RFQ 7670- Hickory Substation - Statement of Work 033121City of Denton, Texas
Hickory GIS Substation Design Build Project
Request for Qualifications #7670
Statement of Work
A: INTRODUCTION
The City of Denton (City), a home-rule city of the State of Texas, is requesting submissions of qualifications
for the purpose of selecting up to five Firms with demonstrated experience in substation design, material
procurement, and construction for Denton Municipal Electric’s (DME) Hickory GIS Substation Design
Build project. The major components of the substation project include 138kV gas insulated switchgear
(GIS), 36’ tall GIS Building, two 25MVA power transformers, two 15kV switchgear buildings, and 22’ tall
architectural screen wall around the site. This substation project replaces the existing Hickory Substation
on a new site using Gas Insulated Switchgear.
This RFQ is the first step of the two step process. After this RFQ, the City will submit a request for proposals
(RFP) to the selected Firms and will result in one Firm awarded a contract. The intent of this contract is to
provide DME a fully furnished substation meeting the requirements in the RFP. The awarded Firm will be
responsible for all design, procurement, and construction for the Hickory GIS Substation Design Build
Project as defined in the scope of work section.
The Firm shall have demonstrated experience providing the following services/functions:
138kV-13.2kV Substation Design, Procurement, Construction, Commissioning, and Energization
Gas Insulated Switchgear (GIS) Design, Manufacturing, Installation, and Commissioning*
System Protection Design, Installation, and Construction*
System Protection Commissioning
Civil Engineering Design and Construction
Site Preparation including Drainage and Grading
Below Grade Facility Construction including Foundation, Conduit, and Grounding (Specific
experience with such facilities for indoor GIS sites is required.)
20’ Architectural Screen Wall Construction (Majority of Design Already Completed)
38’ Tall GIS Building Design and Construction (Majority of Design Already Completed)
138kV-13.2kV 20/25/28 MVA Delta-GrdY Substation Power Transformer Design,
Manufacturing, Installation, and Commissioning*
15kV Switchgear Building Installation, and Commissioning (DME shall provide two new
switchgear buildings)
Underground Transmission Duct Bank Design and Construction (Including Cable Installation and
Commissioning)*
Distribution Overhead and Underground Design and Construction (Including Cable Installation
and Commissioning)
* These services have certain manufacturer/vendor requirements. See Section H.
The Firm shall also be required to obtain any and all needed City of Denton permits and project approval.
The awarded Firm shall have the ability to provide all the categories of services in the list above.
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B: INSTRUCTIONS TO PROPOSERS
The responses to this RFQ shall be submitted following City of Denton procedures and rules.
A pre-proposal conference will be scheduled for this solicitation.
The submission of a proposal shall be deemed a representation and certification by the
Proposer that they:
Have carefully read and fully understand the information that was provided by the City to
serve as the basis for submission of this proposal.
Have the capability to successfully undertake and complete all services/functions shown in
the scope of work and provide a fully functional Gas Insulated Substation according to DME
specifications.
Represent that all information contained in the proposal is true and correct.
Did not, in any way, collude, conspire to agree, directly or indirectly, with any person, Firm,
corporation or other Proposer in regard to the amount, terms or conditions of this proposal.
Acknowledge that the City has the right to make any inquiry it deems appropriate to
substantiate or supplement information supplied by Proposer, and Proposer hereby grants the
City permission to make these inquiries, and to provide any and all related documentation in
a timely manner.
C: RFQ SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
The Firm shall submit the following:
Qualifications of the Team:
Provide a description of the composition and management structure of the Design Builder team
along with an organization chart that includes all planned partners, Original Equipment
Manufacturers (OEMs) and subcontractors.
Provide a brief overview of the architect, engineer/s and the construction contractor/s. Include
years in business, dollar volume per year for the last five (5) years, and significant relevant
projects completed in that time as individual Firms, if not one entity.
Provide references for past projects of a similar scope.
Identify the Design Builder’s roles, responsibilities, and relevant experience with projects of
similar scope and complexity, specifically focused on municipal utilities. Indicate contract value
for each project.
In the event the architect or engineer and the construction contractor have collaborated as a
design-builder on other projects, please identify them, and the history of this relationship.
Include the qualifications and relevant experience of the proposed project manager, design team
leader, and construction superintendent.
Provide the safety record for the last 5 years for each construction contractor utilized.
Current Safety Manual for all planned partners, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and
subcontractors
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Drug Free Workplace Program details all planned partners, Original Equipment Manufacturers
(OEMs) and subcontractors
OSHA 300 Logs (names can be blacked out) for the past three years
(https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/OSHA-RK-Forms-Package.pdf)
OSHA 300A Logs for the past three years
EMR (or accepted equivalent) on insurance company letterhead for past three years
Proven Success:
For each of the example projects requested below, provide, at a minimum, the following:
The name of the project, the candidate’s team member(s) which worked on it, and amount of
the original contract;
The current contact information for the Owner (preferably the Facilities Department lead);
Company personnel in responsible charge of this project;
Completion date; and
Total contract value at completion, together with a short description of change orders (e.g.
owner initiated; design document ambiguity; unforeseeable condition; capricious building
official’s direction, etc.).
Select your two (2) most relevant municipal GIS projects from the last five (5) years and provide
the information above.
Outline a project approach, describing how the team’s experience will relate to the success of this
project,
Provide a brief description of how your team will maximize the quality and value received by the
City on this project. Focus on methods used to control cost & schedule
Stability:
Performance and payment bonding capacity sufficient to insure the proposed contract amount shown in
Section P will be a requirement. Please provide the total bonding capacity of the entity proposed to
contract directly with the City for the last five (5) years, including 2020 as the fifth (5th) year. In addition,
please provide that entity’s bonding unused (available) capacity as of November 1, 2020. The City
understands this amount may have changed since that date.
The submission shall be structured as shown below.
Section
Page
Limit
A Letter of Interest addressed to DME summarizing the Firm’s understanding of the
project and a brief description of the Firm’s strengths to perform the work
successfully. 2
Table of Contents 1
Statement of Qualifications (Including successful subcontracts)
- GIS Design-Build Experience 5
- Underground Transmission Design-Build Experience 3
- Outdoor Substation Design-Build Experience 3
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- Architectural, MEP, Structural Design-Build Experience 5
- Underground and Overhead Distribution Design-Build Experience 2
Outline of Team Members and Organizational Chart 4
Qualifications and Experience of Proposed Team Members 6
References of Clients and a Description of Projects 2
Outline of Preliminary Project Approach 5
Level 1 P6 Schedule and Work Plan 5
General Information on Prime Contracting Firm 5
General information on Subcontracted Firms 10
Summary 2
Proof of Insurance, Additional Information, Appendix 10
Safety Information as Required in this RFQ No Limit
D: HICKORY SUBSTATION SITE
The site for the Hickory Substation Design Build Project is located at 2301 West Oak Street in Denton
Texas at the intersections of Bonnie Brae, Oak, and Hickory Streets and is approximately 2.1 acres. The
site has been cleared of all above and below ground facilities and currently has native grasses growing
with a small gravel parking lot on one corner. It is currently zoned PF (public facilities) and PD (planned
development). See Exhibit 7 – Plat.
E: TASKS ALREADY COMPLETED
DME has completed the following tasks for this project:
Purchased the substation site.
Demolished all above ground and below ground facilities on the site. The site might have an
abandoned sewer line left over from demolished housing. Water and gas services have been
removed and capped at the street right of ways.
Obtained approval from the City for abandonment of all easements on the site.
Completed the replat of the site.
Performed Geotechnical Investigation and will be provided in the RFP.
Designed Civil Engineering Plans including grading and drainage.
City approval of the Civil Engineering Plans (CEP) submittal detailing grading, drainage, side
street improvements, and underground duct banks.
Constructed sections of transmission and distribution duct banks. These duct banks are not
complete. See Exhibit 1 for indication of extent of the completed duct banks.
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F: DESIGN ALREADY COMPLETED BY THE CITY
DME has substantially completed the Front End Engineering Design (FEED) for the civil engineering
plans, GIS building, screen wall, foundations (except for the GIS building, screen wall, gas insulated bus,
and air to gas structures), 138kV electrical package including steel supports and foundations, underground
conduit system, and system protection (relay panels only). DME will provide these plans during step 2,
the RFP. It is expected that these plans will need modification by the Firm. However, the Firm shall
construct the project using these plans to the maximum extent possible. All proposed plan changes shall
be coordinated with, reviewed, and approved by DME or DME’s owners engineer Black and Veatch
Corporation.
FEED Design Firms
Civil Engineering Design – Teague Nall & Perkins, Denton Texas
GIS Building Design – Kirkpatrick Architecture Studio, Denton Texas
Screen Wall Design – Kirkpatrick Architecture Studio, Denton Texas
All other designs – Black and Veatch Corporation (OWNER’S ENGINEER)
G: SCOPE OF WORK
The scope of the Hickory GIS Substation Design Build Project includes completion of design, equipment
procurement, construction, commissioning, and energization of all facilities on the substation site and
underground transmission and underground distribution facilities off site. Exhibit 1 – Contract Scope,
provides a quick illustration of the scope. Items shown in blue shall be included in the scope of the
proposed contract with the awarded Firm. Below are brief descriptions of the services included in the
scope of work. These services will be fully detailed in step 2, the RFP, and are briefly provided here for
reference only so that the Proposer may have an understanding of the types and extent of services
required.
City Approval and Permitting – Below is a listing of the tasks the Firm shall complete for City approval
of the project. This is not meant to be a complete listing but is provided to give the Firm an understanding
of the scope of services required for City approval of the project.
Review and approval from City Staff on a Zoning Compliance plan that includes the landscaping
plan and wall elevations which conform to the City Council approval of the proposal.
Photometric Study review and approval.
Traffic Control and Staging Plan review and approval.
Fence Permit for the screen wall including foundations and gates.
Landscape and irrigation permit.
Foundation permit for all foundations for the project electrical outside of the building.
Building permit for the GIS building which include all prior approved plans such as the CEP,
Photometric Study, Fence & Foundation Plans ..etc, all Architectural, mechanical, plumbing,
electrical, structural, foundations ..etc plans, all calculations necessary for demonstrating that
project meets the City Building Codes. Also complete Landscape and Irrigation Plans must be
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submitted with the building permit. The Landscape Plan needs to be reviewed and approved with
the Zoning Compliance prior to submittal for the Building Permit.
Driveway Permit for the four driveways.
Curb Cut Permit for connecting storm drain.
Review and approval of Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) and any required Texas
Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) notifications.
Online Construction Site Survey form completion.
Other tasks as required by the City of Denton and/or State of Texas for project approval.
Any permits needed for transporting equipment to the site.
The City may require temporary construction fencing around the site to protect the site and the public
during construction.
It is not expect that this site will need to be rezoned. However, if required by the City, the Firm shall be
responsible for this task.
Site Preparation – The Firm shall be responsible for modifying DME’s current set of Civil Plans if
needed and performing all tasks necessary to prepare the site including but not limited to grading,
installing drainage system, installing and maintaining all SWPPP requirements and documentation, and
relocate franchise utilities as needed. All construction performed shall meet DME’s construction
specifications.
Civil Engineering – The Firm shall complete design of the civil engineering plans provided by DME.
138kV-13.2kV Substation Design, Procurement, Construction, Commissioning, and Energization –
The Firm shall complete the substation design package including but not limited to the design and
construction drawing package, foundations, steel bus supports, steel instrument transformer supports, any
structural designs needed, grounding, conduit, lightning protection, photometric studies, and other designs
necessary for construction of a complete fully functional substation. The Firm shall construct, procure, test,
and commission the substation.
Gas Insulated Switchgear (GIS) – The Firm shall design, manufacturer, install, test, and commission
138kV gas insulated switchgear according to DME’s specifications. At a minimum, the GIS equipment
shall have a continuous rating of 3000A, a 50kA interrupting rating and a BIL of 650kV. Various
electrical studies shall be performed to verify equipment ratings (insulation coordination, TRV, etc.). The
transmission configuration shall be a 8 breaker ring bus and shall be fully equipped with all 8 breakers,
disconnectors, switches, PTs, CTs, fast acting ground switches, gas-insulated bus, gas to air bushings, gas
to cable terminators, all GIS monitoring systems, local control cabinets, and all equipment needed for a
fully equipped 8 breaker ring.
38’ Tall GIS Building – The Firm shall complete the design provided by DME and construct the GIS
building. The building will be of tilt up pre-cast concrete panel construction and feature an interior
overhead crane capable of maintaining all GIS equipment located within the building. The GIS room shall
be only ventilated while the control, communications and battery rooms shall be fully conditioned. All
materials to complete the building shall be provided by the Firm.
Transmission and Distribution Duct Banks – The Firm shall design the remaining duct banks needed to
complete the transmission duct bank system necessary to energize the substation from the three 138kV
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transmission lines. Design, procurement, installation, and termination of cable is included as well as all
required testing mandrel test.
The project includes a distribution component in which the contractor will also be required to design and
construct underground or overhead distribution circuits utilizing typical distribution construction
assemblies including, but not limited to, concrete-encased duct bank systems, pole risers, or wood pole
construction. The substation and distribution work are being combined to maximize efficiency of
coordination in the construction. See Exhibit 8.
System Protection – The Firm shall complete the system protection design package in accordance with
DME requirements and using the DME standard relaying panels. The firm shall install, procure, test and
commission the protection system.
20’ Architectural Screen Wall – The Firm shall complete the design, procure all materials, and construct
an architectural screen wall. The appearance of the screen wall has been determined by the Denton City
Council and the Hickory Historic District Committee and shall not be modified from the provided plans
unless approved by DME.
Landscaping and Irrigation – The Firm shall complete and implement a Landscaping Plan that is
approved by the City.
Substation Power Transformers – The Firm shall procure, design, manufacture, install, test, and
commission, quantity 2, 25MVA substation power transformers using DME design specifications.
Distribution Switchgear Buildings – The Firm shall install, test, and commission, quantity 2, 15kV
distribution switchgear buildings. The two buildings have already been purchased by DME and shall be
used for this project.
Substation Commissioning and Energization – The Firm shall be responsible for ensuring all testing
required is performed for all equipment including system protection and shall create and execute an
energization plan in cooperation with DME.
H: MANDITORY MANUFACTURERS
Below is a list of manufactures for the major equipment that will be required for this project. Specific part
numbers and specifications will be provided later in step 2, the RFP. They are provided here for reference.
138kV GIS – Mitsubishi, Siemens, or ABB
138kV-13.2kV 15/20/25/28 MVA Delta-GrdY Substation Power Transformers – SPX
Transformer Solutions/Waukesha
138kV AIS Vertical Break Disconnects – Southern States
138kV Extra High Strength Insulators – Victor or Approved Equivalent
Battery Charger – Alpha (switch mode type)
138kV Station Service Voltage Transformers – ABB-Kuhlman
138kV Free-Standing Metering CTs – Trench, GE Grid Solutions, ABB
138kV XLPE Cable – Southwire, Prysmian, Nexans, LS Cable, Taihan
13.2kV Outdoor Padmount Metal-Enclosed Switchgear – S&C Electric
Microprocessor Protection Relays – Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories
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Batteries – ALCAD
AC/DC Panel Boards, Disconnects, Transfer Switches – Eaton
I: MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS OF THE FIRM
The minimum qualifications for the design-build contractor shall be as follows:
Minimum of five (5) years of indoor GIS design-build or EPC experience
Minimum of three (3) years of underground transmission (69kV or greater) design-build or EPC
experience
Minimum of five (5) years of outdoor air insulated substation design-build or EPC experience
Demonstrate ability to self-perform or subcontract turnkey installation of indoor GIS facility
Demonstrate ability to self-perform or subcontract underground and overhead distribution
systems
Each Firm shall have the bonding capacity to meet the estimated budget of this project shown in
Section P.
A single or more OSHA citations is an automatic disqualification.
RIR (Recordable Incident Rate): 3.5 or less (Defined as (OSHA recordable injuries and illnesses
X 200,000) / Total hours worked )
LTIR (Lost Time Incident Rate): 1.2 or less (Defined as (Number of lost time cases x 200,000) /
total number of hours worked by employees)
EMR (Experience Modification Rate): 1.0 or less (The base premium is calculated by dividing a
company’s payroll in a given job classification by 100, and then by a ‘class rate’ determined by
the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) that reflects the inherent risk in that job
classification.)
J: EXPECTATIONS OF THE CITY
The City expects the work under this contract to be undertaken as a complete package. The successful
Firm shall address all the items listed in the section on Scope of Work in their submission along with any
others tasks that are necessary to provide a completely functional substation.
K: CITY PROVIDED FACILITIES AND SERVICES
The City will provide at least one office in the Transmission Engineering Building for the use of the
selected Firm at no cost. The office will include Wi-Fi services, phone, and will have provision for
printing, at least, letter size documents.
The City may be able to provide a 10 acre laydown yard that is approximately 4 miles away from the
Hickory Substation site.
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L: EVALUATION CRITERIA
Information provided by any candidate that indicates the inability to provide a performance and payment
bond, or a below average safety record, in the sole opinion of the City, may supersede the Evaluation
Committee’s scoring and disqualify the candidate.
The submissions shall be scored and weighted, and a short list of no more than five (5) candidates will be
selected by the Committee.
M: THE REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
The short list of candidates, resulting from the RFQ, will be provided a Request for Proposal (RFP)
package which provides the overall substation package specification and drawings.
The City will then evaluate the RFPs. The scoring of the proposals and interviews (if any) received from
the short-listed candidates will be a combination of responsiveness, demonstrated competence, and cost.
The ratio of scoring of these components will be provided to the short-listed candidates with the Request
for Proposal. All short-listed candidates will start the proposal and interview process with a score of zero
(0). Scores from the Qualifications phase will not be carried forward to the Proposal & Interview process.
The City of Denton will proceed to negotiate a contract with the highest ranked Firm. The City may elect
to conduct oral discussions, request clarifications, and presentations concerning the project approach and
ability to furnish the requirements, as part of the negotiation process.
Provided the City of Denton cannot successfully contract with the highest ranked Firm, the City of
Denton shall formally, and in writing, end all negotiations with that firm and the City of Denton may elect
to proceed to negotiate with the next firm in the order of the selection ranking until a contract is reached
or negotiations with all ranked firms end, in accordance with Texas State Law.
A written recommendation will be presented to the appropriate approving authority for the City of Denton
(the City Manager, Public Utility Board, City Council) requesting authorization to proceed with contract
execution for the proposed services. In accordance with Texas State Law, trade secrets and confidential
information in competitive sealed proposals are not open for public inspection. All submissions shall be
opened in a manner that avoids disclosure of the contents to competing respondents and keeps the
responses secret during negotiations. A public opening will not be conducted with this process.
After the contract has been awarded all submissions will be open for public inspection, and the
unsuccessful respondent(s) may request a debriefing regarding their submittal. Please contact the City of
Denton Materials Management staff to document the request for a debriefing. A meeting with the City of
Denton Materials Management Staff and the using Division will be scheduled within a reasonable time.
N: FIRM SELECTION ESTIMATED SCHEDULE:
The schedule for this process is currently as follows, and is subject to change by the City at its sole
discretion:
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Request for Proposal issued to short listed candidates (no more than 5) on June 7, 2021.
Proposal from short listed candidates due on August 7, 2021.
Interviews will be in August 2021.
Complete contract negotiations and obtain City Council approval by November 8, 2021.
O: EXHIBIT SCHEDULE:
Exhibit 1 – Contract Scope
Exhibit 2 – Photo Simulation
Exhibit 3 – Substation Switching Oneline
Exhibit 4 – Civil Engineering Drawings
Exhibit 5 – Screen Wall Drawings
Exhibit 6 – GIS Building Drawings
Exhibit 7 – Plat
Exhibit 8 – Distribution Schematic
P: ESTIMATED BUDGET:
The current estimated budget for the Hickory GIS Substation Design Build Project is $29,150,000.