This RFP does not obligate the County to contract for services specified herein.

The County reserves the right at its sole discretion to reject any and all proposals received without penalty and not to issue a contract as a result of this RFP.

The County will notify all proposers of the outcome of their proposal in writing upon completion of the evaluation process.

An evaluation team will review the bidding documents and evaluate all responses received based upon the criteria listed herein. The County may request clarifications or additional information, if needed. The proposer determined to be most qualified through the initial evaluation phase may be interviewed and the final determination will also consider reference checks and interviews.The County intends to select the Contractor most qualified for this pursuit/solicitation and begin the negotiation and award process based on the requirements of this solicitation.Selected Proposer(s) will be invited to enter into contract negotiations with the County. Should the County and the selected proposer not reach a mutual agreement, the County will terminate negotiations and move to the next ranked contractor and proceed with negotiations. A Proposer’s inability to agree to the terms of the County’s standard contract may be a basis for the County to terminate negotiations and begin negotiating with one or more other Contractors.

Pierce County, in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 78 Stat. 252, 42 U.S.C. 2000d to 2000d-4 and Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, Department of Transportation, subtitle A, Office of the Secretary, Part 21, nondiscrimination in federally assisted programs of the Department of Transportation issued pursuant to such Act, hereby notifies all Proposers that it will affirmatively ensure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprises as defined at 49 CFR Part 26 will be afforded full opportunity to submit proposals in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, or national origin in consideration for an award.

Proposers may submit questions through the County's eProcurement Portal, under the Question & Answer Section, no later than 4:30 pm on the date set forth in Section 2.2. Proposers must be registered in the eProcurement Portal software to submit questions, receive addendums and notifications, and ultimately submit a proposal. Proposers may only rely on written statements issued by the County. Any oral communications are unofficial and are not binding on the County.

Each evaluator will score the Proposals separately. The scores of all the evaluators will be averaged to determine the Proposer’s score.

The RFP Coordinator is the sole point of contact in the County for this procurement. All communications between the Proposer and the County upon release of this RFP shall be with the RFP Coordinator.Lauren DaseProcurement and Contract Specialist 2Email: lauren.dase@piercecountywa.govPhone: (253) 798-7501Department:Procurement and Contract ServicesAny other communication will be considered unofficial and non-binding on the County. Proposers are to rely on written statements issued by the RFP Coordinator. Communication directed to parties other than the RFP Coordinator may result in disqualification of the Proposer.

The ASP will be expected to enter into a contract which is substantially the same as the Sample Contract and its General Terms and Conditions attached under supporting attachments. In no event is a Proposer to submit its own standard contract terms and conditions in response to this solicitation. If a Proposer has a concern regarding a certain General Term & Condition, they can raise the issue per the Questions and Answers section of this solicitation.

Organizations should be aware that any records they submit to the County or that are used by the County even if the organization possess the records, may be public records under the Washington Public Records Act (RCW 42.56). The County must promptly disclose public records upon request unless a statute exempts them from disclosure. Organizations should also be aware that if even a portion of a record is exempt from disclosure, generally, the rest of the record must be disclosed. Exemptions are narrow and specific.Organizations should clearly mark any record they believe is exempt from disclosure.

Proposers who do not meet these minimum qualifications will be considered non-responsive, and their proposal will not be evaluated or scored.Registered to do business in Washington State as evidenced by an active Unique Business Identifier (UBI) number.Has a valid federal tax identification number.

All proposals will be reviewed by the RFP Coordinator to determine compliance with administrative requirements and instructions specified in this solicitation. The Proposer is specifically notified that the County may reject or withdraw a proposal at any time as nonresponsive for any of the following reasons:Incomplete proposal,Failure to comply with any part of this solicitation or any Attachments to this procurement,Submission of incorrect, misleading, or false information.The County also reserves the right, however, at its sole discretion to waive minor administrative irregularities, which are defined as variances which do not provide an applicant an advantage or benefit over other applicants.

The period of performance for any contract resulting from this procurement is expected to be 12 months from the contract date of execution. Amendments extending the period of performance, if any, shall be at the sole discretion of the County. The County reserves the option to renew contracts for four additional 12-year terms. However, no Contractor will be guaranteed an extension. Decisions whether to extend a contract will be based on Pierce County’s assessment of the Contractor’s performance as evaluated by performance measure data as described in Section 1.3 of this solicitation, as well as any additional performance outcomes or deliverables negotiated in the final contract agreement.

PROPOSERS WHO REGISTER AND DOWNLOAD RFP DOCUMENTS will be automatically added to the FOLLOWERS' list in the County's eProcurement Portal. Notifications for solicitation updates, addendum and other procurement information will be sent to all who register on the Pierce County eProcurement Portal.

The Consultant may be utilized for specific County projects, as determined by the County on a written authorization basis. In some cases, the County may elect to assign only specific portions of a project, or in other cases, the entire project, including auxiliary associated work, to the Consultant.The County may award multiple contracts under multiple categories: All Services, All Services EXCEPT Relocation, and Relocation Only. The issuance of work assignments to individual consultants under the same category shall be based solely on what is in the best interest of the County. There is no guarantee of quantity or amount of purchase of services under this agreement.Each consultant responding to this RFP shall be prepared to provide the following services in accordance with the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Act (The Uniform Act), including, but not limited to:A. Title ReviewReview preliminary title commitments provided by the County for standard owner’s coverage, including each listed exception.Review each title or easement coverage exception to determine which exceptions require removal, additional negotiations, or pose obstacles or delays to the acquisition process and make recommendations to the County.Provide the County with a parcel summary memo that lists all ownerships, title exceptions, conflicting easements, or other rights of record and comments or concerns for each parcel.B. Preparation and AdministrationMeet with the County to obtain background on the project, contracts, and preferences.Prepare a variety of letters, including but not limited to offer letters and acquisition documents on County standard forms in accordance with statutory requirements.Prepare tracking and status documents, in a form satisfactory to the County (Actual Right of Way Cost Summary form to be provided by the County). Make verbal bi-weekly reports detailing the following information relative to each site to be acquired:The number of contacts made in the preceding period.The persons who were contacted.Summary of the discussions.The terms that were resolved or agreed to in principal.The terms that are not resolved or agreed to in principal.Recommendations by the Consultant for resolution of remaining issues.Anticipated course of action by the Consultant in attempting to resolve remaining issues.Copies of any documents under discussion in draft or final form.The Consultant shall be available to meet in person with the County to discuss project progress and status.No costs to be incurred for missing diary entries.Charges for up to 2 revisions for document preparation. Additional revisions will not qualify for charges.Only pre-approved personnel per project.Charges are based on work performed not personal title/position.Maintain records in accordance with statutory, regulatory and policy requirements.Prepare parcel files, in a satisfactory format to the County, to include fair offer letters, documents, a standard diary form indicating all contacts with owner(s), and other items necessary for negotiations.C. Appraisal and Appraisal ReviewHire appraiser and review appraiser sub-consultants.Manage preparation of a ROW Funding Estimate by the appraiser; form to be provided by the County.Manage appraisal, appraisal review, and administrative offer summary (AOS) waiver valuation process.Coordinate appraisal, appraisal review, AOS delivery schedule.Review appraisals, appraisal reviews, and AOS in preparation for signature by the County.D. AcquisitionsPresent offer in person whenever possible.Negotiate with each property owner and/or their representatives in accordance with statutory and regulatory requirements.Negotiate as necessary with lien holders and easement holders to remove title defects.Maintain a current detailed diary on each parcel in accordance with WSDOT Right of Way Manual.The acquisition agent will perform "good faith negotiations," as defined by The Uniform Act, and make a sufficient number of contacts with each owner in an effort to secure the needed property rights.Out-of-area owners will be contacted by telephone and by certified mail.Forward all administrative settlements to the County for approval.If negotiations reach an impasse, the consultant shall provide the County with written notification. The filing and cost of condemnation proceedings shall be the responsibility of the County.Draft and delivery the 10-day impasse letter notice, subject to prior County approval.E. RelocationsReview the relocation plan provided by the County, or prepare the relocation plan, in accordance with the Uniform Act and any statutory and regulatory requirements. Identify special needs of displaced persons and problematic relocations; provide suggested resolutions for each. Amend relocation plan as necessary based on further field investigation.Research available replacement properties using all available resources, including local real estate brokers, multiple listing services, local newspapers and publications.Work with the County to determine eligibility, calculate entitlements, and determine statutory options for relocations consistent with the relocation assistance plan and federal and state regulations.Prepare relocation documents using WSDOT's generic relocation forms from the Real Estate Services website. All notices, entitlements, and other documents must be approved by the County before presenting to the displaced person.Provide relocation assistance and advisory services, including all notices, assistance with searches for replacement sites, Decent, Safe, and Sanitary inspections, coordination with move planners, assistance with appeal procedures and forms, and managing the relocation process until the displaced person is appropriately relocated.Prepare tracking and status reports in a format satisfactory to the County.Prepare relocation parcel files to include required notices, diaries, moving cost estimates, claim forms, and other items necessary for relocations.Maintain a standard diary form (separate from the acquisition diary) indicating all contacts with displaced persons and other persons involved in the relocation process in accordance with LAG Manual requirements, and other items necessary. Copies of all correspondence and any associated documents and/or maps are to be kept in the files.Prepare and update a relocation schedule that outlines timeframes for various tasks including an estimated vacate date for each parcel.Perform relocation in accordance with The Uniform Act, the WSDOT Right of Way Manual, the WSDOT LAG Manual, and/or any other applicable requirements.For full property acquisitions, conduct a final walkthrough and collect keys from the property owner when payment is made.F. ClosingPrior to sending file for closing, request date down on title report from the designated Title Company.Obtain required County signatures on deeds and closing documents.Follow established County procedure for closing parcels managed by Consultant.Submit the necessary documents and instructions to the designated Title/Escrow Company.Work with the Title Company to remove unacceptable exceptions and obtain title policies.Review closing statements and obtain County signatures and approvals.The County will perform all closings that do not require escrow, unless advised otherwise.Deliver completed files and diaries in a form satisfactory to the County for necessary state and federal approvals within one month of closing.G. CertificationAssure proper documentation for funding certification.Provide certification advisory review services as necessary. This may include being available to the WSDOT auditor during their file review.Meet with County and/or property owners as needed to discuss and assist in resolving any issues regarding the acquisition/relocation for the project.Provide a closing report/punch list of any outstanding project or relocation claims and issues.Complete WSDOT Parcel or Relocation Review Worksheets for each file.

Welcome to Pierce County's eProcurement System. This system is inclusive to the procurement process, including submission of any questions and/or clarifications, the release of any addenda/notices, and submission of proposals. It is strongly encouraged that organizations responding to any procurement first read the entire procurement, paying close attention to the timelines, scope of work, eligibility, submission requirements, and specifically to the questionnaire section, which may include required attachments (when applicable), and ask for any clarifications regarding content and instructions early in the process.

Pierce County is intending to award one or more contracts to qualified Consultants who are capable of providing right of way acquisition and relocation services on an on-call or as needed basis. The County may award multiple contracts under multiple categories: All Services, All Services EXCEPT Relocation, and Relocation Only. These services will include, but are not limited to, negotiating with property owners to acquire property rights, relocation services, appraisal and appraisal review services in conformance with federal, state, and agency standards. The consultant would be under the direction of a County Right-of-Way Agent or Supervisor.The County does not guarantee utilization through any resultant contract. Funding for the work will be from a combination of County, State, and Federal sources. All work must comply with Federal Highway Administration and Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) regulations, including those in the WSDOT “Local Agency Guidelines” (LAG Manual).The successful firm will negotiate towards a Service Agreement (SA) for these services and will follow all the guidelines listed in Chapter 31 – Using Consultants in the WSDOT Local Agency Guidelines manual. A copy of this manual can be found at: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov./LocalPrograms/LAG/

Protests may be made only by Proposers or authorized representative of a Proposer who submitted a response to this solicitation document and who have participated in a debriefing conference. Upon completing the debriefing conference, the Proposer is allowed five (5) business days to file with the Procurement Coordinator a protest of the award decision. Protests must be received by the Procurement Coordinator no later than 3:30 PM, local time in Tacoma, Washington on the fifth business day following the debriefing. Protests must be in writing, addressed to the Procurement Coordinator, and submitted by email to PCSHSprocurement@piercecountywa.gov. The protest must state the RFP number, the grounds for the protest with specific facts and complete statements of the action(s) being protested. A description of the relief or corrective action being requested should also be included.Protests that do not follow these procedures shall not be considered. This protest procedure constitutes the sole administrative remedy available to Proposers under this procurement.Only protests stipulating an issue of fact concerning the following subjects shall be considered:A matter of bias, discrimination, or conflict of interest on the part of an evaluator.Errors in computing the score.Non-compliance with procedures described in the procurement document or County policy.Protests not based on procedural matters will not be considered. Protests will be rejected as without merit if they address issues such as: 1) an evaluator’s professional judgment on the quality of a proposal, or 2) County’s assessment of its own needs or requirements.Upon receipt of a protest, a protest review will be held by the County. The Finance Department Director or an employee delegated by the Director who was not involved in the procurement will consider the record and all available facts and issue a decision within five (5) business days of receipt of the protest. If additional time is required, the protesting party will be notified of the delay. In the event a protest may affect the interest of another Proposer who also submitted a proposal, such Proposer will be given an opportunity to submit its views and any relevant information on the protest to the Procurement Coordinator. The final determination of the protest shall:Find the protest lacking in merit and uphold the County’s action; orFind only technical or harmless errors in County’s procurement process and determine County to be in substantial compliance and reject the protest; orFind merit in the protest and provide the County options which may include:Correct the errors and re-evaluate all proposals, and/orReissue the solicitation document and begin a new process, orMake other findings and determine other courses of action as appropriate.If a protest is filed, the County will wait to execute the contract until a final determination on the protest is made.

“Apparently Successful Proposer (ASP)” means a proposer selected as an entity to perform the anticipated services, subject to completion of contract negotiations and execution of a written contract."Applicant," "Bidder," and "Proposer" mean an organization, agency or provider that submits a formal response to this procurement."Application," "Bid," or "Proposal" mean a formal response to this solicitation. “CFR” means Code of Federal Regulations.“Client,” "Participant," "Household," or "Member" means an individual (or individuals) who receives services, or is eligible to receive services, under this procurement. “Contractor” means an individual or organization whose proposal has been accepted by the County and has been awarded a fully executed, written contract.“Procurement” means the process by which the County obtains services.“Request for Proposal (RFP)” or "Solicitation" means this document and its attachments in which needed goods and/or services are identified and organizations are invited to provide information as to how they propose to meet the County's needs. “RCW” means Revised Code of Washington.“WAC” means Washington Administrative Code.

The Washington State Interlocal Cooperation Act, Ch. 39.34 RCW, authorizes public agencies to cooperatively purchase goods and services if all parties agree. By responding to this RFP, Consultants agree that other public agencies may purchase goods and services under this procurement or contract at their own cost and without Pierce County incurring any financial or legal liability for such purchases. Pierce County agrees to allow other public agencies to purchase goods and services under this procurement or contract, provided that Pierce County is not held financially or legally liable for purchases and that any public agency purchasing under such procurement or contract file a copy of this invitation and such contract in accordance with RCW 39.34.040.

A virtual or in-person Procurement Workshop will be conducted by Pierce County staff at the time, date, and location as indicated in the Procurement Schedule section of this RFP.Pre-proposal meeting attendance is not required but is highly encouraged for all organizations considering a response to this solicitation. It is the County’s belief that attending the meeting will assist proposers in presenting the best possible request for funding. During the Pre-Proposal Meeting Workshop, Pierce County staff will give an overview of the procurement, the procurement process, an overview of the requirements, and will also be available to answer questions and provide technical assistance. Please have the instruction/proposal packet available as well as any questions that the organization may have related to the procurement. The County will be bound only to written answers provided in response to questions. Questions arising during the Procurement Workshop will be documented and answered in the eProcurement Portal.

Any Proposer, who was not disqualified, who has submitted a proposal and been notified that they were not selected as an ASP may request a debriefing. The request for a debriefing conference must be received by the Procurement Coordinator within 5 days of having been notified that they were not selected.Discussion at the debriefing conference will be limited to the following:Evaluation and scoring of the Proposal.Critique of the requesting Proposer’s Proposal based on the comments made by the Application Evaluation Committee or individual comments made an evaluator; andReview of Proposer’s final score in comparison with other final scores without identifying the other firms.Comparisons between proposals or evaluations of the other proposals will not be allowed. Debriefing conferences may be conducted in person or remotely and will be scheduled for a maximum of one (1) hour.

The County reserves the right to make an award without further discussion of the proposal submitted. Therefore, the proposal should be submitted initially on the most favorable terms which the Proposer can offer. There will be no best and final offer procedure.The ASP should be prepared to accept this RFP for incorporation into a contract resulting from this RFP. Contract negotiations may incorporate some or all of the Proposer’s proposal. It is understood that the proposal will become a part of the official procurement file on this matter without obligation to the County.

The County complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Bidders should contact the RFP Coordinator to request an accommodation.

This procedure is available to potential Proposers who are contemplating submitting a proposal in response to this RFP. Only Concern Resolution submissions (Submissions) concerning the following subjects shall be considered:A claim that the solicitation unnecessarily restricts competition.A claim the solicitation evaluation or scoring process is unfair or flawed, orA claim the solicitation requirements are inadequate or insufficient to prepare a response.Proposers submitting a concern about this procurement shall follow the procedures described below. Submissions that do not follow these procedures shall not be considered. If a Proposer registers a concern against this solicitation, the issue(s) cannot be raised again during the protest period.All submissions must be in writing and signed by the submitting party or an authorized Agent. The submission must be sent to the AGENCY Procurement Coordinator, or designee, and needs to be received no later than 4:30 PM, local time, Tacoma, WA, per Section 2.2 Timeline, and must clearly articulate the basis for the submission. The Proposer submitting a concern must also include a proposed remedy.Upon receipt of a submission, a submission review will be held by the County. The RFP coordinator will respond to submissions in writing and the Finance Department Director will be notified of all submissions and provided a copy of the County’s response. A copy of the response to the submission, including any changes to the solicitation, will also be posted in County's eProcurement Portal.The concern resolution process does not include an appeal process.

Pierce County is located in the South Puget Sound region of the State of Washington. The County is home to more than 900,000 residents and serves as a regional economic, cultural, and environmental hub. The County provides a wide range of public services to residents, businesses, and visitors, including public safety, transportation and infrastructure, environmental stewardship, parks and recreation, human services, land use planning, and administrative support functions.

Proposal Release Date:August 12, 2026Question Submission Deadline:August 19, 2026, 4:00pmProposal Submission Deadline:September 2, 2026, 1:00pm The County reserves the right to revise the above timeline.

The County will not be liable for any costs incurred by the Proposer in preparation of a proposal submitted in response to this RFP, in conduct of a presentation or interview, or any other activities related to responding to this RFP.

In the event it becomes necessary to revise any part of this RFP, addenda will be published in the County's eProcurement Portal.All amendments and notifications of cancellation shall be posted in the County's eProcurement Portal. If you did not receive this solicitation via the County’s eProcurement Portal, please register there to receive further notifications.The County also reserves the right to amend or add to, retract from, or cancel this Procurement at any time, in whole or in part, and without penalty.In the event of a conflict between amendments or between an amendment and this Solicitation Document, the document issued latest in time shall control.

The proposal must be received by the time/date as indicated in Section 2.2.

The total value of this procurement is $1,000,000.00. The County anticipates awarding multiple contracts from this procurement. The County reserves the right to make fewer awards or no awards, based on the quality and scope of proposals received, available funding, and identified service needs.The total funding available under this Request for Proposals (RFP) is limited and may be distributed among multiple providers. Proposers are encouraged to scale their funding requests proportionally to the scope and geographic reach of their proposed services. The County may negotiate budgets and service levels to ensure the most effective use of funds and equitable coverage across providers. The County reserves the right to adjust award amounts at its sole discretion.Additional federal, State, or local funds may become available during the contracting cycle and allocated through this solicitation. Funding may only be awarded for the same scope of services as described in this solicitation. It is important to note, any contract awarded as a result of this procurement is contingent upon the availability of funding. If at any time during the term of the contract the funding relied upon for the contract is reduced, modified, or eliminated, or if the funding terms are modified, Pierce County reserves the right to amend the contract as appropriate or to terminate the contract.

Follow instructions carefully - if attachments are provided under this solicitation, they are to be utilized as part of the proposal - do not replace or use the organization's own format, as the proposal may be deemed "non-responsive" or "not eligible."

All proposals are evaluated on the completeness and quality of the content. Only those Proposers providing complete information as required will be considered for evaluation. The County will not contact the organization for correction of proposals and Proposers are strongly encouraged to carefully review their proposals for completeness and accuracy before submitting. For proposals to be considered responsive and move to the review process, the Proposer must, under Section 7, RFP Questionnaire:Acknowledge all required “confirmations.”Provide responsed to all required fieldsComplete all required attachments, including uploading any supplemental documents requested in attachments

For proposals to be considered, the following should be included in your submittal:Name, local address, email address, and phone number of the firm proposing.The names and the number of years the firm has been in business under current or previous names, or any additional assumed business names. Name and title of the person authorized to execute a contract on behalf of the firm.The name and resume of each individual assigned to this project and the individual assigned to back up the primary person in his/her absence. Resumes are limited to one side of one page each.Your approach to the work outlined under Scope of Work, to include overall qualifications of the firm, resources and commitment to provide timely services, compliance with requirements, innovative offerings, services offered, and any other related, relevant information.A complete rate sheet listing job classification required to complete the work outlined in the RFP.References listing customers with contracts for similar services or volume requirements.If needed, any additional services or procedures of benefit to the County not specifically required by this Request for Proposal, which the Contractor offers to provide.A statement outlining any proposed exceptions to the County’s requirements or requested clarifications to the requirements. Firms should understand, however, that the County is typically unwilling to change the terms of its standard Professional Services Agreement, and a Firm’s inability to agree to those terms may be a basis for the County instead negotiating with one or more other Firms.

This section provides a curated list of help articles addressing common questions and challenges proposers may encounter during the Request for Proposal process. The resources below are intended to offer clear guidance, practical solutions, and relevant information to support a smooth and successful submission. Proposers are encouraged to review these materials as needed to better understand requirements, resolve issues, and navigate the process with confidence.Vendor RegistrationFollowing a ProjectGetting Started with SubscriptionsHow to Submit a Question in OpenGovHow to Submit a Proposal Response in OpenGovHow to Edit or Withdraw a Proposal after Submission in OpenGov

Only electronic submittal via the County's eProcurement Portal shall be accepted for this procurement. No hard copies, emails, or fax submittals shall be accepted. The accepted forms of submitted materials are .pdf, png., jpeg., and MS Office formats such as docx. and xlsx.

Applicants must acknowledge and confirm each addendum and notice issued under this solicitation. The system will not allow final submission unless all required confirmations are checked.

Proposers should allow sufficient time to ensure timely receipt of the proposal by the County’s e-procurement System, OpenGov. Late responses will not be accepted and will be automatically disqualified. The County assumes no responsibility for delays caused by Proposer's technical related system errors.

All proposals and any accompanying documentation become the property of the County and will not be returned.