Beacham WTP Lagoon Cleanout

The Beacham WTP Lagoon Cleanout contract solicitation (RFPQ #26011) issued by the Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County, Georgia, seeks qualified general contractors to perform dredging, dewatering, hauling, and disposal of sludge from a 3.2-acre lagoon at the J.G. Beacham Water Treatment Plant. The project requires contractors to have completed at least five sludge lagoon cleanout projects since 2015, with a minimum of three involving water treatment plant sludge. Contractors must demonstrate strong corporate stability, including at least five years under the current company name, valid Georgia contractor licensing, a written safety program, and sufficient bonding capacity (5% bid bond and 100% performance and payment bonds). Past performance criteria are strict, requiring no defaults, bankruptcies, project abandonments, or litigation against owners within the last ten years. The contract calls for labor majority performance by the contractor's direct workforce and submission of detailed project schedules and safety plans. Compliance with the State of Georgia National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) General Permit No. GAG640000 is mandatory to manage filter backwash discharges responsibly and prevent lagoon damage during sludge removal operations. The solicitation process includes a pre-qualification phase where bidders must submit comprehensive applications consisting of experience documentation, affidavits (such as the Georgia Security & Immigration Compliance affidavit), and corporate disclosures. The submission deadline is January 15, 2026, with a pre-proposal teleconference scheduled in December 2025. Evaluation follows a pass/fail methodology focused on technical qualifications without weighting or scoring, ensuring only fully qualified bidders proceed. Award will be made on the basis of lowest price among technically acceptable offers, consistent with a Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) approach. The contract requires detailed disclosures regarding joint ventures and subcontractors and mandates no material deviations from specified criteria relating to bonding, financial integrity, and project management. The solicitation emphasizes local compliance and administrative procedures, with no federal FAR clauses incorporated, no size or socioeconomic status requirements, and no formal options or amendments currently identified. Payment procedures and invoicing methods remain unspecified, and performance is expected to be at the designated project site in Athens, Georgia. Overall, the solicitation sets a rigorous standard to ensure that the successful contractor can safely and effectively perform the lagoon cleanout while adhering to environmental and regulatory obligations.