Request for Expressions of Interest

Request for Industry Feedback – Upcoming General Engineering RFP

The City of Lacombe is preparing to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) for General Engineering Services.

The General Engineer for the City of Lacombe is responsible for providing professional engineering support across a broad range of municipal functions, including the City’s Capital Works Program, operational requests, and ongoing technical support. The selected consultant may also be engaged as the Engineer of Record and/or Project Manager for larger capital projects, as required. Our current contract includes a broad range of supports for our annual capital works program, utility modelling, traffic design, land development, instrumentation/controls, electrical, airports, buildings etc.

In preparation for issuing the RFP, the City is seeking industry feedback for consideration during the development of the solicitation. We would appreciate your input on the following questions:

1. Multi-Year Structure

How would you recommend structuring a multi-year commitment between a municipality and an engineering consulting firm to encompass pre-design, detailed design, tendering, and construction for at least three years of Capital Works?

This should include strategies for:

  • Completing survey/CCTV, utility notifications, and public notices
  • Avoiding delays caused by shallow utility relocations
  • Providing more certain pricing during council budget deliberations (July–November)

For example, a timeline could look like the following (please provide your reasoning):

  • Year 1 (2026): Pre-design for 2027–2029; Detailed Design for 2027–28 (Construction in 2026 under current contract)
  • Year 2 (2027): Pre-design for 2030; Detailed Design for 2029; Construction 2027; Tender 2028
  • Year 3 (2028): Pre-design for 2031; Detailed Design for 2030; Construction 2028; Tender 2029

2. Firm Structure

What are the advantages and disadvantages of appointing a General Engineer from:

  • A multi-disciplinary firm
  • A firm specializing in civil/municipal engineering, with additional specialists engaged as needed

3. Industry Trends

Are there any emerging challenges, regulatory changes, or industry trends that the City should consider when procuring General Engineering services?

The City also welcomes any additional comments or considerations that you believe would be helpful in preparing this RFP. The City’s Engineering team can also be available to meet via Microsoft Teams next week to discuss these items, upon request.

Please submit your feedback to engineering@lacombe.ca by Friday, January 16th, 2026.