The City of Norfolk will receive sealed Bids for the above titled Project at the office of the Department of Utilities located at 400 Granby Street, 2nd floor, Norfolk, VA 23510 until 3:00 p.m. local time on Tuesday, 18 March 2008, at which time the Bids will be publicly opened and read aloud.  Any Bids received after the specified time and date will not be considered.  The Work under this Project consists of the installation of approximately 850 linear feet of 16-inch diameter PVC sewer force main, all appurtenances and connecting piping. The Contract time is 45 consecutive calendar days. 

Bid Documents may be examined at the offices of: City of Norfolk, Department of Utilities, located at 400 Granby Street, 2nd floor, Norfolk, VA 23510.  The full Invitation For Bids is available at the Department of Utilities (757-664-6701), on the City of Norfolk’s web site, http://www.norfolk.gov/Utilities/engineer/current_bids.asp, on the DemandStar web site, http://www.demandstar.com, in the local office of Builders and Contractors Exchange, Inc. (757-858-0680) and the Virginia Minority Supplier Development Council (757-823-4587).  There will be a non-refundable charge of $50 for these documents. Please make Checks or Money Orders only payable to “Department of Utilities.”  Bid Security in the amount of five percent (5%) of the Bid shall be submitted with each Bid.  All bidders must receive original copies of the bid documents directly from the office of the Department of Utilities, 400 Granby Street, 2^nd Floor, Norfolk, VA.  Requests for Bid Documents to be mailed to non-local Bidders shall be made in writing on company letterhead, accompanied by a shipping account number, check or money order and mailed to: Department of Utilities, 400 Granby Street, 2^nd floor, Norfolk, VA  23510, ATTN: Tonia Woodley. 

It is the policy of the City of Norfolk to facilitate the establishment, preservation, and strengthening of small businesses and businesses owned by women and minorities and to encourage their participation in the City’s procurement activities.  Toward that end, the City encourages these firms to compete and encourages non-minority firms to provide for the participation of small businesses and businesses owned by women and minorities through partnerships, joint ventures, subcontracts, and other contractual opportunities.  Bidders (offerors) are asked, as part of their submission, to describe any planned use of such businesses in fulfilling this contract. 

The City of Norfolk is participating in the Virginia Clean Water Revolving Loan Fund (VCWRLF) to assist in the funding of this project.  It is therefore necessary that the successful bidder be aware of the requirements established by the EPA.  Refer to the Instructions to Bidders and Section 110 - Special Provisions for details of these requirements. 

“Bidders must comply with the following: the President’s Executive Order #11246 prohibiting discrimination in employment regarding race, color, creed, sex, or national origin; the President’ Executive Order #12138 and 11625 regarding utilization of MBE/WBE firms; the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  Bidders must certify that they do not or will not maintain or provide for their employees any facilities that are segregated on the basis of race, color, creed, or national origin.”  By execution of the Bid Form and Contract Documents the contractor certifies to the afore mentioned requirements. 

The Hampton Roads Planning District Commission’s Regional Construction Standards, Fourth  Edition, October 2006 , are hereby referenced and are part of the Bid Documents, except as may be modified by the Special Provisions of this Project or as may be shown by bold type for additions and strike-throughs for deletions. Copies of the Regional Construction Standards may be purchased at the offices of the HRPDC, 723 Woodlake Drive, Chesapeake, VA 23320 (Telephone 757-420-8300) or Executive Tower, Suite 1-C, 2101 Executive Drive, Hampton, VA 23666 (Telephone 757-262-0094). 

Bid Security in the amount of five percent (5%) of the Bid shall be submitted with each Bid. 

A NON-MANDATORY PRE‑BID CONFERENCE will be held on Tuesday 4 March 2008 at 10:00 a.m. Local Time at Department of Utilities, located at 400 Granby Street, 2nd floor, Norfolk, VA 23510.   Bidders are encouraged to be present at the start of this meeting. 

Contractor registration in accordance with Title 2.2 Chapter 43, Code of Virginia is required. The Bidder shall include in its Bid the following notation:  "Licensed Virginia Contractor No. _______."  Evidence of a Class A Certificate of Registration must be shown before the bid may be received and considered under a general or sub-contract of $40,000.00 or more or when the volume of work is $300,000.00 or more within any given twelve (12) month period.  For jobs of at least $1,500.00 but less than $40,000.00, bidders are required to show evidence of a Class B Certificate of Registration.  Under the aforesaid law, it is a Class I misdemeanor to bid or engage in any work without appropriate Class A or Class B license. 

Withdrawal of Bids due to error shall be subject to and in accordance with Section 2.2-4330 of the Code of Virginia and the Contract Documents.  Procedures for submitting, withdrawing and evaluating Bids and other pertinent information are contained in the Instructions to Bidders.  All bids will be evaluated in accordance with the City of Norfolk Procurement Procedures and the City reserves the right to waive informalities and to reject bids.  The decision to award will be posed in a designated public area in accordance with Virginia Code 11-66(A). 

All construction contracts must comply with Section 33, 1-58 of the Code of the City of Norfolk, VA 1979, as amended, regarding Substance Abuse and Drug-Free Work Place policy for City Construction Contracts. (See Appendix A) 

The Owner reserves the right to waive minor non-substantive errors in the Bid, to reject any/or all Bids, to award any Bid in whole or in part and award the Bid considered to be in the best interest of the Owner.  The Owner also reserves the right to negotiate with the lowest responsive, responsible Bidder should Bid exceed available funds. 

The City of Norfolk does not discriminate in the solicitation or awarding of contracts on the basis of race, religion, faith-based organizations, color, national origin, age, disability or any other basis prohibited by state or federal law. 

By:       Kenneth R. Turner, P.E.

Engineering Manager