Bid Notices

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS (RFQ)

Professional Services for Phases I/II for KRPD #1 Phase 2 Rail Yard and Rail Corridor Improvements St. Clair County, Illinois

General

The Kaskaskia Regional Port District, which encompasses Monroe, Randolph and certain townships in St. Clair Counties, Illinois, is a political subdivision, a body politic and municipal corporation, duly created by the Legislature of the State of Illinois by "An Act to create the Kaskaskia Regional Port District and to define its powers and duties", approved June 22, 1965, Title as amended by act approved July 7, 1967, as amended, hereinafter referred to as "District".  The District currently operates five terminals and has long-range goals to develop additional terminals and facilities for economic development.  Existing facilities and services include both outbound and inbound cargo movements which include conveyors, cranes, barges, pipelines, dump docks, fleeting areas, rail connections and rail corridors and recreational and entertainment facilities.

Scope of Engineering Services

The District is seeking qualified firms with engineering expertise, specifically concentrated in railroad planning, engineering, and maintenance to assist with a project that includes a pair of new rail receiving and departure tracks and upgrades to the existing single-track rail corridor from the KRPD #1 loop track to a branch line south of Lenzburg, St. Clair County, Illinois.  Services will include final engineering design (based on previously developed preliminary engineering design plans), preparation of bid documents and evaluation of bids received, permitting, development of project costs and quantities and contractor coordination.  The project is funded with both Maritime Administration (MARAD) Port Infrastructure and Development Program (PIDP) grant funds and with an Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) grant.  Firms will need to demonstrate proficiency in working with the District and the funding agencies in all required documents and reports including pay estimates and progress reports.  Firms will need to demonstrate their understanding of Build American Buy America (BABA) requirements and DCEO requirements for prevailing wage and the Business Enterprise Program.  Firms will need to be able to complete all necessary reports as required by the funding agencies, including any close out reports.

More specifically the qualified engineering firm selected will be tasked with developing plans and specifications for the following work:

The Phase 2 Rail Yard and Rail Corridor Improvement Project consists of two separate major items of work: 1) construction of a pair of new receiving and departure tracks, including connections to existing trackage; and 2) corridor safety improvements and upgrades to 5.3 miles of existing track.  The two receiving and departure tracks are approximately 3,000 feet in length each and extend from near the existing rail scale at the KRPD #1 terminal facility east to Pete Junk Road, St. Clair County, New Athens, Illinois.  Track upgrades include the existing track (adjacent to the proposed siding track) and parallels Baer, Schmoll, and Hillstown Roads in rural New Athens, St. Clair County, Illinois to a point where the rail ties into what is known as the Dynegy Lead Track. 

The rail siding portion of the project will include embankment to accommodate the two new tracks, sub-ballast, complete track assembly, timber crossings at entrance points, new pipe culverts, ditch grading, turnouts (up to 10), and construction of a service road along the south side of the new rail alignment.  Some tree removal will be required in forested areas requiring coordination with the United States Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR).

Rail corridor upgrades will consist of raising the track profile approximately 2 inches with new ballast, new rail anchors, intermittent tie renewal with new plates, and spot rail removal and replacement.  Exact quantities and locations will be determined during plan preparation.  Approximately 11 cross track culverts and 16 entrance location culverts are expected to be removed and replaced with PCC pipe.  For the cross-track culverts, replacement will be completed using an open-cut method provided rail delivery schedules can be adjusted accordingly.  If not, direct boring under the track embankment may be possible.  Note, the existing embankment over the pipe arch located along the rail alignment at the tributary to Doza Creek had become too heavy for the structure causing settlement of the track, so this embankment was previously removed and replaced with a steel beam bridge on concrete abutments.  As part of this project, micropiles (or similar) will be placed beneath said abutments providing for long-term stability to the structure and a level track profile in this immediate area.  It is anticipated that some permitting may be required from the US Army Corps of Engineers to allow performance of this work, although this is expected to be a Nationwide permit.

Rail crossings at two major St. Clair County roadways (Baldwin Rd. and Winter Rd.) are not included in this scope of work and were not included in the grant application funding.  These will be improved as part of a separate Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) Grade Crossing Protection Fund project.

Approximate Project Budget

The approximate project budget is $10,000,000, which includes professional services, construction and construction engineering services.

Qualifications

A firm’s qualifications shall describe the capabilities of the firm and emphasize its specialties and strengths. It should include a statement that indicates the firm’s understanding of the project as well as information on key personnel that the firm would assign to the project. Please include previous work history with the District or any other port district as well. A thorough familiarity with the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association Manual for Railway Engineering.

Selection Criteria:

Experience & Past Performance (25 points)

• Demonstrated experience in railroad planning, engineering, and maintenance.

• Successful completion of rail projects involving receiving/departure tracks and corridor upgrades.

• Experience working with maritime and port infrastructure projects.

• Previous work with MARAD, PIDP and DCEO grants.

• References from similar projects.

Technical Approach & Project Understanding (25 points)

• Clear understanding of project scope, including track construction, embankment work, culvert replacements, and corridor safety improvements.

• Methodology for engineering design, bid document preparation, and construction oversight.

• Approach to addressing permitting requirements (USFWS, IDNR, USACE).

• Plan for compliance with Build America, Buy America (BABA) requirements.

Key Personnel & Team Qualifications (25 points)

• Experience and qualifications of project manager and key team members.

• Specialized expertise in rail design, construction inspection, and quality control.

• Availability and capacity to complete the project within the required timeframe.

Project Management & Coordination (15 points)

• Approach to managing construction oversight and contractor coordination.

• Strategy for keeping the project on schedule and within budget.

• Quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) procedures.

• Experience preparing required reports for MARAD, DCEO, and other funding agencies (pay estimates, progress reports, closeout reports).

DBE Participation & Regulatory Compliance (10 points)

• Commitment to Business Enterprise Program (BEP) participation and DCEO prevailing wage compliance.

• Demonstrated understanding of federal and state procurement requirements.

• Past experience meeting DBE goals on similar projects.

Submittals

The District is seeking Statements of Qualifications from Consulting Engineering firms interested in providing Phase I/II engineering services for the KRPD #1 Phase 2 Rail Yard and Rail Corridor Improvements. If your firm would like to be considered for these services, you may respond to our office at the address indicated below. Responding firms should not submit, either formally or informally, to the District any verbal or written estimate of cost in terms of dollars, hours, percentage of construction cost, or any other measure of compensation. 

The response should be no more than ten pages, single-sided with a minimum of 11 pt. font.  Provide three hard copies of the submittal along with a PDF file either on a jump drive or e-mailed to the General Manager. Submit the packet marked “RFQ – KRPD #1 Phase 2 Rail Yard and Rail Corridor Improvements and addressed ATTN: Ed Weilbacher, Kaskaskia, Regional Port District, 336 N. Main Street, Illinois 62278 by close of business at 4:30 PM Monday June 30, 2025.  If additional information is needed, contact Ed Weilbacher, General Manager, KRPD (618) 282-3807 or ed@kaskaskiaport.com

The QBS based selection will be fully compliant with federal requirements of 23 CFR 172 and the Brooks Act as described in Section 5-5 of the BLRS Manual, specifically Section 5-5.06(e).

The District will select a firm on a tentative date on or before September 8, 2025.