Hagerstown taps Black & Veatch for $2.79M water and wastewater master plan

Hagerstown taps Black & Veatch for $2.79M water and wastewater master planThe Maryland utility bypassed a lower bid to secure a faster 12-month delivery for its comprehensive 20-year roadmap, which will be partially funded by state and rural economic development grants.

The $2.79 million contract includes the development of hydraulic models, asset management plans, and a capital improvement program (CIP) update.

Hagerstown rejected a $2.31 million low bid from Hazen and Sawyer, citing a lower proposal score and an extended 18-month delivery timeframe.

The 12-month planning project will be supported by $750,000 in state grants, with the balance funded by utility revenues.

Separately, the council approved a resolution signaling its intent to borrow up to $20 million from the state for a wastewater treatment plant improvement project.

The City of Hagerstown, Maryland, has awarded Black & Veatch a $2.79 million contract to develop a comprehensive water and wastewater master plan, opting for a faster turnaround over the lowest bid. Approved by the City Council during its March 24, 2026, meeting, the contract covers a full system analysis, including the development of hydraulic models, asset management plans, GIS updates, and a capital improvement program (CIP) update. The final deliverable will provide the utility with a strategic roadmap for 5-, 10-, and 20-year planning horizons, alongside regulatory reviews and alternatives analyses. The city received five bids for the engineering services contract. While Hazen and Sawyer submitted the lowest bid at $2.31 million, city staff recommended Black & Veatch. According to the staff report, the lower bid was rejected because the proposal "did not score as high and time to complete exceeded 18-mon." During the meeting, a staff member named Tyler confirmed the rigorous selection process, noting the recommendation was based on the "timeframe with the project and then extra services with the project to add cost." Black & Veatch is slated to complete the work in approximately 12 months. Two other firms, Buchart Horn and RK&K, were deemed non-responsive. The $2,790,365 contract is split between the water ($1.14 million) and wastewater ($1.64 million) departments. The first $750,000 of the project will be covered by FY26 grant funding, comprising a $500,000 Rural Maryland Economic Development Grant and a $250,000 Maryland General Fund Appropriation. The remaining balance will be drawn from the utility's water and wastewater funds. According to the firm's proposal, the Black & Veatch team will be led by Project Manager Betsy Baldwin, who previously guided the city's Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvements Phase 1 design project. In a separate water infrastructure action during the same meeting, the council approved a resolution declaring its intent to reimburse costs for the Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvement Project using future borrowing from the Maryland Water Infrastructure Financing Administration (MWIFA). MWIFA has preliminarily approved a tax-exempt loan of up to $17 million, plus an additional $3 million taxable general obligation bond, bringing the anticipated state financing for the plant upgrades to $20 million.