Request for Proposal for Special Inspection, Testing & Geotechnical Engineering Services

The City is requesting Statememt of Qualifications from qualified firms experienced in special inspection testing and geotechnical engineering services to support the City in various projects and on an on-call basis.

Project Details

• Department: Public Works & Utilities
• Department Head: Courtney Lindberg (Director)

Important Dates

• Questions Due: 2026-06-30T19:00:00.000Z

Evaluation Criteria

• City Rights and Options Pertinent to This Solicitation —

  The City, at its sole discretion, reserves the following rights:

  • To reject any, or all SOQor information received pursuant to this request document;
  • To supplement, amend, substitute or otherwise modify this document at any time by means of written addendum;
  • To cancel this request with or without the substitution of another request or prequalification process;
  • To request additional information;
  • To verify the qualifications and experience of each respondent;
  • To require one or more respondents to supplement, clarify or provide additional information in order for the City to evaluate SOQsubmitted;
  • To hire multiple contractors to perform the necessary duties and range of services if it is determined to be in the best interests of the City: and
  • To waive any minor defect or technicality in any SOQreceived.
  • The City accepts no financial responsibility for any costs incurred by the respondent. All submittals become the property of the City and may be used in any way deemed appropriate. 
• General —

  SOQwill be evaluated using the criteria stated in this document. SOQ from firms meeting the mandatory criteria described below will be evaluated for the other selection criteria.

• Compensation —

  Compensation shall be determined as part of the formal contracting process.

• Mandatory Elements —
  • If services offered require engineering expertise, the firm is licensed to practice civil engineering in California.
  • The firm has no conflict of interest with regard to any other work performed by the firm for the City.
  • The firm adheres to the instructions in this request for qualifications statements.
  • To be considered, the firm shall answer "yes" to question 3.2 requiring that the Consultant accepts City of Watsonville standard consultant agreement, including specifically listing City’s Hold Harmless Indemnity requirements and insurance coverage requirements, without modification.
• Additional Scope Information and Specific Tasks —
  All proposals shall address Scope of Work items e, f & g.

   

  A.   Concrete & Masonry Structures

  1. Inspect, sample & test structures involving concrete, masonry & reinforcing steel.  For concrete, test for slump, air content & density.
  2. Collect samples & provide the following laboratory analysis:
     1. Compression tests, 6” x 12” cylinders – ASTM C 39, Cal 521.
     2. Splitting tensile, 6” x 12” cylinders – ASTM C 496.
     3. Unit weight of concrete cylinders – ASTM C 567.
     4. Flexural strength of concrete – ASTM C 78, ASTM C 495.
  3. Prepare laboratory trial batches.  
  4. Concrete or grout mix design review.     
  5. Batch plant inspections.
  6. Pull tests & torque tests for epoxy dowels & wedge anchors.
  7. Provide corrective &/or remedial recommendations, as requested.
  8. Rebar inspection.

  B.   Miscellaneous

  1. Shear nail tests per the latest IBC codes.
  2. Welding per American Welding Society guidelines.
  3. Additional inspection & testing may be requested on an as-needed basis.  Costs shall be worked out at the time of the request.

  C.   Earthwork

  1. Inspect, sample & test earthwork projects involving site grading, roadway construction & trench backfilling.
  2. Collect samples & provide the following laboratory analysis: 
     1. Compaction - ASTM D 698, ASTM D 1557, Cal 216.
     2. Sieve analysis - ASTM C 136, Cal 202.
     3. Soil classification – ASTM D 2487.
     4. “R” value – ASTM D2844, Cal 301.
     5. Plasticity index – ASTM D 4318, Cal 204.
     6. Sand equivalent – ASTM D 2419, Cal 301.
     7. Particle size analysis – ASTM D 422.
  3. Preparation of field & final compaction reports as required.
  4. Provide corrective &/or remedial recommendations.
  5. Field observation of grading & construction work.

  D.   Hot mix asphalt (HMA)

  1. Provide technicians, equipment and laboratory necessary to determine the percent maximum theoretical density for HMA compaction.  Test methods shall include in place testing with nuclear or non-nuclear devices and by core.
  2. If testing is done by nuclear devices, testers who operate nuclear gages shall be trained and certified in nuclear gage operation and transportation safety. Testers must be provided with nuclear safety badges. Testing certificates shall be from qualified instructors as defined by the California Department of Health.
  3. Any quality control or testing laboratory that performs nuclear gauge operation and transportation shall be licensed by the California Department of Health.
  4. Laboratories shall provide evidence of the following:
      
     1. Copies of current applicable test procedures.
     2.  Proper test equipment.
     3.  Equipment calibration and service documentation.
     4.  Calibration and service decals on all testing equipment.
     5. Use the tests as required in the approved City of Watsonville Quality Assurance Program (QAP) for HMA.  A copy of the City’s current QAP is available at https://www.cityofwatsonville.org/1484/Engineering-Forms.  The lab, lab personnel, field personnel, and equipment shall have current certification to perform the required tests. Certifications for the following tests are required:
         
        1. CT 125 – sampling HMA.
        2. CT 304 – determine the laboratory density and relative compaction of HMA.
        3. CT 375  or ASTM D2950 – nuclear field density of in-place HMA.
     6. Mix design review.
     7. Batch plant inspections.
  E.   Assurance Testing
  1. Definition.   Assurance testing differs from acceptance testing as follows:  Acceptance testing is to verify that materials & work comply with plans & specifications & is done through special inspection & testing.  Assurance testing is to verify that acceptance testing is done correctly by “testing the tester.”
  2. Prior to construction, verify that equipment used by acceptance tester is properly calibrated & in good working condition.
  3. During construction, verify reliability of acceptance tester by witnessing sampling, witnessing testing & splitting material samples to perform tests & compare results.
  4. Done every three months or after change in acceptance tester.
  5. May include observation of special construction involving concrete or masonry structures, earthwork projects & hot mix asphalt.

  F.    Documentation

  Provide written test results, certifications, recommendations & documentation to City, when required & within the requested time frame.  Include the following with each observation, test, inspection or sampling:

  1.  Date issued.
  2.  Project title & description.
  3.  Testing laboratory name, address & telephone number.
  4.  Name of inspector.
  5.  Location.
  6.  Date & time.
  7.  Weather conditions.
  8.  Results & statement of compliance or non-compliance with plans & specifications.
  9.  Interpretation of test results when requested by City.

       G.   City Quality Assurance Program (QAP) - In addition to the specifications described above, the inspection and testing shall comply with the 2026 City of Watsonville QAP, dated 06/22/26 (copy attached).  Should conflicts exist between the guidelines described in this proposal and the QAP, the QAP shall take precedent.

       H.   Geotechnical Investigation and Engineering Services

  1. Review of geotechnical design documents.
  2. Furnish all materials, apparatus and labor for soil and rock boring and other exploration procedures, sampling, field and laboratory testing.
  3. Prepare and submit boring logs and reports.
  4. Prepare construction plans and specifications.
  5. Sampling, testing and preparation of soils reports.  When requested, reports shall includ:
     1. Findings, conclusions and recommendations.
     2. Engineering analysis and evaluation of the field and laboratory test data.
     3. Discussion of findings and recommendations with City representatives.

  I.Proposal

  1. Statements of Qualifications shall be submitted through the City of Watsonville's online OpenGov.com portal. Late proposals will not be considered. 
  2. Submit a current fee schedule as a separate document. The fee schedule will not be unsealed until a firm is chosen and will not be used to evaluate qualifications.

   

   

• Formal Approval of Contract —

  The respondent understands that issuance of this solicitation does not commit the City of Watsonville to award a contract, to pay any costs incurred in the preparation of a response to this solicitation, or to procure a contract for services. The respondent should note that the execution of any contract pursuant to this solicitation is dependent upon the approval of the Watsonville City Council, as required.

• Submittal Selection Process —

  1 General

  Submissions will be evaluated based on the general completeness of the response and the City's evaluation of the firm's approach, experience, knowledge, and references related to the specific scope of work requested. Some key areas considered in the selection process are highlighted below, but not an exhaustive list of what may be considered in the selection process.

  2 Mandatory Elements

  The firm has no conflict of interest with regard to any other work performed by the firm for the City.

  The firm adheres to the instructions in this document and has provided a clear, well-formatted, professional and concise SOQ.

  4.3 Qualifications

  The firm’s reputation and past experience in the performance of other similar services for similar agencies.

  The quality of the firm’s professional personnel to be assigned to the scope of work and the quality of the firm’s management support personnel to be available for technical consultation.

  The quality of the planned approach and demonstration of the experience and qualifications needed to complete the requested scope of services.

  Demonstrated results performing the requested services for agencies with similar goals and challenges, including client references which the City may contact.

  4.4 Team Readiness and Availability

  Demonstration that the current workload of the firm's listed team members will not impact their ability to fulfill the services required for this contract.

  4.5 Submittal Selection Process

  A Selection Committee will review and evaluate the submittals, with a focus on the Selection Criteria highlighted above. Based on the evaluations of the Selection Committee, the qualified respondents will be ranked. The City may request an informal interview with one or several of the top ranked firms which will be taken into consideration in final selection. RFQ: Once selected, the top ranked team overall will be requested to meet with the City to develop a Scope of Work and cost proposal. If agreement cannot be reached, negotiations will be terminated with the firm and opened with the respondent ranked next in order. The selected firm shall be placed on the City's on-call list for the appropriate work. No contract is entered into until work is required. If a contract is awarded, the City will contract with the selected consultant utilizing the City’s standard consultant services agreement. The agreement requires the consultant to secure auto and general commercial liability insurance naming the City and its employees additional insured, professional errors and omissions insurance and workers compensation insurance. A copy of the City’s standard consultant services agreement is available for inspection by request. The negotiated contract will require approval by the City of Watsonville City Council for services exceeding $100,000.

• Independent Contractor Status —

  The respondent agrees, if selected, that they shall perform the services as independent contractor(s) and not employee(s) of the City.

• Contact with the City of Watsonville and City Personnel —

  Questions regarding this solicitation shall be directed through the City's OpenGov Procurement portal located at: https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/watsonville-ca.

  All questions are due before 12:00 pm on Tuesday, June 30, 2026.

• RFQ Schedule —

  The City will make every effort to adhere to the schedule provided below:

   

  Issue Document:	June 22, 2026
  Deadline for Submitting Questions:	June 30, 2026, 12:00pm
  Responses to Questions Issued via Addendum by:	July 2, 2026
  Response Due:	July 17, 2026, 5:00pm
  Notice of Selection:	August 3, 2026
  Execution of Agreements with Consultant(s):	Typically 45 days after selection

• Public Disclosures —

  The respondent understands that as a general rule all documents received by the City are considered public records. Therefore all submittals shall be made available for public inspection according to applicable disclosure rules and regulations.

• Confidential Solicitation —

  The City will not share the details of individual responses to this solicitation with competing respondents during the selection process. After the selection process ends and a contract is awarded, all solicitations become public information.

• News Releases —

  The respondent agrees, if selected, that the City will review and approve all news releases pertaining to this solicitation and/or subsequent agreement(s). All news releases will be submitted in writing to the City’s project manager. The project manager will review and submit the news release to the appropriate City personnel for final review and approval in a timely manner.

• Conflict of Interest/Financial Disclosure —

  The respondent agrees, if selected, to comply with the City’s duly adopted Conflict of Interest Code. Key personnel who will be performing services under this Agreement are required to make disclosures with respect to the City of Watsonville.

• Indemnification —

  The respondent agrees, if selected, to accept the City of Watsonville standard consultant agreement, including specifically listing City’s Hold Harmless Indemnity requirements and insurance coverage requirements, without modification.

• Examination of Solicitation —

  The respondent understands that the information provided herein is intended solely to assist the respondent in submittal preparation. To the best of the City’s knowledge, the information provided is accurate. However, the City does not warrant such accuracy, and any errors or omissions subsequently determined will not be construed as a basis for invalidating this solicitation. Further, by submitting a response to this solicitation, the respondent represents that it has thoroughly examined and become familiar with work required in the solicitation and is capable of performing quality work and to achieve the objectives of the City.

• Equal Opportunity Program —

  The City of Watsonville is strongly committed to equal opportunity in solicitation of services. All eligible service providers including individuals, contractors, vendors, consultants, grantees, lessees, and banks, must comply with applicable Equal Opportunity Guidelines.

• Nondiscrimination Policy —

  The respondent shall not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, religion, national origin, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, or disability in the solicitation, selection, hiring or treatment of its employees, the City staff, other City consultants or other members of the public.

• Insurance Coverage —

  Provide evidence of insurance coverage in the following amounts:

  1. 1. Errors & Omission up to $1,000,000;
     2. Commercial Liability up to $1,000,000 per occurrence;
     3. Business Automobile Liability up to $1,000,000 per occurrence;
     4. Workman’s Compensation in the statutory amount.
        
        Firms may assume for the purpose of pricing that the selected consultant shall be required to maintain insurance throughout the period of the contract in sufficient amounts as to protect the consultant & the City from all claims & liabilities which may arise from operations under this contract, whether such operations by him/herself or by anyone directly or indirectly employed by him/her.

Submission Requirements

• 1 Submittal Components —

  This section contains instructions on how to prepare and submit a response to this solicitation.

  a) Submittal Cover

  The submittal cover shall include the title, submittal due date, name, address, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail address of the principal contact.

  b) Table of Contents

  The table of contents shall be complete and clear, listing headings and pages to enable easy reference.

  c) Cover Letter

  The cover letter shall be brief. Any changes to the submittal format or deletions of requested material should be explained in the cover letter. Additional cover letter inclusions are the respondent’s primary contact (include address, e-mail address and telephone number), responsible for all queries made during the intake and processing of the response and the location of the office(s) housing individuals assigned to provide services.

  d) Statement of Understanding and Methodology

  The statement of understanding shall contain a written narrative that demonstrates the respondent’s understanding of the services required by the City.

  e) Experience with Providing the Requested Services

  This section shall include examples of the respondent’s experience related to the Scope of Work. Provide a list of references from other similar Cities or Agencies for which you have successfully provided a similar Scope of Work.

  References shall include the name(s), email(s) and telephone number(s) of the respondent’s main contact related to the services provided.

  f) Project Personnel

  This section shall identify the contact person that will serve as the primary contact to the City for all requests, along with any other firm staff that may round out the team to provide the full list of services requested. The primary contact person listed will be considered committed to the City to provide the requested services with no substitutions permitted without prior agreement from the City of Watsonville. A résumé for each professional person listed on the team shall be submitted.

  g) Organization Chart

  This section shall include an organization chart containing the names of all key personnel with titles and their specific task assignment for this contract. If any subconsultants are planned, they should be included in the org chart with their role.

  h) Hourly Rate Sheet (if SOQ)

  This consultant agreement in intended to be on an as-requested basis with services provided on a time and materials basis. The consultant shall provide their standard hourly rate sheet for all key staff that may be assigned to the City in the delivery of the scope of services. As this is intended to be a three-year term, the proposing firm shall indicate if they intend to submit a new hourly rate sheet on an annual basis.

   

• Submittal Upload Section (required) —

  Please upload one PDF of the SOQ response which contains all items listed above except the cost related information which will be uploaded separately.

• Cost Proposal Upload Section (required) —

  Please upload a separate PDF that only contains the cost proposal or rate sheet. Note that the cost proposal should not be submitted with the overall proposal PDF above.

• Additional Information (optional) —

  For any additional information requested or required by any of your provided answers please upload that additional documentation here. Scoring will be based on the official proposal submitted above, but the City may take any additional information submitted here into consideration when reviewing the submitted proposal. This section is optional.

• Acceptance of Standard Agreement (required) —

  Does your firm accept the City of Watsonville standard consultant agreement, including specifically the City's Hold Harmless Indemnity requirements and insurance coverage requirements, without modification? A copy of the current Consultant Agreement is included as Attachment A.

• Submittal Authorization (required) —

  By confirming here and submitting, Respondent confirms their authority (and has uploaded necessary documentation proving such) to submit this Response in its entirety as submitted and enter into a contract on behalf of the Company Name stated in said Response. Such confirmation will be understood as the Respondent stating that they have completely read and understand this Request For Qualifications in its entirety including any and all Addenda released prior to the time of submittal.

• Pricing (required) —

  Will there be a need for the electronic pricing table in this RFQ?

• Proposal or SOQ (required) —

  Enter if this is a Proposal or an SOQ