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Career Posting Detail

Water Treatment Engineering Study Open

Westmoreland Campus, Closes 4/30/26

County of Cheshire Request for Proposals

Water Treatment Engineering Study for Cheshire County – Westmoreland Campus

Cheshire County is requesting a detailed proposal from qualified environmental engineering firms to perform a water study to evaluate the public water system for the Westmoreland campus. The full request for quotes is posted on the county website here: https://co.cheshire.nh.us/work-with-us/rfps/.

Submissions and Timeline

  1. RFP release date: April 2, 2026.
  2. To receive RFP addendums, questions and answers, and any available additional documents to assist in preparing the proposals, please submit intent to apply notice by email containing name and email address to the person listed under the county contact information below. Intent to apply notice is not required to apply.
  3. Questions must be submitted in writing via email to the person listed under the county contact information below no later than 12:00pm on April 19th Responses will be made available to all bidders within 2 business days.
  4. Project proposals are due by 12:00pm on April 30th 2026. Proposals must be sent via PDF attachment to an email sent to the person listed under the county contact information below.
  5. The estimated date for selection of contract awardee is May 7th
  6. The estimated start date for contract is May 14th
  7. Completion for the Water Study is August 15th
  8. Presentation to County commissioners, County’s review and acceptance of plan, contractor’s incorporation of change requests between August 16th and September 15th
  9. County commissioners final review and acceptance of the plan by October 15th, 2026.

County Contact Information

Scope of Work and Technical Requirements

Subcontractor shall evaluate the design, capacity, and performance of the Cheshire County Westmoreland Complex (Maplewood Nursing Home campus) water system’s infrastructure to maintain compliance with regulatory standards and assess the system’s ability to provide safe, reliable, and adequate drinking water to its users.

Specific tasks shall include:

  1. Analysis of the system demand both historical and projected;
  2. Evaluation of water supply involving capacity, existing sources, and potential new sources;
  3. Water quality evaluation and comparison with the EPA and NH-DES standards;
  4. Treatment facilities assessment of condition, capacity, and potential update or replacement;
  5. Storage and distribution review;
  6. Operations and maintenance review;
  7. Regulatory review;
  8. Vulnerability assessment in the event of an emergency, with consideration of backup power and redundancy, physical vulnerability, and cyber security;
  9. A comprehensive capital improvement plan for each of the two possible solutions, replacing/upgrading the water treatment plant and for drilling new wells, and a pro and con comparison between the two.
  10. Funding proposal for the proposed possible solutions, including cost estimates and a 20-year capital plan which identifies specific eligible funding sources (grants, loans, state programs, any other sources);
  11. A public hearing and presentation of the final report to the County commissioners at a public meeting (estimated August 16 to September 15, 2026).

Specific deliverables include:

  1. Comprehensive final report (engineering study and capital improvement plan) including data and information for all aspects of the scope of work outlined above.
  2. PowerPoint/Slide handouts and in-person presentation to the commissioners at a public meeting.

Proposal Content

  1. Approach: Describe how your organization will approach this project and accomplish the scope of work in terms of preparation, research, work flow and process, and communication with the County and its partners.
    1. Include details regarding methodologies, number units/hours and rates for laborers/equipment, materials and supplies, and any other items to be used in the calculation and consideration of this proposal.
    2. Describe warranties and/or guarantees offered for the work, materials, and/or services.
    3. Disclose/list all subcontractors that you intend to use on this project, their scope of work, and the amount that is included in the price proposal to cover their work.
    4. Ensure all aspects of the selection criteria are addressed in this section, if not clearly covered in another section.
    5. The bidder may provide an alternate approach if the bidder feels that there is a better solution that can be offered.
  2. Schedule/timeline: Indicate how long the project will take to complete and confirm that you are able to meet the project deadline. Provide a schedule with anticipated milestones from the execution of a contract through final completion of the project.
  3. Organizational description: Provide a description of your organization’s history, staffing (education and relevant work experience), and products or services offered, as it relates to the scope of work in this RFP.
    1. Indicate if the organization is a qualified disadvantaged business (DBE), women-owned, veteran-owned, or minority-owned.
    2. Provide UEI and EIN registered to the applicant business.
    3. Ensure all aspects of the eligibility requirements are addressed in this section.
  4. Example work: Provide one or more examples, a brief description, and contact information (name, title, email, phone) for at least three projects similar to the scope of work in this RFP that your organization has undertaken in the past three (3) years. Example work may be provided in the form of an attachment to the proposal or as a web link to the source.
  5. Price Proposal: Provide details and a total amount needed to complete the project according to the scope of services described above.
    1. Provide units, rates, and extended cost for all cost categories, including, at a minimum, the following: labor (rate and number of hours), materials/supplies (rate and quantity), equipment (cost per equipment hour or another basis).
    2. If providing an alternate approach, also supply an additional, separate price for it.
    3. Type of contract: firm fixed price.
  6. Signed and dated copy of Appendix D: “Contractor Assurances.”

Proposal Specifications

  1. Submit 1 electronic file of the proposal in a single PDF file; all fonts shall be Times New Roman or Ariel, 12-point font, and in sentenced case.

Minimum Eligibility Requirements

  1. Organization is registered with Sam.gov, has a verifiable UEI number and an unexpired registration date.
  2. Organization and any key employees to work on the project are not debarred, suspended, or otherwise restricted from receiving federal funds.
  3. Organization is registered as a licensed business.
  4. Organization has the requisite certifications, licenses, degrees, diplomas, etc. necessary to legally and ethically perform the work.
  5. Proposal contains all content required and addresses and/or acknowledges all aspects of the scope of work and technical requirements.

Selection Criteria

Before making its award or issuing a contract, the County shall consider the project proposal, work, and/or services or products delivered that best serves the needs and financial interests of the County. Organizations whose proposal meet the eligibility requirements will be evaluated and selected on the basis of the following criteria. Unless otherwise indicated, all criteria shall be evaluated with equal weight.

  1. Approach is logical, reasonable, appropriate, and thorough; and can be realistically completed according to the scope of work in this RFP and the provided schedule in the organization’s proposal.
  2. Organization’s experience with similar work and projects resulted in meeting client expectations with a high level of quality and craftsmanship.
  3. Organization and employees to work on the project have excellent character, reputation, and judgment, relevant and adequate experience, education/training, knowledge, skills, and ability to perform the work and complete the project.
  4. In the event of a tie, preference shall be extended to organizations that are known minority businesses, veteran-owned, women’s business enterprises, and labor surplus area organizations.

The County reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, to award any proposal, to waive as an informality any irregularities on proposals received, and to omit any item or items as it may deem to be in the best interest of the County. The decision of the County shall be final and not subject to review or appeal.

Source of Funding

This project is supported by a Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (Community Development Block Grant from New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority) as part of a federal pass-through award totaling $25,000. The contents of this request for funding proposal are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by the grantor, their parent agency, or the U.S. Government. Approval and award of a contract is contingent upon the continued availability of funding to accomplish the project.

Federal Compliance

Contractor must agree to adhere to all applicable Federal guidelines including but not limited to: 1) Purchase of American-Made Equipment and Products 2) Environmental, Safety and Health Performance of Work 3) Affirmative Action and Pay Transparency Requirements.

Privacy, Confidentiality, and Publicity

Information provided through the application process is the responsibility of each applicant. Applicants agree not to hold Cheshire County, NH, its affiliates, members, partners, and staff liable for any losses, damages, costs, or expenses of any kind relating to the use or the adequacy, accuracy, or completeness of any information appearing in an application.

Depending on the individual circumstances of this RFP and applications, any or all parts of this process and corresponding submissions may be considered public information. Any confidential information, including trade secrets, shall be redacted or removed by the applicant prior to submission.

If awarded, be advised that the business/applicant’s application information, name, statements, and other information provided during the award process may be used for promotional purposes in all forms and media and the business/applicant may be contacted by Cheshire County, NH for such purposes. Until notified, applicants must agree not to share any status as a finalist publicly, including but not limited to all social media platforms, news media, or local publications.

Conflict of Interest

Any employee, officer, or agent of Cheshire County participating in the selection, award, or administration of funds must disclose to the Board in writing if they have a real or apparent conflict of interest regarding any applying entities. Such a conflict of interest would arise when the employee, officer, or agent, any member of their immediate family, their partner, or an organization which employs or is about to employ any of the parties indicated herein, has a financial or other interest in or a tangible personal benefit from an entity considered for funding. The officers, employees, and agents of Cheshire County may neither solicit nor accept gratuities, favors, or anything of monetary value from fund recipients. Cheshire County employees, officers, or agents with a conflict of interest must disclose the conflict in writing to the Board, recuse themselves of any vote pertaining to the contract, and dismiss themselves from any conversation(s) relating to a contract or its terms or conditions.

EEO/Affirmative Action Statement

This is an equal opportunity/ affirmative action agency. All qualified firms will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, creed, age, sex, or national origin. Consultant selection will be qualifications based, including experience with CDBG project regulations.

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