Pittsburgh, PA – The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority (PWSA) invites contractors to bid on the construction of the Highland Reservoir Pump Station project. This estimated $46 million, four-part contract includes the complete construction of a new pump station, including mechanical, structural, architectural, site piping, electrical, HVAC, and plumbing work for the new structure.  

Contractors, interested in bidding on this project, are encouraged to visit PWSA’s Procurement Portal for detailed project information, download necessary documents, and learn about important deadlines to qualify for this project. Specifically, PWSA is hosting a mandatory pre-bid meeting at 9:00 AM on August 4th at its headquarters located at 1200 Penn Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The pre-bid meeting includes a site visit of the project location.  

“We are looking forward to working with local construction, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC firms in the region to begin this crucial pump station upgrade,” said PWSA Director of Engineering and Construction Barry King. “These complex construction efforts would not be possible without the various experts who take our design plans and make them a reality,” he said. 

This multi-year project is part of PWSA’s ambitious Water Reliability Plan and the first of three major pump station construction and renovations identified in the Plan. These once-in-a-generation projects are a significant investment in Pittsburgh’s water infrastructure and will ensure reliable water services for current and future generations of customers. 

Project Background 

The Highland Reservoir Pump Station project includes the demolition of the existing 4 million gallon per day (MGD) pump station that feeds the Garfield water tank making way for the construction of a modernized, larger station behind the footprint of the existing structure. This new station will add 56 million gallons per day of additional service as a redundant supply to the Highland I Service Area, otherwise known as the uncovered Highland Reservoir I. This dual pumping capability will add critical redundancy and security to our water system. The project also includes upgrades to the sodium hypochlorite disinfection booster facilities for the Highland Reservoir II outlet supply mains. It is anticipated that the proposed pump station will have a minimum useful life of 30 years. 

The contracts will be broken into the four following prime contracts: 

• General: The scope of work generally includes construction of a new pumping station building and all phases of process-mechanical, structural, architectural, site work, site piping, and all associated work not specifically assigned to another contract; structural, architectural, and process work associated with the rehabilitation of the existing chemical addition facility at the Highland II Reservoir Effluent Gatehouse; construction of a chlorine residual monitoring shelter, including equipment installation, piping and appurtenances; demolition of the existing pumping station building including removal and disposal of all structural, architectural, and process-mechanical components of the existing building. The General Contractor is also responsible for developing and maintaining an overall contract schedule of all four prime contracts. 

• Electrical: The scope of work generally includes electrical work associated with the construction of a new pumping station, rehabilitation of existing chemical addition facility at the Highland II Reservoir Effluent Gatehouse, and new chlorine residual monitoring shelter; acting as the primary interface between the other Contracts (1-General, 3-HVAC, 4-Plumbing) and the new and/or existing electrical distribution system; all shut-offs, shut-downs, disconnections, removal demolition, and/or connections of equipment or materials to the electrical distribution system will be by the Electrical Contractor; assure power is provided to all new equipment included with this project, that existing-to-remain equipment maintains service, and that existing-to-be removed/demolished equipment maintains service until the point at which it may be operationally placed out of service as determined by PWSA. 

• HVAC: The scope of work generally includes construction of a new Pump Station Building Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) System, a new Sodium Hypochlorite storage/feed facility HVAC System at the Highland Reservoir II Effluent Gatehouse, and a new chlorine analyzer shelter; demolition of all HVAC equipment at the new Highland Reservoir Pump Station and Highland Reservoir II Effluent Gatehouse. 

• Plumbing: The scope of work generally includes construction of plumbing piping, fixtures, and drain lines within new pumping station building and Highland Reservoir II Effluent Gatehouse; plumbing piping entering the building within five feet outside the building and all connections to site piping (to be coordinated with General Contractor); installation of emergency shower and eye wash stations; delegated design and installation of new fire protection system in chemical room, and delegated design and installation of a complete fire alarm system; demolition of plumbing fixtures, piping, and drains in the existing pump station and the Highland Reservoir II Effluent Gatehouse. 

Working with PWSA 

PWSA’s partnerships with private contractors is essential for the completion of these specialized, long-term construction initiatives. Building the new Highland Reservoir Pump Station and its mechanical and electrical innerworkings will require purchasing pieces of equipment ahead of time to be installed as the project progresses. For this reason, PWSA will work with contractors to pay percentages of incurred costs to lessen the burden on the contractor, while ensuring work progresses smoothly and necessary materials are available for installation. 

PWSA’s robust Supplier Diversity Program (SDP) will require 10-25% of the contracts be paid to diverse firms. We encourage MWDBE firms to submit bids as prime contractors or attend our pre-bid meeting and site visit on August 4th to team up with prime contractors. In 2022, PWSA spent $33 million of our engineering and construction contracts with diverse firms. To learn more about our SDP, schedule an office hours call with Emily Pontarelli. Questions regarding the solicitation should be directed to our procurement team through Bonfire.