Request for Qualifications for Engineering Services

Response Due Date: October 30th, 2015 @ 12:00 pm

PROJECT
Evaluation of Water Corrosivity, Pipe Corrosion Assessment and Recommendations for Repair and Preventative Maintenance / OWNER
City of Reidsville
230 West Morehead Street
Reidsville, NC 27320

I.  Introduction

The City of Reidsville Public Works Department is issuing this Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for assistance with the investigation of a potential corrosion problem within the City’s distribution system. The City of Reidsville invites qualified engineering firms to submit qualifications and a letter of interest to be considered to be selected as Consultant for this project. It is anticipated that the selection process be accomplished by November 30th 2015, a recommendation and request for approval made to Council on January 13, 2016 and that a contract with the successful firm be entered into shortly afterwards.

II.  Background

General

The City of Reidsville is a mid-sized town located in North Carolina approximately 20 miles north of Greensboro. The population of Reidsville is 15,000 and the City’s water distribution system consists of approximately 116 miles of water lines and a 9 MGD surface water plant.

The City is home to a variety of important industry whose on-going operations are critical to the health and well-being of the community. While not a complete list, several of these industries; Albaad (disposable wipes), Keystone Foods (chicken nuggets), Ball (aluminum cans), Dystar (automotive dye products) and Unifi (textiles) are very sensitive to the water quality as it affects the products which they make.

Description of Distribution System

The City of Reidsville was incorporated in 1873 and subsequently has a water system composed of various types, ages and sizes of pipe. The following table describes the estimated quantities of pipe material in the system:

Pipe Type / Size Range / Percentage
Asbestos Cement / 6” – 8” / 15%
Cast Iron / 4” – 12” / 50%
Ductile Iron / 6” – 30” / 30%
Galvanized Iron / 2” / 1%
Polyvinyl Chloride / 2” / 4%

As with many communities of the age and size as the City, the water system contains substantial quantities of unlined cast iron pipe.

Included in the figures above is the Reidsville to Greensboro transmission main. This is a 30” lined ductile iron pipe constructed approximately 15 years ago to allow Reidsville to wholesale water to the City of Greensboro.

Description of Water Treatment Plant

The City of Reidsville’s water treatment plant is a 9 mgd surface water plant located at the terminus of Reid Lake Road in Reidsville. The City’s source water is Lake Reidsville, an impoundment of Little Troublesome Creek, tributary to the Haw River. The plant was placed into operations in 1981 and is a multistage treatment conventional facility. It is designed to treat 9 million gallons of water per day and stores 3 million gallons of water on-site. Raw water is pumped from Lake Reidsville to the city’s water treatment plant where aluminum sulfate and potassium permanganate are added to control taste and odor and to promote flocculation. The City switched from free chlorine to the chloramines method of disinfection in July 2011.

III.  Genesis of Study

·  Various separate, but believed to be related, events have occurred that has led the City to believe that an in-depth investigation of the issues is warranted. A summary of those events and observations is provided below.

·  The City of Reidsville has historically experienced recurring issues with water discoloration resulting in complaints by both residential and commercial customers. The standard response to the issues has been selective flushing of the hydrants in the area of complaint.

·  In April 2010 the City met with Albaad to discuss concerns regarding the fouling of their RO system. They indicated they were seeing excessive fouling due primarily to aluminum, phosphorus, silicon and calcium and to a lesser extent; manganese, iron and zinc.

·  In 2011 the City arranged to have its 3 MG clearwell, located at the City’s WTP, inspected. The inspection revealed substantial accumulations of aluminum sulfate floc. This material was subsequently removed.

·  The City retained CDM Smith to evaluate the cause of the sediment in the clearwell and offer recommendations for improvement. Essentially the problem was found to be inadequate process control.

·  Due to the accumulations of sediment in the water system, the City continued to receive discolored water complaints. Discolored water tended to be either light tan in color or dark brown/black. The light tan discoloration was empirically attributed to alum and the dark brown to manganese/iron.

·  The City executed a Unidirectional Flushing Program in the spring of 2013. Since that time, general discolored water complaints have decreased significantly. Unidirectional flushing isn’t an effective technique on lines greater than about 12”, therefor the City began searching for a method to clean the larger lines in the system which are located in the southern portion of Reidsville, serve as the main transmission mains into the City and are located in close proximity to several major industries.

·  The City became aware of the new technique for pipe cleaning of ice pigging. After comparing it with conventional pigging, the City performed a pilot and initiated a project to clean several thousand feet of 16” and 24” transmission main with the process. An analysis of the material removed indicated relative high levels of iron and silica as contaminants.

·  Simultaneously, during the time period of the ice pigging project, NCDOT was in the process of upgrading Freeway Drive, in which the 16” transmission main is located. As part of their utility work, portions of the existing 16” pipe were removed in order to relocate it beneath new storm drains installed with the project. The interior of the removed pipe segments were observed to coated with a thick layer of dark brown/black deposits. In addition, the cement mortar lining of the pipe had the consistency of wet cardboard and could easily be sloughed off by hand. These segments of pipe are no longer available for inspection, having been disposed of.

·  An inquiry by the project engineer, requesting institutional knowledge of the problem, elicited a response from one of their field offices that:

o  “First thing I would check is the water chemistry. If water is too soft (corrosive toward cement), then the cement lining can become porous/flaky. Water quality parameters of major concern are calcium, alkalinity, and pH – you need to have a positive Calcium Carbonate Precipitation Potential (CCPP).”

·  A review of the water plants finished raw water chemistry shows final alkalinity to be in the 20 mg/l range. Based on the Baylis Curve, it appears that the water is very corrosive, at all pH levels typical to treated water.

·  The City uses orthophosphate for corrosion control. In discussions with plant operators, it appears that the levels of orthophosphate found in distribution water are essentially the same as the water leaving the plant. That, and samples of pipe, seem to indicate that no/little passivation is occurring.

·  Due to concerns about the integrity of the pipe lining in the 16” and 24” transmission mains, the proposed ice pigging of the 24” portion of transmission line from the WTP to the city system has been postponed.

IV.  Preliminary Project Deliverables

It is anticipated that the final list of project deliverables will be developed in the negotiation stage of the project. The major expectation of the project is summarized below:

1.  Review of academic and professional literature of similar problems in other system with an emphasis on determining an ultimate solution.

2.  Evaluation of Potential and Extent of Pipe Corrosion

a.  Evaluation of the City’s water chemistry

i.  Prior to July 2011

ii. July 2011 – December 2013

iii.  January 2014 – Present

iv.  Industry participation?

b.  Evacuation of the extent of pipe corrosion

i.  Evaluation of pipe samples

ii. Nondestructive testing?

iii.  System pH analysis.

3.  Recommendation for process improvements

a.  Evaluation of alternative chemical dosing options

i.  Calcium Carbonate Precipitation Potential (CCPP)

ii. Langelier Index (LI)

b.  Corrosion inhibitors

c.  Alkalinity supplements

d.  Determination of negative impacts of proposed solutions.

V.  Items Initially Provided by the Owner

The Owner will provide the following information to the successful Consultant to assist him in the performance of his work:

  1. Copies of the Albaad filter analysis and ice pig analysis.
  2. Access to the City’s collection of ARC Shapefiles as necessary to facilitate the Consultants work.
  3. The City will provide access to water plant operation records, as available, as they relate to the study areas.
  4. Access to City facilities and infrastructure.

IV. Items Provided by the Engineering Consultant for RFQ

The Owner is interested in partnering with a Consultant who can demonstrate past success in the development of similar programs for a municipality. Please provide 3 copies of your proposal to include the following information:

  1. Provide a brief summary of your firm in regards to your work in the field of water treatment and distribution chemistry, pipe corrosion and development of solutions.
  2. Provide a resume(s) of the engineers to be involved in the project.
  3. Provide at least three references of municipal clients of whom you have worked with on similar projects.
  4. Provide a narrative of the individual projects, your methodology used to address the project, a description of the implementation and an assessment of the project’s success.
  5. A description of your proposed approach for the City of Reidsville
  6. An estimated timeline for your proposed approach, once the NTP has been issued.

V. Products Expected from the Engineer

The Engineer will provide the following deliverables:

  1. A site visit to gain familiarity with the City, establish contact with the client and to interview the client’s personnel as to their background knowledge of the issues.
  2. Review of records, coordination with the City for the acquisition of data to be used for the project.
  3. Conducting all authorized research, interviews, field testing and sampling necessary to understand and quantify the issues faced by the City.
  4. A meeting with City officials to review the recommendations and provide guidance on future direction.
  5. Provide the City with a final report.

VI. Selection Process

Selection of Engineer

Following the City’s review of all qualifications submitted, the Public Works Department will recommend the award of a Professional Services Contract. The City will then attempt to negotiate a professional services contract detailing the final scope and fee arrangements. It is anticipated that a selection will be made on or prior to November 13, 2015. Following negotiation the Engineer will submit a proposal to the City to be considered at Council’s January 13, 2016 meeting. If approved, the City will execute the Contract to be prepared by the Consultant. The Consultant will deliver three (3) copies of the Contract to the City for signing.

This proposal will be made a part of the contract and shall be referenced, attached, and labeled as “Appendix A”.

Once the Public Works Department executes the Contract, a purchase order shall be issued for the work and the Engineer will receive the official Notice to Proceed by mail.

The Engineer, if not already listed in the City’s financial system as a Vendor, will have to submit their W-4 forms showing their federal tax ID information as well as completing an E-Verify form in order to be setup as a Vendor for pay purposes.

Billing Arrangements

Monthly billing for the project shall be submitted directly to Kevin Eason, PE at the City of Reidsville, 230 W. Morehead Street, Reidsville, NC 27320. Billing should indicate hours worked by labor classification, hourly rate, overhead multipliers used, and cumulative total billed and paid to date. Upon receipt of a properly completed pay request, payment is generally made within 10 working days.

Questions

Written questions concerning this RFQ, or any arrangements made to review the Owner provided items may be directed to Kevin Eason, PE, City of Reidsville Public Works Department, (336) 349-1070. Please email your contact information to so that we can establish a group contact in the event revisions to the RFQ are made. As email confirmations are received, the City will issue the referenced reports above by return email.

Solicitation List

Kevin C. Irby, PE

CDM Smith

5400 Glenwood Ave, Suite 300

Raleigh, NC 27612

Jeff Cruickshank, PE

Hazen and Sawyer

629 Green Valley Road, Suite 200, Greensboro, NC 27408

Julie Taylor, PE

ARCADIS U.S., Inc.

One Centerview Drive, Suite 208

Greensboro, NC, 27407

Mike Stocks, PE

Stocks Engineering P.A
1100 Eastern Avenue
Nashville, North Carolina 27856

Michael Koser, PE

Withers and Ravenel

7011 Albert Pick Road, Suite G
Greensboro,NC27409

Erica Van-Tassel Carter, PE

Kimley Horn and Associates

2000 South Blvd, Suite 440

Charlotte, NC 28203

Chad D. Easter, PE

The Wooten Company

350 N Cox St Ste 26

Asheboro, NC 27203

Jana Stewart, PE

Stantec

301 North Main Street, Suite 2452

Winston-Salem NC 27101-3844