Contract Advertisement Document

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Engineering, Surveying, and Inspection Services
April 01, 2005

STATE PROJECT NO. 700-17-0195
FEDERAL AID PROJECT NO. BR-1705(500)
I-10 MISSISSIPPI RIVER BRIDGE AT BATON ROUGE
ROUTE I-10
EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH

Under Authority granted by Title 48 of Louisiana Revised Statutes, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) hereby issues a Request for Qualification Statements (RFQ) on Standard Form 24-102 (SF 24-102), “Professional Engineering and Related Services”, revised January 2003, from Consulting Firms (Consultant) to perform engineering, inspection and surveying services required for the subject project. All requirements of Louisiana Professional Engineering and Land Surveying (LAPELS) Board must be met prior to the execution of the contract. One Prime-Consultant/Sub-Consultant(s) (Consultant/Team) will be selected for this contract.

Project Manager – Mr. Ngoan Ngoc Ong, P.E., he may be reached at (225) 379-1500.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The selected Consultant/Team will conduct all inspection, surveying and engineering services for the I-10 Mississippi River Bridge at Baton Rouge, on Route I-10 to determine the existing condition, to report their findings, and to design repair of the deficient elements. The overall length of the main river crossing I-10 Mississippi River Bridge, Structure Number 4500900001, is 4,550.3 feet. It consists of three through truss main bridge spans with a total length of 2,423 feet, three east bound deck truss approach spans with a total length of 772 feet, and three west bound deck truss approach spans with a total length of 1,355.3 feet.

SCOPE OF SERVICES

The selected Consultant/Team will provide all services required to perform an in-depth inspection of the bridge, and to design repair of the deficient elements.

The scope of services is more specifically described as follows:

1) A detailed, in-depth field inspection will be performed on all components of the superstructure and all components of the substructure above ground or above water in conformance with AASHTO Manual for Maintenance Inspection of Bridges.

The field investigation of the bridge shall be conducted in a systematic and organized procedure that will be efficient and minimize the possibility of any bridge component being overlooked. Notes must be clear and detailed to the extent that they can be fully interpreted at a later date when a complete report is prepared. Sketches and photographs shall be included in an effort to minimize long wordy descriptions.

The inspection shall be conducted to meet or exceed the requirements expressed in the AASHTO Manual for Maintenance Inspection of Bridges, current issues, the United States Department of Transportation Bridge Inspector’s Reference Manual, October 2002, and the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development Bridge Inspection Report, A Guide to Reporting and Rating.

An assessment of the coating system shall be conducted by a certified SSPC Protective Coating Specialist or a certified NACE Bridge Coating Inspector to determine the condition of the existing coating system of the bridge.

Acoustic Emission (AE) monitoring shall be performed to detect any cracks in the floor beams, and to re-evaluate the retrofit of the floor beams. The Consultant/Team shall schedule the AE monitoring ahead of the inspection of the bridge. A separate report for AE shall be provided to DOTD sixty (60) calendar days following the Notice to Proceed date.

The Consultant/Team shall take all necessary precautions, including the maintenance of traffic, to ensure the safety of the traveling public and the inspection personnel. All necessary traffic control, inspection and bridge access equipment shall be provided by the Consultant/Team.

2) A formal, bound bridge inspection report, document of supplemental information including details, photographs, and sketches highlighting problem areas and their evaluation shall be provided in a format proposed by the Consultant/Team and agreed upon in advance of execution of the inspection by the Department.

A separated summary overview of the inspection report shall also be provided by the Consultant/Team.

The Consultant/Team shall provide five completed reports and five summary overview reports in the format previously discussed. All photographs will be in 3 ½” x 5” or 4” x 6” format reproduced from 35 millimeter color print film. Duplicate reports will also have color photographs. All original negatives shall become property of the Department, even if prints are not used in the report.

Photographs made with a digital camera having a minimum image resolution of four Megapixels will be an acceptable alternative. Digital data will also be provided if digital camera is used.

All photographs, negatives, and/or digital data shall be provided in a pocket at the end of each report.

All field notes shall be bound and submitted along with the bridge inspection report.

The Consultant/Team shall also provide an electronic version of the inspection report to DOTD.

The Consultant/Team shall update any errors found on the Pontis Structure Inventory and Appraisal Sheet. The Pontis Structure Inventory and Appraisal Sheet will be provided to the Consultant prior to the inspection. Inspection information shall be recorded on the Pontis Structure Inventory and Appraisal Sheet by condition state for each element as per the LADOTD Pontis Manual and submitted to the Department so that it can be entered into the Pontis database.

3) The Department’s bridge inspection report form shall be completed according to the aforementioned Guide noting the condition of generally listed bridge components.

4) All deteriorated members will be measured in detail for losses.

5) Roadway slabs, curbs, and barriers shall be inspected. All structural components shall be inspected. Bearings are to be inspected in- depth, noting location and temperature. Punch marks are to be placed for future inspection reference. All joints shall be inspected, measured and marked for future reference. The temperature at the time shall also be recorded. Electrical conduit, electrical junction box, navigational light, aerial obstruction beacons shall be inspected. A cursory inspection is to be made of the piers and the fender system above the ground or water. If any serious problems are detected or suspected as a result of this inspection, a more in-depth inspection will be negotiated as extra work at the discretion of the Department. No diver’s inspection will be made of the underwater portions. When existing, recent soundings of the river in the vicinity of the bridge will be made available to the Consultant/Team. Extensive testing or measuring such as coupon sampling, half-cell corrosion detection, radiographic or ultrasonic crack detection shall not be performed under this contract, but acoustic emissions testing shall be performed as per details described under Item No. 10. Sounding concrete and steel connections with inspection hammers and steel thickness measurements with electronic thickness meters are typical of what is expected. Deteriorated and deficient conditions discovered during the inspection will be reported along with recommendations as to the necessity of repair or replacement of structure components.

6) The inspection is to include the main bridge trusses (three through truss main bridge spans), the deck truss approach spans (three approach spans at each end of the three through truss main bridge spans), the roadway and its support members, the roadway floor beams and brackets, and all other components within the inspected structure.

7) Inspection shall be performed by climbing the bridge. The Consultant/Team will drop off inspectors and small tools for inspection, cleaning, visual aid, measuring…at the access areas. A moving lane closure for 10 -15 minutes will be allowed. The Consultant/Team shall use police officer with training in Law Enforcement in Work Zones to close the lane for the moving lane closure. The Consultant/Team will also be allowed to close one lane of traffic to bring in equipments for performing the Acoustic Emission inspection and/or monitoring of the floor beams. Temporary Traffic Control shall be as per Standard Details. It is assumed that the Consultant/Team will only need two set ups and two removal of the equipments for the Acoustic Emission. The Consultant/Team shall also be required to use police officer with training in Law Enforcement in Work Zones to close the lane.

8) Field inspection of the main bridge trusses shall include the followings:

The substructures of the main through truss bridge will receive a cursory visual inspection of those portions above ground or above water. Major cracks and spalls will be noted, but no diver’s inspection will be made of the under water portions.

The fender system of the main through truss bridge will receive a cursory visual inspection of those portions above water. Any decay, loose or failed members will be noted, but no diver’s inspection will be made of the under water portions.

Truss members and truss joints of the through trusses will be inspected in detail for cracks, loose and missing rivets and bolts, corrosion of members, gusset plates and splice plates. Alignment of members will be checked. Extent of paint protection and corrosion will be noted, and loss of section, if any, will be measured.

Lateral bracing, sway bracing and wind links will be examined for alignment, corrosion, loose and missing rivets and bolts, collision damage, cracks, etc. Where corrosion is severe, loss of section will be measured. Wind links and wind tongues will be examined for signs of satisfactory recent movement.

Dummy chords will be examined for signs of free movement. A reference system of punch marks will be established from which measurements will be taken and to which future measurements should be correlated. Temperature will be noted.

Fixed bearings will be inspected and expansion bearings will be examined insofar as possible. Current relative position will be measured, temperature noted, and a system of punch marks established for correlation of future measurements.

Expansion joints in roadways will be inspected and measurements of opening recorded, along with temperature. Punch marks will be established for correlation of future measurements.

The underside of the roadways, roadway floor beams, roadway stringers and their bearings, and bracing members will be inspected. The inspection will note cracks, loose and missing rivets and bolts, corrosion, loss of section, mis-alignment, etc.
An inspection of roadways from the top side will be made to evaluate condition of pavement, spalls at joints, handrail condition, and sidewalk condition.

9) Field inspection of the deck truss approach spans shall include the followings:

The substructure of the deck truss approach spans will receive a cursory visual inspection of those portions above ground or above water. Major cracks and spalls will be noted, but no diver’s inspection will be made of the under water portions.

Truss members and truss joints of the deck truss approach spans will be inspected in detail for cracks, loose and missing rivets and bolts, corrosion of members, gusset plates and splice plates. Alignment of members will be checked. Extent of paint protection and corrosion will be noted, and loss of section, if any, will be measured.

The underside of roadways, roadway floor beams, roadway brackets, roadway girders, girder bearings, and bracing members will be inspected. Cracks, loose and missing rivets and bolts, corrosion, loss of section, mis-alignment, etc. will be noted and diagnosed.

The top of the roadways will be inspected to evaluate condition of pavement, spalls at joints, handrail condition, and sidewalk condition. Expansion joints will be inspected for signs of recent movement. The opening will be measured, along with temperature, and a system of punch marks established for correlation of future measurements.

10) The Consultant/Team shall investigate if additional pier movement has occurred. A survey shall be conducted to determine the horizontal and vertical location of Pier Nos. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9. The Consultant/Team will obtain State Plane Coordinates at the center of Pier Nos. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, and at the center of the North and South Grillage Plates of Pier Nos. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. The Consultant/Team can locate the monuments (disks) that were set on top of the piers during the 1995 and 1996 surveys instead of the Grillage Plates. Coordinates will be referenced to North American Datum 1983. The Consultant/Team will obtain elevations on the North and South Grillage of Pier Nos. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. The elevations will be referenced to the same vertical Bench Mark used in the 1995 and 1996 surveys. A sketch will be prepared showing the coordinates, elevations, distances between piers, and the offset distances to the center of piers left and right of project centerline. These survey data shall be compared with as built condition and survey data in 1995, and 1996 to determine if additional pier movement has occurred. If any serious problems are detected or suspected as a result of this investigation, a more in-depth investigation will be negotiated as extra work at the discretion of the Department

11) Acoustic Emission (AE) shall be performed to detect any cracks in floor beams and in the retrofit of floor beams. A total of 30 sites as selected by DOTD shall be instrumented for AE inspection and/or monitoring. Each site shall be instrumented with a minimum of eight AE sensors and strain gauges. Five of these sensors will be set up as guard sensors, three of these sensors will be used to collect data. Strain gauge data will be recorded along with the AE data so that a comparison can be made. Data shall be recorded for a period of two hours at each set up during normal traffic. Both AE data and strain gauge data will be permanently stored on the hard drive. Data from each site will be analyzed and reported. Each site will be listed from worst to best and if active crack growth is detected, the location of the crack tip will be given.

12) An assessment of the coating system shall be conducted.

The selected Consultant/Team shall perform such services and shall be responsible for the following:

a) Physical inspection of the extent of corrosion will be conducted in accordance with ASTM F 1130-99 diagrams for “Overall Extent of Failure” and “Extent within Affected Area”. The type of corrosion must be associated with the rating.
b) Laboratory tests shall be conducted to determine level of lead contained in the coating system in accordance with ASTM D 3618-85a.
c) Field tests shall be conducted to determine adhesive strength of the existing primer in accordance with ASTM D 4541-02.
d) Field tests shall be conducted to determine thickness of the existing coating system in accordance with ASTM D 1186-01.

All Physical inspection, Laboratory tests, and Field tests results shall be reported by structure and segment number (segment sequence information to be provided by LADOTD).

An estimated square footage take-off shall be performed for each segment of the bridge to correspond with the coating evaluation above. This take-off shall be conducted in a manner similar to an element level inventory. For example, structure number xxx, segment xxx, contains xxx lineal feet of section WF18x77, xxx lineal feet of 36”x1” plate, xxx lineal feet of section L 6x6x9/16, etc…

13) Recommendations as to repairs, corrections, and any other maintenance functions shall be incorporated into the report where deficiencies and deterioration are reported and summarized at the conclusion of the inspection report.

14) The Consultant/Team shall design and prepare corrective details for the roadway expansion dam at Pier No. 7, and the false chord expansion joints at panel point Nos. 21 and 35.

15) the Department’s equipment and personnel shall not be available for the Consultant/Team’s use. However, the Department’s personnel shall be allowed access to all parts of the inspection.

16) All Sub-Consultants must have Department approval.

17) Traffic control operations and procedures when necessary will be the responsibility of the Consultant/Team. These operations and procedures will be coordinated through the Department’s District 61 Headquarters. Traffic will be maintained at all times.

Only one lane of traffic can be closed, and lane closure shall be limited to the following:

a) Eastbound Lane: lane closure shall be allowed between the hours of 7 P.M. to 5 A.M. Monday through Friday, and from 8 P.M. Friday to 10 A.M. Saturday.
b) Westbound Lane: lane closure shall be allowed between the hours of 7 P.M. to 1 P.M. Monday through Thursday, from 6 P.M. Thursday to 10 A.M. Friday, from 8 P.M. Friday to 2 P.M. Saturday, and from 6 P.M. Saturday to 2 P.M. Sunday.

18. A stand by boat with operator for the safety of the inspectors shall be provided in accordance with OSHA.

19. A daily log shall be prepared to show the personnel and equipment used and listing those items inspected in a manner that corresponds with standard nomenclature as is used on the original plans.

The Consultant/Team shall institute his own quality control process to assure that all inspection requirements are being met. The quality control process will also be subject to advance approval and audit throughout the program by the DOTD

A walk-through of the bridge will be held Thursday, April 14, 2005. This is not a mandatory field walk-through, however, all Consultant/Teams, interested in submitting the Qualification Statement, are encouraged to attend this field visit. For additional information, please contact the Project Manager.

REFERENCES

All designs and engineering documents will meet the standard requirements as to format and content of the DOTD; and will be prepared in accordance with the latest applicable editions, supplements and revisions of the following:

1. AASHTO Standards, ASTM Standards or DOTD Test Procedures
2. DOTD Location and Survey Manual
3. DOTD Roadway Design Procedures and Details
4. DOTD Hydraulics Manual
5. DOTD Standard Specifications for Roads and Bridges
6. Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (Millennium Edition)
7. DOTD Traffic Signal Design Manual
8. National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
9. National Electric Safety Code
10. DOTD Environmental Impact Procedures (Vols. I-III)
11. Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets
12. Construction Contract Administration Manual
13. Materials Sampling Manual
14. DOTD Bridge Design Manual
15. Consultant Contract Services Manual
16. Geotechnical Engineering Services Document
17. Bridge Inspector's Reference Manual

The inspection services shall be performed in accordance with the following publications covering bridge inspection standards of practice:

1. Manual for Condition Evaluation of Bridges, American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials.
2. Bridge Inspector's Reference Manual, October 2002, United States Department of Transportation / Federal Highway Administration.
3. Inspection of Fracture Critical Bridge Members United States Department of Transportation / Federal Highway Administration.
4. National Bridge Inspection Standard, Code of Federal Regulations 23 - Highways, Part 650, Subpart C.
5. Manual for Maintenance Inspection of Bridge, American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials.
6. Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development Bridge Inspection Report, A Guide to Reporting and Rating.

Manuals listed above may be purchased from the vendors listed below:

AASHTO Publications
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
444 N. Capitol Street, NW, Suite 225
Washington, D.C. 20001
Telephone 1-888-227-4860

FHWA Manuals
U.S. Government Printing Office
Washington, D.C. 20402
Telephone (301) 577-0818

COMPENSATION

Compensation for the physical condition inspection will be actual cost (subject to DOTD maximum limitations on salary and overhead rates) plus a fixed fee, with a maximum limitation of $390,125.

CONTRACT TIME

The consultant will proceed with the services specified herein after the execution of this contract and upon written Notice-To-Proceed from the DOTD, and will not exceed 180 calendar days, including review time. The delivery schedule for all project deliverables will be established by the Project Manager.

MINIMUM PERSONNEL REQUIREMENTS

The following requirements must be met at the time of submittal:

1. At least one Principal of the Prime-Consultant under consideration shall be a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of Louisiana.
2. At least one Principal or other Responsible Member of the Prime-Consultant shall be currently Registered in Louisiana as a Professional Civil Engineer.
3. The Prime-Consultant must employ on a full time basis a minimum of two Registered Professional Civil Engineers in the State of Louisiana, including one with at least five years experience in bridge design/structural inspection of river crossing structures comparable to the I-10 Mississippi River Bridge at Baton Rouge, and a corresponding support staff.
4. In addition to the above requirements, the Prime-Consultant must also employ on a full time basis, or through the use of a Sub-Consultant(s):
a. A minimum of one qualified Structural Bridge Inspector Team Leader. The team leader must, at a minimum:
(1) Be a registered professional engineer, and have successfully completed a Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) approved comprehensive bridge inspection training course, or;
(2) Have five years experience in major bridge inspection/evaluation of damaged bridge members, and have successfully completed an FHWA approved comprehensive bridge inspection training course, or;
(3) Be certified as a Level III or IV Bridge Safety Inspector under the National Society of Professional Engineer’s program for National Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET) and have successfully completed an FHWA approved comprehensive bridge inspection training course, or;
(4) Have a bachelor’s degree in engineering from a college or university accredited by or determined as substantially equivalent by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology; and have successfully passed the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying Fundamentals of Engineering examination; and have two years of bridge inspection experience; and have successfully completed an FHWA approved comprehensive bridge inspection training course, or;
(5) Have an associate's degree in engineering or engineering technology from a college or university accredited by or determined as substantially equivalent by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology; and have four years of bridge inspection experience; and have successfully completed an FHWA approved comprehensive bridge inspection training course.
b. A minimum of one qualified Structural Bridge Inspector who has successfully completed an FHWA approved comprehensive bridge inspection training course.
c. One certified Society for Protective Coatings (SSPC) Protective Coatings Specialist or certified NACE Bridge Coating Inspector.
d. One acoustic emission Level III Inspector.
e. One Registered Professional Land Surveyor in the State of Louisiana, and a corresponding support survey staff.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

The general criteria to be used by DOTD (when applicable) in evaluating responses for the selection of a Consultant to perform these services are:

1. Consultant’s firm experience on similar projects, weighting factor of 3;
2. Consultant’s personnel experience on similar projects, weighting factor of 4;
3. Consultant’s firm size as related to the estimated project cost, weighting factor of 3;
4. Consultant’s past performance on similar DOTD projects, weighting factor of 6;
5. Consultant’s current work load, weighting factor of 5;
6. Location where the work will be performed, weighting factor of 4;

Consultants will be evaluated as indicated in Items 1- 6. The evaluation will be by means of a point-based rating system. Each of the above criteria will receive a rating on a scale of 0-4. Then the rating will be multiplied by the corresponding weighting factor. The firm’s ratings in each category will then be added to arrive at the Consultant’s final rating.

If Sub-Consultants are used, each member of the Consultant/Team will be evaluated on their part of the contract proportional to the amount of their work. The individual team member ratings will then be added to arrive at the Consultant/Team rating.

The following estimates of work categories will be used in the Consultant Evaluation Process. These percentages are based on the overall project:

Survey Services - 5%
Bridge Design - 10%
Inspection Services - 85%

DOTD's Consultant Evaluation Committee will be responsible for performing the above described evaluation, and presenting a short list of the three (if three are qualified) highest rated Consultants to the Secretary of the DOTD. The Secretary will make the final selection.

CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

The selected Consultant will be required to execute the contract within 10 days after receipt of the contract.

INSURANCE - During the term of this contract, the Consultant will carry professional liability insurance in the amount of $1,000,000. The Prime-Consultant may require the Sub-consultant(s) to carry professional liability insurance. This insurance will be written on a “claims-made” basis. Prior to executing the contract, the Consultant will provide a Certificate of Insurance to DOTD showing evidence of such professional liability insurance.

AUDIT - The selected Consultant/Team will allow the DOTD Audit Section to perform an annual overhead audit of their books, or provide an independent Certified Public Accountant (CPA) audited overhead rate. This rate must be developed using Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) and guidelines provided by the DOTD Audit Section. In addition, the Consultant/Team will submit semi-annual labor rate information, when requested by DOTD.

The selected Consultant/Team will maintain, an approved Project Cost System and segregate direct from indirect cost in their General Ledger. Pre-award and post audits, as well as interim audits, may be required. For audit purposes, the selected Consultant/Team will maintain accounting records for a minimum of five years after final contract payment.

Any Consultant currently under contract with the DOTD and who has not met all the audit requirements documented in the manual and/or notices posted on the DOTD Consultant Contract Services Website (www.dotd.louisiana.gov), will not be considered for this project.

SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTS

One original (stamped original) and four copies of the SF 24-102 must be submitted to DOTD. Inspector’s certifications must be included in the SF 24-102. All submittals must be in accordance with the requirements of this advertisement and the Consultant Contract Services Manual. Any Consultant/Team failing to submit any of the information required on the SF 24-102, or provide inaccurate information on the SF 24-102, will be considered non-responsive.

Any Sub-Consultants to be used, including Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Sub-Consultants, in performance of this contract must also submit a SF 24-102, completely filled out and containing information pertinent to the work to be performed.

The Sub-Consultant’s SF 24-102 must be firmly bound to the Consultant’s SF 24-102. In Section 9, the Consultant’s SF 24-102 must describe the work elements to be performed by the Sub-Consultant(s), and state the approximate percentage of each work element to be subcontracted to each Sub-Consultant.

Name(s) of the Consultant/Team listed on the SF 24-102, must precisely match the name(s) filed with the Louisiana Secretary of State, Corporation Division, and the Louisiana State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors.
The SF 24-102 will be identified with State Project No. 700-17-0195 and will be submitted prior to 3:00 p.m. on Monday, April 25, 2005, by hand delivery or mail addressed to:
Department of Transportation and Development
Attn.: Dr. Babak Naghavi, P.E., P.H.
Consultant Contract Services Administrator
1201 Capitol Access Road, Room 405-T
Baton Rouge, LA 70802-4438 or
Post Office Box 94245
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70804-9245
Telephone: (225) 379-1989

REVISIONS TO THE RFQ

DOTD reserves the right to revise any part of the RFQ by issuing an addendum to the RFQ at any time. Issuance of this RFQ in no way constitutes a commitment by DOTD to award a contract. DOTD reserves the right to accept or reject, in whole or part, all Qualification Statements submitted and/or cancel this announcement if it is determined to be in DOTD’s best interest. All materials submitted in response to this announcement become the property of DOTD and selection or rejection of a submittal does not affect this right. DOTD also reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to waive administrative informalities contained in the RFQ.