Kittitas County Public Works to Seek New On-Call Engineering and Planning Contracts

At a Kittitas County public works study session, Josh Frederiessen of Public Works updated commissioners on a planned renewal of on-call professional engineering and planning contracts.

Frederiessen said the county issued a request for statements of qualifications in July and reviewed submissions for services including material testing, structural engineering, right-of-way acquisition, hydraulic hydrology and transportation planning. He said the county typically places firms on two-year on-call contracts with an option for a third year when warranted.

"We sent out a a request, a request to statement of qualifications in July," Frederiessen said. He added that the current on-call contracts are expiring at the end of the calendar year and staff hopes to return "in a couple of weeks, potentially even at the next agenda session, with a list of recommended companies that we'd like to enter into a contract with."

Frederiessen noted that projects funded with federal dollars may require separate procurement to ensure compliance and reimbursement eligibility. He described the on-call pool as a way to provide quick access to technical expertise when short-term or specialized tasks arise.

No questions were raised by commissioners during the session and staff did not bring a formal approval item; Frederiessen characterized the next step as bringing recommendations to the board for consideration at a future public meeting.

Next steps: Public Works will return to the board with a recommended list of firms for on-call professional services. The meeting record indicates no vote or formal action occurred during the session.