Water Distribution System Assessment Program

SECTION I
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
INSTRUCTIONS AND SPECIFICATIONS FOR:
Water Distribution System Assessment Program
Project #26-118
Issuance Date: July 8, 2026
The Village of Oak Park will be accepting Proposals from qualified Consultants for a Water
Distribution System Assessment Program in 2026, as is further described within this document.
Proposals will be accepted at the Public Works Center, 201 South Blvd., Oak Park, IL 60302,
Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., until 2:00 p.m. local time on Wednesday, July 22,
2026.
Specifications and Proposal forms may be obtained at the Public Works Center or on the Village's
website http://www.oak-park.us/bid.
The Oak Park Public Works Center is open to the public. To hand deliver proposals, proposers
may leave the proposals in the Public Works mailbox or drop off upstairs at Public Works Center
during business hours Monday-Friday 8:30-4:00. There will not be a formal 'bid opening' for the
contract. Electronic signatures will be accepted on all documents. Proposals or questions may
also be emailed to the Village of Oak Park Water and Sewer Division (publicworks@oak-park.us).
Do not detach any portion of this document. Upon formal award to the successful Consultant,
a written agreement will be executed for the Project in substantially the form attached.
The Village reserves the right to accept or reject any and all Proposals or to waive
technicalities, or to accept any item of any proposal.
Submission of Proposals
The Proposal shall be submitted on the Proposal form included herewith. The Proposal shall
be submitted in a sealed envelope marked:
"Water Distribution System Assessment Program"
"Project 26-118"
Shall bear the return address of the Proposer, and shall be addressed as follows:
TO: Water and Sewer Division
Oak Park Public Works Department
201 South Blvd.
Oak Park, IL 60302

SECTION II
PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS, TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Preparation and Submission of Proposal
All Proposals must be delivered to the Public Works Center by the specific time indicated on
the cover page. Proposals arriving after the specified time will not be accepted. Mailed
Proposals that are received by the Village after the specified hour will not be accepted
regardless of the post-marked time on the envelope. Proposals must be signed by an officer
of the company who is authorized to enter into agreements on behalf of the company.
Proposals shall be sealed in an envelope and marked as stated on the cover page.
Award of Agreement
The selected Proposer shall enter into an Agreement with the Village to complete the Project
in a form substantially similar to the Agreement attached hereto. The Agreement shall be
executed by the Consultant and returned within ten (10) calendar days after the Agreement
has been mailed to the Consultant. The Consultant shall execute three copies of the
Agreement. One fully executed copy will be returned to the Consultant. See Section XI for a
sample copy of the agreement.
The Agreement will be awarded in whole or in parts, to the responsible Proposer or Proposers
whose Proposal, conforming to the Request for Proposals, will be most advantageous to the
Village; price and other factors considered.
Costs of Preparation
The Village will not be responsible for any expenses incurred in preparing and submitting a
Proposal or entering into the applicable Agreement.
Taxes not Applicable
The Village of Oak Park as an Illinois municipality pays neither Illinois Sales Tax nor Federal
Excise Tax. Consultants should exclude these taxes from their prices.
Withdrawal of Proposals
Any Consultant may withdraw its Proposal at any time prior to the time specified in the
advertisement as the closing time for the receipt of Proposals, by signing a request therefore.
No Consultant may withdraw or cancel its Proposal for a period of sixty (60) calendar days
after the advertised closing time for the receipt of Proposals. The successful Consultant may
not withdraw or cancel its Proposal after having been notified that the Proposal was accepted
by the Village Board of Trustees.
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Investigation of Consultants
The Village will make such investigations as are necessary to determine the ability of the
Consultant to fulfill Proposal requirements. If requested, the Consultant should be prepared
to present evidence to the Village of Oak Park of ability and possession of necessary facilities
and financial resources to comply with the terms of the attached specifications and Proposals.
In addition, the Consultant shall furnish the Village with any information the Village may
request, and shall be prepared to show completed work of a similar nature to that included in
its Proposal. The Village reserves the right to visit and inspect the premises and operation of
any Consultant.
Rejection of Consultant
The Village will reject any Proposal from any person, firm or corporation that appears to be in
default or arrears on any debt, agreement or the payment of any taxes. The Village will reject
any Proposal from a Consultant that failed to satisfactorily complete work for the Village under
any previous agreement.
Conditions
Consultants are advised to become familiar with all conditions, instructions and specifications
governing the work. Consultants shall be presumed to have investigated the work site,
conditions and scope of the work before submitting a Proposal.
Compliance with Applicable Laws
The Proposer will strictly comply with all ordinances of the Village of Oak Park and Village Code
and laws of the State of Illinois.
Governing Law
All agreements entered into by the Village of Oak Park are governed by the laws of the State
of Illinois without regard to conflicts of law. Any action brought to enforce an agreement with
the Village of Oak Park must be brought in the state and federal courts located in Cook County,
Illinois.
Subletting of Agreement
No agreement awarded by the Village of Oak Park shall be assigned or any part sub-agreement
without the written consent of the Village of Oak Park or as noted in the Consultant's Proposal.
In no case shall such consent relieve the Consultant from its obligations or change the terms
of the Agreement
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Interpretation of Agreement Documents
Any Consultant with a question about this Proposal may request an interpretation thereof from
the Village. If the Village changes the Proposal, either by clarifying it or by changing the
specifications, the Village will issue a written addendum, and will mail a copy of the addendum
to all prospective Consultants. The Village will not assume responsibility for receipt of such
addendum. In all cases, it will be the Consultant's responsibility to obtain all addenda issued.
Consultants will provide written acknowledgment of receipt of each addendum issued with
the Proposal submission.
Minority Business and Women Business Enterprise Requirements
The Village of Oak Park, in an effort to reaffirm its policy of non-discrimination, encourages
the efforts of Consultants and sub-Consultants to take affirmative action in providing for Equal
Employment Opportunity without regard to race, religion, creed, color, sex, national origin, age,
handicap unrelated to ability to perform the job or protected veteran's status.
Fees and Cost
In the event any action is brought to enforce any agreement entered into by the Village of Oak
Park, or to collect any unpaid amount from the Village of Oak Park, each party bears the
responsibility of paying its own attorneys' fees and costs.
Dispute Resolution
The Village of Oak Park does not agree to the mandatory arbitration of any dispute.
Regarding FOIA Requirements
By submitting a bid or otherwise responding in any way to this request for bids, the bidder
acknowledges the following:
1. This public body is subject to the Freedom of Information Act, 5 ILCS 140/1, et seq. ("FOIA"),
and any and all information submitted by the bidder to this public body is subject to disclosure
to third parties in accordance with FOIA.
2. If the bidder intends for the public body to withhold the bidder's trade secrets, commercial
information, or financial information from disclosure to a third party in response to a FOIA
request, the bidder must include with its bid submittal a written notification specifically
identifying such information, along with a statement that disclosure of such information will
cause competitive harm to the bidder, as provided by FOIA Section 7(1)(g), 5 ILCS 140/7(1)(g).
Any content not so marked by the bidder at the time of bid submittal will be presumed to be
open to public inspection. The bidder may be required to substantiate the basis for its claims
at a later time.
3. Notwithstanding timely notice received from a bidder in accordance with Section 7(1)(g),
the public body reserves the right, in its sole discretion and subject only to applicable law, to
withhold or release the subject information in response to a FOIA request.
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SECTION III
DETAILED SPECIFICATIONS
The Village of Oak Park is seeking a qualified professional services firm that will develop, plan,
and execute a water system assessment program (fire hydrant and valve) to: locate, inspect,
assess, operate, record water flowed, mark, grease, and create a deliverable Database in a
format suitable and compatible with the Village's current GIS database system. As a part of
this program, fire hydrants and valves requiring additional work (requiring backhoe
excavation) in order to bring them to full operability shall be inventoried and entered into the
Village's work order system, where they will be prioritized according to condition and criticality.
The Village-wide program will encompass approximately 106 miles of water main throughout
the Village and be conducted continuously over a three-week period in the Fall of 2026,
actual dates to be determined. Results will include individual reports of the location of all
fire hydrants including the attribute data associated with that fire hydrant.
Overview of Project
The Village has five primary goals with this project:
1) Perform all fire hydrant assessment on the distribution system to such an extent as to
locate, evaluate, and improve the operability of the fire hydrants through hands on,
field activities.
2) Perform water main capacity assessment on the distribution system to such an extent
as to assess, record water flowed, mark, and grease fire hydrants through hands on,
field activities.
3) Perform a valve assessment on the distribution system to such an extent as to locate,
evaluate, and improver the operability of the valves in the water distribution system
through hands on, field activities.
4) Document, integrate, and analyze the location, operations, and physical condition of
fire hydrants and valves in the water distribution system through this program.
5) To continually develop the scope of this project as an ongoing program.
Services to be provided are further define in the Detailed Scope of Work found on page 13.
Property Damage
The Proposer shall take great care to avoid damaging adjacent landscaping (trees, shrubs,
turf, etc.). Proposer shall be held responsible for all damage to property including, but not
limited to, existing landscaping including turf, planters, bicycle racks, litter containers, light
and traffic signal poles, parking meters, fire hydrants, curbs, vehicles, buildings and
structures, etc. All damage will be the responsibility of the Proposer to repair to its original
condition and to the satisfaction of the Village.
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Idling of Equipment
The Public Works Department has a "No Idling" policy. A copy of the policy is available from
the Public Works Department if needed. The Proposer is expected to adhere to this policy as
they are an extension of the Public Works Department staff.
Periodic Inspection
The Consultant must provide notice of the location of crews working within the village. A Water
& Sewer Division representative will periodically inspect the work and will always be available
should any problems arise. A Water & Sewer Division representative can be contacted at 708-
358-5700.
Firm Experience
The Proposer shall provide a company overview covering all the services provided. This should
include the primary line of business, how long the company has been in business and how
long the company has been providing leakage assessment services with regard to this
proposal. The Proposer will submit at least four (4) projects for each task where the Proposer
has completed similar work in size and scope in the last three years. This submittal will include
the following:
* A brief description of the work completed.
* Contracted amount.
* Time required to complete the project. The Village would like to complete the annual
program by November 1, 2026.
* Findings of the project.
* Projected annualized cost saving to the Utility authorizing the project.
* Contact names, phone numbers, addresses, and e-mail addresses of the Utility
authorizing the project.
Firm Registration
The successful Service Provider must be a registered corporation in the State of Illinois and
pay all applicable taxes.
Subletting of Contract
The Water Distribution System Assessment Program contract awarded by the Village of Oak
Park shall not be assigned or any part subcontracted unless the sub-Consultants are identified
in the proposal. The proposal shall include sub-Consultant firm and personnel qualifications.
The sub-Consultant's insurance certificate must also name the Village of Oak Park as an
additional insured party.
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Experience of Key Personnel
Provide an organizational chart outlining the project management, field personnel and related
staff to be included in the project. As a condition of this request the firm must provide
experienced, courteous, professional, trained and qualified personnel. The project team shall
be composed of the following personnel:
* A Project Manager with a minimum of five (5) years of managing leak detection survey
programs.
* A Field Project Leader with a minimum of five (5) years of leak detection survey
experience, and
* Fully trained Field Technicians, each with a minimum of one (1) year of leak detection
survey experience.
At a minimum, project personnel shall be trained (certified where applicable) in traffic control
- technician & flagging (MUTCD Standards).
Safety
The Village of Oak Park is committed to the safety of its personnel and the general public. The
proposing firm will comply with all the Village of Oak Park safety requirements and those of
the Village, County, State and Federal Government. The firm will also provide their safety
record (last three years) and a project safety plan. As a part of Village of Oak Park's Safety
and Risk Management plans; Two Man Project Teams are required and will work together
during the course of the project. The two persons shall not be separated and working in
different locations. They will assist each other as a matter of safety and quality control. The
use of a one-man project team is not acceptable and will not be allowed to perform work on
the water system especially where water mains run under roadways and main line valves are
located within the street.
Obstruction of Streets and Rights-of-Way
The Proposer shall arrange to keep sidewalks open for traffic when possible, and to block
portions of the streets only when deemed necessary to protect private property.
The Proposer shall remove all surplus materials and debris from the streets as the work
progresses so that the public may have the use of the streets a maximum amount of time.
Proposer is to erect appropriate warning signs and furnish adequate barricades that identify
the work zone for the motoring public and pedestrians.
Accident Prevention
The Proposer shall exercise every precaution at all times for the protection of the persons and
properties. The safety provisions of all applicable laws and ordinances shall be strictly
observed. Any practice obviously hazardous in the opinion of a Water & Sewer Division
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representative shall be immediately discontinued by the Proposer upon their receipt of
instructions to discontinue such practice.
The Proposer shall submit a Proposal following all applicable laws, standards, and regulations
that apply to the completion of the work, including EPA and OSHA safety standards and
regulations.
Reporting
The Proposer is responsible for keeping the Village updated on its work on a regular basis.
The Village requires that the Proposer provide a proposed and actual work schedule if and
when requested. The report will include the proposed work to be completed in the village for
the week and an actual work completed report for the previous weeks if requested.
Motorized Equipment
Under no circumstances shall any motorized equipment be permitted to be driven on the
private property or driveways without prior authorization from the resident and the Public
Works Director while performing work under the provisions of this contract.
Parking
No off-street parking for equipment shall be provided for by the Village of Oak Park on any of
the Village's public properties except as may be designated by the Public Works Director.
Traffic Control Plan
Proposer's item of work shall include furnishing, installing, maintaining, replacing, relocating
and removing all traffic control devices used for the purpose of regulating, warning or directing
traffic during work operations, if required.
Traffic control shall be in accordance with the applicable sections of the Standard
Specifications for Road and Bridge Construction, the applicable guidelines contained in the
Illinois Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways, these Special
Provisions, and any special details and Highway Standards contained herein.
Alterations, Omissions and Extra Work
The Village of Oak Park reserves the right to increase or decrease the quantity of any item or
portion of the work, or to omit portions of the work as may be deemed necessary.
Method of Payment
The Village of Oak Park will pay monthly, all undisputed of invoices within 30 days of approval
as provided in the Local Government Prompt Payment Act, 50 ILCS505/4. The maximum
interest rate for any payment not made within 30 days of approval is 1%.
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Change Orders
Change Orders: Changes in the Work may be agreed to after execution of the Agreement, and
without invalidating the Agreement, if the Change Order is in writing and signed. Any changes
to the scope of work which result in an increase in the agreement price will be subject to an
agreement addendum which must be signed by both parties. Any such Change Order will be
prepared by the Village. The Consultant may only proceed with the Change upon receipt of
the written Change Order signed by the Village.
Emergency Changes: Consultant may perform work not included in the Scope of Work if
necessary to remedy a condition that poses an immediate threat to persons or property. Work
of this nature shall be carried out only to the extent of bringing the condition under control.
The Village shall be notified immediately. A Change Order will then be negotiated and
executed for the work performed, and for work remaining, if any.
Minor Changes (Field Orders): The Village may verbally authorize minor changes in the Scope
of Work in order to prevent a delay in the progression of the Work. These field orders may not
involve a change in the agreement price or be inconsistent with the Scope of Work.
Changes Due to Unknown Conditions: The Consultant is not responsible for Changes in the
Work that are due to conditions that were not reasonably observable or conditions that have
changed. In such cases, the Consultant shall notify the Village and a Change Order will be
negotiated.
Any Change which results in a total agreement price in excess of $10,000.00 must be
approved by the Village of Oak Park Board of Trustees.
Correction of Work Prior To Final Payment
The Village has the right to stop work if the Consultant fails to carry out the work in a manner
acceptable to the Village. If the Village deems the Consultant's work unacceptable, at the
Village's election, the Consultant shall do one of the following:
1. Promptly repair or replace the defective work, without expense to the Village, including
costs associated with repairing any damage to property caused by the replacement
work; or;
2. If the Village deems it unacceptable to have the Consultant correct work which has
been incorrectly done, a deduction from the agreement price shall be made based on
the costs to the Village to have the work repaired. Such a deduction from the
agreement price shall in no way affect the Village's other remedies or relieve the
Consultant from responsibility for defects and related damage occurring as a result of
defective or unacceptable work.
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