City of Bellingham

NOTICE TO CONSULTANTS FOR
Squalicum Creek Estuary Restoration

Federal aid number caoP-0080(019)

RFQ 32B-2026

The City of Bellingham solicits interest from consulting firms with expertise in Civil and Structural Engineering, estuary and stream restoration, federal design and construction requirements, and coordination with multiple agencies/stakeholders. This agreement will be for approximately two years in duration with the option for the City of Bellingham to extend it for additional time and money if necessary.  Consultants will be considered for the following project.  The estimated start date is October 2025 with a 24-month duration.  An A&E Professional Services Negotiated Hourly Rate Consultant Agreement will complete with the

The City of Bellingham reserves the right to amend terms of this “Request for Qualifications” (RFQ) to circulate various addenda, or to withdraw the RFQ at any time, regardless of how much time and effort consultants have spent on their responses.

Project Description

The City of Bellingham (“City”) is issuing RFQ 32B-2025 with work to be performed by the Consultant for the Squalicum Creek Estuary Restoration (City project EN060) consisting of preparing preliminary engineering design up to 60% completion, aligning with AASHTO, WSDOT, FHWA, and City standards, in addition to regulatory/permit requirements.  The City is actively seeking additional funding to complete the project through construction and may retain the Consultant for additional phases by extending the Contract.

The project involves removing three fish barriers at the mouth of Squalicum Creek which will include estuary restoration, stream restoration (and possible realignment), construction of up to three creek crossings, and roadway improvements as determined by the design process.  Replacement of City utilities and franchise utilities will also be necessary.  Additional services may include completion of the remaining design, permitting, right of way, and construction phases.  Services, including professional civil and structural engineering design services, survey, stream restoration, and estuary restoration, permitting assistance, right of way assistance, construction engineering and/or administration, may be added to the contract contingent upon funding availability and project needs. This project is funded with federal funds and has a 16% DBE goal. The major features of the project are as follows:

• Civil and Structural engineering for design, right of way, and construction phases (some phases may be added by contract modification)
• Stream, road, and intersection alignment determination and alternatives analysis
• Determine final alignment and coordinate with stake holders
• Removal of three fish barriers
• Replacement of up to three stream crossings, one of which is a Burlington Northern Sante Fe (BNSF) railroad bridge
• Estuary restoration and stream restoration
• WSDOT/FHWA standards for federally funded projects
• Environmental documentation and preparation of permit applications
• Coordination with the Port of Bellingham and BNSF
• Future phases include final design, permitting, right of way, and construction phases

The City of Bellingham reserves the right to retain the services of the successful firm(s) for any subsequent phases (R/W, CN) associated with this/these project(s).

Evaluation Criteria

Submittals will be evaluated based solely on qualifications and ranked based on the following criteria (100 points total):

1. Key Personnel – 10
2. Firm/Team Experience – 10
3. Team Organization – 10
4. Schedule & Management – 10
5. Project Approach and Understanding – 15
6. Technical Knowledge with WSDOT/FHWA Standards and Project Permitting Requirements – 15
7. References/Past Performance – 5
8. Ease of Access to the Firm’s Project Staff – 5
9. Construction Management Services – 5
10. DBE Approach and Commitment – 10

A minimum of the top three teams will be invited to interviews.  Interview questions will be provided to all teams prior to scheduling the interviews.

Submittal

Electronic submittals, questions, supplemental information, and the RFQ can be found or submitted to the Purchasing Department at https://cob.procureware.com, free login account required.  Electronic submittals by thumb drive can also be submitted to the City of Bellingham, Purchasing Office, 210 Lottie Street, Bellingham, WA 98225.  All submittals must be received no later than 11:00 a.m. on August 13, 2025.  Questions by phone can also be made to the Purchasing Department, at (360) 778-7750.  The submittal must include a signed cover page, firm name, contact information, name of the principal in charge, project manager, and the number of employees in each firm proposed for the project.

Approximate schedule for evaluation is as follows.

Opening Date:  August 13, 2025

Evaluation and Interview invitations: August 27, 2025

Interviews and Selection Notification:  September 17, 2025

Scoping and Contract negotiations:  September 24, 2025

Contract Execution:  October 27, 2025

All prospective consultants must be advised that federally funded projects will be held to Federal Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) requirements.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Information

The City of Bellingham in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (Section 504) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), commits to nondiscrimination on the basis of disability, in all of its programs and activities. This material can be made available in an alternate format by emailing Holly Pederson at hdpederson@cob.org or by calling collect (360) 778-7950. 

Title VI Statement

The City of Bellingham, in accordance with the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (78 Stat. 252, 42 U.S.C. 2000d to 2000d-4) and the Regulations, hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively ensure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprises will be afforded full and fair opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, or national origin in consideration for an award.”

Dates of publication in the Bellingham Herald:  July 11, 2025 and July 18, 2025.