Active SLED Opportunity · WASHINGTON · CITY OF SEATTLE
AI Summary
The City of Seattle seeks a consultant for technical writing and editing of its Engineering Design Standards & Guidelines document. The contract involves editing a large multi-chapter engineering document for grammar, formatting, and ADA compliance. Qualifications are due by June 4, 2026.
The City of Seattle is seeking qualifications for Design Standards & Guidelines Technical Writing & Editing 2027. Qualifications are due no later than 1:00 pm on Thursday, June 4, 2026. All questions are to be submitted through the e-procurement portal at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/seattle no later than 5:00 pm on Tuesday, May 26, 2026.
Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) is requesting qualifications from Consultants to provide expertise in technical writing, editing and formatting for our Engineering Design Standards and Guidelines (DSG).
The intended final use of the product will be as individual PDFs loaded onto an internal City SharePoint site. Redacted versions will be published to a public facing web page. https://www.seattle.gov/utilities/construction-resources/standards-and-guidelines/design-standards-and-guidelines
This document began in 2008 and consists of 19 chapters with appendices. This document has been updated every 3 years and the total page count for the entire Design Standards is estimated to be in the 2000 page range. Each chapter is configured to develop a discrete set of standards and guidelines (including specifications, drawings, and design procedures) for various types of engineering services undertaken and/or managed by SPU’s Engineering & Technical Services Division. Each chapter has a subject matter expert (SME) assigned that is responsible for the content of their chapter. The SME will be responsible for editing their assigned chapter and appendices, and the selected consultant will check the grammar, readability, formatting and compliance with ADA accessibility requirements. New illustrations and exhibits may also be needed upon editing.
SPU plans to select one (1) Consultant to execute a single contract for this work. The estimated value for the contract is up to $250,000.
Describe why your proposed Team members (Prime and sub-consultants, if any) have the experience and qualifications described in the scope of work of this contract. Your narrative will be evaluated based on the demonstration of the following:
In no more than two pages, provide a resume for each personnel. Resume should include relevant work examples to this SOW demonstrating that the proposed team member has the appropriate skills to perform successfully in his/her proposed role(s) on this contract. Resumes are not included in the total page count.
Describe Team experience and qualifications with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) compliance. Include any certification or trainings taken and means and methods used for accessibility.
This response is mandatory. The determination you have achieved all minimum qualifications is made from this section alone, and therefore, the Evaluation Committee is not obligated to check references or search other materials in your proposal to make this decision.
For each Minimum Qualification listed below, please describe how you meet the minimum qualification.
Minimum Qualification #1
Provide Minimum Qualification
Minimum Qualification #2
Provide Minimum Qualification
Minimum Qualification #3
Provide Minimum Qualification
Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.
Please download the below document, complete, and upload.
Provide information to the extent this information is available. If your response is incomplete or requires further description, the City may request additional information within a specified deadline, or may determine the missing information is immaterial.
Make requested changes to the Contract language using track changes and upload here.
Are there qualifications the Consultants must have to even be considered? Minimum qualifications should ONLY be those that the Consultant must meet to have their proposal considered, meaning you will toss the proposal out in full if the Consultant cannot meet the minimum qualifications.
Minimum qualifications can sometimes be important, such as a professional license. If you require a Minimum Qualification, ensure it is fair, appropriate and reasonable. Consultants can protest these if they seem exclusionary and unnecessary. In addition, some federal requirements may restrict or prohibit the use of such qualifications. Review the terms of the grant to ensure compliance with all such requirements. Minimum Qualifications are only for factual yes/no items which can be easily proven as a matter of fact and on the face of the RFQ response. These are NOT subjective such as “Company needs to be experienced” or “needs to have good references.” These are instead hard and fast criteria we check off “yes or no,” and we will toss them out without further consideration if they say no.
Note to department – All non-federally funded contracts above $395,000 require an Inclusion Plan. If potential work, including all phases, is above $395,000, retain the Inclusion Plan as a required submittal. The Mayor’s 2010 policy requires you to score the WMBE response, for no less than 10% of total points.
Departments are encouraged to list the core Scope of Work items that the department has determined to be available for subcontracting.
Contracts with FEDERAL FUNDING may require different or additional social equity requirements, such as federal Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) requirements, which are required for US DOT funded projects, such as FTA projects.
Exceptions: Exceptions to the Inclusion Plan requirement are rare. Departments must notify their WMBE IDT representative and PC for a review and written approval of an exception. An exception does not relieve the Consultant of its responsibilities to seek WMBE inclusion if changes to the contract provides opportunities for WMBE inclusion.
For assistance, contact Miguel Beltran at Miguel.Beltran@Seattle.gov or 206-684-4525.
State law requires the City to select the firm deemed to be the most highly qualified to provide A&E services. The City cannot ask for pricing before selecting the most highly qualified vendor.
Per RCW 18.08.320, Architecture includes: the rendering of any service or related work requiring architectural education, training, and experience, in connection with the art and science of building design for construction of any structure or grouping of structures and the use of space within and surrounding the structures or the design for construction of alterations or additions to the structures, including but not specifically limited to predesign services, schematic design, design development, preparation of construction contract documents, and administration of the construction contract.
Per RCW 18.43.020, Engineering is any professional service or creative work requiring engineering education, training, and experience and the application of special knowledge of the mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences to such professional services or creative work as consultation, investigation, evaluation, planning, design, and supervision of construction for the purpose of assuring compliance with specifications and design, in connection with any public or private utilities, structures, buildings, machines, equipment, processes, works, or projects.
Per RCW 18.96, Landscape Architecture is the rendering of professional services in connection with consultations, investigations, reconnaissance, research, planning, design, construction document preparation, construction administration, or teaching supervision in connection with the development of land areas where, and to the extent that, the dominant purpose of such services is the preservation, enhancement, or determination of proper land uses, natural land features, ground cover and planting, naturalistic and aesthetic values, the settings and approaches to structures or other improvements, or natural drainage and erosion control. This practice includes the location, design, and arrangement of such tangible objects as pools, walls, steps, trellises, canopies, and such features as are incidental and necessary to the purposes in this chapter. Landscape architecture involves the design and arrangement of land forms and the development of outdoor space including, but not limited to, the design of public parks, trails, playgrounds, cemeteries, home and school grounds, and the development of industrial and recreational sites.
SLED stands for State, Local, and Education. These are solicitations issued by state governments, counties, cities, school districts, utilities, and higher education institutions — as opposed to federal agencies.
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