Request For Proposal Professional …vendors.citizens.coop/media/CitizensRFP121010.pdfVOICE • VIDEO • DATA 220 Webbs Mill Rd • P.O. Box 137 • Floyd, VA 24091 • Phone: 540-745-2111

V O I C E • V I D E O • D A T A220 Webbs Mill Rd • P.O. Box 137 • Floyd, VA 24091 • Phone: 540-745-2111 • Fax: 540-745-3791 • www.citizens.coop

Request For Proposal

Professional Telecommunications Fiber Optic Facilities:Engineering and Design; Contract Administration; Construction

Inspection; and Mapping

Citizens Telephone CooperativeDecember 10, 2010

Project Overview:

In January, 2010 the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications andInformation Administration (NTIA) and USDA’s Rural Utility Service (RUS) announced theavailability of $4.8 billion in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grants andloans to expand broadband access and adoption in America. This investment will helpbridge the technological divide, boost economic growth, and create jobs. The NTIA hasapproximately $2.35 billion available for infrastructure projects that will be focusing onmiddle mile broadband projects that connect key community anchor institutions such aslibraries, hospitals, community colleges, universities, and public safety institutions inevery state across America.

In March, 2010 Citizens and the New River Valley Planning District Commission (NRVPDC)agreed to submit an application for a Broadband Technology Opportunities Program(BTOP) grant through the NTIA with Citizens being the owner/operator of the fibernetwork. In August, 2010 Citizens was one of four Virginia organizations to be awardeda BTOP grant in round 2.

The project consist of the deployment of 186 route miles of open access fiber networkalong the I-81 corridor from Wytheville in Wythe County to exit 150 at Troutville inBotetourt County. The fiber will also be deployed from Dublin to Pearisburg along route100 and from Floyd to Christiansburg along route 8. The fiber construction will start bymid-year 2011 and is scheduled to be completed by mid-year 2013. The overall visionfor this Citizens project is to provide redundant and alternate fiber routing to theexisting Southside and Southwest fiber networks and provide additional connectivitypoints between the two networks.


In summary, this project calls for the implementation of an advanced, open access fiberoptic network, which crosses portions of Wythe, Pulaski, Giles, Montgomery, Floyd,Roanoke, and Botetourt counties is southwest Virginia. Citizens is proposing to use 240and 144 strand fiber cable for the primary routes. Approximately 159 miles will bedirect buried or underground construction and 27 miles of aerial construction on existingjoint use pole routes. While Citizens has called for primarily a buried solution, there areareas where a direct buried fiber placement will be impractical (geography, amount ofrock, congestion of right of way, etc.). Citizens’ staff is aware of those factors and willwork closely with the selected engineering firm to assess the construction techniquesrequired to accomplish the project. Conduit will be used in areas where practical, suchas direct bores, stream crossings, building entrances, rock areas, and congested areaswhere trenching may be required.

Citizens has submitted route plans in the BTOP grant application process that will needto be followed as closely as possible in the staking and design of the project. Thesemaps and plans were also submitted as part of the Environmental Assessment.

The Environmental Assessment and Joint Permit Application with VMRC, DEQ, and ArmyCorp are currently being processed by other firms. Citizens internal engineering staffhas scheduled meetings with the local Virginia Department of Transportation offices,localities, towns, and cities to discuss the project and permitting requirements andoptions. Citizens staff will file for all VDOT, locality permits and secure private right ofway agreements where required. Citizens will file for the 16 railroad crossings that willbe required for the project.

Citizens may request assistance from the engineering firm in some of the permittingprocess.

The maps at the end of the request show the region of Virginia and the proposedroutes for the project.

Proposal Process:


All inquiries and Questions related to this RFP must be directed IN WRITING via Fax or E-Mail to:

Dennis ReeceAssistant General Manager Tel: 540-745-9528Citizens Telephone Cooperative, Inc. Mobile: 540-239-9902220 Webbs Mill Road N Fax: 540-745-3791Floyd, Virginia 24091-0137 [email protected]

Charles HuffEngineering and Construction Supervisor

Citizens Telephone Cooperative, Inc. Tel: 540-745-9546220 Webbs Mill Rd. Mobile: 540-230-7906Floyd, Virginia 24091-0137 [email protected]

Closing Date

One (1) original and three (3) copies of your proposal must be received by 4:00 pmEastern Time on December 28, 2010. Also include one (1) electronic copy of yourproposal on CD or Disk. The proposals shall be sent to the following:

Citizens Telephone Cooperative, Inc.220 Webbs Mill Road NP.O. Box 137Floyd, Virginia 24091-0137

Once proposals are submitted, Citizens’ Staff will review the proposals, and selectone (1) firm as a finalist, and begin negotiations with the firm to finalize a contract forprofessional engineering services and present to the Board of Directors. If Citizens’ staffcannot negotiate a contract successfully with the selected firm, the next highest-rankingfirm will be contacted and negotiations will begin. The process will continue until a

contract is finalized and mutually agreeable with Citizens and the selected engineeringfirm.


The following timetable outlines the anticipated schedule for the RFP and Contractprocess. The timing and the sequence of events resulting from this RFP may vary.

Event Anticipated DatesRFP Issued December 10,2010RFP Due Date December 28, 2010Selection of firm December 31, 2010Contract finalized January 7, 2011Engineering Firm Begins Work January 10, 2011Proposed Engineering/Staking Complete March 18 2011Bid Package Mailed to Contractors March 31, 2011Contractor Bids due April 18, 2011Bid Evaluation – Contractor Selected April 22, 2011Construction Begins June 13, 2011Construction Ends May 31, 2013Engineering Contract Ends June 28, 2013

Proposal Format

To aid us in the evaluation of engineering service proposals, we require that yourproposal follow this outline:

1. Cover Letter, Indicating your firm’s interest in the project, and highlighting keypoints of your proposal.

2. Firm Overview, including company history, number of employees by discipline,company locations, location of office where this project will be managed, lengthof time your firm has provided similar services. Also indicate the systems youutilize to produce outside plant engineering designs (AutoCAD, Microstation,Mapcom M5, others). We require the selected engineering firm to be licensed todo business in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

3. Proposed Project Team: Include an organizational chart and resumes of keyproject team members, including their role in this project. Also identify who theprimary manager for this project will be within your organization.

4. Experience: Indicate your experience with planning & design of fiber opticoutside plant networks, including buried and aerial deployments. Show your


experience with designing and managing implementation on long-haul, regionaland metropolitan fiber optic networks. Also outline your experience with ROW,environmental permitting, experience with Virginia DOT or other StateTransportation Departments, and your experience with permitting undergroundfiber optic construction for railroad crossings. The Virginia DOT requires that eachwork zone have a person on site certified in work zone procedures and certified inerosion and sediment control procedures. The required certified individual canbe supplied by the engineering firm or the contractor. At least one section of thisproject will require a work zone to be set up during the staking process.

5. Proposed Services & Project Approach: Please define how your firm will managethis project, and will ensure a quality construction bid document is produced.Please describe your work plan to accomplish the project tasks. Also, identify anyinnovative design or project management techniques you have utilized on pastprojects that have helped reduce design times, or improved quality of yourservices.

6. References: Please provide a minimum of three (3) references where your firmand your proposed PROJECT TEAM, have provided outside plant engineeringservices. Please include clients name, address, phone number, email address, anddescription of work and dates completed.

7. Time Schedule: Timelines have been established and submitted to NTIA asrequired in the BTOP grant application; therefore, indicate your proposedtimetable, based upon the scope of work, and your experience with othertelecommunications outside plant engineering projects. Include a timeline of keydeliverables.

8. Pricing/Fees: Please include a comprehensive breakdown of your proposedengineering fees to complete this project as indicated in the scope of work.Include a schedule of hourly rates for your key project team members, and any

outside consultants or sub-contractors you plan to utilize on this project.Breakdown the labor and expenses (travel, reproduction, etc.) for each separateTask based on your estimate of probable costs for engineering services. Theactual engineering contract will contain specific control measures to keep theactual cost within the contract price structure. The contract will not be openended and the price should cover the entire scope of the project; thereforeany additional charges will need to be negotiated and approved by Citizens inwriting.


9. Financial Statements: Include information related to your financial stability;including certified financial statements, revenues over the past three (3) years,any pending lawsuits or legal actions against your company, and contactinformation for your financial institution. Include your coverage for generalliability, workers comp, professional liability and errors & omissions insurances.Citizens requires a minimum of $1,000,000 in professional liability insurance.

10. Other Current Projects: Indicate your existing client workload, and what otherprojects your team is committed to, including project time frames. If you haveany projects which may cause a conflict of interest, or could otherwise hinderyour proposed timeframes, please describe those projects and how your firmmanages multiple client priorities.

Evaluation Criteria

All requested information in the Proposal Format section must be included in yourresponse. Citizens reserves the right to reject any and all proposals, and to enter intocontract negotiations with the firm selected by Citizens, it’s Board of Directors, andrepresentatives of Citizens.

Engineering firms are solely responsible for their own expenses in preparing a Proposal,and for subsequent contract negotiations with Citizens. If Citizens elects to reject allproposals, Citizens and its Board of Directors and Representatives will not be liable toany firm for any claims, whether for costs or damages incurred by the respondent inpreparing the proposal, loss of anticipated profit in connection with any final contract,or any other matter whatsoever.

Scope of Work

This project calls for the planning, design, bid management and inspections of fiberoptic outside plant facilities. Citizens will not require the engineering firm to producenetwork design for electronics. The design of electronics, node location powerrequirements, cabinet specifications, etc. will be a separate project.


For the purposes of this RFP, the engineering firm will focus strictly on the design foroutside plant fiber optic facilities, which will include splice locations, specifications fortermination shelves, and construction requirements.

Citizens has identified five (5) key tasks that will be required of the selectedengineering firm.

Task 1: Developing Bid Specifications for OSP Fiber Network

To help control the upfront cost and simplify the overall administrative processadministrative process of the project, Citizens will not require a Formal Bid Process forthis project, but due to the size and complexity of the project Citizens will requirecontractor bond. As with any industry standard Contract, liability, insurance, andqualification would still apply.

The engineering firm shall be required to develop drawings (staking sheets and maps)and specifications for the construction of the outside plant fiber optic facilities. Thedrawings, maps, and specifications must be approved by Citizens and follow acceptedoutside plant engineering practice. Citizens currently uses standards and specificationsof the Department of Agriculture and Rural Utility Service (RUS). The RUS format willonly be used in the staking, design, and construction process of the project. TheEngineering and Construction Documents, Contracts, and Agreements will use standardindustry methods, since this is not a RUS project.

The engineering firm shall be responsible for conducting follow-up meetings with eachlocality, agency, and VDOT to identify route selections, connectivity points, and anyissues related to construction of the fiber optic facilities (aerial or buried). Citizensrepresentatives shall coordinate and attend meetings with the selected engineeringfirm.

The engineering firm shall be responsible for staking the route and producingcomputerized maps (AutoCAD compatible in 11x17 formats). The engineer shall be


responsible for assessing entry points, splice locations, and access points along theproject route and shall coordinate with Citizens representatives on all these locations.The engineering firm shall produce an electronic copy of the bid package (drawings andspecifications in PDF format) as well as a hard copy.

The engineering firm shall be responsible for preparing the terms & conditions,contractor requirements, scope of work, maps, and all items necessary to produce acomprehensive bid package. The engineering firm will use Industry Standard documentsin these processes.

Task 2: Review & Evaluate Bid Responses

The engineering firm shall be responsible for answering contractor questions during thebid process, holding a pre-bid meeting (Floyd, VA), and issuing any addenda or changesto the overall project.

The engineering firm shall work with Citizens representatives to review submittedcontractor bids, and assist in the evaluation, selection and negotiations with theselected contractor.

Task 3: Prepare Construction Contracts which serve as formalagreements for the Contractor

The engineering firm shall prepare construction contract documents, following acceptedindustry practice.

The engineering firm, Citizens and the contractor shall hold a pre-construction meeting(Floyd, VA) to discuss general expectations, schedules, and other misc. items. Prior to


construction, the Contractor will be required to submit material sheets to theengineering firm for approval.

Task 4: Inspection and testing services for OSP construction

The engineering firm shall provide full-time resident engineer and inspection services forconstruction efforts on the Project. The resident and inspectors shall keep daily logs andfield notes on the contractor’s construction progress and provide timelines and progressreports to meet BTOP quarterly and annual report requirements. The resident andinspectors shall be on sight and be familiar with VDOT work zone and erosion controlpractices based on current requirements.

The engineering firm shall notify Citizens of any major issues related to theconstruction. Citizens shall work closely with the engineering firm, inspector,contractor, and other parties to resolve issues.

The engineering firm shall provide weekly written progress reports (via e-mailattachments) on construction activities and general issues related to construction of thefiber optic network. Citizens, engineering firm, and the contractor shall hold bi-weeklyconstruction meetings to review work progress, invoicing requirements, issues toresolve, etc. The meetings can be held at the construction site.

The engineering firm will supervise all testing of facilities and equipment as constructionroutes are completed. To meet BTOP and locality service requirements fiber facilitiesand equipment will be turned up needed and as construction routes are completed.

Upon completion of construction, the engineering firm, Citizens and the contractor willhold a construction closeout meeting in Floyd, Virginia. The purpose of this meeting willbe to assess any discrepancies still outstanding as a result of construction, and willreview final timelines and details with the engineering firm and Citizens.


The engineering firm will be responsible for providing one (1) electronic copy of as-builtdrawings at the conclusion of Task 4, as well as three (3) hard copies of as-built maps(11x17) to Citizens.

Task 5: Right-of-Way, Permits, Franchises and Applications

Citizens internal engineering staff will be obtaining the required permits, right-of-way’s,franchises, applications, and agreements from VDOT, localities, agencies, and propertyowners. The Environmental Assessment and JPA will be performed by other outsidefirms.

The firm will assist Citizens when requested in managing the right of way process withthe various entities and localities in the project area. Citizens may request that theengineering firm assist in obtaining the required access to construct, and morespecifically preparation of support documentation for permits and/or franchiseapplications where required to construct through a given jurisdiction. The list of possibleRight of Way issues include, but are not limited to the following:

Proposed route will cross waters and wetlands under jurisdiction of the USACE (USArmy Corp of Engineers) and/or the VDEQ (Virginia Dept. of EnvironmentalQuality). The engineering firm shall assist when requested, in the notifyingUSFWS (US Fish & Wildlife Service), VDEQ and VGIF (Virginia Dept of Game andInland Fisheries). The project impacts of a buried fiber optic cable should beminimal.

Permits from Counties of jurisdiction along the proposed route. Permitrequirements include site plan approvals, surveying/recording of applicableeasements and permits to allow for construction (i.e. showing erosion andsediment plans)

Depending on route selection and method of construction, aerial facilities couldbe utilized in certain areas. If aerial construction is decided upon for certainportions of the route, the engineering firm shall work with Citizens to verify pole-attachment agreements are in place and may be requested to assist in applicationpreparation.

Citizens’ internal engineering staff will file for all highway permits with theVirginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). Multiple VDOT districts are


involved and coordination will be expected with the firm selected. There will alsobe permits required for the construction within town or city limits where VDOTmay not have existing public right of way and permits for crossing railroads,Citizens staff will handle these permits as well. In all cases, Citizens may seekassistance from the engineering firm.

Project related technical information and support documentation for applicationsseeking franchise authority and/or contractual arrangements for use of publicrights of way within towns and cities as authorized within the Commonwealth.

The work activities in Task 5 are open to budgetary negotiation. In many cases, it isdifficult to estimate the level of effort required to complete Task 5. Citizens’ is askingfor your cost estimate based on prior work experience of projects.

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