2025 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR THIRD PARTY INSPECTION & REVIEW SERVICES
General Information
Lower Gwynedd Township (“the Township”) is governed by an elected five-member Board of Supervisors and has a population of approximately 12,000 residents. The Township’s 9.4 square miles include premier employers, top-rated schools and a beautiful locale, making Lower Gwynedd highly desired as a place to live and work. Residents and employers in the Township expect, and receive, high quality services from their local government.
The Township has a busy Building and Zoning Department made up of in-house staff, consultants, and a third-party inspection agency. The Department strives to provide an optimal and efficient level of building inspection and plan review services for Township residents and businesses.
Lower Gwynedd is currently seeking proposals from qualified Third-Party Agencies (“Agency”) interested in providing Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code (PA UCC) services, zoning inspections, supplementary code enforcement services, and as an optional component, fire and life safety inspections.
Submit proposals, and any general and/or technical questions related to this RFP or about the Township, in writing via email to Jamie Worman, Assistant Township Manager/Director of Building & Zoning, at jworman@lowergwynedd.org. The submittal deadline is Thursday, August 7, 2025.
Scope of Work
The Township is seeking proposals from qualified Third-Party Agencies interested in providing PA UCC services, including plan reviews and inspection for residential, commercial, and institutional (Building, Accessibility, Energy, Fire, Plumbing and Mechanical) properties within the Township. The Township is also seeking zoning inspections and supplementary code enforcement services. The Township will be implementing a fire inspection program and is requesting fire inspections as an optional service as part of this RFP.
The Township is soliciting proposals from Agencies to:
- Conduct PA UCC plan reviews within the state-mandated time period of 15 business days for residential reviews and 30 business days for commercial or institutional reviews, and issue permits as warranted
- Conduct associated site inspections and zoning inspections
- Provide applicants with a formal letter of denial and indicate plan deficiencies for resubmission, if applicable
- Save all plan reviews, issued permits and inspection results in the Township’s permit software, Traisr or arrange for such with the Building & Zoning Staff
- Work directly with applicants for scheduling of inspections
- Work closely with Township’s Building & Zoning Department Staff and Consultants
- Work closely with the Township Fire Marshal
- Serve as a Township Building Code Official
- Prepare certificates of code compliance and certificates of occupancy after final inspections have been approved, and save the certificates in Traisr
- Attend building code appeal hearings and other Township meetings as needed or directed
- Answer building code questions from residents and contractors via email, phone calls or site visits
- Take an active role in enforcement and abatement of any observed violations of any codes in the field by notifying the permit holder and/or property owner, documenting all such violations and reporting them to the Township, and following up with the permit; Violations of construction codes must be followed up by the inspector either by direct contact at the time of observance, or by issuance of written notice and notifying the Township Building & Zoning Department
- Supplement Township code enforcement staff by performing and documenting inspections of potential violations of the Township’s zoning ordinance, property maintenance code and similar regulations in the Township Code, when requested by Building & Zoning Department staff
- Meet with the Building & Zoning Department/Building and Codes Official from time to time to discuss policy and code interpretations, project updates, and inspection updates.
As an optional additional service, the Township seeks submissions from Agencies also interested in and capable of conducting fire and life safety inspections of non-residential properties in compliance with the International Fire Code as adopted by Lower Gwynedd Township. This is a new Township service that would be implemented in coordination with the Township Fire Marshal. The goal is to ensure the safety of all non-residential buildings and compliance with fire safety regulations. With this service, we will also establish that the businesses being inspected have up-to-date Use and Occupancy permits for the property. Agencies submitting for this service should expect to designate one day per week for this program to conduct site visits and prepare the corresponding paperwork. Follow-up or additional inspections may be necessary, which would require more time. Qualified inspectors must have a PA Commercial Inspectors Certification and Fire Inspector 1 & 2 Certifications. If the Agency is not interested in or capable of including this service in the proposal, please state that in the proposal.
Standards and Coordination
The Agency shall maintain all the necessary requirements and qualified individuals to perform all plan review and inspection aspects of and in compliance with the PA UCC and the requirements of Lower Gwynedd Township. The Agency is responsible for ensuring that all personnel stay current with UCC requirements and any other necessary qualifications. A list of all inspectors and their qualifications must be submitted to the Township for approval and together they must meet the certification requirements listed herein. This list must be kept current, and any changes must be submitted to the Township within two business days of the changes going into effect.
While the minimum requirement is that all UCC permits are issued within the mandated UCC timelines, Agency personnel are expected to provide timely service to applicants and avoid unnecessary delays. Inspections are expected to be scheduled within two business days of each request.
The Township processes approximately 275-300 permits per year, with the busiest time occurring during the spring and summer months. On average the split between residential permits and commercial permits is 70/30, with many permits related to residential renovations. It is preferred that the Agency provides one commercial inspector and one residential inspector for the Township. Plan examination can be a shared task. Agency services shall be provided during the normal business days and hours of the Township as needed. An acceptable schedule can be arranged between the Agency and Township based on the volume of permits and required inspections and can be adjusted from time to time as necessary. The Agency shall have the ability to provide after-hours and emergency inspections if needed. No subcontracting shall be permitted without prior written authorization from the Township.
There is office workspace available in the Township Building. Agency’s personnel have the option of using that space or arranging for electronic transmission and/or delivery and pickup of hard copy permit applications and plan submissions. Agency will be provided with access to Traisr. Agency’s personnel must be able to use Traisr, including in the field for inspections, and store required documentation for each permit or property in Traisr using their own laptop, tablet or similar device.
Proposal Submission
Proposals must include the following information:
- Provide an overview of the Agency and its qualifications. Include the Agency’s location in the area and a description of the locations where Agency representatives work from who are likely to provide services to the Township.
- Detail the Agency’s abilities and qualifications to provide the services requested in the scope of work.
- Describe and list the Agency’s experience with municipal clients in Pennsylvania consistent with the scope of services above.
- Provide a list of references with contact information and a description of the services provided by the Agency.
- Specify who will serve as the primary point of contact if the Agency is selected.
- Provide evidence of certification as Third-Party Agency issued by the PA Department of Labor and Industry and a list of certifications of all inspectors who would do work for Lower Gwynedd.
- Explain the Agency’s capacity to provide after-hours and emergency inspections if necessary.
- Include the Agency’s policy for background checks on employees.
- Provide an itemized fee schedule.
- Include a letter of intent to secure and provide necessary proof of insurance coverage in the amount of $1,000,000 for commercial general liability and $3 million for umbrella excess liability, naming Lower Gwynedd Township, Spring House Pennsylvania, as an additional insured, as well as proof of auto, professional liability, and workers comp insurance.
The Township reserves the right to:
- Select a proposal in its entirety or some portions thereof
- Reject any and all proposals, in whole or in part
- Waive irregularities
- Share the answers to questions asked by the Agency about the RFP that would help to clarify the RFP for other candidates
- Research and confirm the qualifications of any and all Agencies submitting proposals
Selection Process
Township staff will review and evaluate proposals based on their overall merits in an effort to select the company that is most qualified and most likely to serve the best interests of the Township. The Township will consider cost, quality and overall value and shall not be required to select the lowest cost proposal. The Township’s intention is to select an Agency by September. The resulting contract will include this RFP and any clarifications or addenda thereto, the selected Agency’s proposal and any changes agreed to by the Township and the Agency, and provisions agreed to by the Township and the Agency for term, payment schedules, insurance requirements, and any other provisions.
The compensation of the selected company shall be fixed by Contract.
The Township staff, at their discretion, will conduct interviews with some or all the submitting companies. Initial interviews will take place virtually during the week of August 18, 2025. Second interviews for selected companies will take place during the week of August 25, 2025, at the Township Building.
The staff will make a recommendation to the Township Board of Supervisors who will appoint the selected Third-Party Inspection Agency at a public meeting.
Term
The term of the selected agency for the building inspection and plan review services shall be subject to renewal in accordance with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Second Class Township Code or as otherwise determined by the Township Board of Supervisors. The Agency serves at-will at the pleasure of the Lower Gwynedd Township Board of Supervisors until otherwise replaced. The Lower Gwynedd Township Board of Supervisors reserves the right to terminate the agreement at any time with sixty (60) days prior written notice.