Municipal District of Taber - Request for Proposal - RFP - RR18-0 & RR18-2 Upgrades - EX202603

General Information

The Municipal District of Taber (MD) is seeking competitive proposals from consulting firms to develop the complete design, permitting, tendering and construction management for the Range Road (RR) 18-0 & 18-2 Upgrades project. The Consultant shall develop a design that accommodates current and projected heavy haul traffic demands and minimizes long-term maintenance costs.

Project Overview

Adjacent confined feeding operations (CFO) in the area have presented challenges to the MD’s infrastructure, including higher-than-typical heavy haul traffic, drainage impacts, and accelerated degradation of the existing gravel surface. Improvements are needed along the noted roadway to address structural capacity, cross-sectional width, and long-term maintenance requirements.

The 5 miles of road upgrades are located northeast of Enchant AB. The south project extents begin at Township Rd (TWP) 15-0 and move north on RR18-0 and RR18-2 for 3 and 2 miles respectively and as shown in the image above. The project involves widening an existing gravel road to improve safety, drainage, and traffic capacity. The work is anticipated to include survey, geometric design, drainage review, material recommendations, and construction oversight. The existing roadway is approximately 7.0 m wide within a 20.0 m right-of-way. The proposed design shall accommodate an 11.0 m roadway platform within a 30.0 m right-of-way.
Scope of Work
The selected consultant will be responsible for:
1. Project Management and Coordination

• Project initiation and planning
• Coordination with MD and local stakeholders
• Schedule development and management
• Budget tracking and reporting
• Quality assurance and control procedures

2. Preliminary Engineering

• Right-of-way acquisition support

o Determine widening requirements to increase ROW by 5 m each side
o Prepare legal survey plan required for acquisition

• Review of existing data (topography, hydrology, land use)
• Preliminary alignment and grading concepts
• Traffic accommodation strategy (if applicable)
• Desktop Environmental Evaluation (EE) as per the Government of Alberta’s 2025 Terms of Reference
• Site visit to verify environmental conditions
• Coordination with Alberta Environment and Protected Areas including Wetland Assessment and Impact Reporting (if required)
• Historical Impact Assessment (if required)
• Preparation of environmental documentation for approvals
• Pipeline crossing investigation and agreements

3. Geotechnical Investigation

• Geotechnical Investigation

o Air photo interpretation and literature review
o Borehole drilling and soil sampling
o In-situ testing and groundwater monitoring
o Laboratory testing and geotechnical reporting

4. Detailed Design

• Final road alignment and profile
• Cross-section and grading design
• Drainage and culvert design
• Granular base course specifications
• Erosion and sediment control measures
• Preparation of construction drawings and specifications

5. Tender Package Preparation

• Development of tender documents
• Cost estimation and quantity take-offs
• Assistance with bid evaluation (if requested)
• Compliance with Alberta Infrastructure deliverable standards (CAD, BIM, specs)

6. Construction Supervision and Contract Administration

• Regular site inspections, including attendance at critical construction milestones and submission of written progress reports.
• Contractor coordination and issue resolution
• Survey services including:

o Topographic survey
o Construction layout
o Quantity and massing surveys
o Verification of major project milestones, including culvert elevations and critical drainage features
o Legal survey support associated with right-of-way acquisition

• Progress payment certification
• Final inspection and deficiency resolution
• As-built documentation

7. Deliverables

• Preliminary and final design reports
• Schedule with milestones for all stages of design and implementation.
• Environmental evaluation report
• Geotechnical investigation report
• Tender documents
• Construction drawings and specifications
• As-built drawings

Project Goals, Requirements and Expectations

• This project aims to provide a road that can adequately withstand the heavy traffic associated with the CFOs in their area.

• The Proponents shall include the cost of a Desktop Environmental Evaluation, one site reconnaissance assessment, wetland screening, and regulatory review. The following items shall be identified as separate provisional costs:

o Wetland Assessment and Impact Reports (WAIR)
o Historical Resources Impact Assessments (HRIA)
o Species-at-risk surveys
o Wildlife and nesting bird surveys
o Fisheries Act authorizations
o Water Act approvals
o Environmental monitoring during construction
o Environmental offsets, compensation, or replacement fees
The Consultant shall identify any additional environmental requirements discovered during the project and provide associated costs for MD approval prior to proceeding. Provisional items are to be clearly identified and separately priced within the fee proposal.

• The MD of Taber is intending on completing the construction in early 2027 (earlier if possible), design and regulatory approvals should therefore be completed as soon as possible. Recognizing that environmental and regulatory constraints may impact the construction schedule, the MD is open to a flexible execution strategy while managing costs efficiently. The proposed Preliminary Design must incorporate a clear, viable phased construction plan. This plan should demonstrate how the project can be effectively managed and delivered in stages to accommodate necessary approval timelines or specific seasonal/environmental work windows.

• The successful Proponent shall complete all engineering, environmental, and tender documentation with the objective of delivering a constructible project that can be tendered and completed within the MD’s approved budget. The Proponent shall provide updated construction cost estimates at each major design milestone and immediately notify the MD if estimated construction costs are anticipated to exceed the approved budget. Where required, the Proponent shall provide value engineering recommendations or alternative design solutions to maintain project affordability.