Select Board
Town of Bethlehem
2155 Main Street
PO Box 189
Bethlehem, New Hampshire 03574
(603) 869-3351 Ext. 101 Phone
RFP NO. 1
Request for Proposals (RFPs) for:
The Design Build of a Solid Waste Transfer Station and Recycling Center
The Town of Bethlehem seeks competitive sealed proposals for the design build of a solid waste transfer station and recycling center for the collection, separation, storage, transfer, processing, treatment, and disposal of solid waste and recyclables, to comply with the Town’s obligation to provide such a facility or assure access to another such facility, pursuant to New Hampshire Revised Statutes, Section 149-M:17.
This project is anticipated to be funded in whole or in part through a federal financial assistance award from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), including funds administered by USDA Rural Development.
As such, this procurement shall be conducted in accordance with 2 CFR Part 200, applicable USDA regulations, and the Town of Bethlehem Federal Procurement Policy Addendum.
Award of any contract is expressly contingent upon receipt of federal funding and approval by USDA Rural Development.
The proposals shall provide for construction commencing during 2026 with full construction completed by July 1, 2027. However, the construction site should be capable of receiving solid waste and recyclables by January 1, 2027 for storage in the event that the Town must assume solid waste management prior to July 1, 2027.
The Town is seeking “Design Build” proposals, where bidders will assume responsibility both for the design (architectural/engineering) and construction phases under a single contract. Attached as Appendix A is a conceptual site plan, previously prepared by Aries Engineering, which includes rough locations for buildings, roads, and equipment location. Attached as Appendix B is a mandatory bidding sheet for the proposed construction of the transfer station buildings and infrastructure and Appendix C federal certifications and assurances document.
NOTE: The Town intends to purchase all equipment/machinery not listed in Appendix B, such as bailors, compactors, roll-off containers, skid steer, scale, pallet jack, etc. The Town will also provide for the installation of a well through a separate RFP once the successful bidder shows the final location of the building providing water services.
I. General Information and Background
This background information is provided for informational purposes only and shall not be construed as a guarantee of quantities, conditions, or funding availability.
The Town has a resident population of approximately 2,544 (2023) and currently receives weekly curbside pick-up of residential municipal solid waste (MSW) and single-stream recyclables, along with use of a transfer station owned by the North Country Environmental Services, Inc. The Manager of the landfill has verified that the most recent annual amount of nonrecyclable MSW generated and collected from Bethlehem residents for landfilling from both curbside pick-up and delivery by residents to the transfer station is 738.97 tons.
The Town intends to receive the following recyclables at the transfer station, without charge, for source separation: plastic, glass, aluminum, and steel containers, cardboard, and mixed paper. Without curbside collection, the Town’s goal for annual receipt of such recyclables at the transfer station are 100 tons of cardboard, 65 tons of mixed paper, 17 tons of various plastic containers, several tons of aluminum and steel containers, and several tons of glass containers.
The Town also intends to receive yard waste and mixed, large metals at its transfer station without charge, and implement a fee schedule to receive a number of other items traditionally handled by transfer stations, such as appliances, electronics, batteries, fluorescent bulbs, bulky waste, and residential construction and demolition debris.
II. Timelines
A. Bidders will have the opportunity to inspect the site by appointment on Friday February 13th. If this inspection date is not available to a potential bidder, then the bidder may contact the Town Administrator for a mutually agreeable time, no later than Friday February 6th. An inspection of the site is not a condition for submitting a proposal and arrangements must be made with the Town Administrator.
B. Proposals, utilizing the bidding sheet attached as Appendix B, are to be submitted in a sealed envelope or box no later than March 6th, 2026, to the Town of Bethlehem, 2155 Main Street, PO Box 189, Bethlehem, NH 03574 or hand-delivered by said date at the Town Administrator’s Office at 2155 Main Street. The proposals must be clearly marked “RFP: for Design Build of a Solid Waste Transfer Station and Recycling Center”. The proposals should also include the name, email, and telephone number of a contact person in the event further information is desired by the Town.
C. The proposals will be considered by the Select Board on Monday March 9th at 6:00 P.M. at the Town Office using the evaluation criteria outlined in section V.
III. Federal Procurement Requirements
A. This procurement is subject to 2 CFR Part 200, USDA Rural Development requirements, and all applicable federal laws and regulations.
B. Geographic or local preferences are prohibited and shall not be considered in proposal evaluation.
C. Cost-plus-percentage-of-cost contracts are prohibited.
D. The Town shall perform and document a cost or price analysis prior to contract award.
E. All Bidders must certify that they are not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded from participation in federal programs.
IV. Bid Specifications
The Town has determined that use of a design-build procurement method is appropriate for this project due to the need for integrated design and construction services, schedule coordination, constructability review, and cost control, consistent with 2 CFR §200.320.
A. Bidders are to fill out and submit the bidding sheet and information as specified in II.B. above. In addition, bidders should include the information, reference in Subsections B and C below, in their sealed envelope.
B. Bidders will provide copies, or a description of their insurance coverages, including workers’ compensation, liability, and vehicle insurance.
C. Bidders should set forth their construction schedule, specifying when they anticipate the commencement of construction and the completion of full construction, along with any other construction stages that bidders deem to be relevant.
D. Bidders shall bear the costs of preparing any proposal in response to this RFP, and the successful contractor or contractors may not recover such costs in the final contract.
E. All requests for further information shall be directed to Ms. Mary Moritz, the Administrative Assistant for the Select Board, at 603-869-3351 ext. 101.
F. Prior to the date set forth for Select Board consideration, referenced in Section II.C above, the Town may seek some additional information or clarification from any bidder, in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local procurement requirements, and consider such information or clarification as part of the applicable proposal.
G. The Town reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals, in whole or in part, in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local procurement requirements.
V. Proposal Evaluation Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated using a best-value competitive proposal method based on the following criteria:
Criteria Weight
Project approach & understanding of scope 25%
Qualifications & experience of design-build team 25%
Schedule & ability to meet required milestones 15%
Past performance on similar facilities 15%
Price proposal (Appendix B) 20%
Total 100%
Please visit https://bethlehemnh.gov/employment/