Job Detail

The City of Ft Lauderdale, FL: Advanced Metering Infrastructure Implementation

  • Project deadlineExpired

Project detail

The City of Fort Lauderdale, Florida (City) is seeking qualified, experienced and licensed firm(s) to provide Water AMI and Meters and Associated Services for the City, in accordance with the terms, conditions, and specifications contained in this Request for Proposals (RFP).

 

SECTION I – INTRODUCTION AND INFORMATION

1.1 Purpose

The City of Fort Lauderdale, Florida (City) is seeking qualified, experienced and licensed firm(s) to provide Water AMI and Meters and Associated Services for the City, in accordance with the terms, conditions, and specifications contained in this Request for Proposals (RFP).

 

1.2 Point of Contact

For information concerning procedures for responding to this solicitation, contact Procurement Specialist Erick Martinez, Sr. Procurement Specialist at (954) 828-4019 or email at emartinez@fortlauderdale.gov. Such contact shall be for clarification purposes only. 

 

For information concerning technical specifications, please utilize the question / answer feature provided by BidSync at www.bidsync.com. Questions of a material nature must be received prior to the cut-off date specified in the RFP Schedule. Material changes, if any, to the scope of services or bidding procedures will only be transmitted by written addendum. (See addendum section of BidSync Site). Contractors please note: Proposals shall be submitted as stated in PART IV – Submittal Requirements.  No part of your proposal can be submitted via FAX.  No variation in price or conditions shall be permitted based upon a claim of ignorance. Submission of a proposal will be considered evidence that the Contractor have familiarized themselves with the nature and extent of the work, and the equipment, materials, and labor required. The entire proposal must be submitted in accordance with all specifications contained in this solicitation. The questions and answers submitted in BidSync shall become part of any contract that is created from this RFP.

 

1.3   Pre-proposal Conference

There will be a MANDATORY, Virtual pre-proposal conference scheduled for this Request for Proposals.

 

Microsoft Teams Meeting 

 

Date: November 17, 2022 at 1:00PM (Local Time)

 

Join on your computer, mobile app or room device 

Click here to join the meeting 

Meeting ID: 229 042 720 876
Passcode: 3mMcs9 

Download Teams | Join on the web

 

Or call in (audio only) 

+1 954-686-7296,,351810242#   United States, Fort Lauderdale 

Phone Conference ID: 351 810 242# 

 

It will be the sole responsibility of the firms to attend the virtual pre-proposal conference and conduct the asset altitude verification prior to submitting a proposal. No variation in price or conditions shall be permitted based upon a claim of ignorance.  Submission of a proposal will be considered evidence that the Proposer has familiarized themselves with the nature and extent of the work, equipment, materials, and labor required.

 

If a person decides to appeal any decision made by the board, agency, or commission with respect to any matter considered at such meeting or hearing, he or she will need a record of the proceedings, and that, for such purpose, he or she may need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made, which record includes the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be based.

 

1.4 BidSync 

The City of Fort Lauderdale uses BidSync (www.bidsync.com) to administer the competitive solicitation process, including but not limited to soliciting proposals, issuing addenda, posting results and issuing notification of an intended decision. There is no charge to register and download the RFP from BidSync. Proposers are strongly encouraged to read the various vendor Guides and Tutorials available in BidSync well in advance of their intention of submitting a proposal to ensure familiarity with the use of BidSync. The City shall not be responsible for a Proposers inability to submit a Proposal by the end date and time for any reason, including issues arising from the use of BidSync.

 

It is the sole responsibility of the Bidder/Proposer to ensure that their bid/proposal is submitted electronically through BidSync at www.bidsync.com no later than the time and date specified
in this solicitation. PAPER BID/PROPOSAL SUBMITTALS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. BIDS/PROPOSALS MUST BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY VIA WWW.BIDSYNC.COM.

 

1.5 Electronic Proposal Closings

Please be advised that effective immediately, and until further notice, all Invitation to Bids, Request for Proposals, Request for Qualifications, and other solicitations led by the City of Fort Lauderdale will be opened electronically via BIDSYNC.COM at the date and time indicated on the solicitation.  All openings will be held on the BIDSYNC.COM platform.

 

Microsoft Teams Meeting for Proposal Opening

 

Date:  Friday, December 16, 2022

 

Join on your computer, mobile app or room device 

Click here to join the meeting 

Meeting ID: 240 707 176 763
Passcode: DFzJj5 

Download Teams | Join on the web

 

Or call in (audio only) 

+1 954-686-7296,,808272623#   United States, Fort Lauderdale 

Phone Conference ID: 808 272 623# 

 

Anyone requesting assistance or having further inquiry in this matter must contact the Procurement Specialist indicated on the solicitation, via the Question-and-Answer forum on Bidsync.com before the Last Day for Questions indicated in the Solicitation.

 

END OF SECTION

SECTION II – SPECIAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

2.1 General Conditions

RFP General Conditions (Form G-107, Rev. 02/20) are included and made a part of this RFP.

 

2.2 Addenda, Changes, and Interpretations

It is the sole responsibility of each firm to notify the Buyer utilizing the question / answer feature provided by BidSync and request modification or clarification of any ambiguity, conflict, discrepancy, omission or other error discovered in this competitive solicitation. Requests for clarification, modification, interpretation, or changes must be received prior to the Question and Answer (Q & A) Deadline. Requests received after this date may not be addressed. Questions and requests for information that would not materially affect the scope of services to be performed or the solicitation process will be answered within the question / answer feature provided by BidSync and shall be for clarification purposes only. Material changes, if any, to the scope of services or the solicitation process will only be transmitted by official written addendum issued by the City and uploaded to BidSync as a separate addendum to the RFP. Under no circumstances shall an oral explanation given by any City official, officer, staff, or agent be binding upon the City and should be disregarded. All addenda are a part of the competitive solicitation documents, and each firm will be bound by such addenda. It is the responsibility of each to read and comprehend all addenda issued.

 

2.3 Changes and Alterations

Proposer may change or withdraw a Proposal at any time prior to Proposal submission deadline; however, no oral modifications will be allowed. Modifications shall not be allowed following the Proposal deadline.

 

2.4 Proposer’s Costs

The City shall not be liable for any costs incurred by Proposers in responding to this RFP.

 

2.5 Pricing/Delivery

All pricing should be identified on Appendix D2 provided in this RFP. No additional costs may be accepted, other than the costs stated on Appendix D2. Failure to use the City’s Cost Proposal page and provide costs as requested in this RFP may deem your proposal non-responsive.

 

2.6 Price Validity

Prices provided in this Request for Proposals (RFP) shall be valid for at least One Hundred
and Twenty (180) days from time of RFP opening unless otherwise extended and agreed upon by the City and Bidder/Proposer. The City shall award contract within this time period or shall request to the recommended awarded vendor an extension to hold pricing, until products/services have been awarded.

 

2.7 Invoices/Payment

A payment schedule based upon agreed upon deliverables may be developed with the awarded vendor.

 

2.8 Related Expenses/Travel Expenses

All costs including travel are to be included in your bid/proposal.  The City will not accept any additional costs.

 

2.9 Payment Method

Payment on the resultant contract will be made by check.

 

2.10 Mistakes

The Proposer shall examine this RFP carefully. The submission of a Proposal shall be prima facie evidence that the Proposer has full knowledge of the scope, nature, and quality of the work to be performed; the detailed requirements of the specifications; and the conditions under which the work is to be performed. Ignorance of the requirements will not relieve the Proposer from liability and obligations under the Contract.

 

2.11 Acceptance of Proposals / Minor Irregularities

2.11.1 The City reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals, part of proposals, and to waive minor irregularities or variances to specifications contained in proposals which do not make the proposal conditional in nature and minor irregularities in the solicitation process. A minor irregularity shall be a variation from the solicitation that does not affect the price of the contract or does not give a respondent an advantage or benefit not enjoyed by other respondents, does not adversely impact the interests of other firms, or does not affect the fundamental fairness of the solicitation process. The City also reserves the right to reissue a Request for Proposal.

 

2.11.2 The City reserves the right to disqualify a Proposer during any phase of the competitive solicitation process and terminate for cause any resulting contract upon evidence of collusion with intent to defraud or other illegal practices on the part of the Proposer.

 

2.12 Modification of Services

2.12.1 While this contract is for products and services provided to the department referenced in this Request for Proposals, the City may require similar work for other City departments. Successful Proposer agrees to take on such work unless such work would not be considered reasonable or become an undue burden to the Successful Proposer.

 

2.12.2 The City reserves the right to delete any portion of the work at any time without cause, and if such right is exercised by the City, the total cost shall be reduced in the same ratio as the estimated cost of the work deleted bears to the estimated cost of the work originally planned. If work has already been accomplished and approved by the City on any portion of a contract resulting from this RFP, the Successful Proposer shall be paid for the work completed on the basis of the estimated percentage of completion of such portion to the total project cost.

 

2.12.3 The City may require additional items or services of a similar nature, but not specifically listed in the contract. The Successful Proposer agrees to provide such items or services and shall provide the City prices on such additional items or services. If the price(s) offered are not acceptable to the City, and the situation cannot be resolved to the satisfaction of the City, the City reserves the right to procure those items or services from other vendors, or to cancel the contract upon giving the Successful Proposer thirty (30) days written notice.

 

2.12.4 If the Successful Proposer and the City agree on modifications or revisions to the task elements, after the City has approved work to begin on a particular task or project, and a budget has been established for that task or project, the Successful Proposer will submit a revised cost proposal in form of a change order to the City for approval prior to proceeding with the work.

 

2.13 Non-Exclusive Contract

Proposer agrees and understands that the contract shall not be construed as an exclusive arrangement and further agrees that the City may, at any time, secure similar or identical services from another vendor at the City’s sole option.

 

2.14    Sample Contract Agreement 

A sample of the formal agreement template, which may be required to be executed by the awarded vendor can be found at our website: https://www.fortlauderdale.gov/home/showdocument?id=1212 .

 

2.15 Responsiveness

In order to be considered responsive to the solicitation, the firm’s proposal shall fully conform in all material respects to the solicitation and all its requirements, including all form and substance. 

 

2.16 Responsibility

In order to be considered as a responsible firm, firm shall be fully capable to meet all of the requirements of the solicitation and subsequent contract, must possess the full capability, including financial and technical, to perform as contractually required, and must be able to fully document the ability to provide good faith performance. 

 

2.17 Minimum Qualifications

Proposers shall be in the business of Water Automatic Meter Infrastructure (AMI) and Water Meters and must possess sufficient financial support, equipment, and organization to ensure that it can satisfactorily perform the services if awarded a Contract. Proposers must demonstrate that they, or the key staff assigned to the project, have successfully provided services with similar magnitude to those specified in the scope of services to at least one entity similar in size and complexity to the City of Fort Lauderdale or can demonstrate they have the experience with large scale municipal clients and the managerial and financial ability to successfully perform the work.

 

Proposers shall satisfy each of the following requirements cited below. Failure to do so may result in the proposal being deemed non-responsive.

 

2.17.1 Proposer or principals shall have relevant experience in water AMI Technology. Project manager assigned to the work must have experience in Water AMI and Water Meter Installations and have served as project manager on similar projects. 

 

2.17.2 Before awarding a contract, the City reserves the right to require that a Proposer submit such evidence of qualifications as the City may deem necessary.  Further, the City may consider any evidence of the financial, technical, and other qualifications and abilities of a firm or principals, including previous experiences of same with the City and performance evaluation for services, in making the award in the best interest of the City.

 

2.17.3 Firm or principals shall have no record of judgments, pending lawsuits against the City or criminal activities involving moral turpitude and not have any conflicts of interest that have not been waived by the City Commission.

 

2.17.4 Neither firm nor any principal, officer, or stockholder shall be in arrears or in default of any debt or contract involving the City, (as a party to a contract, or otherwise); nor have failed to perform faithfully on any previous contract with the City.

 

2.18 Lobbying Activities

ALL CONTRACTORS PLEASE NOTE: Any contractor submitting a response to this solicitation must comply, if applicable, with City of Fort Lauderdale Ordinance No. C-11-42 & Resolution No. 07-101, Lobbying Activities. Copies of Ordinance No. C-11-42 and Resolution No. 07-101 may be obtained from the City Clerk’s Office on the 7th Floor of City Hall, 100 N. Andrews Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The ordinance may also be viewed on the City’s website at:   http://www.fortlauderdale.gov/home/showdocument?id=6036.

 

2.19 Local Business Preference (Not Applicable)

 

2.20 Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Preference (Not Applicable)

 

2.21 Protest Procedure

2.21.1  Any Proposer who is not recommended for award of a contract and who alleges a failure by the city to follow the city’s procurement ordinance or any applicable law, may follow the protest procedure as found in the city’s procurement ordinance within five (5) days after a notice of intent to award is posted on the city’s web site at the following link. https://www.fortlauderdale.gov/government/departments-a-h/finance/procurement-services/notices-of-intent-to-award.  

 

2.21.2  The complete protest ordinance may be found on the city’s web site at the following link: https://library.municode.com/fl/fort_lauderdale/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=COOR_CH2AD_ARTVFI_DIV2PR_S2-182.1PRSO.

 

2.22 Public Entity Crimes

Proposer, by submitting a proposal, certifies that neither the Proposer nor any of the Proposer’s principals has been placed on the convicted vendor list as defined in Section 287.133, Florida Statutes (2018), as may be amended or revised.  A person or affiliate who has been placed on the convicted vendor list following a conviction for a public entity crime may not submit a bid, proposal, or reply on a contract to provide any goods or services to a public entity; may not submit a bid, proposal, or reply on a contract with a public entity for the construction or repair of a public building or public work; may not submit bids, proposals, or replies on leases of real property to a public entity; may not be awarded or perform work as a contractor, supplier, subcontractor, or consultant under a contract with any public entity; and may not transact business with any public entity in excess of the threshold amount provided in s. 287.017 for CATEGORY TWO for a period of 36 months following the date of being placed on the convicted vendor list.

 

2.23 Subcontractors

2.23.1 If the Contractor proposes to use subcontractors in the course of providing these services to the City, this information shall be a part of the Proposal response.  Such information shall be subject to review, acceptance, and approval of the City, prior to any contract award. The City reserves the right to approve or disapprove of any subcontractor candidate in its best interest and to require Contractor to replace subcontractor with one that meets City approval.

 

2.23.2 Contractor shall ensure that all of Contractor’s subcontractors perform in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Contract. Contractor shall be fully responsible for all of Contractor’s subcontractors’ performance, and liable for any of Contractor’s subcontractors’ non-performance and all of Contractor’s subcontractors’ acts and omissions. Contractor shall defend, at Contractor’s expense, counsel being subject to the City’s approval or disapproval, and indemnify and hold harmless the City and the City’s officers, employees, and agents from and against any claim, lawsuit, third-party action, or judgment, including any award of attorney fees and any award of costs, by or in favor of any Contractor’s subcontractors for payment for work performed for the City.

 

2.23.3 Contractor shall require all its subcontractors to provide the required insurance coverage as well as any other coverage that the contractor may consider necessary, and any deficiency in the coverage or policy limits of said subcontractors will be the sole responsibility of the contractor.

 

  • Proposal Security
    1. A proposal security payable to the City of Fort Lauderdale shall be submitted with the proposal response in the amount of five percent (5%) of the total proposed amount. A proposal security can be in the form of a Proposal bond or cashier’s check. Proposal security will be returned to the unsuccessful contractor as soon as practicable after opening of proposals. Proposal security will be returned to the successful Proposer after acceptance of the Payment and Performance Bond, if required; acceptance of insurance coverage, if required; and full execution of contract documents, if required; or other conditions as stated in Special Conditions or elsewhere in the RFP.

 

  1. BidSync allows Proposers to submit Proposal bonds electronically directly through their system using Surety 2000. For more information on this feature and to access it, contact BidSync customer care department.
  2. The Proposer may choose to mail their original executed Proposal bond or upload the Proposal bond on BidSync to accompany their electronic proposal and then deliver the original, signed and sealed Proposal bond within five (5) business days from the solicitation end date or it will be determined as non-responsive. A Proposal security in the form of a cashier’s check must be an original document and must be submitted at time of the Proposal due date. If choosing the cashier’s check method, plan in advance to send via United States Postal Service or air freight carrier to ensure cashier’s check arrives on or before the proposal closing deadline.
  1. Deliver via United States Postal Service or air freight carrier to City of
    Fort Lauderdale City Hall, Procurement Services Division, 6th Floor, Suite 619,
    100 N. Andrews Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301.
  2. Include company name, solicitation number and title clearly indicated outside of the envelope. 

 

  1. Failure of the successful Proposer to execute a contract, provide a Performance Bond, and furnish evidence of appropriate insurance coverage, as provided herein, within thirty (30) days after written notice of award has been given, shall be just cause for the annulment of the award and the forfeiture of the proposal security to the City, which forfeiture shall be considered, not as a penalty, but as liquidation of damages sustained.

 

2.25 Payment and Performance Bond

2.25.1 The Proposer shall within fifteen (15) working days after notification of award, furnish to the City a Payment and Performance Bond, in the amount of the proposed price as surety for faithful performance under the terms and conditions of the contract. If the bond is on an annual coverage basis, renewal for each succeeding year shall be submitted to the City thirty (30) days prior to the termination date of the existing Payment and Performance Bond. The Performance Bond must be executed by a surety company or recognized standing to do business in the State of Florida and having a resident agent.

 

2.25.2 The Proposer must have a Financial Size Categories (FSC) rating of no less than “A-” by the latest edition of Best’s Key Rating Guide, or acceptance of insurance company that holds a valid Florida Certificate of Authority issued by the State of Florida, Department of Insurance, and are members of the Florida Guarantee Fund.

 

  1. Acknowledgement and agreement is given by both parties that the amount herein set for the Payment and Performance Bond is not intended to be nor shall be deemed to be in the nature of liquidated damages nor is it intended to limit the liability of the Contractor to the City in the event of a material breach of this Agreement by the Contractor.

 

  1. Insurance Requirements

As a condition precedent to the effectiveness of this Agreement, during the term of this Agreement and during any renewal or extension term of this Agreement, the Contractor, at its sole expense, shall provide insurance of such types and with such terms and limits as noted below. Providing proof of and maintaining adequate insurance coverage are material obligations of the Contractor. The Contractor shall provide the City a certificate of insurance evidencing such coverage. The Contractor’s insurance coverage shall be primary insurance for all applicable policies. The limits of coverage under each policy maintained by the Contractor shall not be interpreted as limiting the Contractor’s liability and obligations under this Agreement. All insurance policies shall be through insurers authorized or eligible to write policies in the State of Florida and possess an A.M. Best rating of A-, VII or better, subject to approval by the City’s Risk Manager.

 

The coverages, limits, and/or endorsements required herein protect the interests of the City, and these coverages, limits, and/or endorsements shall in no way be relied upon by the Contractor for assessing the extent or determining appropriate types and limits of coverage to protect the Contractor against any loss exposures, whether as a result of this Agreement or otherwise. The requirements contained herein, as well as the City’s review or acknowledgement, are not intended to and shall not in any manner limit or qualify the liabilities and obligations assumed by the Contractor under this Agreement.

 

The following insurance policies and coverages are required:

 

Commercial General Liability

Coverage must be afforded under a Commercial General Liability policy with limits not less than:

  • $1,000,000 each occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate for Bodily Injury, Property Damage, and Personal and Advertising Injury
  • $1,000,000 each occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate for Products and Completed Operations

 

Policy must include coverage for contractual liability and independent contractors.

 

The City, a Florida municipal corporation, its officials, employees, and volunteers are to be covered as an additional insured with a CG 20 26 04 13 Additional Insured – Designated Person or Organization Endorsement or similar endorsement providing equal or broader Additional Insured Coverage with respect to liability arising out of activities performed by or on behalf of the Contractor. The coverage shall contain no special limitation on the scope of protection afforded to the City, its officials, employees, and volunteers.

 

Professional Liability

Coverage must be afforded for Wrongful Acts in an amount not less than $1,000,000 each claim and $2,000,000 aggregate. 

 

Contractor must keep the professional liability insurance in force until the third anniversary of expiration or early termination of this Agreement or the third anniversary of acceptance of work by the City, whichever is longer, which obligation shall survive expiration or early termination of this Agreement.

Pollution and Remediation Legal Liability (Hazardous Materials)

For the purpose of this section, the term “hazardous materials” includes all materials and substances that are designated or defined as hazardous by Florida or federal law or by the rules or regulations of Florida or any federal agency. If work being performed involves hazardous materials, the Contractor shall procure and maintain any or all of the following coverage, which will be specifically addressed upon review of exposure.

 

Contractors Pollution Liability Coverage

For sudden and gradual occurrences and in an amount not less than $1,000,000 per claim arising out of this Agreement, including but not limited to, all hazardous materials identified under the Agreement.

 

Asbestos Liability Coverage

For sudden and gradual occurrences and in an amount not less than $1,000,000 per claim arising out of work performed under this Agreement.

 

Business Automobile Liability

Coverage must be afforded for all Owned, Hired, Scheduled, and Non-Owned vehicles for Bodily Injury and Property Damage in an amount not less than $1,000,000 combined single limit each accident.

 

If the Contractor does not own vehicles, the Contractor shall maintain coverage for Hired and Non-Owned Auto Liability, which may be satisfied by way of endorsement to the Commercial General Liability policy or separate Business Auto Liability policy.

 

Crane and Rigging Liability

Coverage must be afforded for any crane operations under the Commercial General or Business Automobile Liability policy as necessary, in line with the limits of the associated policy.

 

Workers’ Compensation and Employer’s Liability

Coverage must be afforded per Chapter 440, Florida Statutes. Any person or entity performing work for or on behalf of the City must provide Workers’ Compensation insurance. Exceptions and exemptions will be allowed by the City’s Risk Manager, if they are in accordance with Florida Statute.

 

The Contractor waives, and the Contractor shall ensure that the Contractor’s insurance carrier waives, all subrogation rights against the City, its officials, employees, and volunteers for all losses or damages. The City requires the policy to be endorsed with WC 00 03 13 Waiver of our Right to Recover from Others or equivalent.

 

The Contractor must be in compliance with all applicable State and federal workers’ compensation laws, including the U.S. Longshore Harbor Workers’ Act and the Jones Act, if applicable.

 

Insurance Certificate Requirements

  • The Contractor shall provide the City with valid Certificates of Insurance (binders are unacceptable) no later than ten (10) days prior to the start of work contemplated in this Agreement.
  • The Contractor shall provide to the City a Certificate of Insurance having a thirty (30) day notice of cancellation; ten (10) days’ notice if cancellation is for nonpayment of premium.
  • In the event that the insurer is unable to accommodate the cancellation notice requirement, it shall be the responsibility of the Contractor to provide the proper notice. Such notification will be in writing by registered mail, return receipt requested, and addressed to the certificate holder.
  • In the event the Agreement term or any surviving obligation of the Contractor following expiration or early termination of the Agreement goes beyond the expiration date of the insurance policy, the Contractor shall provide the City with an updated Certificate of Insurance no later than ten (10) days prior to the expiration of the insurance currently in effect. The City reserves the right to suspend the Agreement until this requirement is met.
  • The Certificate of Insurance shall indicate whether coverage is provided under a claims-made or occurrence form. If any coverage is provided on a claims-made form, the Certificate of Insurance must show a retroactive date, which shall be the effective date of the initial contract or prior.
  • The City shall be named as an Additional Insured on all liability policies, with the exception of Workers’ Compensation and Professional Liability.
  • The City shall be granted a Waiver of Subrogation on the Contractor’s Workers’ Compensation insurance policy.
  • The title of the Agreement, Bid/Contract number, event dates, or other identifying reference must be listed on the Certificate of Insurance.

 

The Certificate Holder should read as follows:

City of Fort Lauderdale

100 N. Andrews Avenue

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301

 

The Contractor has the sole responsibility for all insurance premiums and shall be fully and solely responsible for any costs or expenses as a result of a coverage deductible, co-insurance penalty, or self-insured retention; including any loss not covered because of the operation of such deductible, co-insurance penalty, self-insured retention, or coverage exclusion or limitation. Any costs for adding the City as an Additional Insured shall be at the Contractor’s expense.

 

If the Contractor’s primary insurance policy/policies do not meet the minimum requirements, as set forth in this Agreement, the Contractor may provide evidence of an Umbrella/Excess insurance policy to comply with this requirement.

 

The Contractor’s insurance coverage shall be primary insurance as respects to the City, a Florida municipal corporation, its officials, employees, and volunteers. Any insurance or self-insurance maintained by the City, a Florida municipal corporation, its officials, employees, or volunteers shall be non-contributory.

 

Any exclusion or provision in any insurance policy maintained by the Contractor that excludes coverage required in this Agreement shall be deemed unacceptable and shall be considered breach of contract.

 

All required insurance policies must be maintained until the contract work has been accepted by the City, or until this Agreement is terminated, whichever is later.  Any lapse in coverage shall be considered breach of contract.  In addition, Contractor must provide to the City confirmation of coverage renewal via an updated certificate should any policies expire prior to the expiration of this Agreement.  The City reserves the right to review, at any time, coverage forms and limits of Contractor’s insurance policies.

 

The Contractor shall provide notice of any and all claims, accidents, and any other occurrences associated with this Agreement to the Contractor’s insurance company or companies and the City’s Risk Management office, as soon as practical.

 

It is the Contractor’s responsibility to ensure that any and all of the Contractor’s independent contractors and subcontractors comply with these insurance requirements. All coverages for independent contractors and subcontractors shall be subject to all of the applicable requirements stated herein.  Any and all deficiencies are the responsibility of the Contractor.

 

2.27 Award of Contract

A Contract (the “Agreement”) may be awarded by the City Commission. The City reserves the right to execute or not execute, as applicable, a contract with the Proposer(s) that is determined to be in the City’s best interests.  The City reserves the right to award a contract to more than one Proposer, at the sole and absolute discretion of the City.

 

2.28 Unauthorized Work

The Successful Proposer(s) shall not begin work until a Contract has been awarded by the City Commission and a notice to proceed has been issued. Proposer(s) agree and understand that the issuance of a Purchase Order and/or Task Order shall be issued and provided to the Successful Proposer(s) following Commission award; however, receipt of a purchase order and/or task order shall not prevent the Successful Proposer(s) from commencing the work once the City Commission has awarded the contract and notice to proceed is issued.

 

2.29 Damage to Public or Private Property

Extreme care shall be taken to safeguard all existing facilities, site amenities, irrigation systems, vehicles, etc. on or around the job site.  Damage to public and/or private property shall be the responsibility of the Contractor and shall be repaired and/or replaced at no additional cost to the City.

 

2.30 Safety

The Contractor(s) shall adhere to the Florida Department of Transportation’s Uniform manual on Traffic Control for construction and maintenance work zones when working on or near a roadway. It will be the sole responsibility of the Contractor to make themselves and their employees fully aware of these provisions, especially those applicable to safety.

 

2.31 Uncontrollable Circumstances (“Force Majeure”)

The City and Contractor will be excused from the performance of their respective obligations under this agreement when and to the extent that their performance is delayed or prevented by any circumstances beyond their control including, fire, flood, explosion, strikes or other labor disputes, act of God or public emergency, war, riot, civil commotion, malicious damage, act or omission of any governmental authority, delay or failure or shortage of any type of transportation, equipment, or service from a public utility needed for their performance, provided that:

 

2.31.1 The non-performing party gives the other party prompt written notice describing the particulars of the Force Majeure including, but not limited to, the nature of the occurrence and its expected duration, and continues to furnish timely reports with respect thereto during the period of the Force Majeure;

 

2.31.2 The excuse of performance is of no greater scope and of no longer duration than is required by the Force Majeure;

 

2.31.3 No obligations of either party that arose before the Force Majeure causing the excuse of performance are excused as a result of the Force Majeure; and

 

2.31.4 The non-performing party uses its best efforts to remedy its inability to perform. Notwithstanding the above, performance shall not be excused under this Section for a period in excess of two (2) months, provided that in extenuating circumstances, the City may excuse performance for a longer term. Economic hardship of the Contractor will not constitute Force Majeure. The term of the agreement shall be extended by a period equal to that during which either party’s performance is suspended under this Section.

 

2.32 Canadian Companies

In the event Contractor is a corporation organized under the laws of any province of Canada or is a Canadian federal corporation, the City may enforce in the United States of America or in Canada or in both countries a judgment entered against the Contractor. The Contractor waives any and all defenses to the City’s enforcement in Canada, of a judgment entered by a court in the United States of America. All monetary amounts set forth in this Contract are in United States dollars.

 

2.33 News Releases/Publicity

News releases, publicity releases, or advertisements relating to this contract, or the tasks or projects associated with the project shall not be made without prior City approval.

 

2.34 Manufacturer/Brand/Model Specific Request

This is a manufacturer/brand/model specification.  No substitutions will be allowed.

 

2.35 Contract Period 

The contract term shall commence upon final execution of the contract by the City and shall expire upon successful completion of the installation, deployment, and implementation of the AMI system and written Notice of Final System Acceptance is provided by the City’s Project Manager.  The Proposer is to attach to the Proposal a sample of their standard AMI Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) Agreement, Head End System-as-a-Service (SaaS) Agreement, and Optional Managed Services Agreement.  These agreements can be a standalone Agreement or may be incorporated into the City’s Agreement as Exhibits.  The Agreement(s) contractual period will be negotiated for a favorable term as determined by the City and co-terminate during the same period, if possible. The City reserves the option to which Agreement(s) it will pursue and negotiate.  No implied or expressed guarantees are hereby given that any of the Agreements will be negotiated and executed.   

 

2.36 Service Test Period

If the Contractor has not previously performed the services to the city, the City reserves the right to require a test period to determine if the Contractor can perform in accordance with the requirements of the contact, and to the City’s satisfaction. This project will have 3 phases prior to full deployment.  Each phase will have Acceptance Testing based on Criteria in Appendix C.

 

2.37 Contract Coordinator

The City may designate a Contract Coordinator whose principal duties shall be:

Liaison with Contractor.

Coordinate and approve all work under the contract.

Resolve any disputes.

Assure consistency and quality of Contractor’s performance.

Schedule and conduct Contractor performance evaluations and document findings.

Review and approve for payment all invoices for work performed or items delivered.

 

2.38 Contractor Performance Reviews and Ratings

The City Contract Coordinator may develop a Contractor performance evaluation report. This report shall be used to periodically review and rate the Contractor’s performance under the contract with performance rating as follows:

 

Excellent Far exceeds requirements.

Good Exceeds requirements

Fair Just meets requirements.

Poor Does not meet all requirements and contractor is subject to penalty provisions under the contact. 

Non-compliance Either continued poor performance after notice or a performance level that does not meet a significant portion of the requirements.

This rating makes the Contractor subject to the default or cancellation for cause provisions of the contract. 

 

The report shall also list all discrepancies found during the review period. The Contractor shall be provided with a copy of the report and may respond in writing if he takes exception to the report or wishes to comment on the report.  Contractor performance reviews and subsequent reports will be used in determining the suitability of contract extension.

 

2.39 Substitution of Personnel

It is the intention of the City that the Contractor’s personnel proposed for the contract will be available for the contract term.  In the event the Contractor wishes to substitute personnel, he shall propose personnel of equal or higher qualifications and all replacement personnel are subject to City approval. In the event substitute personnel are not satisfactory to the City and the matter cannot be resolved to the satisfaction of the City, the City reserves the right to cancel the Contract for cause.  See Section 5.09 General Conditions.

 

2.40 Ownership of Work

The City shall have full ownership and the right to copyright, otherwise limit, reproduce, modify, sell, or use all the work or product produced under this contract without payment of any royalties or fees to the Contractor above the agreed hourly rates and related costs.  

 

2.41 Condition of Trade-In Equipment

It shall be the sole responsibility of the Contractor to inspect the trade in equipment or to assure himself of their condition.  No variation in trade in credit shall be permitted based upon a claim of ignorance.  Submission of a Proposal will be considered evidence, by the City, that the Contractor has familiarized himself with the condition of the trade in equipment.

 

The City understands that the condition of the equipment may change prior to shipment or pick up of the equipment by Contractor. No warranty or guarantee of the condition of the equipment is offered or implied. The Contractor agrees to take the equipment, at the trade in credit price Proposal, in the condition the equipment is at the time it leaves the City. The only commitment the City makes is to continue the same (whichever is applicable) maintenance service, operational standards, or storage conditions from the time the solicitation is issued until trade in equipment shipment or pick up by Contractor.

 

2.42 Conditions of Trade-In Shipment and Purchase Payment

All Prices of purchase items are to be Free on Board (FOB) Destination delivered to the specified City Agency. All Trade-in equipment prices are to be FOB City Agency. City will ship trade-in equipment FOB City Agency freight, collect to the address specified by the Contractor, or Contractor can arrange to pick up.

 

No City release of trade in equipment will be allowed prior to receipt and acceptance of purchased equipment will be allowed unless prior arrangements have been made with the City Agency and approved by the Procurement Services Division.

 

Payment for the net cost to the City (purchase price less trade-in credit) will be made within 45 days from acceptance of the purchase equipment or receipt of a correct invoice, whichever occurs last.

 

2.43 Verification of Employment Status

Any Contractor/Consultant assigned to perform responsibilities under its contract with a State agency is required to utilize the US Department of Homeland Security’s E-Verify system (per Executive Order Number 11-02) to verify the employment eligibility of: (a) all persons employed during the contract term by the Contractor to perform employment duties within Florida; and (b) all persons (including subcontractors) assigned by the Contractor to perform work pursuant to the contract with the State agency.

 

E-VERIFY Affirmation Statement must be completed and submitted with Proposer’s response to this RFP.

 

2.44 Service Organization Controls 

The Contactor should provide a current SSAE 18, SOC 2, Type I report with their proposal.  Awarded Contractor will be required to provide an SSAE 18, SOC 2, Type II report annually during the term of this contract.  If the Contractor cannot provide the SSAE 18, SOC 2, Type I report at time of proposal submittal, a current SOC 3 report will be accepted. 

 

2.45 Warranties of Usage

Any estimated quantities listed are for information and tabulation purposes only.  No warranty or guarantee of quantities needed is given or implied. It is understood that the Contractor will furnish the City’s needs as they arise.

 

2.46 PCI (Payment Card Industry) Compliance

Contractor agrees to comply with all applicable state, federal and international laws, as well as industry best practices, governing the collection, access, use, disclosure, safeguarding and destruction of protected information. 

 

Contractor and/or any subcontractor that handles credit card data must be, and remain, PCI compliant under the current standards and will provide documentation confirming compliance upon request by the City of Fort Lauderdale, failure to produce documentation could result in termination of the contract.

SECTION III – TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS/SCOPE OF SERVICES

 

  • Project Background

The City of Fort Lauderdale is the largest city in Broward County, FL.  Built in 1838 and first incorporated in 1911, Fort Lauderdale is named after a series of forts built by the United States during the Second Seminole War.   Our 165-miles of scenic inland waterways wind through the city, highlighting what makes Fort Lauderdale unique and why it truly lives up to its designation as the “Venice of America.”

 

A full-service municipality, Fort Lauderdale, provides the highest quality of affordable services to meet the needs of its residents. Master-planned communities and welcoming neighborhoods enhance home values and create a sense of belonging. The community offers outstanding schools, libraries, civic organizations, and other resources that make Fort Lauderdale a great place to work, live and raise a family.

  • Area in city limits (2020)
    • City: 36.30 sq mi
    • Land: 34.59 sq mi
    • Water: 1.71 sq mi
  • Estimated 2020 City Population*: 182,760
    • Density 5,284.07/sq mi
    • Metro 6,138,333 (8th largest in the US)

For additional information, please visit to our website: www.fortlauderdale.gov

  • Project Summary

The scope of the AMI project is limited to the City of Fort Lauderdale and the entire service area including all meters as well as the entire coverage area in the supplied Map in Exhibits 4 and 5. The City currently reads meters manually on a monthly basis. Manufacturers of AMI Systems who are proposing solutions in response to this RFP, shall address compatibility, integration, and integration support between their proposed system and other City CIS systems described in this RFP. The AMI Manufacturer shall offer project management support during installation, deployment, and implementation for their AMI system and associated services and that those services and their costs should be fully described in the response.

 

The City expects the AMI communications infrastructure system offered to be a flexible, scalable foundation for AMI metering and advanced water distribution system monitoring, and smart city applications. With this in mind, the City expects the AMI Manufacturer to offer and supply the most up-to-date and current hardware and software products available at the time of delivery. Regarding the field area network, the City is interested in understanding various fixed network options, including cellular network usage for endpoint connectivity.  

 

As of the City’s 9/15/2022 meter census, the City has approximately 65,108 water meters in service. Concurrent to any AMI endpoint upgrades, the City intends to replace all meters, but may adjust this after reviewing the Proposals.  The City is also interested in strategically deploying a minimum of 4,000 quantity of AMI enabled remote disconnect water meters in order to serve the community better and more efficiently but will adjust the numbers with the selected vendor.

 

The AMI Manufacturer is required to clearly indicate which components are included in its response, including details of proposed subcontractor/partnerships.  The AMI Proposer shall be solely responsible for the performance of any of their subcontractors/partners, including warranty. The City reserves the right to assess and accept individual components from a proposal that includes multiple components. The City reserves the right to accept none of the proposed components or to adjust the quantities and schedules associated with selecting and implementing any component of this RFP.

 

The City of Fort Lauderdale expects to meet the following key objectives by deploying an AMI system:

  • Complete AMI system coverage for all water meters and endpoints located in its service territory as indicated in Exhibits 4 and 5.  The entire Service Area in Exhibit 5 should allow for coverage even if an endpoint is not currently located in those areas.
  • The City requires AMI endpoints to be installed on all of its water meters in its service area.  The system must securely and reliably collect and process hourly interval and daily register consumption data from all water endpoints within scope of this project.
  • The City intends to replace all of its water meters during this installation with Solid State metering required for residential and preferred for Commercial.
  • A Customer Portal will be considered as an option of this project, but will be deployed as part of the project either through this contract or a separate engagement.
  • While the core AMI technology requirements include meter–to-cash initiatives, the City also expects to be able to leverage the “smart” water distribution applications and other customer engagement initiatives in the future. The AMI System must be designed with these and other future uses in mind. The City is specifically interested in:
    • Remote re-connect/disconnect capabilities
    • Acoustic Leak Detection
    • Full Time Pressure Management of Distribution Pipeline
  • The AMI system must be comprehensive, economically viable, resilient, secure, and be deployed safely.
  • During the endpoint deployment site visit, the City may add other metering service point work performed on an as needed basis:
  • The Endpoint Installer will provide a site survey of all meters 3” and larger prior to beginning to deployment to note general conditions of meter box, lids, etc.  This is to help the city determine the level of effort prior to replacing those meters beyond what is scoped in Appendix D2.  The site survey shall include a report that describes the general conditions of each meter box and lid inspected.  

 

The City is focused on the selection of AMI Manufacturers who are credible, reliable, and possess the necessary expertise, experience, and manufacturing capability to successfully complete this important and transformational initiative

 

  • Project Scope and Expectations

The City plans to deploy a single AMI system to achieve 100% coverage of its water service area. “100% coverage” is expected to mean that all water endpoints can reliably communicate and execute all of the endpoints AMI functionalities via the AMI system without manual intervention. Currently the City reads its water meters on a monthly basis manually (using cycles and routes).  If, upon analysis of the City’s water service area, the AMI Manufacturer determines that 100% coverage is not economical, the AMI Manufacturer shall indicate in its Assumptions & Exceptions in Appendix C Tab 5 – Network what percentage of coverage is economical and identify the endpoints to be excluded.  The AMI Proposer shall base its pricing on the percentage coverage it is recommending. 

 

The AMI Proposer is expected to provide design, engineering, installation, and maintenance services for the Headend, Field Area Network, Endpoints, water meters, and associated equipment, and for all troubleshooting and remediation of all non-communicating water meter/endpoint issues through Cycle/Route Acceptance.  Cycle/Route Acceptance will be defined as 98.5% of all data from water endpoints communicating through the network over a 72-hour period (a punch list of 2% will be allowed, however final System Acceptance will not be granted until those remaining 2% are communicating).

 

The following outlines the various AMI components and features that the AMI Manufacturer and Endpoint Installers responding to this RFP must address: 

 

Water Meters 

The City currently utilizes mechanical positive displacement water meters with digital encoders and will be converting to a solid-state meter in this project. The City will also be deploying some disconnect devices, either in the meter or stand alone as part of this deployment.  The City is also interested in proposals for advanced technology including remote pressure, and temperature capabilities for select deployment to enhance monitoring and control operations.  For purposes of this solicitation, the AMI Manufacturer shall consider that 100% of the water meters will be replaced, but the city reserves the right to not replace some of the commercial meters at its own discretion.  It will determine this during the early stages of the project.  The city has some existing new meters that they may use instead of purchasing the new ones.

 

AMI Water Endpoints 

AMI water endpoints included in the project shall be advanced, battery powered digital devices that are enclosed in sealed, watertight and condensation proof enclosures capable of being submerged for recording of hourly interval data, be capable of tamper detection, and support real-time bi-directional communications between the endpoint and the Headend through a cellular or field area fixed network .  All endpoints must comply with applicable FCC licensing and communication standards as described within this RFP. The AMI Manufacturer must ensure the City possesses all licenses required to own and operate the AMI System for the life of the system.  The City expects to install the AMI water endpoints on 100% of its water meters.

 

Field Area Network (FAN) or Cellular Infrastructure 

The City is seeking to obtain the Production AMI Field Area Network as a turnkey Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) for both deployment as well as ongoing operations and support.  Under the NaaS concept the City will pay the AMI Manufacturer to provide the network (private proprietary, public network, or cellular) and the AMI Manufacturer shall be responsible for all costs, including but not limited to site acquisition, permitting, leasing, deploying, testing, installing, operating (including backhaul) and maintaining the network to the agreed upon Service Level Agreements (SLA) and Key Performance Indicators (KPI) to be contracted.  The NaaS offering will also include 1 test FAN RF device to be connected to the Test Headend. The AMI Manufacturer is to provide a copy of their standard AMI Network NaaS agreement to the City as part of their response.

For the Field Area Network NaaS scenario, the City wants to ensure the following condition:

  • The City will have the option of taking possession of the network during the hosting period without penalty (with the exception of a cellular FAN offering).

Head End System (HES)

The City desires the Headend to be provided as a turnkey System-as-a-Service (SaaS) for deployment and integration, as well as ongoing operations and support.  Under the SaaS concept the City will pay the AMI Manufacturer to provide hardware hosting in the cloud for:

  • Production Headend
  • Small Test Headend
  • Software release management
  • Software patching,
  • Testing
  • Disaster back-up and recovery
  • Standard and/or custom reports to meet the agreed upon Service Level Agreements (SLA) and Key Performance Indicator (KPI) to be contracted.  

The AMI Manufacturer is to provide a copy of their standard Headend SaaS Agreement to the City as part of their response.

For any Headend SaaS scenario offered, the City wants to ensure the following conditions:

  • The City will have the option of taking possession of the software during the hosting period without penalty. 
  • It is feasible for the City to either run the software on its own hardware or contract with another party unrelated to the supplier to host the software.

Optional Managed Services:

The City is interested in a managed service around endpoint maintenance.  The proposal should include both the option for the City to maintain all endpoints or the vendor to maintain the endpoints to the agreed upon hourly billing read rates for all endpoints.  The City is flexible in the approach to this managed service and would like to hear how the vendor would ensure long term read success.

Meter Data Management System (MDMS)

The City does not plan to have a separate Meter Data Management System implemented as part of this project.  The City may implement a MDMS in the future.

Customer Portal

The City plans to implement a customer portal as part of this project and is asking for pricing, but will consider it an optional component as it may contract that separately at the City’s choosing. 

Billing System 

The City currently utilizes the Cayenta for billing functions and CityWorks API for water meter work order management, and asset tracking. AMI Manufacturers to this RFP who propose an AMI System will be required to provide compatibility with this customer care and billing system in order to enable monthly and off-cycle billing requirements.   Should either system change, the City expects the AMI vendor to create the necessary interfaces, as needed.

Advanced Capabilities 

The City plans to utilize the AMI system to improve its operational capabilities. 

  • Tamper detection features provided by the AMI system to reduce revenue losses and create a proactive approach to identifying theft of service. The AMI system will be expected to offer a variety of tamper detection features, reverse flow, no flow, constant consumption, and other advanced features. 
  • Remote re-connect/disconnect capability to offer additional capabilities to improve service for leak detection, security for seasonal property protection, and for revenue protection operations
  • Advanced sensing and monitoring capabilities including pressure, temperature, and water quality assessment.  
  • The City is interested in the AMI Manufacturer’s ability to use acoustic leak detectors.

 

Contract and Statement of Work

The AMI Proposer or Distributor shall be the prime contractor and guarantor for all subcontracts (such as network or Endpoint installers) and shall provide their proposed initial draft of contract terms and statement-of-work for the City to consider as part of their response. The AMI Manufacturer shall reflect all Key Performance Indicators (KPI) and Service Level Agreements (SLA) regarding the AMI system supply and performance.

 

All contract documents submitted by the AMI Proposer as part of their response to this solicitation shall be reviewed by the City and may be incorporated into any final agreement as representing the AMI Proposer’s stated specifications and capabilities regarding the AMI products and services being offered.

 

  • Project and Bid Schedule

The AMI Proposer and its subcontractors shall adhere to the following timeline when responding to this RFP. The activities timeline is subject to change during contract negotiations. The City currently envisions a 3-year project timeline.

 

The City foresees a staged deployment that provides the City the opportunity to integrate the new AMI system and assess its performance and stability for approximately 6 months prior to a mass deployment effort. The City will work with the successful AMI Manufacturer to define the best strategy to deploy this early deployment network and meters/endpoints to validate coverage, processes, performance, and functionality representing no more that 5% of the meter population.  Upon successful completion of the early deployment, the City anticipates a mass deployment period to be 24 months.

 

The City envisions the mass deployment work to be released to the Endpoint Installer in a methodical manner following a cycle/route methodology with each cycle having a varying number of routes of varying meter quantities.  The City currently anticipates moving sequentially through each cycle and route before moving to the next.   During Mass Deployment, the City will release routes in a primary cycle, however it envisions dispatching failed and/or work in other cycle/routes to the Endpoint Installer to work as needed and simultaneously along with the mass deployment.  It is therefore necessary that at the commencement of mass deployment, the new AMI field area network be completely deployed and operational to cover 100% of the meter population.

 

Based on the high-level information regarding scope and schedule, the AMI Manufacturer/Endpoint Installer shall provide with their response a project plan identifying key milestones and deliverables that meets the criteria outlined.

 

Solicitation Schedule

  1. Proposers shall adhere to the following timeline when responding to this RFP:
Event Date*
RFP Released November 10th, 2022
Virtual Pre-Bid Meeting November 17th, 2022
Last date for submission of questions: December 5th, 2022
Proposals Due/Opening December 16th 2022
Selection Committee Evaluations January 12th 2023
Short List Presentations (optional) January 24th 2023
Approval to Negotiation Contract February 7th 2023

 

Project Schedule

Event Due Date (estimate*)
Bid Award February 2023
Contracting and City Commission Approval April 2023
Test System Headend & FAN Operational August 2023
Production FAN Limited Area Deployment September 2023
Headend Integration with Munis/Cityworks/ArcGIS November 2023
Production Headend Installation & Integration Complete December 2023
SAT Phases Complete  December 2023
Endpoint Mass Deployment January 2023
  1. *The City reserves the option to change these dates.

 

  • List of RFP and Appendices and Exhibits
Appendix / Exhibit Title Location
AMI RFP Cover – Technology Products and Associated Services Main Document – RFP
A Requirements Questionnaire* Attachment
B AMI Supplier Information* Attachment
C AMI Technology and Installation Requirements* Attachment
D-1 AMI Price Schedule Guide Attachment
D-2 AMI Price Schedule* Attachment
1 FLL Specifications Attachment
2 FLL Meter Database* Attachment
3 FLL Meter Routes Cycles Attachment
4 FLL Facilities Addresses* Attachment
5 FLL Facility MAP Attachment
6 FLL Area Map Attachment
7 FLL 4/6 – inch Vault Detail Attachment
8 FLL 8 compound Vault Attachment
9 Glossary Attachment

 

*Note:  These files are in MS Excel format and may be obtained from the link below:

 

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/63tjo5jtzy1ubf5/AAANTEbO9GNa3VUWHdAyVU6ja?dl=0 

 

  • Fort Lauderdale Count of Water Meters – Sept 2022 *

 

Water Meter Size Number of Water Meters
5/8″ 29,356
3/4″ 5,102
1″ 21,226
1.5″ 5,288
2″  1,709
2″ Compound 1,709
3″ Compound 190
4″ Compound 320
6″ Compound 99
6″ NSF ANSI Fire Rated Meter 50
8″ Compound 6
8″ NSF ANSI Fire Rated Meter 43
10″ Compound 1
10″ NSF ANSI Fire Rated Meter 7
12″ 1
16″ 1
Total: 65,108*

 

*Estimated total, will finalize during early stages of project

 

END OF SECTION

 

SECTION IV – SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTS

 

4.1 Instructions

4.1.1 The City of Fort Lauderdale uses BidSync (www.bidsync.com) to administer the competitive solicitation process, including but not limited to soliciting proposals, issuing addenda, responding to questions / requests for information. There is no charge to register and download the RFP from BidSync. Proposers are strongly encouraged to read the various vendor Guides and Tutorials available in BidSync well in advance of their intention of submitting a proposal to ensure familiarity with the use of BidSync. The City shall not be responsible for a Proposer’s inability to submit a proposal by the end date and time for any reason, including issues arising from the use of BidSync.

 

4.1.2 Careful attention must be given to all requested items contained in this RFP. Proposers are invited to submit proposals in accordance with the requirements of this RFP. Please read entire solicitation before submitting a proposal. Proposers must provide a response to each requirement of the RFP. Proposals should be prepared in a concise manner with an emphasis on completeness and clarity. Notes, exceptions, and comments may be rendered on an attachment, provided the same format of this RFP text is followed. 

 

4.1.3 All information submitted by Proposer shall be typewritten or provided as otherwise instructed to in the RFP. Proposers shall use and submit any applicable or required forms provided by the City and attach such to their proposal. Failure to use the forms may cause the proposal to be rejected and deemed non-responsive.

 

4.1.4 Proposals shall be submitted by an authorized representative of the firm. Proposals must be submitted in the business entities name by the President, Partner, Officer or Representative authorized to contractually bind the business entity. Proposals shall include an attachment evidencing that the individual submitting the proposal, does in fact have the required authority stated herein.

 

  1. All proposals will become the property of the City. The Proposer’s response to the RFP is a public record pursuant to Florida law, which is subject to disclosure by the City under the State of Florida Public Records Law, Florida Statutes Chapter 119.07 (“Public Records Law”). The City shall permit public access to all documents, papers, letters, or other material submitted in connection with this RFP and the Contract to be executed for this RFP, subject to the provisions of Chapter 119.07 of the Florida Statutes. Any language contained in the Proposer’s response to the RFP purporting to require confidentiality of any portion of the Proposer’s response to the RFP, except to the extent that certain information is in the City’s opinion a Trade Secret pursuant to Florida law, shall be void.  If a Proposer submits any documents or other information to the City which the Proposer claims is Trade Secret information and exempt from Florida Statutes Chapter 119.07 (“Public Records Laws”), the Proposer shall clearly designate that it is a Trade Secret and that it is asserting that the document or information is exempt. The Proposer must specifically identify the exemption being claimed under Florida Statutes 119.07. The City shall be the final arbiter of whether any information contained in the Proposer’s response to the RFP constitutes a Trade Secret. The city’s determination of whether an exemption applies shall be final, and the Proposer agrees to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the city and the city’s officers, employees, and agent, against any loss or damages incurred by any person or entity as a result of the city’s treatment of records as public records. In the event of Contract award, all documentation produced as part of the Contract shall become the exclusive property of the City.

IF THE CONTRACTOR HAS QUESTIONS REGARDING THE APPLICATION OF CHAPTER 119, FLORIDA STATUTES, TO THE CONTRACTOR’S DUTY TO PROVIDE PUBLIC RECORDS RELATING TO THIS CONTRACT, CONTACT THE CUSTODIAN OF PUBLIC RECORDS AT PRRCONTRACT@FORTLAUDERDALE.GOV, 954-828-5002, CITY CLERK’S OFFICE, 100 N. ANDREWS AVENUE, FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA 33301.

 

Contractor shall:

 

  1. Keep and maintain public records required by the City in order to perform the service.

 

  1. Upon request from the City’s custodian of public records, provide the City with a copy of the requested records or allow the records to be inspected or copied within a reasonable time at a cost that does not exceed the cost provided in Chapter 119, Florida Statutes (2018), as may be amended or revised, or as otherwise provided by law.

 

  1. Ensure that public records that are exempt or confidential and exempt from public records disclosure requirements are not disclosed except as authorized by law for the duration of the contract term and following completion of this contract if the Contractor does not transfer the records to the City.

 

  1. Upon completion of the Contract, transfer, at no cost, to the City all public records in possession of the Contractor or keep and maintain public records required by the City to perform the service. If the Contractor transfers all public records to the City upon completion of this Contract, the Contractor shall destroy any duplicate public records that are exempt or confidential and exempt from public records disclosure requirements. If the Contractor keeps and maintains public records upon completion of this Contract, the Contractor shall meet all applicable requirements for retaining public records. All records stored electronically must be provided to the City, upon request from the City’s custodian of public records, in a format that is compatible with the information technology systems of the City.

 

4.1.6 By submitting a response Proposer is confirming that the firm has not been placed on the convicted vendors list as described in Section §287.133 (2) (a) Florida Statutes; that the only person(s), company or parties interested in the proposal as principals are named therein; that the proposal is made without collusion with any other person(s), company or parties submitting a proposal; that it is in all respects fair and in good faith, without collusion or fraud; and that the signer of the proposal has full authority to bind the firm.

 

4.2 Contents of the Proposal

The City deems certain documentation and information important in the determination of responsiveness and for the purpose of evaluating proposals. Proposals should seek to avoid information in excess of that requested, must be concise, and must specifically address the issues of this RFP. The City prefers that proposals be no more than 100 pages in one complete pdf document. The proposals should be organized, divided, and indexed into the sections indicated herein. These are not inclusive of all the information that may be necessary to properly evaluate the proposal and meet the requirements of the scope of work and/or specifications. Additional documents and information should be provided as deemed appropriate by the respondent in proposal to specific requirements stated herein or through the RFP.

 

4.2.1 Title Page

Show the RFP subject, the name of your firm, address, telephone number, name of contact person and date.

 

4.2.1 Table of Contents

The table of contents should outline in sequential order the major areas of the submittal, including enclosures. All pages should be consecutively numbered and correspond to the Table of Contents.

 

4.2.2 Executive Summary

Each Offeror must submit an executive summary that identifies the business entity, its background, main office(s), and office location that will service this contract. Identify the officers, principals, supervisory staff, and key individuals who will be directly involved with the work and their office locations. The executive summary should also summarize the key elements of the proposal.

 

4.2.3 Experience and Qualifications

Indicate the firm’s number of years of experience in providing the professional services as it relates the work contemplated. Provide details of past projects for agencies of similar size and scope, including information on your firm’s ability to meet time and budget requirements. Indicate the firm’s initiatives towards its own sustainable business practices that demonstrate a commitment to conservation. Indicate business structure, IE: Corp., Partnership, LLC. Firm should be registered as a legal entity in the State of Florida; Minority or Woman owned Business (if applicable); Company address, phone number, fax number, E-Mail address, web site, contact person(s), etc. Relative size of the firm, including management, technical and support staff; licenses and any other pertinent information shall be submitted.

 

4.2.4 Approach to Scope of Work

Provide (within 2 pages) your understanding of the City’s needs, goals and objectives as they relate to the project, and your overall approach to accomplishing the project. Give an overview on your proposed vision, ideas, and methodology. Describe your proposed approach to the project.  Discuss your capabilities to address all requirements as indicated in Section III – Technical Specifications / Scope of Services.

 

The Proposer shall also propose a scheduling methodology (timeline) for effectively managing and executing the work in the optimum time.  The delivery time shall be stated in calendar days from the date of City notification of award or notice to proceed with delivery. Such timeline information and proposed dates shall include, but not necessarily be limited to: delivery, installation, acceptance testing, personnel, and other related completion dates, in accordance with the RFP specifications.

 

Also provide information on your firm’s current workload and how this project will fit into your workload. Describe available facilities, technological capabilities, and other available resources you offer for the project.

 

Response to Appendixes

  1. Appendix A – Requirements Questionnaire
  2. Appendix B – AMI Manufacturer Information
  3. Appendix C – Technical Requirements
  4. Appendix D-2 – Pricing

 

4.2.6 Ancillary Agreements

The Proposer is to attach to the Proposal any of its ancillary Agreements that may be incorporated into the City’s resultant Agreement such as:

 

  • Standard AMI Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) Agreement
  • Head End System-as-a-Service (SaaS) Agreement
  • Managed Services Agreement
  • Support Agreement

 

4.2.7 Minority/Women (M/WBE) Participation

If your firm is a certified minority business enterprise as defined by the Florida Small and Minority Business Assistance Act of 1985, provide copies of your certification(s). If your firm is not a certified M/WBE, describe your company’s previous efforts, as well as planned efforts in meeting M/WBE procurement goals under Florida Statutes 287.09451.

 

4.2.8 Subcontractors

Proposer must clearly identify any subcontractors that may be utilized during the term of this contract.

 

4.2.9 Required Forms 

 

  • Proposal Certification

Complete and attach the Proposal Certification provided herein.

 

  • Cost Proposal

Provide firm, fixed, costs for all services/products using the form provided in this request for proposal. These firm fixed costs for the project include any costs for travel and miscellaneous expenses.  No other costs will be accepted.

 

  • Non-Collusion Statement 

This form is to be completed, if applicable, and inserted in this section.

 

  • Non-Discrimination Certification Form

This form is to be completed and inserted in this section.

 

  • Local Business Preference (LBP)

This form is to be completed, if applicable, and inserted in this section.

 

  • Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Preference (DBEP)

This form is to be completed, if applicable, and inserted in this section.

 

  • Contract Payment Method

This form must be completed and returned with your proposal. Proposers must presently have the ability to accept these credit cards or take whatever steps necessary to implement acceptance of a card before the start of the contract term, or contract award by the City.

 

  • E-Verify Affirmation Statement

This form must be completed and returned with your proposal.

 

  • References

This form must be completed and returned with your proposal.

 

  • Sample Insurance Certificate 

Demonstrate your firm’s ability to comply with insurance requirements. Provide a previous certificate or other evidence listing the Insurance Companies names for the required coverage and limits.

 

  • W-9 for Proposing Firm

This form must be completed and returned with your proposal.

 

  1. Active Status Page from Division of Corporations – Sunbiz.org

Provide PDF of current page with your proposal.

 

END OF SECTION

SECTION V – EVALUATION AND AWARD

 

5.1 Evaluation Procedure

5.1.1 Bid/Proposal Tabulations/Intent to Award

Notice of Intent to Award Contract/Bid/Proposal, resulting from the City’s Formal solicitation process, requiring City Commission action, may be found at: https://www.fortlauderdale.gov/government/departments-a-h/finance/procurement-services/notices-of-intent-to-award. Tabulations of receipt of those parties responding to a formal solicitation may be found at: https://www.fortlauderdale.gov/government/departments-a-h/finance/procurement-services/bid-results, or any interested party may call the Procurement Services Division at 954-828-5933.

 

5.1.2 Evaluation of proposals will be conducted by an Evaluation Committee, consisting of a minimum of three members of City Staff, or other persons selected by the City Manager or designee. All committee members must be in attendance at scheduled evaluation meetings. Meetings may be in person or virtual. Proposals shall be evaluated based upon the information and references contained in the responses as submitted.

 

5.1.3 The Committee may short list Proposals that it deems best satisfy the weighted criteria set forth herein. The committee may then conduct virtual interviews and/or require virtual oral presentations from the short-listed Proposers. The Evaluation Committee shall then re-score and re-rank the short-listed firms in accordance with weighted criteria: AMI Project Requirements and Commercial Evaluation.  Project Cost will not be evaluated during the short list presentation but will be negotiated with the top ranked vendor prior to contracting.

 

5.1.4 The City may require visits to the Proposer’s facilities to inspect record keeping procedures, staff, facilities and equipment as part of the evaluation process.

 

5.1.5 The final ranking and the Evaluation Committee’s recommendation may then be reported to the City Manager for consideration of contract award.

 

5.2 Evaluation Criteria

5.2.1 Requirements Questionnaire: The City intends to use a requirements questionnaire (Appendix A) as part of this solicitation to ensure that the AMI Manufacturer meet minimum requirements and conditions set forth in this RFP.

 

5.2.2 The City uses a mathematical formula to determine the scoring for each individual responsive and responsible firm based on the weighted criteria stated herein. Each evaluation committee member will rank each firm by criteria, giving their first ranked firm a number 1, the second ranked firm a number 2, and so on. The City shall multiply that average ranking by the weighted criterion identified herein to determine the total the points for each Proposer. The lowest average final ranking score will determine the recommendation by the evaluation committee to the City Manager.

 

5.2.3 Weighted Criteria

 

AMI Project Requirements (Appendix C) 55%
Commercial Evaluation (Appendix B) 15%
Total Project Cost (Appendix D2) 30%
TOTAL PERCENT AVAILABLE: 100%

 

5.3 Contract Award

The City reserves the right to award a contract to the Vendor who will best serve the interest of the City.  The City reserves the right, based upon its deliberations and in its opinion, to accept or reject any or all proposals. The City also reserves the right to waive minor irregularities or variations of the submittal requirements and RFP process.

 

END OF SECTION

URL of Opportunity

 

Project Completion deadline

February 7, 2023