Dickinson releases 2026 transportation RFP; city staff answers contractor questions on CCTV, DOT rules and easements

City of Dickinson staff led a contractor briefing call about the 2026 transportation projects request for proposals (RFP), outlining four projects and answering technical and procurement questions from prospective consultants and contractors.

Josh, a city staff member, said the RFP covers four projects: two mill-and-overlay street projects (Empire Road, from 23rd Avenue West to 8th Avenue West, and Fairway Street, from State Avenue to 13th Avenue West), an intersection analysis along State Avenue (Fairway to 21st Street West) and a program of repairs for roadway structures such as box culverts and small bridges. He said an older draft of the RFP was briefly posted to the city website but that the city corrected the posting and the current RFP was uploaded a few days earlier.

Why it matters: the projects have federal funding implications and advance planning steps to complete before construction. Josh said the city has submitted the street projects for funding and is trying to make them bid-ready as soon as possible; the mill-and-overlay street projects are currently planned for 2029. The city plans to issue a geotechnical RFP in February 2026 to gather soil borings and pavement cores to inform final designs.

On inspections and data: contractors asked about televising (CCTV) storm and sanitary sewer lines and access to model data. Tim Arons of Akron asked when CCTV work would be completed and when consultants would be notified if repairs are needed; a city staff member said most CCTV work for the 2026 projects is already done and any remaining work should be finished by the end of the calendar year. The city will provide CCTV data for proposers to review.

On additional repair scope and contracting: in response to a question from Brandy Presnell of Outer Edge, Josh said the city is assuming the existing systems are in good condition and is providing CCTV as a baseline for proposers to review. "Anything above and beyond that, any repairs, any replacements," he said, "would be ultimately a contract amendment for any additional scope of work." That means proposers should not include major repair work as part of the base fee unless specified; additional repairs identified after data review would be handled through amendments.

On federal funding and NDOT: contractors asked whether federal highway funds would be administered through NDOT and whether DOT specifications and schedules would govern the projects. Josh said the state DOT will be involved and that the city is funding the engineering to get projects bid-ready; DOT specifications and federal reporting requirements still apply and the city will request PCN numbers and other DOT paperwork as needed. However, he said the city will generally run its own internal schedule for these projects while accommodating DOT review and reporting requirements.

On easements and ADA work: Jordan with Stantec asked whether the city would handle temporary easements and whether special improvement districts (SIDs) would be used for sidewalk and ramp work. Josh said classified city roadways do not use SIDs for these improvements and that the city typically handles temporary easement acquisition, with consultants providing limited drafting help if needed. He also confirmed the city uses DOT curb ramp agreements when DOT criteria apply.

Records and next steps: Josh said inspections of the roadway structures were completed in 2025 and that 2023 inspection records are also available; interested proposers can request both sets of records from Sylvia Miller. A tentative interview date listed in the RFP was corrected during the call from Nov. 10 to Dec. 10. Josh said whether the city holds interviews depends on the number of submittals and how close proposer scores are; if only one qualified submittal is received, the city may skip interviews.

The city is recording the briefing and will post the recording and the RFP PDF to the city website and distribute them to attendees. The city invited questions about submittal requirements and encouraged proposers to request additional materials as needed.