Request for Proposals - Engineering Services - Congress and Salmond Street Project

The City of Belfast wishes to design and implement an infrastructure improvement project for portions of Congress Street and Salmond Street in Belfast.The proposed infrastructure improvement project is anticipated to be located within the following areas and include the following components/improvements (all measurements/quantities are approximate/estimated): 1) Within the portion of the City of Belfast's Congress Street Right-of-Way running 1,500 feet from the intersection of Congress Street and Grove Street to just north of the intersection of Congress Street and Priscilla Lane: a) replacement of 100 feet of existing sanitary sewer line (which would also be lowered in elevation); b) installation of 375 feet of additional sanitary sewer line; c) installation of 1,800 linear feet of in-ground storm drains; d) installation of 12 catch basins; e) installation of 1,500 linear feet of multi-use pedestrian paths, or sidewalks plus bicycle lanes; f) installation of 2,500 linear feet of curbing; and g) installation of 1 pedestrian crossing.2) Within the City of Belfast's Salmond Street Right-of-Way running from the intersection of Congress Street and Salmond Street running east along the Salmond Street Right-of-Way for 175 feet: a) replacement of 175 feet of existing sanitary sewer line (which would also be lowered in elevation); and b) removal of ledge (located at the intersection of Congress Street and Salmond Street).In the development and support of this project, the City of Belfast has previously commissioned an environmental assessment, a topographic survey, and a geotechnical analysis for an area that includes the current proposed project area (actually they assessed areas larger than just the current proposed project area) (see below under Supporting Documents and Additional Information).The City of Belfast believes it has secured sufficient funding in order to design and implement the above proposed project, in the form of the following sources totaling $2,000,000: 1) $1,000,000 in funding from the Northern Border Regional Commission Catalyst Program; 2) $990,000 in funding from the Community Development Block Grant Public Infrastructure Program; and 3) $10,000 in funding from the City of Belfast's 115 Congress Street Affordable Housing Development and Tax Increment Financing District. The City of Belfast now seeks a qualified engineer or engineering firm to perform specific tasks for this proposed project, in compliance with the secured funding sources.Task 2.1: Surveying and Evaluation of the Project AreaSpecific subtasks to be performed under this task include:2.1.1: conducting any additional surveying of the project area, if determined to be needed by the engineer to facilitate project design (please refer to already completed surveying of the project area below under Supporting Documents and Additional Information);2.1.2: conducting any additional geotechnical evaluation of the project area, if determined to be needed by the engineer to facilitate project design (please refer to already completed geotechnical evaluation of the project area below under Supporting Documents and Additional Information); and2.1.3: conducting any additional evaluation or analysis of the project area, if determined to be needed by the engineer to facilitate project design.Task 2.2: Project DesignSpecific subtasks to be performed under this task include:2.2.1: completing preliminary/conceptual design of proposed project, for review prior to final design;2.2.2: determining if any relocation of mailboxes located within the project area is needed for the project, and facilitating those relocations if determined to be needed; 2.2.3: determining if any relocation of utilities (particularly utility poles and wires) located within the project area is needed for the project, and facilitating those relocations if determined to be needed; 2.2.4: defining and preparing applications for any required project permits and working with the City of Belfast and the State of Maine to secure required permits; and2.2.5: completing final design of proposed project.Task 2.3: Cost Estimates and ScheduleSpecific subtasks to be performed under this task include:2.3.1: providing updated opinions of probable cost/cost estimates (quantities and unit costs) for the project on a periodic basis as it is developed; and2.3.2: providing updated schedules for the project (through construction completion) on a periodic basis as it is developed.Task 2.4: Stakeholder InvolvementSpecific subtasks to be performed under this task include:2.4.1: presenting existing conditions of the project area and project concepts at one meeting open to the public (as well as open to City of Belfast Councilors and personnel), in order to solicit input and to hear concerns;2.4.2: presenting preliminary/conceptual project design at one meeting open to the public (as well as City of Belfast Councilors and personnel), in order to solicit feedback; 2.4.3: presenting close-to-final project design at one Belfast City Council meeting, to solicit feedback from the City Council, City personnel, and the public; 2.4.4: coordinating with abutters/neighbors as needed during construction to address concerns and minimize impacts to their properties; and2.4.5: facilitating of, and participating in, periodic project team meetings as project progresses, including a kick-off meeting to occur as soon as practicable after selection of the engineer.Task 2.5: BiddingSpecific subtasks to be performed under this task include:2.5.1: completing a construction bid package for the proposed project;2.5.2: assisting the City of Belfast in advertising and obtaining bids;2.5.3: conducting a pre-bid conference for potential bidders;2.5.4: responding to technical questions regarding the bid package and issuing addenda as needed;2.5.5: attending the bid opening;2.5.6: reviewing bids received and developing bid tabulation sheets;2.5.7: assisting the City of Belfast in negotiating with bidders, if needed; and2.5.8: issuing a recommendation to the City of Belfast regarding the selection of a contractor to construct the project.Task 2.6: Construction Management and Inspection:Specific subtasks to be performed under this task include:2.6.1: provide construction management services and administration throughout construction phase of the project;2.6.2: participating in a pre-construction conference with the project team and the selected contractor;2.6.3: to observe project construction, providing on a reasonable, periodic basis, resident project representative services and engineer visits;2.6.4: coordinating geotechnical quality testing on behalf of the City of Belfast;2.6.5: verifying quantities of unit price items incorporated in the work and reviewing contractor’s requests for payment;2.6.6: providing documentation to the City of Belfast needed for its preparation of grant reimbursement requests;2.6.7: certifying that the project meets requirements specific to the grant funding sources involved in the project, including but not limited to: for the Community Development Block Grant Public Infrastructure Program, the Davis-Bacon Act; and for the Northern Border Regional Commission Catalyst Program, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Build America, Buy America Act, Pub. L. No. 117-58, §§ 70901-52, including the implementing requirements at 2 CFR Part 184 and M-24-02; and2.6.8: recommending and preparing change orders to the City of Belfast, if needed.Task 2.7: Reporting and Records2.7.1: providing periodic reports to the City of Belfast during all phases of the project through to completion (which may or may not be provided in conjunction with subtask 2.4.4: facilitating of and participating in periodic project team meetings as project progresses); and2.7.2: providing record/as-built drawings to the City of Belfast upon completion of the project.Interested engineers are instructed to follow the format by providing a cover letter and responding to each of the 4 evaluation factors (3.1-3.4) listed below; the percentage weight for each evaluation factor follows. Proposals that do not follow this format or do not contain the requested information may be considered unresponsive proposals and not be considered by the City of Belfast. The maximum length for a proposal is 40 digital pages; this limit applies to the entirety of the proposal, whether it is the cover letter, responses to the evaluation factors, appendices, tables, resumes, any other supporting documents, covers, or divider sheets. Any pages that are in excess of this limit will be removed from the proposal and will not be reviewed or considered. While the City of Belfast is not requiring any minimum or maximum font size, spacing, or margins, engineers are strongly encouraged to consider readability when preparing their proposal. The maximum file size for the proposal is 15 Megabytes; this is to ensure successful emailing of the proposal. A file that is larger than this size will be rejected and will not be reviewed or considered.Cover Letter: the engineer’s proposal shall be preceded by a cover letter expressing their interest in working with City of Belfast personnel, residents within the project area and other stakeholders potentially impacted by the project, Northern Border Regional Commission personnel, Maine Office of Community Development/Community Development Block Grant personnel, and the (eventually) selected construction firm. They shall affirm that they and any subconsultants used by them (if any) in the performance of the required tasks will 1) meet all requirements of the Northern Border Regional Commission Catalyst Program and the Community Development Block Grant Program; 2) not be found to be debarred, suspended, otherwise excluded from, or ineligible for participation in the Northern Border Regional Commission Catalyst Program, the Community Development Block Grant Program, or any other federally funded projects, grants, or programs; and 3) shall maintain an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) throughout the term of the contract for this project. This letter should be on the engineer’s letterhead and signed by a person authorized to bind them to all comments made in the proposal and shall include the name, e-mail address, and phone number of the person(s) to contact who will serve as the authorized representative. (This is only a threshold evaluation factor and does not contribute to an engineer’s proposal score.)3.1: Experience: the engineer will provide a list of its projects that are both: 1) completed since January 1, 2019 or which are currently underway/in progress; and 2) which are similar in scope to the project that is the subject of this request for proposals. Engineers shall also indicate whether or not any of their listed projects involved the use of Northern Border Regional Commission and/or Community Development Block Grant funding. For each project listed, the engineer will include: description of the project, including relevant sizes, quantities, and specifications involved; project start and end dates; current status of project; services performed; and the name of the client and their contact information (for reference verification purposes). (This evaluation factor is worth 40% of an engineer’s proposal score.)3.2: Project Understanding, Approach, and Timeline: the engineer will: 1) demonstrate their understanding of the project that is the subject of this request for proposals; 2) describe the approach to be taken toward completion of each of the 7 major tasks listed above (2.1-2.7) under 2. Required Tasks, and an explanation of any variations to the proposed work program if proposed by the engineer; and 3) propose a comprehensive timeline for the project through the completion of its construction, with a strong preference for a timeline that will have the project substantially completed by September 30, 2027, if feasible/practicable. In this response section the engineer will separately address each of the 7 major tasks (2.1-2.7) listed above under 2. Required Tasks. (This evaluation factor is worth 20% of an engineer’s proposal score.)3.3: Cost of Services: the engineer will provide a budget for each of the 7 major tasks (2.1-2.7) listed above under 2. Required Tasks in table form, which will include the estimated number of hours spent by each employee and their hourly rates, and the estimated number of hours spent by each subconsultant and their fees. No contracts shall be awarded wherein the fee is stated as a percentage of the project cost. (This evaluation factor is worth 30% of an engineer’s proposal score.)3.4: Personnel and Capacity: the engineer will: 1) identify any and all personnel that would be anticipated to be involved to any significant degree in performing the required tasks and to describe their relevant expertise; 2) provide background information for any subconsultants expected to be used in the performing of the required tasks, if any; 3) identify its current project workload and its capacity to undertake additional projects; 4) demonstrate that it possesses sufficient insurance coverage in place for the required tasks; and 5) demonstrate that it possesses sufficient financial capacity to successfully and efficiently complete projects. (This evaluation factor is worth 10% of an engineer’s proposal score.)Any and all questions regarding this request must be emailed to  such that they are received by 5:00pm local time on Tuesday, August 4, 2026 in order to be answered. The City of Belfast will provide confirmation of successful receipt of a question to the sender via email. All questions submitted by this deadline will be answered and posted only on the City of Belfast’s website at www.cityofbelfast.org/congress-salmond by 5:00pm local time on Friday, August 8, 2026. Answers to questions will not be emailed to engineers.Engineers who wish to have their proposals considered must follow these submission requirements:5.1: the engineer will submit their proposal as a single file in Adobe Portable Document Format (pdf) that is PC-compatible, which does not exceed 40 digital pages in length, and which does not exceed 15 Megabytes in file size;5.2: the engineer will email their proposal such that it is received by 5:00pm local time on Tuesday, August 18, 2026 at the following email address: . The City of Belfast will provide confirmation of successful receipt of the proposal, and that it also meets the requirements for file format, compatibility, length, and file size, back to the sender via email; and5.3: all submissions will become the property of the City of Belfast and no materials will be returned. The City of Belfast reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals, and further reserves the right to waive any defect or informality in any proposal, should it be in the best interest of the City of Belfast. While the cost of an engineer’s services is an evaluation factor, the City of Belfast is not required to select the lowest-cost engineer. The City of Belfast is not liable for any costs incurred by engineers prior to the issuance of a contract, including any costs incurred in responding to this request. It is expressly understood and agreed that the submission of a proposal does not require or obligate the City of Belfast to pursue an agreement or a contract with any engineer.Following the receipt of the proposals, a working group consisting of City of Belfast personnel shall evaluate the proposals and recommend an engineer to hire to the Belfast City Council. This working group, at its discretion, may decide to conduct in-person interviews of one or more engineers prior to providing a recommendation to the Belfast City Council; engineers are kindly asked to tentatively keep the time period of 10:00am to 4:00pm local time on Monday, August 24, 2026 available, in the event that they are selected to be interviewed. Final authority to hire an engineer and to authorize the execution of a contract with that engineer rests exclusively with the Belfast City Council; it is anticipated that the Belfast City Council will do this at their regularly scheduled meeting on the evening of Tuesday, September 1, 2026. The hired engineer is expected to begin work swiftly after their hiring has been approved by the Belfast City Council.Engineers considering responding to this request may find the following documents and information to be helpful and informative, in preparation of a proposal and for an interview, if selected:7.1. ASTM Phase I Environmental Site Assessment, Congress Street and Salmond Street Rights-of-Way (please note that the area assessed is larger than the area of the proposed project, and that this is a very large file);7.2. Topographic Survey of a Portion of Congress Street and a Portion of Salmond Street, in both Adobe Portable Document Format (pdf) and AutoCAD Drawing format (dwg) (please note that the area surveyed is larger than the area of the proposed project);7.3. Explorations and Geotechnical Engineering Services Report (please note that the area explored is larger than the area of the proposed project); and7.4. Description of project rescope submitted to the Northern Border Regional Commission.(All of these above documents, along with the Request for Proposals itself, are available for download at www.cityofbelfast.org/congress-salmond (see under “Related Documents”) or may be requested to be e-mailed by contacting Thomas Kittredge, Economic Development Director, City of Belfast, via e-mail at .)