Project Information

Bid Title

Benthic Macroinvertebrate Community Assessment Services for the Stormwater Quality Program

Issuing Agency

City of Durham

Location

North Carolina

Published Date

Nov 21, 2025

Closing Date

Dec 3, 2025

Government Level

State & Local

Status

Closed

Ref. #

26-0089

Original Source

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Bid Documents

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Project Description

Bid Number:	26-0089
Bid Title:	Benthic Macroinvertebrate Community Assessment Services for the Stormwater Quality Program
Category:	Requests for Proposals/Qualifications and Services
Status:	Open

Description: **** RFP date, time, via EMAIL or MAIL:  Tuesday December 2, 2025, by 2:00 PM EMAIL: For security reasons, you must enable JavaScript to view this E-mail address. MAIL: Joseph Smith Engineering and Stormwater Division Environmental and Street Services 101 City Hall Plaza, Suite 3100 Durham, NC 27701-3329 **** **** Addendum 1 RFP DUE DATE CHANGE **** Publication Date/Time: 10/30/2025 8:00 AM Closing Date/Time: 12/3/2025 2:00 PM Contact Person: Joseph Smith [email protected] Related Documents: RFP_BenthicMacroinvertebrates _RFP_2025_Final Addendum 1 Memo_Benthic Macroinvertebrate Community Assessment Services

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Benthic Macroinvertebrate Community Assessment Services for the Stormwater Quality Program

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Benthic Macroinvertebrate Community Assessment Services for the Stormwater Quality Program

Date Issued: October 30, 2025

Submission Deadline: December 2nd, 2025, 2:00 PM

October 30, 2025

Benthic Macroinvertebrate Community Assessment Services for the Stormwater Quality Program

Table of Contents

10. Date of RFP: .................................................................................................................................................................... 2

20. Project Manager and Contact with City; Questions about this RFP................................................................................ 2

DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT AND NATURE OF RFP........................................................................................................................ 2

30. Project............................................................................................................................................................................. 2

40. Scope of Work. ............................................................................................................................................................... 2

50. Compensation Amount and Schedule. ........................................................................................................................... 4

60. Definitions in this RFP: City, RFP, Proposal, Candidate, Contractor, Should .................................................................. 4

70. Contract. ......................................................................................................................................................................... 4

80. Trade Secrets and Confidentiality................................................................................................................................... 4

85. Reserved. ........................................................................................................................................................................ 5

90. Bonds. ............................................................................................................................................................................. 5

100. Insurance ...................................................................................................................................................................... 5

110. Discretion of the City. ................................................................................................................................................... 6

SCHEDULE ................................................................................................................................................................................... 7

120. Schedule. ...................................................................................................................................................................... 7

130. Keeping Proposals Open ............................................................................................................................................... 7

140. Deadline to Submit Proposals....................................................................................................................................... 7

GETTING MORE INFORMATION ON THE PROJECT AND RFP PROCESS ....................................................................................... 7

150. Questions...................................................................................................................................................................... 7

160. Pre-submittal conferences, meetings, and site visits.................................................................................................... 7

170. Updates and revisions to RFP. ...................................................................................................................................... 7

EVALUATION CRITERIA................................................................................................................................................................ 7

180. Evaluation Criteria ........................................................................................................................................................ 7

190-230. Reserved ................................................................................................................................................................ 8

CONTENTS OF PROPOSAL ........................................................................................................................................................... 8

240. Contents of Proposal. ................................................................................................................................................... 8

COVER LETTER WITH PROPOSAL............................................................................................................................................... 10

250. Cover letter. ................................................................................................................................................................ 10

260. Addendums................................................................................................................................................................. 10

HOW TO SUBMIT A PROPOSAL ................................................................................................................................................. 10

270. How to submit a proposal........................................................................................................................................... 10

280. Format ........................................................................................................................................................................ 11

290. Alternative Proposals.................................................................................................................................................. 11

300. Candidate to Bear Expense; No Claims against City.................................................................................................... 11

310. State Treasurer’s lists regarding Iran and Boycott of Israel ........................................................................................ 11

320. Notice Under the Americans with Disabilities Act. ..................................................................................................... 11

330. Values of City of Durham regarding Treatment of Employees of Contractors ............................................................ 11

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October 30, 2025

Benthic Macroinvertebrate Community Assessment Services for the Stormwater Quality Program

Request for Proposals (RFP) for Benthic Macroinvertebrate

Community Assessment Services for the Stormwater Quality

Program

10. Date of RFP:

October 30, 2025

20. Project Manager and Contact with City; Questions about this RFP.

Att: Joseph Smith

Engineering and Stormwater Division

Environmental and Street Services

101 City Hall Plaza, Suite 3100

Durham, NC 27701-3329

Joseph.Smith@DurhamNC.gov

Ph: 919-560-4326 ext. 30217

If you have concerns about this RFP that you believe are not being addressed by the project manager, please contact:

T. N. Johnson, P.E.

Assistant Director, Engineering and Stormwater Division

Environmental and Street Services

Tasha.Johnson@DurhamNC.gov

Ph: 919-560-4326 ext. 30262

DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT AND NATURE OF RFP

30. Project.

The City of Durham (hereafter “the City”) maintains an ambient water quality monitoring program as part of its National

Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. As part of the monitoring program, benthic macroinvertebrates

communities are assessed at selected sites. The City is seeking services to support the assessment of these benthic

macroinvertebrate communities in calendar years (CY) 2026, 2027, and 2028. This will include four required tasks to be

completed annually. Additional sites may be sampled annually at the discretion of the City and are included as an optional

task below.

The four tasks required annually include: collection of benthic macroinvertebrates, completion of habitat assessments,

taxonomic identification of collected specimens, and calculation of the biotic index score for each site. Field collections,

habitat assessments, taxonomic identification, and biotic index calculations will be completed using methodology outlined

in NCDWR Standard Operating Procedures for the Collection and Analysis of Benthic Macroinvertebrates, February 2016, V.

5.0. Field work will be limited to wadeable streams in and around the City. Benthic macroinvertebrates will be collected

using following either the Full Scale or Qual4 protocols. After collection, the Contractor shall provide a report deliverable in

the form of an electronic workbook, all preserved specimens, and field sheets.

40. Scope of Work.

Task A (Required): Field Collection of Benthic Macroinvertebrates

Task A includes sampling for benthic macroinvertebrates at seven sites in 2026, six sites in 2027, and seven sites in 2028

(Table 1). In 2026 and 2028 four sites will be sampled using Qual4 method and three sites will be sampled using the Full

Scale method. In 2027 five sites will be sampled using Qual4 and one site will be sampled using the Full Scale method. Sites

should be sampled during the appropriate sampling season for each method.

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October 30, 2025

Benthic Macroinvertebrate Community Assessment Services for the Stormwater Quality Program

Table 1 Benthic Macroinvertebrate Community Assessment Sampling Sites, 2026-2027

Sampling Method

Sampling Season

Qual4

March 1- May 31

Full Scale

June 1- August 31

Total Number of Sites by Year

2026

4

3

7

Number of Sites per Year

2027

5

1

6

2028

4

3

7

Field collection at all sites will be led by the Contractor or their representative (hereafter “the Contractor”). The Contractor

should provide at least two field team members, one of whom is a biologist experienced in the collection of benthic

macroinvertebrates. The second member should also be familiar with both Qual4 and Full Scale sampling. The City may

provide up to two additional staff members to assist with field collections. City staff may have limited experience in the

collection of benthic macroinvertebrates and will follow the directions of the Contractor.

The City may lend sampling equipment if available. Available sampling equipment includes a kick net, sweep nets, wash

tubs, sorting trays, forceps, sieve buckets, and a fine mesh sampler (“midge getter”). It will be the Contractors responsibility

to provide any additional field sampling equipment if needed. The Contractor would also need to have access to a

microscope of sufficient power for taxonomic identification of small invertebrates such as members of the Chironomidae

family. The contractor should also provide all slides, collection vessels, and preservatives as needed.

Field collection should be scheduled with City Project Manager at least one week in advance. Alternative days should also

be scheduled in the event of adverse weather or elevated flows. Equipment and staffing needs should also be scheduled at

that time. The Contractor should allow for enough time to sample all scheduled field sites.

Task B (Required): Habitat Assessments and Documentation of Site Conditions

Task B includes the completion of habitat assessments at each sampling site by the Contractor. The City uses the North

Carolina Division of Water Resources Mountain/Piedmont Habitat Assessment method. The Contractor should be familiar

with these methods and lead the assessment. Digital photographs of the riffle sampled, upstream, and downstream should

also be taken by the Contractor. Either a copy of the field sheets or scores from subcategories should be included in the

report deliverable.

Task C (Required): Taxonomic identification

The contractor should be familiar with benthic macroinvertebrates commonly found in the piedmont region of North

Carolina. Specimens should be collected in the field and preserved for taxonomic identification in a laboratory. The

Contractor may elect to return live specimens to the stream if they are capable of identification to the species level during

collection. The Contractor should also return any specimens from the North Carolina Protected Species List alive and

unharmed.

Taxonomic identification is the responsibility of the Contractor. Taxonomic identification should occur to the lowest level

feasible, typically the genus or species, as outlined in the NCDWR Standard Operation Procedures for the Collection and

Analysis of Benthic Macroinvertebrates, February 2016, V. 5.0. Taxonomic guides may be found at

https://www.deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/water-resources/water-sciences/biological-assessment-branch/north-carolina-

taxonomic-guides. Larval stages of the Chironomidae family should be slide mounted and identified using a compound

microscope.

Task D (Required): Biotic Index Calculations and Report Deliverable

Following taxonomic identification, The Contractor should list the genus or species, number of individuals, and their

associated tolerance value in an electronic spreadsheet. Tolerance values are found in the Appendix of NCDWR Standard

Operation Procedures for the Collection and Analysis of Benthic Macroinvertebrates, February 2016, V. 5.0. This spreadsheet

should also include the biotic index score and bioclassification.

Sites located in the Triassic Basin ecoregion are not typically assigned a biotic index score or bioclassification. As part of Task

D, the Contractor should calculate the biotic index score and bioclassification for all sites, including those located in the

Triassic Basin ecoregion.

Deliverables for this project include the electronic spreadsheet described above, forms, photos, and preserved field

specimens. The deliverables should be provided to the City Project Manager by November 1st of each contract year.

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October 30, 2025

Benthic Macroinvertebrate Community Assessment Services for the Stormwater Quality Program

Task E (Optional) Additional Sites

Additional sites may be sampled each calendar year at the discretion of the City Project Manager and if resources are

available. While additional sites as part of Task E are not guaranteed or expected, this work may be added based on

program needs. It is anticipated that only one to two additional sites may be needed in a given calendar year. The City

Project Manager will notify the Contractor of additional sites at least one month in advance of the sampling season. The

method used to sample additional sites and schedule for sampling will then be agreed upon by both the City Project

Manager and the Contractor.

It is expected that additional sites would be sampled in the appropriate sampling season outlined in Table 1. Additional

sampling sites may require additional sampling days depending on the number of sites requested. If additional sites are

sampled, the Contractor should also collect habitat assessments and document site conditions, complete taxonomic

identification, calculate the biotic index score, and complete the deliverables as outlined in Tasks A, B, C, and D for the

added sites.

50. Compensation Amount and Schedule.

Invoices from the Contractor are expected following the completion of tasks (A-C) and following receipt of deliverables in

task D by the City Project Manager. Invoices may be submitted to the City Project Manager at the end of each sampling

season or by November 1 of each year.

60. Definitions in this RFP: City, RFP, Proposal, Candidate, Contractor, Should.

Unless the context indicates otherwise – (a) The expressions “RFP,” “this RFP,” and “the RFP” refer to this document as it

may be amended or updated. (b) “City” and “city” mean the City of Durham. (c) The “proposal” or "Bid" is the response of

a person, firm, or corporation proposing to provide the services sought by this RFP. (d) The word “Candidate” or

“candidate” is the person, firm, or corporation that submits a proposal or that is considering submitting a proposal. (e) The

word “Contractor” or “contractor” is the person, firm, or corporation with which the City enters into a contract to provide

the services sought by this RFP. That is, “contractor” generally refers to a successful candidate that has obtained a fully

executed contract with the City, while “candidate” is generally reserved to the stage before a contract has been signed. (f)

The word “should” is used to tell candidates what the City thinks it wants and/or what the project manager thinks is best.

Candidates that want to increase the likelihood of being selected will, in general, do what the RFP says candidates “should”

do, but failure to comply with all “shoulds” will not necessarily and automatically result in rejection.

70. Contract.

The City anticipates that at the conclusion of the RFP process there will be a contract between the City and the successful

candidate under which the successful candidate will provide the goods and services generally described in this RFP. It is the

City’s intention to use the contract that is attached as Exhibit A, modified and filled in to reflect the RFP and the proposal. If

a candidate objects to any of the contract provisions, it should state the objections in its proposal. Failure to provide

objections creates an assumption that the candidate accepts all standard City contract terms and conditions.

If federal assistance or funds are used in conjunction with the services provided by the candidate, clauses for contracts

involving federal financial assistance shall be incorporated into contract. The Candidate is required to be familiar with these

federal assistance clauses and to comply with them.

80. Trade Secrets and Confidentiality.

As a general rule, all submissions to the City are available to any member of the public. However, if materials qualify as

provided in this section, the City will take reasonable steps to keep trade secrets confidential.

Definitions.

In this section (Trade Secrets and Confidentiality) –

The term “candidate” includes the candidate as contractor (that is, after it is a party to a contract with the City).

The term “trade secret” means business or technical information, including but not limited to a formula, pattern,

program, device, compilation of information, method, technique, or process that:

a. Derives independent actual or potential commercial value from not being generally known or readily

ascertainable through independent development or reverse engineering by persons who can obtain economic

value from its disclosure or use; and

b. Is the subject of efforts that are reasonable under the circumstances to maintain its secrecy.

The existence of a trade secret shall not be negated merely because the information comprising the trade

secret has also been developed, used, or owned independently by more than one person, or licensed to other

persons.

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October 30, 2025

Commodity Codes

• NAICS 541330Engineering Services
• NAICS 541611Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services
• NAICS 541620Environmental Consulting Services
• NAICS 541690Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services

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