Scope & context
Overview
Elizabethtown Area Water Authority is procuring general construction for a membrane filtration upgrade through the PennBid portal: filtration, cleaning and waste-neutralization systems, high-service pump replacement, air compressors, and electrical work at an operating water treatment plant. It runs as Contract 1 of three primes sharing a single completion date.
The difficulty here comes from structure rather than scope. Two bid items, the $1,241,502 membrane equipment package and a $50,000 allowance, are pre-priced and identical for every bidder. The owner has not furnished subsurface or environmental reports, and plant operations cannot stop, with major shutdowns capped at 1, 4, and 6 hours.
This sample identifies what the package requires, where the risks sit, which inputs a bidder would still need, and where each item is sourced. A contractor intending to bid would typically move to a Document Control Sprint or a Pursuit Control Room to turn this read into a controlled submission.
Scope of Work
The physical work behind the paperwork, grouped the way a contractor would think about staffing and subbing it.
Membrane filtration retrofit
The core process work is a pre-selected Section 13201 membrane filtration package fixed at $1,241,502, plus CIP and waste-neutralization skids, air compressors, and a sodium bisulfite feed system. The general contractor carries the equipment through factory inspection, delivery, and field commissioning.
Pumps and process mechanical
High-service (send-out) pump replacement and the associated process-mechanical work, tied into a plant that must keep producing drinking water across the full 360-day construction window.
Electrical and shutdowns
Main Distribution Panel demolition, ATS conductor swaps, and electrical coordination, run under hard shutdown caps of 1, 4, and 6 hours with the plant on standby generator. It is the most schedule-sensitive scope on the job.
Sitework and below-grade
Forcemain along Hummelstown Street, electrical ductbank, and Clearwell building work adjacent to Conoy Creek. No subsurface or hazmat reports are furnished, so the lump sum carries that contingency.
Decision & risk
Before You Commit Time to This Bid
Five things to weigh against your own shop before pricing starts. None of these are dealbreakers on their own, but each one is worth a clear answer first.
Bidder qualifications
The Advertisement sets a minimum of 5 years experience and 10 completed projects of similar nature. It functions as a responsibility filter: a bidder who cannot document comparable WTP or process-mechanical work would be non-responsible regardless of price.
Bonding capacity
A 10% Bid Bond is required at submission and 100% Performance and Payment Bonds at award (§ 8.01 IB). With the equipment item fixed, aggregate exposure lands in the $11M to $19M range depending on the base bid, payable to a PA-licensed, Treasury-listed surety.
Membrane coordination
The Section 13201 equipment is pre-selected and fixed at $1,241,502 (§ Bid Form 5.03, § 12.03 IB). The general contractor carries the package and is responsible for factory inspection, a long-lead delivery, and field commissioning.
Subsurface and hazmat
The owner declares that no subsurface or hazmat reports are known (§ SC 5.03, SC 5.06). Forcemain, ductbank, and Clearwell work proceed without documented data, so the lump sum carries that contingency.
Prevailing wage
PA Prevailing Wage (Act 442) applies, with the wage determination in the bid package (§ Bid Form 5.02.A, § SC Article 2). Certified payroll is required weekly across all subcontractors for the 360-day duration.
Cost Risk
A few terms in here can move a number more than the scope does. These are the ones I'd keep an eye on while pricing.
- Bonding capacity at full-contract scaleA 10% Bid Bond is required at submission and 100% Performance and Payment Bonds at award (Advertisement, § 8.01 IB). With Bid Item 2 fixed at $1,241,502 and Bid Item 3 at $50,000, a base bid in the $4M to $8M range puts total contract value at $5.5M to $9.5M and aggregate bonding near $11M to $19M. Single-project and aggregate surety capacity is the first constraint a bidder would confirm.
- Schedule against the 360-day clockSubstantial completion is 360 days from NTP, with $1,000 per day in liquidated damages past substantial and again past final completion at 390 days (not additive), plus $250 per day for missed milestones (§ Agreement 4.02, 4.03). The construction sequence carries hard shutdown caps of 4, 6, and 1 hours that cannot slip (§ 01010 1.05.B), and membrane delivery sits on the critical path.
- Coordination across three prime contractsThe general contractor prepares and updates the progress schedule with input from Contracts 2 (Electrical) and 3 (HVAC), coordinates work across all three primes, and installs equipment pads for equipment the other primes set (§ 01010 1.04.A.1). That coordination is a general-conditions cost line, not a flat-rate management task.
What's unresolved
What I Caught on a Close Read
The contradictions, blanks, and gaps worth catching before the question deadline. Each one is a candidate for an RFI.
- Missing data3 found
- No subsurface investigation is furnishedThe Supplementary Conditions state that no reports of subsurface explorations or tests are known to the owner, yet forcemain, ductbank, and Clearwell foundation work all involve excavation. Below-grade conditions are the largest unpriced unknown in the package.§ SC 5.03Ask the ownerWhether any geotechnical, boring, or test-pit data exists in the owner's records that bidders may review, even if it is not Technical Data under the Contract.
- No environmental or hazmat reports are furnishedThe owner declares that no hazmat or environmental reports are known. Work near Conoy Creek and demolition of existing plant components proceed without documented conditions, leaving any abatement or contaminated-soil handling unquantified at bid.§ SC 5.06
- The pre-selected membrane manufacturer is not namedBid Item 2 is fixed at $1,241,502 against a manufacturer proposal dated April 27, 2026, but the manufacturer's identity, the included scope of supply, and the delivery lead time are not stated in the documents, while the general contractor is required to name the supplier as a subcontractor.§ 13201 § 12.03 IBAsk the ownerThe membrane manufacturer's identity, the included scope of supply (CIP skid, neutralization skid, compressors, bisulfite feed), and the lead time from approved shop drawings to delivery.
Checklist & dates
Compliance Checklist
The required forms a responsive bid has to include, and where each one lives in the documents. Anything missed here is what gets a bid thrown out, so check each as you confirm it.
0 of 12 confirmed
- Bid submitted via PennBid only. Paper bids are not accepted, and the server-side timestamp at 2:00 PM ET on Jun 24 controls.
- Bid Form Contract 1 completed with Base Bid and total. Bid Item 2 ($1,241,502) and Bid Item 3 ($50,000) are pre-filled. The Item 1 Base Bid Lump Sum and the total are entered in words and figures.
- Bid Bond at 10% of the maximum bid price. Treasury-listed surety licensed in PA, or a certified check or bank money order. The original is sent within 3 business days of owner request.
- Non-Collusion Affidavit signed and notarized. Signed by an authorized representative, with a notary acknowledgement.
- Steel Products Procurement Act Affidavit included. Certifies that all steel products used or supplied are US-made: rebar, structural steel, piping, valves, and equipment with steel components.
- Public Works Employment Verification Form included. Certifies E-Verify enrollment under Act 127 of 2012, required for all PA public works contracts.
- Statement of Bidder's Qualifications attached. Documents the 5-year experience and 10 completed similar projects from the Advertisement, with the most recent fiscal-year financial statement.
- Evidence of authority to do business in Pennsylvania. PA corporations list the state of incorporation on the bid form; foreign corporations must be registered with the PA Department of Labor and Industry.
- List of Proposed Subcontractors attached. Includes the Membrane Filtration Equipment supplier under Section 13201.
- List of Proposed Suppliers attached. Material suppliers for the major work items; the owner reserves the right to object.
- All addenda acknowledged on the Bid Form. The Bid Form has a receipt-of-addenda table; every addendum number must be entered, or the bid is non-responsive.
- Bidder Acknowledgement Questionnaire completed in PennBid. Bidders complete a questionnaire in the portal alongside the uploaded bid documents; it cannot be left blank.
Critical Dates & Controls
Four dates between now and award. The receipt deadline in orange is the hard cutoff, and the portal clock is the only clock that counts.
Wed May 2710:00 AM ET
Mandatory pre-bid meeting and site visit. At the Water Treatment Plant, 211 W. Hummelstown St, Elizabethtown. Both the WTP and Clearwell buildings are walked. Attendance is a responsiveness condition. Advertisement
Wed Jun 175:00 PM ET
Last day for written questions via PennBid Q&A. Questions received less than seven days prior to bid opening may not be answered. Only Addenda responses are binding. § 7.01 IB
~Fri Jun 19
Anticipated final addendum window. Addenda may issue any time before bid opening, posted to PennBid. Bidding off a superseded document is non-responsive. § 7.02 IB
Wed Jun 242:00 PM ET
Bid receipt deadline. PennBid upload only. Paper bids are not accepted and the server-side timestamp controls. Late submissions are rejected by the system. § 15.01, 15.02 IB
~Mon Aug 25
End of the standard 60-day bid hold. Bids remain open 60 calendar days from opening, with an additional 60 days if award is delayed by a required government approval, sale of bonds, or award of a grant. § 16.03 IB
What It Takes to Win the Award
Three tests stand between a submitted bid and the award. The first two are pass or fail; the third is where it's actually decided.
The Authority awards to the lowest responsible bidder whose bid is responsive to the bid documents. Responsible and responsive are separate hurdles, and either one can disqualify a bid regardless of price. The 5-year / 10-project minimum in the Advertisement is a real responsibility filter on this scope.
- Responsive bid (pass/fail). The submission must include everything required, signed and notarized correctly, on the right PennBid forms, with no unauthorized changes. Responsiveness is the first gate, and the compliance checklist above is the test.
- Responsible bidder (pass/fail). The Authority evaluates 5-plus years of experience, 10-plus completed similar projects, bonding capacity, references, and financial standing, and may reject a low bid for being non-responsible. Document 00451
- Total bid price (lump sum, Items 1 + 2 + 3). Bid Item 2 ($1,241,502) and Bid Item 3 ($50,000) are fixed; Bid Item 1, the Base Bid Lump Sum, is the only competitive line. The lowest total that clears responsiveness and responsibility wins. § Bid Form
- Reserved right to reject. Under the General Conditions (standard EJCDC reserved rights), the Authority may reject any or all bids and waive informalities, and in practice the engineer's recommendation drives the award. GC Art. 17
How You Submit the Bid
The mechanics of getting a compliant bid in on time. The checklist above is what goes inside; this is how it has to arrive.
Format
Bid Form Contract 1 completed electronically on PennBid, with the Item 1 Base Bid and the total in words and figures. Items 2 and 3 are pre-filled. Document 00410
Method
Sealed online through the PennBid Program only. No paper bids are accepted. § 15.02 IB
Timing
The portal's server-side clock at 2:00 PM ET on Jun 24 is the one that controls. § 15.01 IB
Proof
Bid Bond (10%), Non-Collusion and Steel Products affidavits, Public Works Employment Verification, Statement of Bidder's Qualifications, subcontractor and supplier lists, and addenda acknowledgement. § 15.03 IB
Deadline
Wednesday, June 24, 2026, 2:00 PM ET. Late submissions are rejected by the system. § 15.01 IB
Questions to send
Questions Worth Sending Before Jun 17
Organized by topic, from submission and scope to schedule, quantities, and certifications. Send them through the owner's question portal before the deadline.
Coordination and scope
- Section 01010 1.04.A.1.c states the GC furnishes and installs equipment pads for equipment furnished or installed by Contracts 2 and 3. Will pad dimensions and reinforcement for Contracts 2 and 3 equipment be issued by addendum before bid, or are bidders to size pads from the existing drawings (ST-03101, ST-03601 et al.) alone?
- Section 01010 1.04.A.1.b requires the GC to coordinate work between all three contractors. What is the mechanism for resolving schedule conflicts between primes, and does the GC have authority to direct Contracts 2 or 3 to accelerate or re-sequence, or is that reserved to the Owner and Engineer?
Schedule and shutdowns
- Section 01010 1.05.B step 2.j states the WTP will run on the standby generator while DP-1 is reconnected. Does the existing 600 kW generator have fuel capacity for the worst-case duration of the DP-1 swap, including any extended fault-recovery period, and which party provides emergency refueling?
- Section 01010 1.05.B step 9 limits the major plant shutdown to 4 hours for the filtered and raw water tie-in. May a bidder propose alternative tie-in sequencing or temporary bypass arrangements that extend the shutdown window in exchange for reduced overall duration, and what is the approval process?
Equipment and subsurface
- Section 13201 names Membrane Filtration Equipment as a pre-selected package at $1,241,502 per a manufacturer proposal dated April 27, 2026. What is the membrane manufacturer's identity, the included scope of supply (CIP skid, neutralization skid, air compressors, sodium bisulfite feed system), and the lead time from approved shop drawings to delivery?
- SC 5.03 states no reports of explorations or tests of subsurface conditions are known to the Owner. Does any geotechnical, boring, or test-pit data exist in the owner's records for either the Water Treatment Plant site or the Clearwell building site that bidders may review, even if not Technical Data under the Contract?
In Closing
The scope reads like routine civil work, so nearly everything demanding here is procedural: a form-heavy package, a multi-prime structure, and a few spots where the documents are unclear or contradict each other. The audit and clarification items are the ones worth settling in writing before the question deadline, while it's still cheap to fix.