SLED Opportunity · WASHINGTON · CITY OF MERCER ISLAND, WA

    On-Call Archaeological and Cultural Resources Support Services

    Issued by City of Mercer Island, WA
    cityRFQCity of Mercer Island, WASol. 281360
    Closed
    STATUS
    Closed
    due Aug 5, 2026
    PUBLISHED
    Jul 15, 2026
    Posting date
    JURISDICTION
    City of
    city
    NAICS CODE
    541620
    AI-classified industry

    AI Summary

    The City of Mercer Island seeks qualified archaeological and cultural resources firms for on-call support services related to capital improvement projects. Services include monitoring, assessments, tribal coordination, and regulatory compliance. SOQs due by August 5, 2026, via the City's procurement portal.

    Opportunity details

    Solicitation No.
    281360
    Type / RFx
    RFQ
    Status
    open
    Level
    city
    Published Date
    July 15, 2026
    Due Date
    August 5, 2026
    NAICS Code
    541620AI guide
    Agency
    City of Mercer Island, WA

    Description

    The City of Mercer Island (“City”) is issuing a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to solicit Statements of Qualifications (SOQs) from qualified professional archaeological and cultural resources firms to provide on-call archaeological and cultural resources support services for the City's capital improvement program, including utility, transportation, parks, facilities, and other public works projects.

    SOQs with requirements, as outlined in the RFQ package, must be received no later than 1:00 pm on Wednesday, August 5, 2026. All SOQs are to be submitted through the Procurement Portal at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/mercerislandwa.

    Background

    The City of Mercer Island manages a diverse portfolio of capital improvement projects, including utility, transportation, parks, facilities, and other public works projects, many of which involve ground-disturbing activities with the potential to affect archaeological or cultural resources. To support compliance with applicable federal, state, and local regulations, the City is seeking qualified archaeological and cultural resources consultants to provide on-call professional services on an as-needed basis.

    Work performed under this contract may include, but is not limited to, archaeological monitoring during construction, cultural resources assessments, inadvertent discovery response, tribal coordination, regulatory compliance support, technical reporting, and other related services necessary to assist the City in planning, permitting, constructing, and maintaining public infrastructure projects. Services will be authorized through individual purchase orders and may support projects across the City's Capital Improvement Program, including utility, transportation, parks, facilities, and other public works projects, as further described in this RFQ.

    Project Details

    • Reference ID: 2026-RFQ-023
    • Department: Public Works
    • Department Head: Jason Kintner (Chief of Operations)

    Important Dates

    • Questions Due: 2026-07-22T20:00:00.000Z
    • Answers Posted By: 2026-07-27T20:00:00.000Z

    Evaluation Criteria

    • Project Understanding and Methodology (25 pts)

      The submittal demonstrates a thorough understanding of the City's need for on-call archaeological and cultural resources support services and presents a clear technical approach to providing timely, responsive, and high-quality professional services. The proposal demonstrates the firm's approach to archaeological monitoring, preparation of Archaeological Monitoring Plans (AMPs) and Inadvertent Discovery Plans (IDPs), inadvertent discovery response, tribal coordination, coordination with the Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (DAHP), regulatory compliance (including Section 106 support, when applicable), communication with City staff and project stakeholders, and quality assurance/quality control procedures.

    • Project Team Qualifications and Experience (25 pts)

      The submittal demonstrates the qualifications, experience, and technical expertise of the firm and key personnel who will perform the work. The proposal clearly identifies project roles and responsibilities, office locations, staff availability, areas of expertise, and the qualifications of personnel responsible for archaeological monitoring, cultural resources investigations, tribal coordination, and regulatory compliance. Experience working in Washington State and familiarity with applicable laws and regulations will be considered.

      Preference will be given to firms demonstrating experience preparing Archaeological Monitoring Plans (AMPs), Inadvertent Discovery Plans (IDPs), Area of Potential Effect (APE) evaluations, Section 106 compliance documentation, and coordinating with DAHP and Tribal governments.

    • Relevant Project Experience (20 pts)

      The submittal demonstrates successful experience providing archaeological and cultural resources consulting services for municipal, transportation, utility, parks, facilities, shoreline, environmental, or other public infrastructure projects of similar size and complexity. Experience with archaeological monitoring, inadvertent discoveries, DAHP coordination, tribal coordination, and regulatory compliance is highly desirable.

    • Emergency Response (15 pts)

      Describe the firm's availability and ability to respond to emergency requests for archaeological monitoring or inadvertent discoveries, including anticipated response times during normal business hours, evenings, weekends, and holidays. Identify the primary point of contact for emergency response services.

    • Project Schedule/Deadlines (10 pts)

      The submittal demonstrates the firm's ability to provide services on an as-needed basis, including availability of qualified staff, ability to respond to short-notice requests or emergency situations, workload capacity, communication protocols, and overall ability to meet project schedules and task order requirements.

      Firms should describe their ability to respond to routine monitoring requests as well as emergency inadvertent discoveries, including anticipated response times during normal business hours and after hours.

    • Organization and Clarity of Proposal (5 pts)

      The submittal clearly and effectively outlines the project team’s qualifications and ability to successfully meet the needs of the City and the project as well as contains all requirements outlined in this RFQ. Documents should be well written, organized coherently, and demonstrate the project team’s ability to communicate complex information to a variety of audiences.

    Submission Requirements

    • Upload Statement of Qualifications (required)

      Please refer to the SUBMITTAL DETAILS section for the required information to include in the SOQ.

    • Mandatory Pre-Submittal Meeting Attendance (required)

      Please confirm that a representative from your firm attended the mandatory pre-submittal meeting scheduled on NO VALUE at NO VALUE at NO VALUE and signed the official sign-in sheet, acknowledging that SOQs from firms not represented at the meeting will not be considered for this work.

    • Mandatory Pre-Submittal Zoom Meeting (required)

      Please confirm that a representative from your firm attended the mandatory pre-proposal zoom meeting scheduled on NO VALUE at NO VALUE, and was recorded in the official participant log, acknowledging that SOQs from firms not represented at the meeting will not be considered for contract award.  

    • Do you acknowledge the terms of the City's Agreement? (required)

      By submitting a SOQ, the vendor agrees to the terms and conditions contained in the agreement included as an ATTACHMENT. Modifications to the agreement will not be permitted. 

    • Enter the type of professional service requested. (required)

      Example: architectural, landscape architectural, engineering, or surveying as defined by RCW 39.80.020.

    • What type of pre-submittal site visit is required? (required)
    • Enter the dates this RFQ will be published in the Daily Journal of Commerce. (required)

      Example: December 1 and 7, 2025

    Key dates

    1. July 15, 2026Published
    2. August 5, 2026Responses Due

    AI classification tags

    Frequently asked questions

    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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