LEGAL ADVERTISEMENT
Fort Defiance, Apache County Arizona
NAVAJO TRIBAL UTILITY AUTHORITY
INVITATION FOR BID
TOHATCHI SUBSTATION IMPROVEMENTS
Bids for the construction and improvements of an electrical substation, including the supply of
necessary labor and equipment, will be received by the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA).
The project is titled Tohatchi Substation Improvements and is located approx. 1.5 miles south of
Tohatchi, New Mexico in McKinley County (GPS coordinates: 35.831410, -108.763859).
Key dates:
1. Advertisement:
March 06, 2026
2. Pre-Bid meeting (mandatory in-person): March 17, 2026 1:00 PM MDT
3. Questions due:
April 9, 2026 5:00 PM PDT
4. Answers provided:
April 16, 2026
5. Bids due:
April 23, 2026 @ 5:00 PM PDT
6. Evaluation of Bidder’s Proposals:
April 27 – May 6, 2026
7. Execution of Contract:
June 2026
8. Energization:
July 2027
Bidders are expected to be familiar with Rural Utility Service (RUS) rules and regulations
pertaining to the construction of RUS electric system structures.
Interested bidders may request electronic copies of the Construction Contract Package, as
described in Section five of the complete Invitation for Bid, at the office of the Engineer by
contacting Ray Johnson via email at: ray_johnson@selinc.com.
Digital copies will be provided at no cost. Requesting a copy of the Construction Contract
package will be deemed Bidder’s intent to bid.
A mandatory pre-bid conference will be held at the office of NTUA, at the address listed below,
at 1:00 P.M. Mountain Daylight Time (MDT), Tuesday, March 17, 2026.
A site visit to the substation will occur after the meeting. Attendance at the site visit is optional;
however, please note that flame-resistant clothing is required to enter within the existing
substation fence. No bid will be accepted from any bidder who does not attend this pre-bid
meeting at the NTUA office. The official sign-in sheet, including a summary of the discussions
held at the conference, will be provided to all attendees at the meeting by March 24, 2026 5:00
PM MDT.
NTUA will receive bids electronically at the office of the Engineer, SEL Engineering Services,
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Inc. 2350 NE Hopkins Court, Pullman, Washington 99163 at the email address:
ray_johnson@selinc.com
until April 23, 2026 at 5:00 PM, Pacific Daylight time (PDT). Bids received after this time will
not be accepted (hard copies of the bid not required).
Each bidder must deposit with his bid, a security in the amount of the bid and subject to the
conditions provided in the Instructions to Bidders. Attention is called to the requirements of a
Power of Attorney of any surety bond and the fact that any surety must appear on the most
current list of sureties listed by the United States Treasury Department as Acceptable Sureties.
All bids must be on a unit price basis with a fixed fee total.
NTUA reserves the right to waive any informality or reject any and all bids.
Bids received will be evaluated by the Engineer on the following factors:
Navajo Business and Procurement Act: Preference will be made in accordance with the
Navajo Business and Procurement Act (12 N.N.C. § 1501 et seq.); the Navajo Nation
Procurement Act (12 N.N.C. § 301 et seq.); the Navajo Nation Business Opportunity Act
(5 N.N.C. § 201 et seq.) and other applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.
Bidders shall submit evidence of their Preference Priority Certification, if applicable.
If no Preference Priority Certification:
Cost: 30%
Compliance with RUS requirements: 40%
Bidder’s qualifications: 30%
The commencement date of construction shall be no later than 60 days after approval of the
Contract by NTUA. Construction shall be completed before the energization date of July 31,
2027. Liquidated damages of $500.00 per day may be assessed as provided for in Article V,
Section 2 of the Contractor's proposal. Dates may be modified because of the weather
necessitated delays. Changes to this timeline requested by the bidder will be considered on a
case-by-case basis.
Any questions concerning the project should be addressed to:
Engineer:
SEL Engineering Services
Attn: Ray Johnson
2350 NE Hopkins Court
Pullman, WA 99163
Phone: (509) 338-3849
Email: ray_johnson@selinc.com
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Owner:
Navajo Tribal Utility Authority
Attn: Harrisetta Sandoval
North Navajo Route 12 (GPS coordinates: 35.760645, -109.043663)
Fort Defiance, AZ 86504
Phone : 800.528.5011 ext. 2500
Email: HarrisettaS@ntua.com
END OF LEGAL ADVERTISEMENT
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