Downstream Passage Annual Reports

TACOMA POWER/GENERATION
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
DOWNSTREAM PASSAGE ANNUAL REPORTS
SPECIFICATION NO. PG26-0125F
Request for Proposal Specification No. PG26-0125F
Template Revised: 10/26/2023

City of Tacoma
Tacoma Power/Generation
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS PG26-0125F
Downstream Passage Annual Reports
Submittal Deadline: 11:00 a.m., Pacific Time, Tuesday, August 4, 2026
Submittals must be received by the City's Procurement and Payables Division prior to 11:00 a.m. Pacific
Time. For electronic submittals, the City of Tacoma will designate the time of receipt recorded by our
email, sendbid@cityoftacoma.org, as the official time of receipt. This clock will be used as the official
time of receipt of all parts of electronic bid submittals. Late submittals will be returned unopened and rejected
as non-responsive.
Submittal Delivery: Sealed submittals will be received as follows:
By Email:
sendbid@cityoftacoma.org
Maximum file size: 35 MB. Multiple emails may be sent for each submittal.
Bid Opening: Submittals must be received by the City's Procurement and Payables Division prior to 11:00
a.m. Pacific Time. Sealed submittals in response to a RFB will be opened Tuesday's at 11:15 a.m. by a
purchasing representative and read aloud during a public bid opening held at the Tacoma Public Utilities
Administrative Building North, 3628 S. 35th Street, Tacoma, WA 98409, conference room M-1, located on the
main floor. They will also be held virtually Tuesday's at 11:15 a.m. Attend via this link or call 1 (253) 215 8782.
Submittals in response to an RFP, RFQ or RFI will be recorded as received. As soon as possible, after 1:00
PM, on the day of submittal deadline, preliminary results will be posted to www.TacomaPurchasing.org.
Solicitation Documents: An electronic copy of the complete solicitation documents may be viewed and
obtained by accessing the City of Tacoma Purchasing website at www.TacomaPurchasing.org.
* Register for the Bid Holders List to receive notices of addenda, questions and answers and related
updates.
* Click here to see a list of vendors registered for this solicitation.
Pre-Proposal Meeting: A pre-proposal meeting will not be held.
Project Scope: City of Tacoma (City), Department of Public Utilities, Light Division (dba Tacoma Power) is
soliciting proposals from qualified firms to assist in the annual reporting of downstream juvenile fish passage as
part of the fish habitat program management and support within the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
(FERC) projects. The work will be centered within two reports: 1) within the Cowlitz Fall Dam (Cowlitz Project)
and 2) Lake Cushman Dam No 1 (Cushman Project).
Estimate: $500,000
Paid Sick Leave: The City of Tacoma requires all employers to provide paid sick leave as set forth in Title 18
of the Tacoma Municipal Code and in accordance with State of Washington law.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA Information: The City of Tacoma, in accordance with Section 504 of
the Rehabilitation Act (Section 504) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), commits to
nondiscrimination on the basis of disability, in all of its programs and activities. Specification materials can be
made available in an alternate format by emailing the contact listed below in the Additional Information section.
Title VI Information:
"The City of Tacoma" in accordance with provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, (78 Stat. 252, 42
U.S.C. sections 2000d to 2000d-4) and the Regulations, hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively
ensure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprises
will be afforded full and fair opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated
against on the grounds of race, color, national origin in consideration of award.
Form No. SPEC-040C Revised: 04/20/2023

Additional Information: Requests for information regarding the specifications may be obtained by contacting
Ryan Foster, Senior Buyer by email to rFoster1@tacoma.gov.
Protest Policy: City of Tacoma protest policy, located at www.tacomapurchasing.org, specifies procedures for
protests submitted prior to and after submittal deadline.
Meeting sites are accessible to persons with disabilities. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities
can be arranged with 48 hours advance notice by calling 253-502-8468.
Form No. SPEC-040C Revised: 04/20/2023

Table of Contents
SUBMITTAL CHECK LIST ......................................................................................................... 5
1. BACKGROUND .................................................................................................................. 6
2. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS .............................................................................................. 7
3. SCOPE OF SERVICES AND DELIVERABLES................................................................... 7
4. CONTRACT TERM ............................................................................................................. 7
5. CALENDAR OF EVENTS ................................................................................................... 7
6. INQUIRIES ......................................................................................................................... 8
7. PRE-PROPOSAL MEETING............................................................................................... 8
8. DISCLAIMER ...................................................................................................................... 8
9. EVALUATION CRITERIA .................................................................................................... 8
10. CONTENT TO BE SUBMITTED - This section represents 100% of the possible scoring
criteria. ....................................................................................................................................... 9
11. RESPONSIVENESS .....................................................................................................11
12. ACCEPTANCE / REJECTION OF SUBMITTALS ..........................................................12
13. CONTRACT OBLIGATION ............................................................................................12
14. STANDARD TERMS AND CONDITIONS ......................................................................12
15. INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS ....................................................................................12
16. PARTNERSHIPS ..........................................................................................................12
17. COMMITMENT OF FIRM KEY PERSONNEL ...............................................................13
18. AWARD .........................................................................................................................13
19. ENVIRONMENTALLY PREFERABLE PROCUREMENT ..............................................13
20. PROPRIETARY OR CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION ..................................................14
21. ADDENDUMS ...............................................................................................................14
22. LEAP REQUIREMENTS................................................................................................14
23. EQUITY IN CONTRACTING .........................................................................................14
APPENDIX A ............................................................................................................................15
APPENDIX B ............................................................................................................................19
APPENDIX C ............................................................................................................................21
Request for Proposal Specification No. PG26-0125F
Template Revised: 10/26/2023

SUBMITTAL CHECK LIST
This checklist identifies items to be included with your submittal. Any submittal received without
these required items may be deemed non-responsive and not be considered for award.
Submittals must be received by the City of Tacoma Purchasing Division by the date and time
specified in the Request for Proposal page.
The following items make up your submittal package:
One electronic copy of your complete submittal package
Signature Page (Appendix B)
Content To Be Submitted (Section 10)
After award, the following documents will be executed:
Services Contract (Appendix C)
Certificate of Insurance and related endorsements (Appendix C)
Request for Proposal Specification No. PG26-0125F
Template Revised: 10/26/2023

1. BACKGROUND
City of Tacoma (City), Department of Public Utilities, Light Division (dba Tacoma Power) is
soliciting proposals from qualified firms to assist in the annual reporting of downstream juvenile
fish passage as part of the fish habitat program management and support within the Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) projects.
Tacoma Power owns and operates hydroelectric projects on four western Washington rivers,
the Cowlitz, Nisqually, North Fork Skokomish, and Wynoochee, and owns power transmission
and distribution infrastructure throughout its service area. Although each of the hydroelectric
projects operates under its own license, all the licenses are focused on protecting and
enhancing the aquatic and terrestrial resources included within each hydro projects' boundaries
and in some cases, downstream areas affected by dam operations.
Each of the hydroelectric projects has its own suite of natural resource opportunities. The intent
of Tacoma Power's natural resource actions is to retain and restore aquatic and terrestrial
species and their associated habitats.
The work will be centered on assessing data associated with downstream fish passage within
the Cowlitz Project and Cushman Project Sites. Broad population and habitat assessments are
supported by Tacoma Power's monitoring and evaluation programs along the Cowlitz River
(Cowlitz Project Site) and the North Fork of the Skokomish River (Cushman Project Site) above
and below the hydroelectric projects. These activities provide information that feeds into
adaptive management plans intended to improve downstream fish passage and restore Cowlitz
and North Fork Skokomish River fish populations. Much of this work includes review by
technical committees comprised of federal, state, and tribal biologists.
Recovery of salmon populations in the upper Cowlitz River Basin, Washington, depends on
trap-and-haul efforts owing to impassable dams. Therefore, successful recovery depends on the
collection of out-migrating juvenile salmon at Cowlitz Falls Dam (CFD) and Cushman Dam # 1
for transport below downstream dams. To aid in management decisions, annual reports
assessing fish collection efficiency (FCE) and Fish System Survival (FSS) are commonly used
by fisheries managers to track demographic parameters.
To learn more about the City of Tacoma, visit www.cityoftacoma.org.
The City anticipates awarding up to two (2) task-based contracts. Individual task orders will be
issued on an as-needed basis, with each task order requiring City approval prior to work
commencing. The total combined contract amount is anticipated not to exceed $467,000 over
the three-year term. Individual task orders are expected to range from $150,000 to $290,000. All
services will be assigned through individual Task Orders using the Task Order Authorization
Form, with scope, schedule, and budget defined within each Task Order. The contract term will
be three years with an option to extend for an additional two.
Request for Proposal Specification No. PG26-0125F
Template Revised: 10/26/2023

Submittals submitted and/or the selected Consultant(s) may be used for projects of similar type
and scope at the sole discretion of the City for up to one year.
2. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
Responses to this RFP must include qualifications to address the subject area of mark-
recapture modeling and analysis of covariates for anadromous fish populations; synthesis in an
adaptive management framework, characterization of rates for each labor, equipment, and
business operation category; and provide a scope, schedule, and budget for an example
project, which may or may not be considered under this contract at a future date.
Detailed instructions and submission requirements for this information are provided in the
Content to be Submitted section and must be followed in preparing the response.
3. SCOPE OF SERVICES AND DELIVERABLES
Tacoma Power is soliciting proposals from qualified firms to assist in the analysis and authoring
of annual reports addressing juvenile downstream fish passage as part of the fish habitat
program management and support within the Cowlitz and North Fork Skokomish River Project.
Tacoma Power's natural resource actions intend to retain and restore aquatic and terrestrial
species and their associated habitats.
The awarded firm will work as a third-party consultant with Tacoma Power and address
comments and edits provided by the Fisheries Technical Committees. Detailed descriptions of
specific tasks and subtasks are provided in the Technical Specifications section of this RFP.
4. CONTRACT TERM
The contract will be for a three-year period with the option to renew the contract for two
additional one-year terms. The City reserves the right to cancel the contract for any reason, by
written notice, as stipulated in the contract.
5. CALENDAR OF EVENTS
This is a tentative schedule only and may be altered at the sole discretion of the City. Contract
may be issued after Public Utility Board and/or City Council approval.
The anticipated schedule of events concerning this RFP is as follows
Publish and issue RFP: 7/15/2026
Pre-Submittal Questions: 7/22/2026
Response to Questions: 7/27/2026
Submittal Due Date: 8/4/2026
Submittal Evaluated: August 2026
Award Recommendation: August 2026
Public Utility Board/City Council Approval: August 2026
Request for Proposal Specification No. PG26-0125F
Template Revised: 10/26/2023

6. INQUIRIES
6.1 Questions should be submitted to Ryan Foster via email to rfoster1@tacoma.gov. Subject
line to read:
PG26-0125F - Downstream Passage Annual Reports - VENDOR NAME
6.0 Questions are due by 3 pm on the date included in the Calendar of Events section.
6.1 Questions marked confidential will not be answered or included.
6.2 The City reserves the discretion to group similar questions to provide a single answer or
not to respond when the requested information is confidential.
6.3 The answers are not typically considered an addendum.
6.4 The City will not be responsible for unsuccessful submittal of questions.
6.5 Written answers to questions will be posted along side the specifications at
www.tacomapurchasing.org
7. PRE-PROPOSAL MEETING
7.1 No pre-proposal meeting will be held; however, questions and request for clarifications of
the specifications may be submitted as stated in the inquiries section.
8. DISCLAIMER
The City is not liable for any costs incurred by the Respondent for the preparation of materials
or a submittal submitted in response to this RFP, for conducting any presentations to the City, or
any other activities related to responding to this RFP, or to any subsequent requirements of the
contract negotiation process.
9. EVALUATION CRITERIA
A Selection Advisory Committee (SAC) will review and evaluate submittals. The relative weight
of each scoring criteria is indicated in the table below.
Criteria Max Points
Qualifications/Experience of Firm 20
Examples of Projects 15
Reporting Capabilities 10
Client References 15
Fees and Charges / Method of Billing / Hourly Rates 10
Qualifications / Experience of Key Personnel 20
Sustainability 5
Equity in Contracting 5
Request for Proposal Specification No. PG26-0125F
Template Revised: 10/26/2023

Total 100
After the evaluation, the SAC may conduct interviews of the most qualified Respondents before
final selection.
9.1 The SAC may select one or more respondent to provide the services required.
9.2 The City reserves the right to visit facilities of selected Respondents for the purpose of
evaluating personnel resources and ability to successfully perform mark-recapture
modeling and reporting.
9.3 The SAC may use references to clarify information in the submittals and interviews, if
conducted, which may affect the rating. The City reserves the right to contact references
other than those included in the submittal.
9.4 A significant deficiency in any one criteria is grounds for rejection of the submittal as a
whole.
10. CONTENT TO BE SUBMITTED - This section represents 100% of the possible
scoring criteria.
Proposals should formatted as 8 12" x 11". A "page" is defined as one single-side of a document
that has written text or graphics. The font should be Times New Roman or Arial with font size no
smaller than 11 and the margins shall be 0.75" or greater. Submittals should be limited to a
maximum of 10 pages, double-sided, or 20 pages total, excluding any required forms or
resumes. All pages that exceed the specified page limit will not be part of the evaluation.
A full and complete response to each of the "CONTENT TO BE SUBMITTED" items is expected
in a single location; do not cross-reference to another section in your submittal.
Information that is confidential must be clearly marked and provide an index identifying the
affected page number(s) and locations(s) of such identified materials. See Section 1 of the
Standard Terms and Conditions - Solicitation 1.06 for Public Disclosure: Proprietary or
Confidential Information.
Respondents are to provide complete and detailed responses to all items below. Submittals that
are incomplete or conditioned in any way that contain alternatives or items not called for in this
RFP, or not in conformity with law, may be rejected as being non-responsive. The City will not
accept any submittal containing a substantial deviation from the requirements outlined in this
RFP.
Submittals should present information in a straightforward and concise manner, while ensuring
complete and detailed descriptions of the respondent's/team's abilities to meet the requirements
of this RFP. Emphasis will be on completeness of content. The written submittals should be
prepared in the sequential order as outlined below.
Request for Proposal Specification No. PG26-0125F
Template Revised: 10/26/2023

The City reserves the right to request clarification of any aspect of a firm's submittal or request
additional information that might be required to properly evaluate the submittal. A firm's failure to
respond to such a request may result in rejection of the firm's submittal. Firms are required to
provide responses to any request for clarification within two (2) business days.
Requests for clarification or additional information shall be made at the sole discretion of the
City. The City's retention of this right shall no way diminish a Proposer's responsibility to submit
a submittal that is current, clear, complete and accurate.
10.1 Qualifications/Experience of Firm - 20
Describe your company's experience and qualifications associated with their ability to provide
general report consultation, mark-recapture modeling, fitting co-variates, model interpretation,
model consultation, and report synthesis.
10.2 Examples of Projects - 15 points
Describe three projects similar in scope and complexity to this project's scope of work.
10.3 Reporting Capabilities - 10 points
Describe reporting capabilities.
10.4 Client References - 15 points
Provide three client references able to verify the firm's overall expertise for this type of work.
The references must have worked with the firm within the last year. Provide complete
information such as name of company, contact person, address, phone number, and email
address.
10.5 Fees and Charges / Method of Billing / Hourly Rates - 10 points
Provide the method of billing and hourly rates.
10.6 Qualifications / Experience of Key Personnel - 20 points
List key personnel that will handle the project. The personnel listed must be committed to this
project for the expected term of the agreement. Include a brief bio or resume outlining the
experience of the key personnel that will be involved.
10.7 Sustainability - 5 points
Provide information on your company's commitment to the environment. Include your
sustainability statement and current practices. For more information, see our Respondents
Guide.
A. Does the Respondent have an organizational sustainability plan and/or policy?
[ ] Yes [ ] No
Provide additional information if checked "Yes," including whether it is made publicly
available (provide link) and how it is communicated to employees.
Request for Proposal Specification No. PG26-0125F
Template Revised: 10/26/2023