CLEARWATER, FL, June 11, 2010 -- Tampa Bay Water has issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ), inviting interested design-build entities to submit qualifications to design, build, monitor and maintain the C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir Renovation Project. The RFQ is available through links at www.tampabaywater.org or at www.demandstar.com.

Tampa Bay Water is using a two-stage procurement process to select a preferred design-builder to renovate the utility's 15.5-billion gallon, off-stream reservoir. In the first stage, the utility will evaluate the statements of qualifications submitted using pre-established evaluation criteria to select a short-list of up to five qualified design-builders.

In the Request for Proposals (RFP) stage, only the short-listed design-builders will be invited to submit binding proposals to design, build, monitor, and maintain the project in accordance with the terms and conditions of an agreement that will be issued with the RFP. The RFP will also include criteria that will be used to evaluate proposals.

Tampa Bay Water's board of directors has adopted six objectives for a long-term reservoir solution:

• The Agency must ensure that the procurement process is fair, transparent and highly competitive, and communicates clearly with all stakeholders.
• The selected solution (including the design and the contracting approach) must provide the Agency with the highest possible certainty of success over the long term.
• The solution must meet the long term performance requirements and may incorporate certain betterments (e.g., added storage capacity, enhanced monitoring).
• The renovation must be completed in a manner that provides the lowest lifecycle cost to the Agency with the highest possible certainty of success.
• The renovation should be completed in a timely manner.
• The Agency must protect the public's long term investment in the facility.

Tampa Bay Water's regional reservoir is being renovated due to larger-than-expected cracks that formed in the soil cement erosion control layer lining the reservoir's embankment interior. The cracking requires a permanent fix in order for the facility to be used as intended. For more information, go to www.tampabaywater.org

Tampa Bay Water provides wholesale water to the public utility systems of Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties as well as the cities of New Port Richey, St. Petersburg and Tampa.

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