Upcoming Purchases & Bid Solicitations
Upcoming Purchases and Bid Solicitations
STATEMENT OF QUALIFICATIONS -- BENJAMIN FRANKLIN AND WALT WHITMAN BRIDGE BIENNIAL INSPECTION
I. INTRODUCTION
The Delaware River Port Authority (“Authority” or “DRPA”) is a bi-state corporate instrumentality of the State of New Jersey and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The DRPA owns and operates four major toll bridge crossings of the Delaware River; the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, the Walt Whitman Bridge, the Commodore Barry Bridge, and the Betsy Ross Bridge. Each bridge facility includes office buildings, maintenance shops, garages, and other buildings and structures. In addition, the DRPA owns real property in the vicinity of the bridges. The Authority’s transit subsidiary, PATCO, operates a rapid transit line providing public transport service between Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey.
Additional information about the DRPA and its operations may be obtained by reviewing annual reports available on the DRPA’s website at www.drpa.org, “About DRPA, Annual Reports.”
II. PURPOSE AND INTENT
The Authority hereby invites interested professional consulting engineering firms to submit a Statement of Qualifications (“SOQ”) for performing the Biennial Inspection of the Benjamin Franklin and Walt Whitman Bridges Project (the “Project”). This public advertisement constitutes the Authority’s formal solicitation to determine the interest of qualified firms in the aforementioned project.
The Scope of Services the Authority requires will include performing a detailed inspection of all aspects of the facility, preparing an evaluation of the condition of the facility, ratings, sign structures inspection and preparing a detailed report of the findings. Work will also include providing recommendations for required maintenance and repair work, along with cost estimates for the work.
These inspections will include roadways, bridges, PATCO tunnel and sign structures under the jurisdiction of the Authority. It is anticipated that inspection work will begin by March of 2026 and that all inspection work will be completed and a Draft Report with a Condition Certification Letter submitted by September 25, 2026, and a Final Report completed by December 23, 2026. Special/Interim inspection will be performed in 2027.
During the course of this work, the Consultant will be provided with certain information relating to the Authority’s activities and facilities which the DRPA regards as proprietary and/or confidential. Consequently, the Consultant and staff utilized by the on-site Consultant as part of this work will be required to possess Transportation Workers’ Identification Credential (“TWIC”) cards and sign the Delaware River Port Authority Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure Agreement prior to receiving the Request for Proposal. Consultants are encouraged to apply for a TWIC card as soon as possible if they intend to submit a Statement of Qualification for this project. There is an approximate six-week timeframe within which to receive a TWIC card after application. A copy of the DRPA Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure Agreement will be provided to the short-listed firms for execution along with a copy of the Delaware River Port Authority Handbook for Protecting Security Information in advance of receiving the Request for Proposal.
The Statement of Qualifications will be used by the Authority to establish a short list of qualified consultants to receive a Request for Proposal and to engage a consultant for this project. Qualified consultants will be issued one (1) Request for Proposal for either the Benjamin Franklin or Walt Whitman Bridge based on the consultants’ indicated preferences, technical rankings, and the best interests of the Authority. Attempts will be made to satisfy consultant preferences, however, the DRPA may not be able to honor these preferences in order to maintain a competitive process. For quality assurance purposes, the Authority will endeavor not to have the same prime consultant on the same facility for consecutive Biennial Inspection cycles, but may waive this prohibition if it is deemed in the best interest of the Authority or necessary to enhance competition during the solicitation phase.
III. REQUESTED INFORMATION
The SOQ shall describe, in five (5) pages or less the following:
A. Qualification of the firm including any subconsultants and the key personnel on the inspection team.
B. Clearly indicate which structure(s) the consultant would like to be considered for (BFB, WWB, or Both) and indicate a preference in structure (BFB or WWB) if the consultant would like to be considered for both.
C. Briefly describe similar consultation projects successfully completed in the last five years by the firm and the key personnel.
D. The current workload of the firm.
E. Location of the office where the work will be performed.
F. Additional Submission Requirement: U.S. Government Forms SF330 (the SF330 Forms will not count toward the five (5) page submission limit).
IV. SOQ SUBMISSION AND DUE DATE
One (1) electronic copy of the written SOQ and U.S. Government Forms SF330 must be submitted, in PDF format, electronically via the Ariba Network no later than 2:00 pm EST on Thursday, April 3, 2025.
LATE, FAXED, E-MAILED, AND/OR HARDCOPIES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. The Ariba submission requirement is mandatory and non-waivable.
In order to participate in this SOQ and receive an invitation to the solicitation event, please send a request, via e-mail, to the following Contracting Officer: Amy Ash - alash@drpa.org. If a response is not received within two (2) business days, please resend the request and copy to vendors@drpa.org on your e-mail.
In order to access the SOQ event, you must be registered on the Ariba Network and have completed the Authority's supplier registration questionnaire. If you have not already done so, you can register on the Ariba Network at any time. Registration is free, quick and easy. Please go to the DRPA Procurement website: http://www.drpa.org/procurement for registration instructions and additional information. For questions about the Ariba registration process or registration technical issues, please send an e-mail to vendors@drpa.org.
Firms should ensure that they can access and upload files in Ariba prior to the submission deadline. It is the respondent’s responsibility to ensure submission of its SOQ to the proper place at the proper time. Absent an emergency or unanticipated event that interrupts normal Authority processes so that SOQs cannot be received via Ariba by the exact time specified in the SOQ, the Authority will not extend the submission deadline for an interested firm due to its technical difficulties.
V. SINGLE POINT OF CONTACT
The DRPA has established a Single Point of Contact for this SOQ. From the issue date of this advertisement, the Single Point of Contact shall be the Contracting Officer whose name and contact information appears below. Please refer all inquiries related to the to the Contracting Officer.
Any violation of this condition (excluding any Ariba supplier registration questions, which should be addressed by e-mailing vendors@drpa.org) may be cause for the Authority to reject the offending firm. Respondents agree not to distribute any part of their SOQ beyond the Authority’s Contract Administration Department. A Respondent that shares information contained in its SOQ with other Authority personnel may be disqualified and its SOQ may be rejected.
The Single Point of Contact for this Project is:
Amy Ash, Manager Contract Administration
alash@drpa.org
856-968-2084
VI. EVALUATION OF SOQs
All SOQs will be reviewed to determine responsiveness. The Authority may reject non-responsive SOQs without evaluation but may waive minor non-compliance.
All SOQs will be reviewed by an Evaluation Committee who will make recommendations regarding which Respondents the Committee believes to be qualified. The evaluation team will evaluate and rank each SOQ considering the following factors; the order of factors should not be considered determinative of importance:
A. Understanding and Approach
B. Qualifications and Experience
C. Overall Completeness and Quality of SOQ
D. MBE/WBE Participation
E. Maintenance of a local office
The Statement of Qualifications will be used by the Authority to establish a short list of qualified consultants to receive a Request for Proposal and to engage a consultant for this project. Qualified consultants will be issued one (1) Request for Proposal for either the Benjamin Franklin or Walt Whitman Bridge based on the consultants’ indicated preferences, technical rankings, and the best interests of the Authority. Attempts will be made to satisfy consultant preferences, however, the DRPA may not be able to honor these preferences in order to maintain a competitive process. For quality assurance purposes, the Authority will endeavor not to have the same prime consultant on the same facility for consecutive Biennial Inspection cycles, but may waive this prohibition if it is deemed in the best interest of the Authority or necessary to enhance competition during the solicitation phase.
The final determination will be based on the Authority’s evaluation, in its sole judgment, of which SOQs best meet the needs of the Authority.
This SOQ does not commit the Authority to awarding a Contract. Respondents shall bear all costs incurred in the preparation of the SOQs and participating in the SOQ process. The Authority reserves the right to reject any and all SOQs, the right in its sole discretion to accept the SOQs it considers most favorable to the Authority’s interests, and the right to waive minor irregularities. The Authority further reserves the right to reject all SOQs and seek new SOQs when such procedure is reasonable and in the best interests of the Authority. In addition, the Authority may at any time revoke this SOQ in its sole discretion and without assuming any liability in connection with its issuance and/or revocation.
VII. EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
The Delaware River Port Authority is firmly committed to providing full and equal business opportunities to all persons regardless of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age or non-job related disability. In that regard, the Delaware River Port Authority will affirmatively assure that minority and female-owned business enterprises are afforded equal opportunities to submit proposals for consideration for all purchases and contracts issued in connection with this project. Prospective proposers should understand that the participation of certified MBEs and WBEs is a matter of great interest in the evaluation of all proposals. To that end, the DRPA has established MBE and WBE goals for this project. Proposers are not expected to name their MBE and WBE team members at the time they submit the Statement of Qualifications; however, should include a statement if they will be committed to using MBE and WBE firms. MBE and WBE team members must be named, and commitment levels must be noted at the time the proposal is submitted.
DELAWARE RIVER PORT AUTHORITY
By: Amy L. Ash
Manager, Contract Administration
Phone: 856-968-2084