Substation Retrofits

The City of Tacoma / Tacoma Public Utilities is soliciting sealed bids for substation retrofit work involving the installation of deep vertical ground electrodes at various substation locations within Pierce County. The contractor shall furnish all labor, equipment, testing, and disposal services necessary to drill boreholes up to 80 feet deep and 4-6 inches in diameter, install copper ground rods with couplers, backfill with Ground Enhancement Material (GEM), and handle all excavated soils in compliance with environmental regulations.

The scope of work includes mobilization and site preparation, borehole drilling and ground rod installation, quality assurance, and demobilization and cleanup. Specific work items include drilling three holes to 64 feet depth with 8 rods per hole at three locations; drilling five holes to 40 feet depth with 5 rods per hole at five locations; driving coupled rods to 24 feet in 15 locations; and driving coupled rods to 16 feet in nine locations. The contractor must supply specialized equipment including HBR Hutte Drill Rig or equivalent, CG-600 Grout Plant for GEM mixing, all-terrain forklifts, and skid steer or backhoe for spoils handling.

Key dates include RSVP deadline for mandatory pre-bid meeting by April 8, 2026; mandatory on-site pre-bid meeting scheduled for April 14, 2026 (weather permitting); city response to pre-bid meeting questions expected week of April 20, 2026; and bid submittal deadline of 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on Tuesday, April 28, 2026. The anticipated contract award date is on or about May 6, 2026. The contract term runs from award date through December 31, 2026.

Minimum contractor qualifications include current Washington state contractor license, five years of demonstrated experience in drilling and installation of deep grounding electrodes in energized or high-risk utility environments, ability to provide specialized equipment and operators for vertical drilling, experience with GEM products, experience dealing with subsurface water, experience in testing and handling of contaminated and non-contaminated soils, and personnel experienced with utility safety procedures. Estimated project cost is $150,000.