RFP 6916 Environmental Laboratory Services

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
ENVIRONMENTAL LABORATORY SERVICES
Johnson City Water & Sewer Department
RFP # 6916
Proposal Due Date/Time
July 23, 2026
2:00 pm ET
City of Johnson City
Purchasing Department
209 Water Street (37601)
Johnson City, TN

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL -RFP #6916
ENVIRONMENTAL LABORATORY SERVICES
Johnson City Water & Sewer Department
1. General
The City of Johnson City, Tennessee is requesting proposals
from interested environmental laboratories for providing
environmental laboratory services for the city's three (3)
wastewater treatment plants, two (2) water plants,
(1)package treatment plant, the pretreatment program, & the
stormwater program. Services shall include analysis of
industrial pretreatment samples, wastewater plant influent
and effluent samples, sludge samples, surface waters and
water plant raw and finished samples.
2. General Requirements
The majority of analysis (51%) will be performed by the
parent company and not to be subcontracted to outside
vendors.
Samples will be picked up at each of the three Wastewater
Treatment Plants and the Watauga Water Treatment Plant. The
laboratory will be responsible for this pickup or will pay
for the shipping expenses incurred for the pickup and
delivery of the samples represented in this proposal. The
laboratory shall provide clearly marked sample containers
with the preservative inside where applicable.
Rush or emergency orders for analysis and results are to be
available.
Occasional use of sampler and flow meter equipment and/or
assistance with sample at no extra charge.
Laboratory selection shall be within a reasonable geographic
distance and location within 300 miles of Johnson City,
Tennessee.
3. Selection Process
Proposals will be evaluated by a committee based on
capability, team experience, in house sample analysis
percentage, sample collection capabilities, QA/QC history,
certifications, and references and not limited to unit
pricing only. The review team may or may not require an
interview with one or more of the proposers before
recommending its selection to the City Commission for
consideration.
Unit pricing for all lab services shall be included for if
and when other samples not identified today may be required
by the City during the contract term.
The number of subcontracted labs used and whether final

analytical reports are consolidated before being sent to the
City for review will be taken into consideration.
The City reserves the right to reject any or all proposals
and to waive informalities, irregularities, and
technicalities in the proposal process.
The City may negotiate separately with any source in any
manner necessary to arrive at a contract agreement that is
in the best interest of the City.
4. Selection Criteria
In addition to the above criteria, selection process will
include:
a. Laboratory Evaluation Questionnaire
b. General Analytical Laboratory Audit
c. Estimated schedule and pricing of analytical
requirements.
5. Procedure for submittal
To be considered, Proposers must submit a complete response
to this RFP using the format provided. Proposals must
include a statement as to the period during which the
proposal remains valid but for purposes of this RFP, the
period must be at least ninety (90) days.
Proposer can submit electronically per link below or place
submittal response in a sealed envelope plainly identified
on the outside with vendor name and proposal name and
number. If submitting paper copies submit 3 copies of entire
response. Vendor responsible for delivery to Johnson City
Purchasing Dept., Debbie Dillon- Director, 209 Water Street
(37601) Johnson City, TN on or before the designated due
date/time.
ELECTRONIC RESPONSES: CLICK HERE
A list of respondents will be available the following
business day at 8:00 a.m. Late submittals will not be
considered. Telephone or facsimile offers will not be
accepted. Paper submittals must be signed by the agent or
person authorized to bind the Proposer to its provisions.
The contents of any proposal received shall become
contractual obligations upon the execution of a purchase
order by authorized representatives of both the City and the
Proposer. Failure of the selected proposer to accept these
obligations may result in cancellation of the award.
Proposals must be signed by the agent or person authorized
to bind the Proposer to its provisions. Unsigned offers will
not be accepted and will be declared non-responsive.

Solicitations will be opened publicly via a web conference
and in person, simultaneously.
Join Zoom Meeting:
RFP# 6916 - Laboratory Services Contract virtual proposal opening
Meeting ID 811 8463 0073; Passcode 816858. If you do not
have access to a webcam, or you have no audio with your
system, you can call this number to join: (646) 518-9805.
If you have any issues accessing the zoom web meeting please
call 423.975.2711 for direct assistance.
6. Contact
Direct any technical questions concerning this request for
proposal to: Aaron Mullins at (423)218-7637
amullins@johnsoncitytn.org. Submittal questions can be
submitted to Purchasing at (423) 975-2711 or
purchasing@johsnoncitytn.org
7. Contract Period
This is a five (5) year contract subject to annual renewals
provided all prices, terms and conditions remain unchanged
and the vendor is in agreement. Prices contained herein
shall remain firm for the term of this contract. The City
reserves the right to re-bid at the end of any one (1) year
period.
8. Addenda
In the event it becomes necessary to revise any part of this
RFP, addenda will be provided to all known Proposers. No
oral instructions will be binding.
9. Economy of Preparation
Proposals should be prepared simply and economically,
providing a straightforward and complete description of
services, qualifications, costs and associated options to
meet city's requirements as outlined in this document.
Emphasis should be on completeness and clarity of content.
Proposal responses must include all requested information.
10. Withdrawal
Proposals may be withdrawn on written request received from
Proposers prior to the time fixed for opening.
11. Proprietary/Confidential Information
Proposers are hereby notified that all information
submitted as part of, or in support of, proposals will be
available for public inspection after opening of proposals,
in compliance with City Policy & Tennessee Statute.
12. Proposal Acceptance
The contents of this proposal and the Proposer's response

shall be valid for a minimum period of sixty (60) days from
the date of receipt by the City.
13. Requirements for Bids, Request for Proposals and Contracts
This proposal includes the City's "Requirements for Bids,
Requests for Proposals, and Contracts, etc." and the
"Sealed Solicitation General Terms and Conditions" attached
hereto and set forth herein as if verbatim.
14. RIGHTS AND OPTIONS OF THE CITY OF JOHNSON CITY:
The City reserves the following rights and options:
o Determine those proposers who are most qualified.
o Reject any or all proposals for any reason, at its sole
discretion.
o Supplement, amend, or otherwise modify this RFP.
o Cancel this RFP with or without the submission of
another RFP.
o Issue additional solicitations for information and
proposals, and conduct investigations with respect to
the qualifications of each respondent.

INSTRUCTIONS
LABORATORY EVALUATION QUESTIONNAIRE
1. General
This attached audit is intended to do a preliminary
assessment of the quality system of the prospective
laboratory. This system is dependent upon points given in
five categories with a final score based on a weighted
percentage.
Points will be awarded on "yes" responses. Some of the
responses will require additional documentation as noted in
the questionnaire. Points will be totaled at the end of the
audit.
2. Laboratory Certification
Points will be given based on Proposer's total number of
State of Tennessee's certifications in fifteen (15)
categories for drinking water analysis.
The State of Tennessee does not certify laboratories for
wastewater analysis, therefore points will be awarded based
on certifications in other states. Equal points will be
awarded regardless of the number of out-of-state
certifications.
Participation in various EPA studies is also considered
important when assessing laboratory quality.
3. Data Deliverables
This section is intended to assess the flexibility of
service offered by the laboratory to meet the data needs of
their customers.
4. Facility
The layout of the facility is important to secure minimal
possibility of cross-contamination between the organic
sections of the laboratory. Since methylene chloride is
listed as a contaminant of concern on the Johnson City NPDES
permits, it's important to make sure that the laboratory
will not have any cross-contamination that will interfere
with VOC determinations. Methylene chloride is a common
extraction solvent. It is extremely volatile and can travel
throughout a facility via: common air ducts, air flow
through the lab and on the clothes of a person who is
present during the use of methylene chloride. A lot of
emphasis has been placed on this section due to the
importance of eliminating cross-contamination.
The biomonitoring area should be free of chemical
contaminants due to the nature of the tests being

performed. Air toxins, such as organic contaminants can have
an adverse effect on the results.
5. Analytical/Technical abilities
This section is intended to ensure that a laboratory is
equipped to handle the majority of the contract work at
their facility. Subcontractor analysis shall be kept to a
minimum. Any laboratory that must use a contract laboratory
shall submit the name of the facility.
This section is also intended to assess the technical
support capabilities of the laboratory and determine
responsiveness to the client sampling needs.
6. Methodology
This section has been included to assess the methods being
used by the laboratory for analysis. The information that
will be recorded here by the laboratory will be used to
compare against approved methods as listed in 40 CFP Part
136. The laboratory must show that the methods being used
are approved and the detection limits offered will meet the
permit limits of the City. Also, ensure that the most
current Method Update regulations are being utilized.

LABORATORY EVALUATION QUESTIONNAIRE
GENERAL LABORATORY CERTIFICATION INFORMATION YES NO
Does the laboratory have any out-of-state
certifications for wastewater? If yes - please
list:
Does the laboratory have any State of
Tennessee certifications for drinking water?
If yes - please list:
(See note at bottom of page)
Has the laboratory successfully participated
in the USEPA Water System Study?
Has the laboratory successfully participated
in the USEPA Water Pollution Study?
Has the laboratory successfully participated
in the USEPA Discharge Monitoring Report
Quality Assurance Study?
Has the laboratory successfully participated
in the USEPA National Environmental Laboratory
Accreditation Program?
DATA DELIVERABLES
Custom reports with unique codes and permit
limits
Custom chain of custody
Capable of electronic data transfer via modem
QC packages available upon request
Data archived for a minimum of five (5) years
Call & email notification of permit limit
violation can be sent within 24 hours of the
analysis.
DMRQA results are to be reported within 14
calendar days of study closing and receiving
results.
Data can be provided within 15 calendar days
from the date of receipt
FACILITY (PROVIDE A FACILITY DIAGRAM)
Volatiles lab is physically separated from
extraction lab
Volatiles lab is physically separated from
semi-volatile lab
Volatiles lab is on a separate HVAC system
than extraction and semi-volatiles lab
Bioassay lab is located in an area free of
organic contaminants
NOTE: Please use the following when indicating State of Tennessee Drinking
Water Certifications: a=inorganic trace metals, b=nitrate & fluoride,
c=pesticides, d=herbicides, e=trihalomethanes, f=VOC's,g-sodium &
corrosivity, h=radiochemistry, I-EDB & DBCP, j=vinyl chloride, k-lead copper
only, l=dioxin, m=asbestos, n=total coliforms, o=turbidity.
COMPLETE AND RETURN WITH PROPOSAL PACKAGE initials
Company Name:_______________________________

LABORATORY EVALUATION QUESTIONNAIRE
ANALYTICAL/TECHNICAL CAPABILITIES YES NO
Laboratory has the ability to analyze all
contract required analyses in house: list all
items that will require sub-contractor
Analyses.
Laboratory can provide automatic sampling
equipment within 24 hours of notification
Laboratory has technical staff that can
provide regulatory and permit guidance
Laboratory has technical staff that can
provide information on methodology and can
provide on-site assistance
SAMPLING REQUIREMENTS
Proper Detection limits are used as noted on
attachments of Pass Through Limits and Plant
Protection Criteria for all samples. This
includes the annual sampling event at the
POTW's during August.
Sample 11 permitted Industrial Users located
in Johnson City's collection system annually
during May.
Reporting of results to City should be concise
and of minimal pages. All individual sample
results to be on one report, not multiple
reports from different labs for the same
sample.
All IU reports are to be forwarded to the City
on the same day so that reports are received
together and not having some reports lagging
behind others causing confusion.
IU Sampling should occur during the first
weeks of the month it is to take place so if
there are exceedances the facility can
resample accordingly to determine monthly
average conditions accordingly.
Due to the exact unknowns for each IU at this
time, local limits pricing shall be
accordingly in units and not the bulk included
in all 11 local limit form.
Stormwater sampling locations are attached and
based on the current 303d list and are subject
to change.
COMPLETE AND RETURN WITH PROPOSAL PACKAGE initials
Company Name:_____________________________________

SAMPLING REQUIREMENTS YES NO
Stormwater samples require a round of 5
samples at each location within each 5 year
permit period.
Stormwater samples must be collected within a
30 day period between March and November.
COMPANY NAME:
COMPLETE AND RETURN WITH PROPOSAL PACKAGE initials