Request For Proposal, Vehicle, Equipment & Miscellaneous Bids

ADVERTISEMENT
The City of South Bend, Indiana (City) is soliciting responses (Responses) from qualified
Guaranteed Savings Contract Providers to this "REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS" (RFQ) for
the implementation of a Guaranteed Savings Contract (Contract) for improvements to the South
Bend Edison Water Treatment Plant Improvements Project. Responses shall meet the Response
Content and Format Guidelines (Guidelines).
Responses to this RFQ are intended to provide the City with the information to select a provider
to submit a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP), and if the GMP is accepted, to award a Contract
for the Improvements. The Provider must be a qualified provider as defined by IC 36-1-12.5-3.
The Contract shall follow IC 36-1-12.5 and the Guidelines.
Notice is hereby given that the City of South Bend, Indiana, Board of Public Works will
receive sealed electronic responses at bpwbids@southbendin.gov until 9:00 a.m., EDT, on
March 24, 2026. Any responses received after that time will not be accepted.
Interested firms must register at https://southbendin.gov/doing-business/invitations-to-bid-city-
contracts/. Complete Proposal Request packages and instructions are available for free download
at this web page.
Responses should be clearly marked "Response Enclosed for the Edison Water Treatment
Plant Improvements Project" in the subject line of the email to which you have attached your
bid. The name of the company/vendor, address, contact email address and phone number must be
included in the body of the email, addressed to bpwbids@southbendin.gov. Detailed instructions
and information, including the link to the Reserved Mailbox for electronic bid submittals, is
available at southbendin.gov/bids.
Questions about response conditions must be submitted via email no later than 5 p.m. on March 5,
2026 to Becca Plantz (rplantz@southbendin.gov).
RFQ responses must be submitted in the format outlined in the Guidelines. Each RFQ
response will be reviewed to determine if it is complete prior to actual evaluation. The City of
South Bend reserves the right to reject any and all RFQ responses and to be the sole judge of the
value and merit of the RFQ responses offered.
Proposals must include a signed and notarized "Non-Collusion Affidavit, Non-Debarment
Affidavit, Employment Eligibility Verification, and Non-Discrimination Commitment"
Form.
BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS
Hillary Horvath, Clerk
Publish two (4) times: February 13, 2026
February 19, 2026
February 20, 2026
February 26, 2026

INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPONDENTS
* Interested respondents must complete registration form at https://southbendin.gov/doing-
business/invitations-to-bid-city-contracts/ to receive addenda, updates, and site visit
details. All updates will be provided via email.
* Review the required Non-collusion form also available at the Invitations to Bid website.
Do not submit qualifications if these terms are not acceptable.
* Questions are welcome and appreciated. Questions should be submitted by email to Becca
Plantz (rplantz@southbendin.gov). Questions are due by 5 PM on March 5, 2026. Answers
to all questions will be provided in writing to all registered respondents.
* If the City determines any new information, question, or concern alters the RFQ, an
addendum will be issued to revise the RFQ.
* Responses must be submitted electronically to the Office of the City of South
Bend,Indiana, Board of Public Works at bpwbids@southbendin.gov by 9:00 a.m.,
EDT, on March 24, 2026. Responses should be clearly marked "Response Enclosed
for Edison Water Treatment Plant Improvements Project" in the subject line of the
email to which you have attached your bid. The name of the company/vendor,
address, contact email address and phone number must be included in the body of the
email. Detailed instructions and information, including the link to the Reserved Mailbox
for electronic bid submittals,is available at southbendin.gov/bids
* Late responses will not be accepted.
* The City is not liable for any cost incurred by any person or firm responding to this RFQ.
* The City reserves the right to reject as nonresponsive any responses that do not contain the
information requested in this RFQ and in the format outlined in this RFQ.

SCOPE OF PROJECT
The scope of the South Bend Edison Water Plant Improvements Project involves furnishing all
material, equipment and labor to complete the following:
a. Aerator Removal and Reaction Basin Improvements.
b. Gravity Filter Improvements.
c. Clear Well and Pump Room Improvements.
d. Chemical System Improvements.
e. Electrical and Control Upgrades.
f. Filter Backwash Process Improvements.
g. Backwash Waste & Sludge Dewatering Improvements and Additions.
h. Building Structure Improvements & Additions.
CONSTRUCTION CONSTRAINTS
The Contractor shall complete the Project with the following constraints:
a. The Work must be Substantially Complete within 330 calendar days from Notice to
Proceed.
b. The Work must be completed with a maximum plant shut down duration of 240 calendar
days within the project schedule.
SRF LOAN PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
a. The Project is anticipated to be partially funded through the Indiana State Revolving Fund
(SRF) Loan Program administered by the Indiana Finance Authority (IFA). Any
construction contract will include provisions required by the SRF program including
Davis-Bacon Wage Requirements, Green Project Reserve (GPR) Sustainability Incentive
Requirements, and American Iron and Steel Requirements (AIS).
b. The following attached documents are provided for reference to satisfy bidding and
contracting requirements of the SRF Loan Program:
i. Front-End Document Certification
ii. Attachment A: Required Contract Provisions Related to Nondiscrimination
iii. Attachment B: Required Contract Provisions Related to Davis-Bacon Act and
Related Acts
iv. Attachment C: Required Contract Provisions Related to Suspension and
Debarment
v. Attachment D: Required Bid Instruction Related to GPR Components
vi. Attachment E: GPR Bid Breakdown
vii. Attachment F: GPR Final Summary
viii. Attachment G: Required Contract Provisions Related to American Iron and Steel
ix. Attachment H: Required Certification from Contract Related to American Iron
and Steel
x. Attachment I: Useful Life Certification

GENERAL
a. It is the intent of the City to select a single Provider to work with the City and the engineer
to provide value engineering, finalize the project scope, negotiate a Guaranteed Maximum
Price (GMP) with open book pricing, and develop a Guaranteed Savings Contract
agreement for incorporation into Engineer's construction documents.
b. Costs for preparation of the Request for Qualifications ("RFQ") response, coordination for
the final construction documents, and preparation of the GMP will not be reimbursed by
the Owner and are the responsibility of the Provider.
c. Owner shall be the City of South Bend
d. The RFQ response shall be limited to sixty (60) single-sided pages including resumes. All
pages shall be letter-sized (8.5" x 11") or ledger-sized (11" x 17")
e. Submit one digital copy of the Response.
f. The terms defined in the RFQ shall have the same meaning in these Guidelines.
g. The Provider must be certified and meet the requirements of IC 4-13.6-4.
h. Any company providing Work owned in part or whole by a shareholder, member, or officer
of the chosen Provider shall be considered a division of Provider subject to all financial
and other open price disclosures and requirements of Provider.
i. Provider should be prepared to submit its qualifications in a manner consistent with the
City of South Bend's Code of Ordinances Chapter 14.5 - Inclusive Procurement and
Contracting with the City with respect to contracting with minority and women owned
businesses.
j. The chosen Provider shall be responsible before submitting a GMP to:
i. examine, carefully study, and provide input on Engineer's construction documents,
ii. visit the project site and become familiar with and satisfy itself as to the general,
local, and site conditions that may affect cost, progress, and performance of the
work;
iii. become familiar with and satisfy itself as to all federal, state, and local Laws and
Regulations that may affect cost, progress, and performance of the work;
iv. carefully study all available reports of explorations and tests of subsurface
conditions at or contiguous to the site and all drawings of physical conditions in or
relating to existing surface or subsurface structures at or contiguous to the site;
v. agree at the time of submitting its GMP that no further examinations, investigations,
explorations, tests, studies, or data are necessary for the determination of its GMP
for performance of the work at a price not exceeding the GMP and within the times
in accordance with the other terms and conditions of the construction documents;
vi. become aware of the general nature of the work to be performed by Owner, if any,
and others at the site that relates to the Work; and
vii. determine that the construction documents are sufficient to indicate and convey
understanding of all terms and conditions for the performance of the work.
k. The selected Provider shall submit performance bonds and payment bonds, each in the
amount of 100% of the GMP at the execution of the GSC.

RESPONSE CONTENT AND FORMAT GUIDELINES
The following Pages and Exhibits make up the South Bend Edison Water Treatment Plant
Improvements Project request for Qualifications (RFQ) Guideline as outlined in the (local paper
sources) RFQ advertisement.
Although the Responses are to be in the form of a proposal outlining one or more construction
measures and are to be in accordance with IC-36-1-12.5, it is the City's intent to obtain a detailed
price proposal from on the selected Provider. The Responses should include the following
elements:
Cover Page
Identify the name of the company, primary and secondary contact person (including name, email
and phone number), address of the company, and that the document is in response to the CITY
OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS FROM PROVIDERS
OF A "GUARANTEED SAVINGS CONTRACT"
Table of Contents
Responses shall include a table of contents properly indicating the section and page numbers of
the information included.
Executive Summary
Responses shall include concise abstract of no more than (2) pages, providing an overview of the
Provider's qualifications and approach related to a Water Treatment Plant Guaranteed Savings
Contract.
1) Company Background & Qualifications
a) Provide a history of the Provider with a statement about company mission, vision, and
values.
b) Include the following information on the Provider
i) Name of Company
ii) Address
iii) Telephone Number
iv) Email Address of Contact Person
v) Contact Person for this Project
c) Provider's Qualifications and Management
i) Number of years company has operated in Indiana
ii) Number of employees residing in Indiana

iii) Company officers
iv) List the personnel employed by the Provider responsible for this project including the
proposed Project Manager and Site Superintendent. Include a resume on each person
listing education, experience, work history, and responsibilities on this project.
v) The most recent audited Financial Report.
vi) The Provider must be certified and meet the requirements of IC 4-13.6-4 and the RFQ
submitted must include a copy of the firm's certification of qualification issued under
IC 4-13.6-4.
vii) Identify Professional Engineers directly employed by the Provider responsible for this
project. Include License number of the person responsible for the project.
viii) Describe if the Provider is a manufacturer, contractor, or engineering firm. Clearly
delineate what services or products the Provider is including from their own company
as part of the project.
ix) Identify experience with projects constructed with funding through the Indiana State
Revolving Loan Fund.
2) References
Provide references with contact information for Indiana Guaranteed Savings Contract projects
completed. Include the location, scope of work, and personnel responsible. Provide a list of
all of the water / wastewater utility projects the Provider has completed under the terms of IC
36-1-12.5 (Indiana Guaranteed Savings Contracts).
3) Technical Approach
This section of the response should contain information about the Provider's technical abilities.
a) The scope of the project will be based on the description included in the Instructions to
Respondents above.
b) Providers are encouraged to present evidence of their team's technical ability relative to
such anticipated scope of work by providing a list of water treatment plant experience of
the team.
c) United Consulting will be the engineer of record to work with the selected Provider.
Explain the Provider's experiences collaborating with Engineers on past design build or
guaranteed savings contract for potable water projects.
4) Project Implementation
a) Provider's Involvement: Per IC 36-1-12.5-3 the Provider must perform at least 20% of the
contract value with its own workforce. Please define how you will meet or exceed this
requirement on a percentage basis relative to the work to be completed by your own
workforce.

b) Project Management: Describe how the project would be managed by the Provider.
Describe method and means of communication plan for the City and staff. Provide project
management documentation on past projects completed by the Provider.
c) General Construction Subcontract: Identify the General Contractor Team Member who
will perform the general construction and the approximate percentage of the contract value
that such effort might represent. Explain the Provider's ability to work with such General
Construction Team Member including experience working together on past projects.
d) Other Subcontractor's Involvement: Identify which portions of the project the Provider
intends to implement with subcontractors and how the subcontractors will interact with the
Team.
e) Explain how Provider has participated in and documented compliance with the State
Revolving Fund requirements for past projects including Davis-Bacon Wage
Requirements, Green Project Reserve (GPR) Sustainability Incentive requirements, and
American Iron and Steel Requirements (AIS).
5) Financial Approach
a) Describe in detail the process that the Provider intends to utilize to obtain the best prices
for the City. Explain why this approach is better than other available approaches.
b) Explain how the Provider plans to offer a Guaranteed Maximum Price, with no change
orders, for this project.
c) Explain your firm's approach to open book pricing allowing the City to view the pricing
structure (markup covering overhead and profit) of the Qualified Provider and
subcontractors. Explain your firm's approach to open book pricing allowing the City to
view the contingency for the project. Explain your firm's approach to open book pricing
allowing the City to view savings from value engineering or other project cost reductions.
Submit proposed contractor's fee for the construction contract.
d) Provide proof that the Provider can furnish a Performance Bond and a Payment Bond each
in the amount of 100 percent of the project.
6) Guarantee Management
a) Explain how the Provider plans to address the guarantee for this type of project and how it
meets Indiana requirements of IC 36-1-12.5.
b) Describe the methodology used to compute the energy baseline.
c) Described the cost for guarantee management, schedule for delivery and describe the
report.

d) Note how an Energy Savings estimate will be prepared and applied to the process.
e) Note how an Operations & Maintenance estimate will be prepared and applied to the
process.
f) Note how a Future Capital Expenditure Savings estimate will be prepared and applied to
the process.
7) General Requirements
a) Becca Plantz (rplantz@southbendin.gov). will be the primary contact for the City of South
Bend throughout the RFQ process. Attempted contact by a potential Provider with anyone
else associated with the owner may result in immediate disqualification.
b) Reconciliation of the guaranteed sums shall be on an annual basis for twenty years,
commencing one year from the date of completion of the total and complete program
installation. The Provider will provide the City with annual audits and savings
reconciliation over the life of the contract.
c) The Qualified Provider's guarantee shall be a first party direct guarantee from the Provider
to the Local Unit of Government; no third party guarantees shall be accepted.
d) Costs for the preparation of the RFQ response will not be reimbursed by the City and are
the responsibility of the Provider.
e) The City reserves the right to reject any and all RFQ responses.
f) Upon contract award the successful respondent shall submit a Performance Bond and
Payment Bond in an amount equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the final project cost.
g) The Provider is responsible for compliance with all Federal, State and Local codes and
environmental regulations.
h) The Provider shall comply with all applicable Laws and Regulations including, but not
limited to, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) relating to persons or
property, or to the protection of persons or property from damage, injury or loss; and shall
erect and maintain all necessary safeguards for such safety and protection. The Provider
shall be solely responsible for initiating, maintaining, and supervising all safety precautions
and programs in connection with the Work.

Scoring Responses to the RFQ
It is the intent of the City of South Bend to select a single Provider to work with the City and the
engineer to provide value engineering, finalize the project scope, negotiate a Guaranteed
Maximum Price (with open book pricing) and develop a Guaranteed Savings Contract agreement
that meets or exceeds the City's expectations.
A score on the components below will be assigned to each RFQ response and selection shall be
based on this scoring.
Area Percentage Score
Background and Qualifications 5% 0 - 5
References 20% 0 - 20
Technical Approach 25% 0 - 25
Project Implementation 20% 0 - 20
Financial Approach 20% 0 - 20
Guarantee Management 10% 0 - 10
Total 100% 0 -100
Preliminary South Bend Guaranteed Savings Contract Project Tentative Schedule
Request for Qualifications Issued by Owner February 13, 2026
Owner-led Site Walk-Through February 24, 2026
Deadline for Provider Questions March 5, 2026
Receive RFQ Responses from Guaranteed Savings Contract Providers March 24, 2026
Board of Public Works Selection Ratified April 14, 2026
Board of Public Works Approve Contract with Selected Provider May 12, 2026
Date for Construction Completion June 2027

SRF LOAN PROGRAM
REFERENCE DOCUMENTS