Water Quality Technical Assistance Request for QualificationsCITY OF KALISPELL
REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS
WATER QUALITY TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
1 - GENERAL INFORMATION
1.1 Pursuant to the authority granted to it under MCA 7-5-4301(2)(a)., the City of Kalispell seeks to
procure a qualified professional consulting engineer to provide technical water quality assistance.
1.2 The Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) must be received by the City Clerk at 201 First Avenue East,
Kalispell, Montana, by 5:00 p.m. local time, September 6, 2019.
1.3 Questions pertaining to the RFQ or selection process should be directed to Susie Turner, Public Works
Director, at 758-7852 or sturner@kalispell.com. Other Public Works staff will not be available to respond
to individual inquiries.
1.4 The City of Kalispell shall not be held responsible for any oral instructions. Any changes to this
Request for Qualifications (RFQ) will be in the form of an addendum, which will be furnished to all
registered RFQ holders.
1.5 The City of Kalispell reserves the right to reject any or all SOQs, to waive any informality or
irregularity in any SOQ received, and to be the sole judge of the merits of the respective SOQs received.
1.6 The Service Provider will be selected on the basis of demonstrated competence and qualification for
the type of services required, and thereafter the City will negotiate the services agreement with what it
deems to be the most qualified company.
2 - ANTICIPATED SCOPE OF WORK
The city is requesting technical and expert support to meet current and future stormwater and wastewater
discharge regulations. A preliminary scope of service is outlined in the sections below.
1. Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) support for Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) and
Stormwater Discharge Permits
a. Provide technical analysis, modeling, report, and permit compliance assistance to ensure
the City maintains permit compliance as it relates to TMDL requirements for the WWTP
and municipal separate storm sewer (MS4) discharge permits.
2. Permit Assistance
a. Provide technical assistance for the WWTP discharge permit re -application and other
regulatory compliance for nutrient variance. Regulatory compliance includes optimization
study, preliminary engineering, design of water quality programs and projects, nutrient
trading, variance application, and other compliance items as identified in the permit.
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3. Water Quality Technical Assistance to support WWTP Site Specific Variance
a. Update SAP and QAPP based on Montana Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ)
review of 2019 data.
b. Monitoring of water quality parameters per approved SAP and QUAPP
c. Data management, analysis, modeling and reporting
d. Project management and coordination with MDEQ
4. WWTP Effluent Management Analysis, Report, and Recommendation
a. Perform analysis of alternative effluent management processes (permit variance, alternate
discharge locations and methods, etc.) the City could implement in an effort to meet State
and EPA wastewater discharge regulatory mandates.
5. General participation, as required, for technical documentation, response letters, presentation and
meetings with DEQ, City Council, and City staff.
After being selected, the Professional Service Provider will execute a services agreement with the City to
provide the scope of work. The Professional Service Provider and the City shall negotiate the exact scope
of work after the selection and recommendation approval from City Council.
3 - STATEMENT OF QUALIFICATIONS SELECTION CRITERIA
3.1 The Professional Service Provider will be selected through aqualification-based selection process.
Firms interested in providing requested scope of services to the City of Kalispell must submit a Statement
of Qualifications (SOQ) that addresses the following evaluation criteria. Applicants are encouraged to
organize their submissions in such a way as to follow the general evaluation criteria listed below.
Information included within the SOQ may be used to evaluate your arm as part of any criteria, regardless
of where that information is found within the SOQ. Information obtained from the SOQ and from any
other relevant source may be used in the evaluation and selection process.
3.2 Cover Letter (I-page)containing at a minimum: Company name, contact name, address, fax number,
and email address.
3.3 Qualifications Criteria
3.3.1 General Information
1. Description of company
2. Lead firm's primary and secondary contact information
3. Legal company organization; organization chart with names
4. List of applicable Montana licenses
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3.3.2 Relevant Company Experience (30 points)
Describe the firm's knowledge (technical expertise), experience, and key staff members as it relates to
each services below:
1. Wastewater discharge permit compliance for nutrient and temperature TMDL.
a. Client support and outcome for permit and program development
2. Stormwater discharge permit compliance for sediment and nutrient TMDL.
3. Water Quality technical assistance to support WWTP permit Site Specific Variance.
4. Modeling and analysis of compliance parameters including temperature and nutrient TMDL.
5. Interaction with State and Federal agency in regards to WWTP and stormwater discharge
permits.
6. MDEQ discharge permits, re -newel applications, and state and federal variance processes
support for municipal discharges.
7. WWTP Effluent Management Analysis.
3.3.3 Company Qualifications (10 points)
1. Describe the company's history in the industry. Provide resumes of key personnel in
Appendix A.
2. Briefly describe certifications and license held by the company in the state of Montana.
3. List and briefly describe the professional services the company provides to 3-5 other
jurisdictions and the length of time the services have been provided.
4. A minimum of three referrals and references from other municipalities or local governments.
3.3.4 Contract Understanding and Approach (25 points)
1. Describe your understanding of the current needs of the City of Kalispell for the professional
services being requested.
2. Identify and discuss any potential difficult issues your company may face in providing
services for the City of Kalispell.
3. Identify and discuss methods to mitigate these difficulties.
3.3.5 Approach to Contract Management (30 points)
1. Present a brief description of how the firm intends to organize and conduct the project.
2. Describe your company's approach in initiating and establishing the services that meet the
needs and requirements of the City.
3. Provide a narrative outlining a proposed scope of work that includes description of each task
and work product, and a concise explanation of the firm's approach to accomplishing the
tasks, and the project staff member performing said tasks.
4. Describe a proposed time schedule of work with key milestones and product deliveries.
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3.3.6 Other Factors (5 points)
1. Current contracts and ability to proceed promptly.
2. Relevant factors impacting the quality and value of service.
4 - SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTS
4.1 The SOQ shall include aone-page cover letter plus a maximum often (10) pages to address the SOQ
criteria specified in Section 3 (excluding resumes). Table of Contents and section divider pages do not
count towards the total page count.
4.2 Four copies of the Statement of Qualifications must be submitted to the City Clerk at 201 First
Avenue East, (PO Box 1997, 59903) Kalispell, Montana, by 5:00 p.m. local time, September 6, 2019.
4.3 Failure to comply with the following criteria may be grounds for disqualification:
1. Receipt of submittal past the specified cut-off date and time.
2. The number of originals and/or copies of the submittal specified.
3. Adherence to maximum page requirements.
4.4 Adherence to the maximum page criteria is critical; each page side (maximum 8 1 /2" x 11 ") with
criteria information will be counted. Pages that have photos, charts and graphs will be counted towards
the maximum number of pages.
4.5 Faxed materials will not be considered.
5 - SELECTION PROCESS AND SCHEDULE
5.1 A Project Evaluation Committee will evaluate each Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) according to
the above criteria, as well as past performance evaluations, and select up to three finalists that will be
Short Listed for the contract. The Evaluation Committee will evaluate the short list and select the top
qualified arm. If more information is required to select the top qualified firm, the short list firms will meet
with the Project Evaluation Committee for interviews. The purpose of the interview will be to expand on
the information provided in the SOQ, not to repeat information already provided. Those firms selected for
the Short List will be provided additional instructions by the City. Those firms not selected for further
consideration will be notified.
5.2 The following tentative schedule has been prepared for this project. Firms interested in this project
must be available on the interview meeting date.
SOQ due: September 6, 2019 at 5:00 p.m.
Firms notified for interview: TBD
Interviews: TBD
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5.3 Following the evaluation and interviews (if needed), the Project Evaluation Committee will determine
a ranking for each Short List firm based on the published criteria in 3.3 of this RFQ. Consideration will
be given to both the written Statement of Qualifications and any oral presentations or interviews. No other
factors or criteria will be used in the qualification ranking.
5.4 The highest ranked firm will be recommended to the City Manager and City Council for contract
award.
5.5 Requests for debriefings or selection decisions shall be made in writing to the City. All information
submitted by firms and related Project Evaluation Committee evaluations and rankings shall be considered
confidential until after contract execution and award by the City Council.
5.6 The City will enter into negotiations with the selected firm and execute a contract upon completion of
negotiations for the professional services for City Council approval. Contract negotiations will include,
but not necessarily be limited to the following elements: scope of work, project timetable, products of
work, and fees. If the City is unsuccessful in negotiating a contract with the highest ranked team, the City
may then negotiate with the second or third highest ranked team until a contract is executed. If the list of
preferred design firms is exhausted without a contract being awarded, the City may decide to terminate
the selection process or re -advertise.
5.7 Contact Susie Turner, Public Works Director, at 758-7852 regarding questions for this Request for
Qualifications.
5.8 The City will not reimburse any cost associated with the preparation, submittal, or presentation of any
Statement of Qualification. Consultant design firms are advised that in accordance with Montana law, any
information submitted may be subject to public inspection. Firms are further advised that, while the City
is constrained by budget for this work, the City does not consider cost proposals or estimates of fees in its
evaluation of qualifications.
Publication Dates: August 18, 2019
August 25, 2019
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