2026/27 SANITARY SEWER EXTENSION: NORTH GROWTH EAST-WEST SANITARY SEWER - PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT
The 2026/27 Sanitary Sewer Extension: North Growth East-West Sanitary Sewer project will construct an east-west sanitary sewer from Hyde Avenue to the west side of the Union Pacific Railroad to provide regional sanitary sewer capacity for future development in the north growth area.
The installation of the sanitary sewer line represents a major step that will serve planned residential growth, including the Hayden’s Preserve and Greenbriar developments, while also providing capacity for future development consistent with Ames Plan 2040. City Council identified this project as a pioneer infrastructure investment that should be advanced to support long-term growth and the orderly extension of public utilities during its review of developer incentive packages in late 2025.
Staff initiated a Request for Proposals (RFP) process for professional services for the surveying, design, permitting, easement preparation, and bidding of the project. Proposals were received from ten engineering firms on July 23, 2026. The proposals were evaluated according to the following criteria: Project Understanding, Project Approach, Design Team/Key Personnel, Previous Experience, and Estimated Fee.
The evaluation scores are as follows:
| Firm | Qualifications Score | Fee | Final Score | Final Rank |
|
McClure Engineering |
274 | $100,060 | 277.39 | 1 |
| Strand | 273 | $101,250 | 276.32 | 2 |
| Shive-Hattery | 269 | $89,900 | 272.88 | 3 |
| Snyder | 270 | $114,650 | 272.56 | 4 |
| WHKS | 265 | $110,700 | 267.79 | 5 |
| Foth | 259 | $144,900 | 259.97 | 6 |
| CDA | 256 | $105,700 | 259.08 | 7 |
| NAI | 247 | $105,967 | 250.06 | 8 |
| Bolton & Menk | 244 | $78,602 | 248.31 | 9 |
| HDR | 244 | $204,865 | 244.02 | 10 |
McClure Engineering Company, of Clive, Iowa, received the highest overall score. Staff believes McClure demonstrated a strong understanding of the project goals and constraints, provided a well-developed approach to addressing the project challenges, and proposed a project team with relevant sanitary sewer and railroad coordination experience. McClure's proposal also demonstrated an understanding of how this sewer extension will serve development beyond the immediately proposed projects and provided a detailed approach and schedule for completing the work.
Following the evaluation, staff negotiated a professional services agreement with McClure Engineering Company in an amount not to exceed $100,060.
The City's overall project budget for the sewer extension is $1,500,000 identified as an available balance in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding. A summary of revenues and projected expenses for the project is shown below:
| Funding Source | Revenues | Expenses |
| ARPA | $1,500,000 | |
| Construction (Est.) | $1,300,000 | |
| Engineering (this Council action) | $100,060 | |
| Administration | $99,940 | |
| Total | $1,500,000 | $1,500,000 |
The consultant's schedule anticipates completion of final plans and specifications in December 2026, with a local bid letting scheduled for early 2027, pending permit approvals.
- Approve the professional services agreement with McClure Engineering Company, of Clive, Iowa, for the 2026/27 Sanitary Sewer Extension: North Growth East-West Sanitary Sewer project, in an amount not to exceed $100,060.
- Direct staff to negotiate an engineering agreement with another consulting firm.
Based on staff's evaluation using the above criteria, McClure Engineering Company received the highest overall score and will provide the best value to the City for professional services for the 2026/27 Sanitary Sewer Extension: North Growth East-West Sanitary Sewer project.
Advancing the design of this project will support planned residential development in the north growth area and provide regional sanitary sewer infrastructure for future development consistent with Ames Plan 2040 and City Council direction regarding developer incentives. Therefore, it is the recommendation of the City Manager that the City Council adopt Alternative No. 1, as noted above.