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Elwood Area Bike Connector

Phase I and II Design Engineering Services

QUALIFICATION BASED SELECTION (QBS)

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

The Village of Elwood invites SOQ from IDOT prequalified engineering firms to assist the Village in completing the Elwood Area Bike Connector. The Village of Elwood, Will County, Illinois, will receive Statements of Qualifications (SOQ) for Phase I and II Design Engineering Services for the Elwood Area Bike Connector. As part of the selection process, the interested consultants are required to submit a Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) to perform the requested work.

The SOQ shall be submitted to the Village no later than 10:00 a.m. local time on Tuesday, March 21, 2023. The submittal shall include one (1) original document, three (3) hard copies, and one (1) electronic copy in pdf form on a flash drive. Any SOQ received after the above noted deadline may not be used as part of the consultant selection process.

All questions related to the Request for Qualifications must be submitted to Julie Friebele, Village Administrator (julie.friebele@villageofelwood.com) by 12:00 PM, March 14, 2023.

Anticipated Schedule of Events:

March 8, 2023 – RFQ posted to Village website  

March 14, 2023 12:00 p.m. – All questions due to Village

March 17, 2023 – All questions answered via Addendum

March 21, 2023 10:00 a.m. – Statement of Qualifications due to Village

March 24, 2023– Firm selection and negotiations

April 7, 2023 – Draft Agreement submitted to IDOT

PROPOSAL CONTENTS

All SOQ submittals must be thorough, complete, and accurate. The .pdf submittal shall be a single .pdf document, no more than fifteen (15) 8.5” by 11” single-sided pages in length (including cover letter, tabs, section breaks, cover pages, back pages, IDOT prequalification, resumes, etc.). Tabs and section breaks are not required. The submittal should include the following information:  

1. Cover letter on the firm’s letterhead transmitting the qualifications. Include name of the firm, local address, telephone number and name of contact person (with email address).
2. Current Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) prequalification status. At a minimum, the prime consultant must be prequalified in Highways – Roads and Streets and Location Design Studies – New Construction/Major Reconstruction and submit documentation of their current prequalification status.
3. List of three to five relevant projects recently completed similar in nature to this project. Include a description of each project, including location, project team, and construction cost for each project. If the project was on an IDOT state letting, provide the letting date and item number and/or contract number.
4. A brief (maximum of 3 pages) technical approach regarding the firm’s abilities to perform the required Design Engineering services.
5. List of key staff with brief resumes that would be assigned to the project including the Project Manager (must be a Licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Illinois) and any other relevant staff. Also, include any sub-consultants that will be required to complete the project, including the relevant prequalification categories for each sub-consultant (documentation of their prequalification status is NOT required). An organization chart is optional.
6. List of three (3) references including name, job title, telephone number, and email address. The references should not be current Village of Elwood of City of Wilmington employees. The references should preferably have worked for a local agency on similar projects.
7. Conflict of Interest statement (IDOT BDE DISC2)

SELECTION CRITERIA AND WEIGHTING

The selection criteria and weightings for project selection are as indicated below:  

1. Technical Approach (20%). Project understanding and the entity’s approach to perform Phase I and II Design Engineering Services and related items that are required for successful project completion.
2. Firm Experience (30%). The entity’s general experience, stability, and experience on projects similar to the one under consideration. Experience with federally funded projects is required.
3. Staff Capabilities (Prime and Subconsultants) (30%). The education, experience, and expertise of the entity’s key employees as they relate to the proposed scope of services.
4. Schedule (10%).  Quality of the consultant’s schedule, including how expeditiously the work can be completed realistically.
5. Specialized Expertise (10%).  Entity’s specialized expertise in relation to the project’s funding and scope of services.

 Firm experience with IDOT procedures is a requirement. The technical approach should not include standard construction practices that apply to most projects and IDOT forms, documentation, procedures, etc. that are required on all federally funded projects. Instead, the approach should focus on any differentiators the firm and personnel may have, as well as any project specific issues and challenges.

A selection committee comprised of staff from the Village will evaluate the SOQs. The SOQs will be reviewed, evaluated, and scored using the criteria and weights defined above. The SOQ will be used by Village staff to select the most qualified consultant. Interviews will not be held. All consultants who submitted qualifications will be notified when the results are completed, along with the top three firms and their overall scores. Additional results and scoring breakdowns will not be provided.

The top ranked firm will be notified, and a final scope and hours will be negotiated. If an agreement cannot be reached with the top ranked firm, the Village will start negotiations with the next highest ranked firm. The engineering agreement format will be Cost Plus Fixed Fee in accordance with IDOT requirements.

The Village of Elwood reserves the right at any time and for any reason to cancel this consultant procurement process or to reject any SOQ. The Village reserves the right to discard any immaterial SOQ. The Village may seek clarification from a submittal at any time and respond promptly if there is cause for rejection.

SCOPE OF WORK

The Village of Elwood, Illinois and the City of Wilmington, Illinois are working with nearby federal land owners and operators to provide a path to access federal lands for local and regional residents. The federal lands include: The Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery, the US Army Reserve Facility, and the Kankakee River National Water Trail.

This project considers constructing a path that would begin at an existing bike path within the Village of Elwood and extend the path to an existing bike path within the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie while passing through a portion of the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery. The proposed path is broken into two portions, Elwood and Wilmington. The Elwood path portion will follow the existing contours as it travels from Elwood to its finish at a location referred to as the "Iron Bridge". The total length of new path on the Elwood portion is assumed to be approximately 9,850 linear feet. The Wilmington path portion is from the Main Visitor Center of Midewin, the bike path would be extended south along Route 53 (Aka Route 66), then head west on E Kankakee River Dr towards the City Center, then travels south with on street bike medallions directing residents towards a landing spot in the City's North Island Park which is a well-developed park on the Kankakee River. The total length of new path on the Wilmington portion is assumed to be approximately 17,300 linear feet. Approximately 12,500 linear feet would be new path and 4,800 linear feet would use existing roadways that are stripped with proper signage.

The path is anticipated to have an 8' width, 2" crushed limestone thickness, and a 4" compacted gravel subbase in sections of new path. The width and material thickness will vary depending in location (i.e. Route 53 adjacent will be asphalt while areas within Midewin will be crushed limestone).

The selected firm shall perform Phase I and II Design Engineering Services as required and in a professional and satisfactory manner. All work must be completed in accordance with the policies and standards of the Village, IDOT, and FHWA.  

The anticipated scope of services of the Phase I Design Engineering Services shall include but is not limited to the following:  

1. Providing necessary personnel, materials, equipment, and transportation to make necessary investigations, measurements, computations, and analysis to perform field and office civil engineering services for design of the project.
2. Data Collection – To review and prepare aerial data to be used for exhibits, and presentations as necessary.
3. Detailed topographic surveys, as necessary, for the planning and design of the project.
4. Establish pre-final geometry and right-of-way, if needed.  Surveys for any necessary right-of-way acquisition and construction easements, and the preparation of plats and legal descriptions, including obtaining title commitments (if needed).
5. Attend the IDOT Phase I Kick-Off Meeting, including preparation of the required agenda, exhibits, and minutes.
6. Perform environmental assessments and preparation of environmental documentation as required per IDOT standards including special waste (if needed), wetland delineation (if needed), and Environmental Survey Request (ESR).  
7. Obtain clearances and permits from all regulatory agencies as required by the project scope.
8. Review and prepare suggested construction staging possibilities.
9. Soil investigations, as necessary, to determine structural design and conduct CCDD screening, if needed.
10. Preparation of a Project Development Report (PDR) (if needed), with all required attachments as required by IDOT.  
11. Preparation of Location Map, Typical Sections, Plan and Profile, Cross Sections, Engineer’s Estimate of Cost and other pertinent work as required to successfully complete all the project requirements (not all may be needed).
12. Coordination with the Village of Elwood, City of Wilmington, IDOT, FHWA, U.S. Army Reserve, Abraham Lincoln Cemetery, Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, utilities, and other agencies or businesses as required. Including attending meetings and preparation of the required agenda, exhibits, and minutes.
13. Attendance and presentations at public meetings and/or hearings.
14. Other related services to produce the required surveys, report, and plans as necessary.
15. Address comments and revisions from IDOT and Village on the PDR.
16. Obtain Design Approval from IDOT and FHWA.
17. Any and all other activities as requested by the Village to successfully complete the Phase I engineering services for each project per the IDOT and Village Standards.

The anticipated scope of services of the Phase II Design Engineering Services shall include but is not limited to the following:  

1. Providing necessary personnel, materials, equipment, and transportation to make necessary investigations, measurements, computations, and analysis to perform field and office civil engineering services for design of the project.  
2. Attend the IDOT Phase II Kick-Off Meeting, including preparation of the required agenda, exhibits and minutes.
3. Perform environmental updates as needed or submit required documents including a Preliminary site investigation (PSI) (if needed).
4. Obtain clearances and permits for all regulatory agencies as required by the project scope.
5. Coordinate with all utilities impacted by the project.
6. Prepare detailed Phase II plans per IDOT standards for Village review and submittal to IDOT. Prepare specifications, cost estimates, and other documents as necessary to complete all required Plans, Specifications, and Estimates (PS&E) submittals to IDOT.  
7. Submit the Pre-Final (95%), Initial Final (99%) and Final (100%) PS&E submittals to IDOT per the IDOT Region One Letting Schedule.
8. Complete additional PS&E submittals if required by IDOT review comments.
9. Provide a disposition of comments to all IDOT reviews.
10. Adhere to any other requirements as needed according to the current IDOT guidelines.
11. Answer any contractor questions and process any required addendums as required by IDOT Central Office during bidding.
12. Provide project administration and management.
13. Any and all other activities as requested by the Village to successfully complete the Phase II engineering services per IDOT and Village Standards.