General Information

DEC has provided professional planning and engineering, construction observation and surveying services to New Mexico clients since 1975 based on a solid reputation for providing sound engineering focused on value as well as the economy of operation and maintenance.
DEC offers comprehensive engineering and project management services, from conceptual planning and computer modeling, to final design and construction. DEC has a reputable background in water and wastewater system master planning, pump station design, environmental assessments, facility design and construction management, water rights, assistance with regulatory compliance (including permitting), and transportation consulting services that include street and drainage design, airport planning and construction design and pedestrian and bicycle trail systems.

Firm Profile
DEC is a small local business that operates as a New Mexico Corporation.
DEC presently consists of engineering, surveying, construction observation and project funding personnel with over 100 years of accumulated rural and municipal infrastructure experience in municipal planning and design. We are an experienced consulting firm, able to respond to your needs with the utmost attention.

We pride ourselves on the specialized attention to address the client’s well being, while extending an effort to supercede their dreams and aspirations. This philosophy has allowed our business to obtain the trust and confidence of many repeat clients, assisting them with the successful implementation and completion of projects critical to shaping and improving their communities.

Specialized Design and Technical Competence
DEC offers comprehensive, engineering, grantsmanship and project management services, from conceptual planning and computer modeling, to final design and construction. DEC has a reputable background in master planning long-term projects, water and wastewater system design, environmental assessments, assistance with regulatory compliance (including permitting), and transportation consulting services that includes street and drainage design, traffic studies, airport planning, and construction design and pedestrian and bicycle trail systems.

Many of our client’s projects are developed over a period of time, often years. Our knowledge of the various funding programs and relationship with funding agency personnel allows us to complete the connection between the needs of our clients and the financial assistance they need to design and construct their projects.

Grantsmanship
DEC routinely assists our clientele with applications for funding to various agencies to assist them with the necessary planning and construction improvements to their infrastructure. Our company principals and staff assist our clients in targeting funding, applying for the moneys and assist in the administering of the funds from state, federal and sometimes public agencies.
We know many of the staff personnel at these agencies on a first name basis and can easily track an application’s movement through the approval process. Our staff has assisted with applications to agencies such as the USDA Rural Utility Service (RUS), New Mexico Finance Authority (NMFA), New Mexico Environment Department (NMED), Local Government Division Department of Finance who administers the Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG), New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Governor’s Board of Finance and others, to secure millions of dollars for street, drainage, water, wastewater and airport improvement projects.

Planning
Proper planning provides the opportunity to establish long-term goals in a systematic and inclusive way. Public outreach and participation in the planning effort are extremely important to a plan that can be implemented over time. Through the development and planning process, our project team is able to conduct public hearing presentations and one-on-one work sessions with members oft Governing Bodies to help us develop ideas and understand the needs of the community. Our project team members often develop a good working relationship with community administration and staff. As such, we are able to assist in the important decisions necessary for the future planning of your community by:

• Attending regular and special meetings of the Governing Body and/or staff as requested.
• Providing public presentations for public hearings to the general public or special interest groups interested in the future of your commuinty.
• Serving as the direct point of contact with community staff and administration through consultation with state and federal agencies.
• Assisting communities with planning and review processes for new development.
• Performing specific studies and reports to address specific issues including: traffic analysis, facilities planning, update of the comprehensive plan and others.
• Providing assistance to acquire the funds necessary to complete a proposed project through applications to the respective state and federal agencies who provide financial assistance for the intended project.

DEC’s staff also has experience in working with a variety of publics, from government agencies to neighborhood groups, to educate, inform, mediate, build consensus and implement successful planning, design and construction solutions.

Study Phase and Preliminary Design
The study phase and preliminary design analysis detail the full requirements of a project to enable completion of the design and construction of the proposed improvements. The extent and scope of these services should be based upon the available funding as derived in the planning phase of a project.

Study Phase
The study phase includes consideration and review of the original planning documents implemented for the project, environmental and permitting requirements, necessary easement acquisition, review/ evaluations and recommendations for the proposed facilities, detailed descriptions of operation & maintenance considerations and projections for user charges.
DEC also offers experience in preparing defensible documents that will assist in the preparation of the necessary Environmental Information Documents for your projects. The EID will meet the necessary requirements and allow for the completion of an Environmental Assessment (EA) or an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) as appropriate for a project.

Preliminary Design
During the preliminary design analysis, DEC’s design team performs field surveys, works with utility companies to locate existing utilities and prepares preliminary design drawings with associated opinion of costs.
Upon approval of the preliminary design concept, DEC often conducts a plan in hand inspection with the respective utility companies and our clients in regards to the relocation of existing utilities, if necessary, in order to minimize or prevent potential conflicts during the construction phase of the project.
As part of the preliminary design phase, DEC often obtains records relative to property ownership and right-of-way available from local County and State records to determine if additional right-of-way/ easements are required for the project. The required easement documents can be prepared in-house by DEC to assist our clients in acquiring the necessary easements.

Final Design and Contract Documents
DEC draws upon their past project experience and expertise to finalize design drawings, specifications and contract documents for construction of cost-effective and user-friendly facilities to serve our clients for years to come.
The contract documents furnished by DEC utilize standard documents including a Bid Schedule, Performance and Payment Bonds, Notice to Proceed, General Conditions, Special Conditions Detailed Specifications and Partial Pay Estimates for payment to the contractor. All of which are acceptable to the respective regulating and funding agencies. The design drawings prepared by DEC are in sufficient detail to permit the actual locating of the proposed improvements on the ground.

Bidding and Award
Once design has been completed, we often schedule a pre-bid conference with all interested bidders (contractors) to answer any questions of concern or confusion prior to bidding the project. Addenda to the contract are then prepared, as required, to document design changes or clarifications prior to the opening of bids.
DEC assists our clients in bid solicitations, bid tabulation, contract award, and construction engineering. An official plan holders list is maintained throughout the bidding process for potential equipment suppliers and construction information services (plan rooms) as requested. We additionally provide information related to our client’s projects on our website.
DEC conducts a bid opening with interested client officials and all prospective bidders to select a contractor for the project. We prepare a written evaluation of bids that includes a technical and cost evaluation of all alternative equipment offered by the bidding contractors. We provide recommendations on whether each alternative satisfies the design requirements of the project, and based on objective and/or subjective criteria, we provide a recommendation as to the acceptability of each alternative submitted.
A pre-construction conference is held with the lowest responsible bidder, our client and interested funding agency officials. At the preconstruction conference, a start-date for construction is established, a Notice to Proceed is issued and final contract documents are executed and distributed to all parties involved with the project.

Construction Observation
DEC generally provides construction observation services for our projects that includes assistance with the administration of project funds. These services include attendance at construction meetings, generation of minutes, resolution of construction problems, and review and interpretation of the design drawings.
Throughout the construction of the proposed improvements, DEC monitors the Contractor’s activities, provides review of shop drawing submittals for compliance with the design concept, provides operational support to our clients and monitors project funding. As part of our construction services we prepare progress payments, change orders, and pay requests.
If change orders are required for the completion of the project, DEC reviews the contractor pricing and provides written recommendation to our client of the reasonableness of the cost. If drawing and/or specification revisions are required for change orders, they will meet the same criteria as required by the initial design.

Project Close-out
Once construction is completed, DEC conducts a final inspection to close and accept the project and provide operation and maintenance support to assist our clients with starting up, operating and maintaining the new system to insure its proper operation and long-life.
Close-out activities includes preparation of record drawings, preparation of a system operation and maintenance manual (as requested), completion of funding agency documentation and certifications as required for the project, and coordinating with our clients on other miscellaneous project completion details.

Section 2:

Capacity and Capability
DEC has both the capacity and capability to perform specific project requirements on short notice, on time and within budget. This service has been exemplified to our clients on numerous occasions, including the completion of engineering design drawings, contract documents and technical specifications on short notice.
Our personal library of American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT), American Water Works Association (AWWA), New Mexico Standard Specification for Public Works (NMSSPW), and other documents are available to our clients on an as-needed basis.
Our staff’s combined experience enables us to offer our services on a variety of civil engineering projects to our clients including:

• Roads and street improvements
• Storm water control and permitting
• Subdivision / Commercial Planning
• Surveying and Mapping
• Wastewater conveyance and treatment
• Water distribution, storage, and treatment
• Airport Planning and Design

For these projects, DEC can provide a full range of services including:

• Grantsmanship
• Engineering studies and reports
• Development Review and Analysis
• Easement and permit acquisition
• Preliminary and final design
• Value engineering and economic analysis
• Bidding and negotiations
• Construction engineering and observation

Ability to Respond
DEC strives to complete all projects in a timely manner and routinely works very closely with our clients to insure the finished project is completed to their expectations.

Ability to Meet Schedules
DEC understands that project schedules are crucial. We review project proposals and work closely with each client to stay on schedule through project completion. DEC has demonstrated the ability to meet schedules within budget.
During design, our project team utilizes every possible means to ensure accurate drawings, plan specifications and cost estimates. Our quality control procedures during design and construction are deliberately organized to avoid cost escalations and overruns. DEC routinely tracks funding and project costs for and with our clients to insure that projects are completed within the available funding.
We believe that frequent communication and project updates with our clients improve our ability to complete projects on schedule and within budget. With projects throughout New Mexico, we take every opportunity to attend regular Council meetings and consult with our clients to stay attuned with the priority issues of the governing bodies and members of the communities’ staff.
The best measure of performance for engineering service companies is the satisfaction of previous clients. We are proud of our ability to provide exceptional engineering with integrity and believe we have been providing quality projects for our clients. We invite you to contact any of our previous clients or references with respect to our quality of work. They will be able to supply you with information about our past performance with respect to capability, level of service, and responsiveness to project schedules.

Section 3:

Past Record of Performance
DEC actively assists and supports municipalities and local government entities in both preparation of grant requests and grant administration. DEC can provide all administrative support necessary to administer grant procedures and requirements Our personal library of State and Federal funding programs is readily available to our clients.
DEC has collaborated with municipalities and councils of government in preparing grant and loan requests for USDA Rural Utility Services (RUS), New Mexico Finance Authority (NMFA), New Mexico Environment Department (NMED), Local Government Division Department of Finance who administers the Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG), New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) (Co-op, MAP & TPE), Economic Development Administration, Governor’s Board of Finance, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other funding sources, to secure millions of dollars for street, drainage, water, wastewater airport and other infrastructure improvements.
In addition to specific requirements for grant and loan requests, these agencies have guidelines and programs that are utilized for the preparation of contract documents and specifications. These guidelines include specific formats that must be utilized when preparing the final contract documents that are utilized for the construction of a particular project. DEC’s library of contract documents such as those available from RUS and CDBG and specifications such as those available from NMDOT, the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and the Engineer’s Joint Construction Documents Committee are updated prior to the start of each project. Agencies such as the NMDOT provide periodic supplemental provisions to their Standard Specifications for Highway and Bridge Construction and as such, these provisions supercede previous specifications and are incorporated into the contract documents prepared for all of our transportation projects. The same criterion pertains to our water, wastewater, and aviation projects.
DEC has additionally worked with communities and State and Federal government agencies in the evaluation and preparation of various fee structures to fund capital improvement projects for a community. This is normally a condition of acquiring project funding from agencies such as RUS and NMFA for capital improvements to a communities water or wastewater system. Additionally, agencies such as the NMED Construction Programs Bureau (CPB) conduct annual “Municipal Water and Wastewater User Charge Surveys” that are readily available on the NMED-CPB website and is often used as a comparison of our clients user rates to other communities throughout the state.