Project 7 Water Treatment Plant Facility Master Plan and Emergency Operations Plan

Project 7 Water Authority
69128 Highway 50
Montrose, CO 81401
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Project 7 Water Treatment Plant Facility Master Plan and
Emergency Operations Plan
Issue Date: June 8, 2026
RFP Number: P7WA-2026-001
Agent/Contact: Adam Turner, General Manager, Project 7 Water Authority
Submissions Must Be Received by: July 16, 2026 at 2:00 pm Colorado Time
ADMINISTRATIVE INSTRUCTIONS
The Project 7 Water Authority is requesting proposals through the Request for Proposal process to
prepare a facility master plan and emergency operations plans for the existing water treatment plant and
its associated infrastructure (reservoir and distribution trunkline). Mandatory pre-proposal site walks will
be available the week of June 22 and 29, 2026 and can be scheduled by contacting Adam Turner at (970)
596-6127. Proposals shall be submitted electronically to bids@cityofmontrose.org and will be publicly
received 2:00 PM on July 16, 2026 via Zoom at https://tinyurl.com/P7MasterPlanBidOpen Late proposals
will not be accepted and it is the responsibility of the bidders to ensure that proposals (including signed
addenda) arrive by 2:00 PM on the date listed above.
Complete proposal packets can be downloaded from the City of Montrose procurement webpage at
www.cityofmontrose.org under Department Services, Purchasing, and Open Bids. Addenda will be posted
to the website and it is the bidder's responsibility to download, review, sign, and include addenda with
their proposal.
Project 7 reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals, to waive irregularities and/or
informalities and to disregard all non-conforming, non-responsive, unbalanced or conditional proposals.
Project 7 complies with all Equal Opportunity requirements. All qualified proposers will receive
consideration without regard to race, creed, color, national origin, sex, marital status, religion, ancestry,
mental or physical handicap or age.

Request for Proposals Project 7 Water Authority
Facility Master Plan and Emergency Operations RFP No: P7WA-2026-001
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1.0 GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS
1.1 CONTENTS OF PROPOSAL
A. Proposers shall thoroughly read the project requirements and specifications, and shall examine
all documents incorporated into the RFP. As RFP documents change for each solicitation,
returning Proposers shall not assume that this RFP contains the same terms and conditions used
in prior solicitations. The Authority is not obligated to identify either minor or substantive
modifications to RFP documents.
B. Proposers shall make all investigations necessary to thoroughly inform themselves regarding the
facilities, system conditions, and operational context affected by the services to be provided. No
claim of ignorance by the Proposer of conditions that exist, or may hereafter exist, shall be
accepted as a basis for varying the requirements of the Authority or the compensation to the
Proposer following award.
C. Proposers are advised that all Authority contracts are subject to all applicable local, state, and
federal legal requirements governing the procurement of professional engineering services.
D. Proposers are required to state the exact intent of their offer and shall identify any variances to
the terms, conditions, or specifications of this RFP, no matter how slight. Any variance not stated
in the proposal shall be construed to mean that the proposal fully complies with all conditions
identified in this RFP. Variances and exceptions shall be listed in the project proposal (see Section
3.3.1).
1.2 CLARIFICATION AND MODIFICATION OF THE SOLICITATION
A. Apparent silence or omissions within this RFP regarding a detailed description of the services to
be provided shall be interpreted to mean that customary professional engineering practice is to
prevail and that only work product of professional quality shall be used.
B. If any Proposer is in doubt as to the meaning of any portion of this RFP, the Proposer shall submit
a written request for clarification to the Authority Contact identified in the Special Conditions.
Requests for clarification must be received by the question deadline provided.
C. Any official interpretation of this RFP must be issued in writing by the Authority Contact. The
Authority shall not be responsible for interpretations offered by Authority staff who are not
authorized to act on behalf of the Authority for this procurement.
D. If necessary, the Authority may issue written addenda to clarify or inform Proposers of substantive
changes that affect the technical submission. Addenda will be posted to the Authority's website
and it is the Proposer's responsibility to download, sign, and return them with the proposal. In

Request for Proposals Project 7 Water Authority
Facility Master Plan and Emergency Operations RFP No: P7WA-2026-001
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the event of a conflict, addenda shall supersede the original RFP documents to the extent
specified.
1.3 PRICING, CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, AND TAXES
A. Cost Proposals. Cost proposals shall be presented in accordance with the format specified in
Section 3.3.1. The Authority will evaluate cost proposals as one factor among several in
determining the selected Proposer, consistent with Section 3.3.2.
B. Independent Proposal. The Proposer, by submitting a proposal in response to this RFP, certifies
that the proposal is made without prior understanding, agreement, or connection with any person
or entity submitting a competing proposal, and that the proposal is in all respects fair and made
without collusion or fraud. Any Proposer found to have falsified this certification may be
disqualified and reported to appropriate authorities.
E. Conflicts of Interest. Proposers shall not knowingly participate in solicitations where a conflict of
interest exists between the Proposer (or its affiliates, principals, or key personnel) and a member
of Authority staff, an Authority Director, or a member of any Authority advisory body. Proposers
shall affirmatively disclose any potential conflicts in their proposal.
F. Taxes. The Authority is exempt from Colorado state and local sales and use taxes and from federal
excise taxes. Proposers shall not include such taxes in cost proposals. The Authority's tax
exemption certificate will be provided upon request.
1.4 PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS
A. Proposals shall be submitted in electronic (PDF) format in accordance with the submittal
instructions outlined in Section 2.4.
B. Proposals shall contain a manual or electronic signature of an authorized representative of the
Proposer on the proposal form included in Section 2.0. If the Proposer fails to sign the proposal,
the proposal may be considered non-responsive.
C. Cost proposals shall be provided in the format specified in Section 3.3.1.
D. All information and supplemental documentation required by this RFP shall be furnished by the
Proposer with its proposal. If the Proposer fails to supply any required information or documents,
the Authority, in its sole discretion, may consider the proposal non-responsive.
E. The accuracy of the proposal is the sole responsibility of the Proposer. No changes in the proposal
shall be allowed after the submission deadline.

Request for Proposals Project 7 Water Authority
Facility Master Plan and Emergency Operations RFP No: P7WA-2026-001
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1.5 MODIFICATION OR WITHDRAWAL OF PROPOSALS
A. Proposers may modify a submitted proposal by official written notice received by the Authority
Contact prior to the submission deadline. Each modification must clearly reference the RFP
number and Proposer name. If more than one modification is submitted, the modification bearing
the latest date and time of receipt will be considered the valid modification.
B. Proposals may be withdrawn prior to the submission deadline by official written request from an
authorized representative of the Proposer.
C. Proposals may not be modified or withdrawn after the submission deadline for a period of ninety
(90) calendar days. If a proposal is modified or withdrawn during this ninety (90) day period, the
Authority may, at its option, suspend the Proposer from further participation in Authority
procurements for a period determined by the Authority.
1.6 EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS
A. Proposals shall be evaluated based on responsiveness to the requirements of this RFP and the
qualitative factors set forth in Section 3.3.2. Thoroughness, accuracy, professional judgment,
qualifications, experience, and clarity of presentation shall be considered among other possible
factors.
B. The Authority may, in its sole discretion: reject any or all proposals (in whole or in part); re-
advertise this RFP; postpone or cancel the procurement; waive any irregularities or technicalities
in proposals received; and determine the criteria and process by which proposals are evaluated
and awarded, consistent with applicable law.
C. A proposal may not be accepted from, nor any contract awarded to, any person or entity that is
in arrears to the Authority on any debt or contract, or that is in default as a surety or otherwise
on any obligation to the Authority.
D. No contract shall be awarded to any person or entity that has failed to perform any prior contract
with the Authority.
E. A proposal may not be accepted from, nor any contract awarded to, any person or entity that has
pending litigation against the Authority on the proposal due date.
F. The Authority reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals, or any combination of
them, and to waive any informality or irregularity in the proposal or in the procurement process.
G. The selected Proposer shall comply with all local, state, and federal laws, regulations, ordinances,
and orders applicable to the work.

Request for Proposals Project 7 Water Authority
Facility Master Plan and Emergency Operations RFP No: P7WA-2026-001
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H. No Proposer shall be excluded from consideration on the basis of race, color, creed, national
origin, disability, or sex, or be subjected to discrimination under any contract awarded by the
Authority.
1.7 CONTRACTURAL OBLIGATIONS
A. The selected Proposer shall be required to enter into a written contract with the Authority based
on the Authority's standard form of agreement, which is attached to this RFP (Authority Contract).
Proposers shall review the draft form of agreement carefully and shall identify any requested
exceptions in their proposal as described in Section 3.3.1. Exceptions are informational and are
addressed under the "Contract Exceptions" criterion in Sections 3.3.1 and 3.3.2.
The Authority shall not have any duties or obligations of any kind to any Proposers, including but
not limited to any selected Proposer unless and until a final contract is agreed to and executed by
both parties. The Authority's selection of a Proposer does not guarantee-and should not create
any expectation of any kind-that the Authority will enter into a contract with the selected
Proposer.

Request for Proposals Project 7 Water Authority
Facility Master Plan and Emergency Operations RFP No: P7WA-2026-001
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2.0 SPECIAL CONDITIONS
2.1 MANDATORY PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE
Mandatory pre-proposal site walks will be available the week of June 22 and 29, 2026 and can be
scheduled by contacting Adam Turner at (970) 596-6127. Three options will be available during this
timeframe in order to provide some flexibility in scheduling and to keep group sizes small enough to
effectively tour the existing plant. Attendance lists will be posted to the bidding website following
completion of the meetings.
2.2 CONTACT PERSON
During the course of this request process, from issuance until a recommendation for award, Bidders shall
not initiate contact related to this request with anyone other than the officially designated individual:
For this bid, the contact is Adam Turner at (970) 596-6127 or by email at: Project7@montrose.net
Failure to abide by this requirement may result in disqualification from further participation in this
process.
2.3 QUESTION DEADLINE
All questions regarding this Request for Proposal shall be directed to the individual listed above. All
inquiries shall clearly identify the name of the firm and the authorized representative, the RFP number,
and title.
The deadline for receipt of questions from Bidders in regards to this RFP is 5:00 PM on July 13, 2026.
Responses will be prepared by Project 7 in an addendum and published on the City of Montrose bidding
website at: www.cityofmontrose.org under Department Services, Purchasing, Open bids, under this bid
name. The responses in writing are the only official answers.
2.4 SUBMITTAL INSTRUCTIONS
Project 7 desires to receive a clear, concise, and substantive presentation of the vendor's proposal.
Proposers should submit the following by electronic mail to bids@cityofmontrose.org by 2:00 PM on July
16, 2026. Please include the RFP number and title in the subject of the email, proposer's name and
address in the body of the email, and include the following attachments:
1. PDF of the signed proposal form (see below)
2. PDF of the technical proposal (see Statement of Work)

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Facility Master Plan and Emergency Operations RFP No: P7WA-2026-001
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3. PDF of signed bid addenda
The typical attachment limit for the submission email is 15 MB. If over this limit, submissions may be
provided to the same email using a file transfer link (such as google drive or Dropbox). In these cases, the
completed cost proposal must be attached directly to the email as to avoid the potential for modification
post-bid via the file transfer link.
Failure to submit a proposal in the manner indicated may be cause for it to be considered 'non-responsive'
and ineligible for consideration and subsequent award.
Proposals will be publicly received through video conference at:
https://tinyurl.com/P7MasterPlanBidOpen Late proposals will not be accepted and it is the responsibility
of the proposers to ensure that proposals (including signed addenda) arrive by 2:00 PM on the date listed
above. Please join using this link as results will be screen shared as they are opened. A call in number
will also be provided when you join using this link should your computer not have audio capabilities.

Request for Proposals Project 7 Water Authority
Facility Master Plan and Emergency Operations RFP No: P7WA-2026-001
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PROPOSAL FORM
SUBMITTED BY:
Company Name: ____________________________________________________________________
Address: ____________________________________________ City: _________________________
State: ______________________ Zip: __________________
Phone: ____________________ Fax: _________________ Email:___________________________
CERTIFICATION:
The undersigned hereby affirms that:
* He/she is a duly authorized agent of the Bidder; and
* He/she has read the General Terms and Conditions, the Special Conditions and any technical
specifications that were made available to the Proposer in conjunction with this RFP and fully
understands and accepts these terms unless specific variations have been expressly listed as
directed in Section 3.3.1; and
* The Submission is being offered independently of any other Proposer and in full compliance
with the collusive prohibitions specified in the General Terms and Conditions of this solicitation;
and
* The Bidder will accept any awards made to them as a result of this Solicitation for a minimum of
ninety (90) calendar days following the date and time of the bid opening.
By: ___________________________________________________ __________________________
Manual or Digital Signature of Agent Date
___________________________________________________ __________________________
Typed/Printed Name of Agent Title of Agent

Request for Proposals Project 7 Water Authority
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3.0 STATEMENT OF WORK
3.1 GENERAL ITEMS
3.1.1 Project Background
The Project 7 Water Authority (Project 7) is a regional wholesale drinking water provider serving
approximately 50,000 to 60,000 residents in the Uncompahgre River Valley of west-central Colorado.
Project 7 owns and operates a 27.61 MGD water treatment plant located on US Highway 50 east of
Montrose and provides finished water to six member entities: the City of Montrose, the City of Delta, the
Town of Olathe, Tri-County Water Conservancy District, Chipeta Water District, and Menoken Water
District. The Uncompahgre Valley Water Users Association (UVWUA) is not a member of Project 7 but is
a key infrastructure partner which helps to deliver raw water to the treatment plant via the Bureau of
Reclamation's Gunnison Tunnel and South Canal.
Raw water to the treatment plant comes from the Gunnison River via the Gunnison Tunnel, South Canal,
and Fairview Reservoir as shown in the attached Figure 1. In the event of an emergency, raw water can
also be delivered to the treatment plant from Cerro Reservoir, a 720 acre-foot reservoir owned and
operated by the City of Montrose on Cerro Summit. Treated water is then distributed through
approximately thirty miles of 24" to 30" regional transmission piping to approximately 16 metered
distribution points of the six member entities. Water rights for the member entities are held in Ridgway
Reservoir and exchanged with the UVWUA for irrigation use. The municipal and industrial pool allocated
to the member entities within Ridgway totals approximately 28,000 acre-feet although they collectively
only use about 10,000 acre-feet on an annual basis.
The treatment plant and associated infrastructure have historically performed reliably, but Project 7's
board, member entities, and technical advisors have long recognized that the lack of redundancy in
source, conveyance, and treatment represents a vulnerability to the system. In response to this
vulnerability, Project 7 pursued a Resiliency Project starting in 2018 which aimed to construct a second
water treatment plant near the town of Colona. The second plant planned to draw water from Ridgway
Reservoir (via a new raw water line), treat and soften up to 6 MGD, and distribute treated water north
through a new distribution main. Please see Section 3.1.3 for design studies and reports associated with
the Resiliency Program which provide additional detail and summaries of work performed to date.
As design of the second treatment plant and its associated infrastructure progressed and its scope grew,
the final cost estimate landed around $165M. As it came time to finance the project, member entities
began to question the project's value and support for a second treatment plant started to wane. Concerns
were raised about the Resiliency Project's cost-benefit ratio, costs to ratepayers, community buy in, the
ability to implement other capital needs, relatively small size (only 6 MGD), and its ability to accomplish
the initial project goals. In response to this, the Project 7 board created a Technical Advisory Group (TAG)
comprised of staff representatives from each member entity and key stakeholders to take a fresh look at
the system, project goals, and to make recommendations regarding a path forward for improving the
1 See first bullet of Section 3.1.2 regarding plant capacity

Request for Proposals Project 7 Water Authority
Facility Master Plan and Emergency Operations RFP No: P7WA-2026-001
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resiliency (and capacity) of Project 7's infrastructure. Key takeaways and recommendations from the TAG
group are summarized in the following section.
3.1.2 Technical Advisory Group Finding and Recommendations
The following are key takeaways from the TAG meetings and discussions with partner stakeholders:
* Plant Capacity. Figure 2 is included as an excerpt from the 2022 System Optimization Report
showing the plant capacity in relation to expected demands at the existing plant. These initial
efforts generally appear to have relied on the full plant capacity (27.6 MGD) being available;
however, recent discussions with operator staff have indicated that the practical capacity of the
plant is actually closer to 21 MGD. Staff have indicated they do not feel the plant could run
reliably up to the rated capacity of 27.6 MGD. Drawing a line on Figure 2 at 21 MGD, it appears
that overall system capacity may come into play as early as 2040 for the peak summer months.
* Plant Operations. Project 7 operator staff also shared several stories of near-miss mechanical
breakdowns throughout the years that risked shutting down the Project 7 plant due to aging
infrastructure and challenges associated with obtaining mechanical parts for select components.
Although not unique to the Project 7 treatment plant, these discussions did highlight the general
lack of redundancy at the existing plant without dual treatment trains; during peak summer
demand, both clarifiers run full time. In addition to leaving the plant vulnerable, this also reduces
the available maintenance window to work on major plant infrastructure. Lastly, the staff also
highlighted the treatment technologies sensitivity to water quality, identifying that the plant
does struggle to adapt to changes in raw water quality.
* Risk/Resiliency. The TAG took a fresh look at the risk matrix for Project 7's key infrastructure.
This exercise was intended to help identify any new risks that may have developed since previous
risk discussions were held (see Section 1.3), collectively agree upon where they would land on a
probability-impact matrix, and to understand how these may be addressed through
improvements at the existing plant (in lieu of a second treatment plant near Colona). The general
thought was that if capital improvements were warranted at the existing plant anyway (to
modernize treatment technology, improve redundancy at the plant, improve plant capacity, etc)
then how could these improvements be implemented to also reduce overall risk and capitalize
on existing infrastructure serving the plant. A copy of the risk matrix developed with the TAG
group is included as Figure 3.
* Project Financials. Another focus area of the TAG discussions was the desire to understand the
comprehensive financial picture for Project 7's infrastructure. Members were hesitant to move
forward with a second treatment plant without understanding capital needs for the remainder
of Project 7 over the planning horizon (incl. the existing plant, Fairview Reservoir, and the treated
water transmission line).
* Emergency Operations. Lastly, the TAG focused some time on the need for existing emergency
operation plans. In the event of an emergency associated with the existing infrastructure,