weather and other unforeseen conditions. Thornton reserves
the right to award to multiple Service Providers. This solicitation does not guarantee any
minimum quantity of Services.
Thornton requires one or more firms to perform sludge removal and disposal. Services may
be requested by Thornton's Infrastructure Departments and will be issued as Task
Assignments under this Agreement. The Agreement shall terminate on December 31,
2031, unless sooner terminated by Thornton's issuance of a Termination Notice. Rate
adjustments may be re-negotiated on an annual basis upon request. Rate adjustments are
limited to no greater than the yearly increase in the current Engineering News Record's
Construction Cost Index (CCI).
The quantity of sludge to be removed will vary from year to year. Services will be authorized
annually on an as-needed basis under an open-ended General Service Agreement. The
sludge is primarily composed of powder activated carbon (PAC) and aluminum, iron, and
calcium resulting from the use of Aluminum Chlorohydrate (ACH) and other chemicals in
the potable water treatment process. Sludge including ferric sulfate is also sent from the
Thornton Water Treatment Plant (TWTP) to the ponds at the WBWTP. The Services are
required to be performed as weather allows, typically from spring through fall. Thornton and
the Service Provider will mutually agree upon the schedule each year. Additional information
regarding the Project is contained in the Background Information section of this Request for
Proposals (RFP).
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The future of regulatory limits, in particular but not limited to PFAS, and federal and state
authorities' approval for beneficial use for land application are currently unknown. If
regulatory limits require landfilling, space is available on-site near the ponds for installation
of a temporary dewatering belt press. As performed in recent years, it is anticipated that the
sludge will be pumped as liquid to be hauled away for composting. If blended alum/ferric
sludge is approved by federal and state authorities as beneficial use, it is assumed that the
sludge will be pumped as liquid to be hauled away for land application. For Proposal
purposes the following options will be presented in the Exhibit C Schedule of Charges and
will need to be confirmed by lab results and current state regulatory requirements at start of
Work.
1. Removal of sludge in gallons for composting.
2. Removal of sludge in gallons for land application.
3. Removal of sludge in dry tons for landfilling.
Thornton utilizes the BidNet Direct System at www.BidNetDirect.com to distribute official
copies of the Request for Proposals ("RFP") for use in preparing Proposals. Proposing firms
will be required to register with the website to download the RFP documents and addenda.
There is no charge by BidNet Direct for this service. If you experience problems with the
BidNet Direct website, please call 1-800-835-4603 for assistance. Proposing firms are
required to acknowledge all addenda with their Proposal and are encouraged to either
register with the website or to view the addenda posted on the Contract Administration
bulletin board prior to submission of a Proposal. Proposing firms that do not acknowledge
all addenda may be considered non-responsive. The RFP documents, including addenda,
are also available for viewing at the Contract Administration office located on the 2nd floor
of City Hall at 9500 Civic Center Drive, Thornton, Colorado. Proposing firms that do not
have download and/or printing capability in-house may contact a commercial reprographics
company for assistance with downloading and printing the RFP.
Late Proposals will not be accepted under any circumstances. Any Proposal(s) received
after the scheduled time for closing will be returned to the proposing firm unopened. Sole
responsibility rests with the proposing firm to see that their Proposal is received on time.
Thornton reserves the right to reject any and all Proposals, in part or in whole, and to award
the Project to the most responsive and responsible firm as deemed in the best interest of
Thornton; further, the right is reserved to waive any formalities or informalities contained in
said Proposal(s).
Physical proposals shall be submitted in a sealed envelope plainly marked on the outside
with proposing firm's name and address and "Request for Proposals, Wes Brown Water
Treatment Plant Ponds Sludge Removal and Disposal, Project No. 288-26". Proposals
delivered by mail or courier service shall be in a sealed envelope inserted into a separate
mailing envelope. On the outside of the mailing envelope note "Proposal Enclosed, Wes
Brown Water Treatment Plant Ponds Sludge Removal and Disposal, Project No. 288-
26".
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Proposals submitted electronically shall be uploaded to the Vendor's portal through the
BidnetDirect.com website and shall follow the process/guidelines identified on the website
and this solicitation.
Any questions concerning this Project shall be directed in writing to Dennis Laurita, Senior
Contract Administrator, Fax No. - 303-538-7556, E-mail - dennis.laurita@ThorntonCO.gov,
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., local time, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. The deadline
for submission of questions is ten (10) Calendar Days prior to the date set for submission
of Proposals.
Date First Published: September 17, 2026
Published at: BidNet Direct, COT Website & the Contracts & Purchasing Bulletin Board.
Signed: __________________________ Date: _____________
Dennis Laurita
Contract Supervisor
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IV. PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS AND INFORMATION
Thornton is soliciting written Proposals from qualified firms for Wes Brown Water Treatment
Plant Ponds Sludge Removal and Disposal, Project No. 288-26. To be eligible for
consideration, the proposing firm must be capable of supplying the Services as noted herein
and must also meet all other criteria outlined in this RFP.
A. INQUIRIES AND CORRECTIONS
All inquiries relating to this request shall be addressed in writing to:
City of Thornton
Attention: Dennis Laurita, Senior Contract Administrator
9500 Civic Center Drive
Thornton, CO 80229-4326
Fax: 303-538-7556
Email: dennis.laurita@ThorntonCO.gov
If a proposing firm, subsequent to the Pre-Proposal Conference, finds discrepancies in
or omissions from the RFP, or should require additional clarification of any part thereof,
a written request for interpretation shall be submitted to the Contract Administrator. Any
interpretation of or change made to the RFP will be made by written addendum to each
proposing firm, and will become part of the RFP and of any Contract awarded. Thornton
will not be responsible for the accuracy of any ORAL EXPLANATIONS,
INTERPRETATIONS, OR REPRESENTATIONS. All inquiries shall be made in writing
and all responses will be provided in writing, with responses being made available to all
proposing firms. To be given consideration, inquiries must be received at least ten (10)
Calendar Days prior to the date established for the submission of the Proposal. It shall
be the responsibility of each proposing firm to verify that every addendum has been
received prior to submitting Proposals.
B. SUBMITTAL DATE AND LOCATION
All Proposals must be received in the Contracts and Purchasing office located at
Thornton City Hall, City of Thornton, 9500 Civic Center Drive, 2nd Floor City Hall,
Thornton, CO 80229-4326 or submitted via the BidnetDirect.com vendor portal prior
to 5:00 p.m. local time on October 20,2026. Physical proposals must be submitted in
a sealed envelope plainly marked on the outside with the proposing firm's name and
address and "Request for Proposal, Wes Brown Water Treatment Plant Ponds
Sludge Removal and Disposal, Project No. 288-26, and addressed to the Contracts
Manager. Proposing firm's name and address shall also appear on the outside of the
sealed envelope containing the Proposal. If the Proposal is sent by U.S. mail or courier
service, the Proposal shall be contained in a sealed inner envelope or box, which is then
inserted into the mailing envelope or box. Indicate "Proposal Enclosed, Wes Brown
Water Treatment Plant Ponds Sludge Removal and Disposal, Project No. 288-26",
on the outside of the mailing envelope or box.
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C. LATE AND ELECTRONIC PROPOSALS
Late Proposals will not be accepted under any circumstance, and any Proposal so
received shall be returned to the proposing firm unopened. In addition, Proposals sent
by electronic devices are not acceptable and will be rejected upon receipt. Proposing
firms will be expected to allow adequate time for delivery of their Proposals either by
airfreight, postal service, or other means.
D. CONFIDENTIAL AND PROPRIETARY INFORMATION
Prior to Award, any information contained within the Proposal may be held confidential
and proprietary by Thornton as solely determined by Thornton. After Award, the
information within the Proposal becomes public information with the exception of
information that has been clearly marked as confidential and proprietary by the
proposing firm. Any information marked confidential shall comply with Colorado's Open
Records Act and other applicable statutes. Thornton shall be held harmless from any
claims arising from the release of confidential and proprietary information not clearly
designated as such by the proposing firm. In general, it is not acceptable to Thornton to
mark information other than financial statements, project financing data, litigation
history, tax audit history, or client lists as confidential and proprietary. Further, it is not
acceptable to mark price proposal information as confidential and proprietary. Failure to
adhere to these restrictions may result in the Proposal being deemed non-responsive.
E. DEFINITION, CONTEXT, AND GENDER
Unless otherwise specified in this document, all words shall have a common meaning
unless the context in which they are used clearly requires a different meaning. Words in
the singular number include the plural, and in the plural include the singular. Additionally,
words of the masculine gender include the feminine and the neuter, and when the sense
so indicates, words of the neuter gender may refer to any gender.
F. CONDITIONS OF PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL
1. All proposing firms shall comply with all conditions, requirements, and
specifications contained herein, with any departure constituting sufficient cause
for rejection of the Proposal.
2. The Proposal must be signed by a duly authorized official of the proposing firm
submitting the Proposal.
3. No Proposal will be accepted from any person, firm, or corporation that is in
arrears for any obligation to Thornton, or that otherwise may be deemed
irresponsible or unresponsive by Thornton staff or Thornton City Council.
4. Only one (1) Proposal will be accepted from any person, firm, or corporation. If
multiple options are requested or offered, each option must be submitted under
a single Proposal and in a single envelope or box.
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5. All terms and prices quoted must be firm for a period of sixty (60) Calendar Days
from the Proposal submittal date or until Award, whichever is sooner.
6. Thornton reserves the right to reject any and all Proposals, or any part thereof.
The right is reserved to waive any formalities, or informalities contained in any
Proposal, and to award the Project to the most responsive and responsible
proposing firm as deemed in the best interest of Thornton.
7. All Proposals shall be prepared in a comprehensive manner as to content, but
no necessity exists for expensive binders or promotional material.
8. All costs, including travel and expenses incurred in the preparation of this
Proposal, shall be borne solely by the proposing firm.
9. Section 7.4 of the Thornton City Charter prohibits Thornton from entering into
any Contracts involving an amount in excess of one hundred dollars ($100) in
which an elective or appointive officer or any member of the officer's family has
any pecuniary interest, direct or indirect. Certain other restrictions may also
apply to Contracts in which an employee, member of a board or commission,
City Council Member or member of same's family has an existing or pending
financial or personal interest. For the purposes of this Charter Section, a
domestic partner shall be considered a family member. Therefore, the
proposing firm shall submit the following declaration contained in Attachment
1, Acceptance of Conditions Statement, with the Proposal:
No City Council Member, member of a board or commission, Municipal Judge,
City Manager, City Attorney, or employee of the City of Thornton, or any such
person's family member, domestic partner, or person assuming a relationship
being the substantial equivalent of the above, has an existing or pending direct
or indirect financial, pecuniary, or personal interest in the proposing firm or this
RFP, except as follows:
10. Thornton reserves the right to negotiate final terms with the selected proposing
firm that may vary from those contained in this document.
11. Thornton reserves the right to request a client list from the proposing firm, for the
purpose of determining potential conflicts of interest. Said list shall be considered
proprietary.
12. Thornton will not return Proposals, or other information supplied to Thornton, to
the proposing firms.
G. EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS
All Proposals will be evaluated by a Project Committee assigned by the City Manager,
or his designee. Proposals shall be evaluated on the basis of the Evaluation Criteria
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