At an Aug. 29 special meeting, the San Juan Water Conservancy District (SJWCD) Board of Directors approved the distribution of a request for proposals (RFP) for engineering and other work on the district’s reservoir project located on the Running Iron Ranch.
The RFP had previously been a subject of discussion at several SJWCD board meetings, and a subcommittee of the board composed of board members Charles Riehm and Randy Cooper worked on drafting the RFP as well as on consulting with a variety of engineering firms who might be interested in working with the SJWCD on the project about the proper format and approach to the RFP.
This engineering builds upon previous engineering work and feasibility analyses by Ehat Consulting and Yeh and Associates over the previous two years.
At the Aug. 29 meeting, Riehm explained that the form of the RFP before the board incorporated previous board feedback, feedback from discussions with the engineering firms the subcommittee consulted and the issues discussed within the subcommittee.
He stated that the firms the RFP would be sent out to are already aware of the project and have previously received and reviewed information about it, including previous technical and engineering work commissioned by the SJWCD.
He added that the firm selected would be the SJWCD’s “primary partner” through to the completion of the dam project, although additional subcontractors might be retained as needed.
Riehm indicated that the RFP would be distributed on Sept. 2 and that there would be an approximately 45-day window for firms to submit final proposals to the SJWCD.
He stated that firms would be asked to notify the SJWCD that they intend to bid on the project by Sept. 9, which would be followed by a bidder’s conference around Sept. 16 and site visits scheduled as feasible for each firm.
A final response would be required by Oct. 15, Riehm stated, with additional interviews with bidders to be scheduled as needed.
He indicated that the SJWCD will have a board meeting on Oct. 20 and would potentially review bids and make a selection at the meeting, although this could also occur later if more negotiation or discussion with bidders is needed.
Riehm noted that this schedule is driven by the board’s goal of applying for funding from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Small Storage Program to support further reservoir development in February 2026.
The board then discussed the logistics and details of the RFP, including how to properly instruct bidders about what project design standards they would need to comply with to meet the district’s goals and federal grant requirements and how specifically the RFP should stipulate what information firms should provide to the SJWCD.
After a lengthy discussion of the RFP’s details and the addition of some components, including language on the potential project standards for the reservoir, the board unanimously voted to approve the RFP as discussed and authorize Riehm and Cooper to distribute it to the interested firms on Sept. 2.
josh@pagosasun.com
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