1-Attachment 12 - Method of Approach.pdf

Request for Proposal

Solicitation No. BPM006379

Capacity Development/Technical Assistance to Small Public Drinking Water Systems

Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ)

1110 W. Washington Street

Phoenix, AZ 85007

Solicitation Attachment – Method of Approach | Revision No. 1 | Revised 11-22

Attachment 12 – Method of Approach

The Offeror shall provide a narrative response to each question that demonstrates their understanding of the Scope of

Work requirements and describes the company’s overall method of approach for providing the Service(s) stated in this

Solicitation. If there is a question that is not applicable to the Services required by the Scope of Work, you may mark it

“N/A”. The narrative should not contain language used for marketing purposes.

Offeror shall provide a response either after each question or in a separate document entitled: “Attachment 12 -

Method of Approach.” If a separate document is used, please clearly designate each section and double-check to ensure that each question has been answered. If any information provided is considered CONFIDENTIAL by

Offeror, the information must be specifically included in the Confidential Information Designation Attachment and related documentation to be assessed for confidential treatment under A.A.C. R2-7-103. Response to Method of

Approach shall not exceed ten (10) pages.

Question 1: How would your approach for a project differ working for a very small community or utility as opposed to a medium or large city or utility?

Offeror Response:

Moonshot Missions is dedicated to serving as a trusted peer advisor for communities, ensuring they have access to safe, affordable, and clean drinking water and waterways, regardless of zip code. Our expertise lies in supporting small, rural, and tribal water utilities across the United States. In 2023, 73 percent of the communities we assisted served 10,000 people or fewer. We understand the unique challenges faced by small utilities, which often operate with limited resources.

Our approach is grounded in the extensive experience of our team members, who include utility managers, operators, engineers, and former state and federal regulators. This collective background allows us to address the pressing challenges that utilities face with a deep understanding and knowledge of practical solutions. Our success stories highlight our ability to deliver effective solutions across utilities of all sizes, with a focus on small, rural and tribal communities.

Regardless of the community's size, we employ the Moonshot Method—a structured process designed to meet each utility exactly where it stands in its technical assistance journey. Our process begins with comprehensive research and a deep understanding of the utility’s unique challenges and opportunities. We prioritize active listening and engage closely with staff to develop a customized roadmap that outlines practical, actionable steps forward. This roadmap is carefully crafted to address the utility’s specific needs and capabilities, and it defines the mutual commitment required from both Moonshot and the utility to effectively tackle their challenges.

Key elements of our approach include on-site visits and in-depth interviews conducted by our experienced engineers and operators. We are committed to providing every community and utility with the highest level of respect, preparation, and diligence. This personalized approach ensures that each community, regardless of size, receives tailored support that meets their unique needs.

We also recognize that small utilities often lack the resources, technology, equipment, and personnel that are commonplace in their larger counterparts. As a result, we collaborate with utility personnel to focus our joint efforts on a small number of actionable steps, with an emphasis on resolving process compliance and monitoring requirements that demand regular staff time. We pair these steps with special attention to delivering hands-on training and written protocols.

Only when staff have recognized savings in costs and time, do we evaluate further steps that might include new and innovative technologies. In this way, we bridge the resource gap by providing site-specific solutions tailored to the needs of small utilities. Our goal is to help these smaller utilities navigate competing priorities and develop sustainable solutions for funding, infrastructure, staffing, and meeting regulatory requirements. Our role is to foster self-sufficiency within the system, ensuring that it becomes capable of operating independently and not reliant on ongoing technical assistance.

Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ)

Our approach emphasizes practical, achievable solutions and realistic timelines, aiming to empower utility staff to expand their knowledge and capabilities. We focus on leveraging the existing expertise within the utility, setting up regular check-ins, and celebrating small victories along the way. Our project managers remain actively involved, providing ongoing support and ensuring that our partnership is contributing to impactful outcomes.

At the core of our mission is a commitment to people. We prioritize open communication, capacity development, and growth, fostering a relationship of trust and collaboration with the utilities we serve.

Offeror shall respond to question #2, if proposing to provide services for one or more of the following deliverables:

5 - Design of water system improvements

7 - Drinking water permit applications (e.g., ATC, AOC, APP, AZPDES)

11- Preparing Corrosion Control Assessments & Treatment Recommendations

Question 2: What is your process when designing and permitting a drinking water treatment system? How would you approach the design & permitting of a treatment system for a small public water system? Describe the steps that you take to select the best treatment technology.

N/A; not proposing services for the above deliverables.

Question 3: How will you ensure your proposed solution to the assigned task is practical, cost-effective, and sustainable for the small water system?

As a non-profit organization, Moonshot is driven solely by our commitment to improving utilities and the communities they serve. This mission has allowed us to provide our expertise and support to utilities at no cost under our grant-funded projects, thereby eliminating the financial burden on these often resource-constrained systems. With experience working with over 100 small, rural, and tribal systems, we specialize in addressing the unique financial and capacity constraints faced by small utilities. Our focus is to develop a roadmap of solutions that is practical, cost-effective, and sustainable.

Practical & Proven Solutions. We recommend and implement solutions that have been field-tested and refined through our extensive experience with similar projects. Our track record with small utilities across the country enables us to adapt proven strategies to meet the needs and constraints of each system. While no two small systems are the same, we can apply learnings from previous technical assistance engagements to inform our current work. Additionally, when beneficial, we facilitate connections with other utilities that have successfully applied these strategies, providing valuable peer insights and shared experiences.

Cost-Effective Solutions. Our goal is to maximize impact while minimizing costs. Enhancing or refining daily procedures and practices within water systems often does not necessitate additional financial resources. By collaborating directly with utility staff through a peer-to-peer approach, we focus on leveraging existing resources and expertise to drive improvements. This method ensures that valuable outcomes are achieved without the need for financial expenditures, fostering efficient and sustainable improvements in water system management. By optimizing the use of current resources and integrating our solutions with the utility’s existing practices, we ensure cost-effectiveness.

Empowering Sustainable Utilities. Our approach emphasizes close collaboration with utility managers and operators throughout the process. By working hand-in-hand with the utility, we ensure that our solutions are integrated into current practices. This collaborative effort helps align our strategies with the utility’s existing capabilities and enhances the overall

Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) effectiveness of the solutions. Our aim is to empower utilities to independently maintain the solutions we implement. We achieve this by providing hands-on training and taking a collaborative approach of support, which builds the skills and confidence of utility staff. Even after implementation, we continue to provide assistance and ensure that the utility can effectively maintain and manage the improvements over the long term.

Assessment. At the outset of our engagement, we conduct a comprehensive assessment of the utility's technical, managerial, and financial conditions. This holistic evaluation allows us to gain a thorough understanding of the utility’s operations, including the various factors and priorities that may impact the feasibility of potential solutions. By considering all aspects of the utility, we ensure that our proposed solutions are well-aligned with its specific challenges and needs. We approach issue diagnosis holistically, considering all aspects of the system rather than isolating individual components.

Moonshot is dedicated to ensuring that our proposed solutions are practical, cost-effective, and sustainable. By tailoring our approach to the specific needs of each utility, optimizing existing resources, and building staff capacity, we deliver meaningful and lasting improvements for utilities and the communities we serve.

Offeror shall respond to question #4, if proposing to provide services for one or more of the following

5 - Design of water system improvements

7 - Drinking water permit applications (e.g., ATC, AOC, APP, AZPDES)

11- Preparing Corrosion Control Assessments & Treatment Recommendations

Question 4: When designing a treatment system that modifies water chemistry, how do you ensure this treatment won’t cause or exacerbate other water quality problems?

N/A; not proposing services for the above deliverables.

Questions 5: How will you ensure that project(s) stays on schedule and is(are) completed on-time as per the task order offer/award?

If a project is not on schedule, describe what steps will be taken to get the project back on track?

If your team is backed up or unavailable to finish a job, describe what steps will be taken to get the project delivered on time?

If your subcontractor is falling behind stated deliverable, describe what steps will be taken to get the project on track and delivered on time?

Moonshot employs project management strategies prior to project kick-off to identify potential project risks. These strategies evaluate risks that may impact timeline and budget. At the outset of each project, our project team will develop an internal project workplan that includes clear milestones, deliverables and deadlines. This plan is created once the initial need of the utility is understood. Internally, Moonshot utilizes a project management platform to monitor the workplan and our engagement with a community. This platform allows us to effectively schedule tasks, allocate resources, and track progress of deliverables. The visual overview helps us to effectively manage deadlines and identify potential roadblocks early. Project managers review the status of all active engagements each week in their project meetings.

Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ)

If issues arise related to a project timeline, the project manager will review potential causes and impacts. An evaluation of potential contributors Moonshot will work directly with the community to make necessary adjustments to the project plan.

This could include engaging additional project team members or subject matter experts, reassessing timelines with the utility client, or adjusting deliverables to address the specific challenges causing delay. We will reassess and prioritize tasks to ensure that critical activities are completed first. This may involve shifting focus to high-priority tasks and temporarily adjusting less critical activities to accommodate the current workload. We maintain a pool of experienced professionals and volunteers who can be mobilized as needed.

Any deviations from the initial agreed-upon scope or timeline will be immediately discussed with ADEQ. Moving forward, we learn from these experiences by engaging additional resources or staff as needed to address and mitigate similar issues in the future. This proactive approach ensures that we continuously improve our processes and prevent recurrence of the same problems. When solicited by ADEQ, we will provide a realistic response regarding our capacity to meet the requested technical assistance request.

With extensive experience working with communities that often have limited staff, we understand that communication can sometimes be challenging. We work to maintain clear and consistent communication channels, schedule regular check-ins to stay aligned, and document documentation to support our engagements.

Question 6: Describe your company’s review process to ensure that technical documents are complete and accurate prior to submission to ADEQ. What documents can ADEQ review to verify if the review was completed? If

ADEQ finds an issue, who, other than the PM, is the point of contact for resolution?

To ensure that technical documents are complete and accurate before submission to ADEQ, Moonshot follows a review process involving checks and approvals across the project team. Our project teams are structured to include a review phase, where each deliverable is reviewed by team members who were not directly involved in its development. Each team will include technical experts, including Professional Engineers and subject matter experts, as needed. This peer review helps to identify any potential issues that may have been overlooked and provides an extra layer of validation.

For documents submitted on behalf of a client, Moonshot involves the utility in review of the submitted papers, followed by an external review meeting between the team. During this meeting, the team collaboratively examines the deliverable documents to verify their accuracy and achieve consensus on our recommendations. This approach not only confirms the reliability of the documents but also integrates valuable feedback from utility stakeholders.

The final version of the document is reviewed and approved by the designated Project Manager. This approval confirms that all internal review processes have been thoroughly completed. Once approved, the document is packaged according to ADEQ’s submission requirements, including any necessary cover letters, appendices, or supplementary materials. The document is then submitted to ADEQ, and we obtain a confirmation receipt to verify that ADEQ has received the documents.

In the event that ADEQ identifies any issues with the submitted documents, Andy Koester, an Executive Advisor to this project, is available as an additional point of contact for resolution. Should any issues arise that cannot be resolved with the Project Manager, Andy Koester can be reached for further escalation and resolution.

Moonshot ensures that technical documents are peer-reviewed and quality-checked before submission to ADEQ. The structured review process, combined with clear points of contact for issue resolution, guarantees that documents meet the highest standards of accuracy and completeness.

Question 7: Describe a time where obstacles faced during a project resulted in a change to your methodology of approach. What were the obstacles, the impact to the project and what did you do to overcome them?

Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ)

Moonshot has been providing technical assistance in collaboration with the EPA and Coachella Valley Water District for several small community water systems in California. The Coachella Valley Water District is working on a master plan to expand its services to numerous neighboring small water systems. These systems predominantly serve manufactured home communities, often owned by individual families or groups of families. Given that many system owners in the area speak primarily Spanish, local outreach efforts include essential interpretation and translation services.

The Moonshot team is assisting the system to prepare for consolidation by 1) assessing the on-site systems in preparation for a CVWD application for funding for the needed improvements to make the consolidation successful; and 2) assessing immediate needs to apply for funding for capital improvements to sustain the system until the consolidation can move forward.

Initially, a primary stakeholder was designated to act as the master applicant for securing funding for system improvements and consolidation efforts. However, this stakeholder was unable to continue in this role, prompting a need to reevaluate the strategy to address this obstacle. As a team, Moonshot maintained stakeholder relations while researching and pursuing alternative funding opportunities for the small community water systems.

Many of the small community water systems were ineligible for several funding sources due to lacking a proper legal structure, such as a limited liability corporation or a municipal water company. Moonshot Missions decided to work directly with each water system to assist them in registering with the state of California and pursuing funding individually. This shift significantly impacted the project, transitioning from a single master applicant to eight individual applicants. To better serve these communities, Moonshot Missions expanded the project team to include a Spanish speaker, reducing language barriers and enhancing direct engagement with the small community water system owners.

Throughout this process, Moonshot Missions has remained committed to prioritizing the needs of the small community water systems and is actively working to secure the necessary funding for their improvements.

Offeror shall respond to scenario #1, if proposing to provide services for one or more of the following

4 - Construction Administration & Construction Management

5 - Design of water system improvements

7 - Drinking water permit applications

8 - Funding Assistance

9 - Legal assistance (e.g., forming corporate status, corporate documents)

10- Median Household Income Surveys

12 - Preparing Environmental Documents/Archeological Surveys

13 - Preparing Preliminary Engineering Reports (PER)

14 - Rate studies, rate reviews, rate cases

16 - System Evaluations

19 - Water Quality Compliance Options

Scenario 1: A small, rural public water system has multiple water quality issues. There are 20 current connections;

the customers are low income and/or retirees. All the homes are on septic systems. The system consists of one well (located within the floodway of a major river), an elevated storage tank and distribution system.

The water system has maximum contaminant level (MCL) exceedances for uranium. In addition, chloride, sulfate, total hardness and total dissolved solids are well above the secondary MCLs. Sampling of private wells in the area indicated better water quality may be found away from the river. Outline at least three

Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) alternatives to address the water quality issues that are cost effective and sustainable for this very small water system. Provide your recommendation for the best alternative for the system.

For your recommendation include the following information for this scenario:

A bullet list of tasks that your firm would conduct to address the water quality issues and implement a solution. The tasks should be presented in the order they would be conducted. Each task should include the purpose of the task (e.g., why are you doing it? What information will be obtained in doing the task? What other information would be included in your summary recommendation report to ADEQ?

Offeror Response (limit response for scenario #1 to two (2) pages):

The challenges faced by small, rural public water systems often stem from limited resources and require attention to specific local conditions. Many small systems operate with minimal staffing, some even relying on a single remote operator. Addressing these challenges requires cost-effective and sustainable solutions. Moonshot would consider the following three alternatives. These tasks are presented in the order they would be conducted. We aim to comprehensively evaluate the proposed alternatives, support informed decision-making, and reinforce our commitment to sustainable water quality improvements.

1. Water System Consolidation

Tasks Conducted

• Feasibility of Consolidation: Begin by assessing whether consolidation is a viable option. Consider factors such as the physical distance to neighboring water systems, the associated costs, and the community's willingness to maintain its current water system versus openness to consolidation.

• Proximity to Larger Systems: Identify any nearby, larger water systems that could potentially absorb the small system. Evaluate these systems for their capacity, existing infrastructure, and the quality of water they provide to determine if they could be a suitable consolidation partner.

• Water Quality Assessment: Conduct a comparative analysis of water quality between the small system and potentially larger systems. Determine if consolidation would offer improved water quality and ensure compliance with regulatory standards, addressing current water quality challenges.

• Scale and Resource Limitations: Acknowledge that maintaining a separate water treatment facility for a system with only 20 connections is often impractical due to scale. Highlight the need for significant financial investment, a certified treatment operator, and ongoing operational costs, which may not be sustainable for such a small community.

• Economic Considerations: Provide a cost-benefit analysis of consolidation versus maintaining an independent system. Include potential funding opportunities, like state or federal grants, which could support the transition and infrastructure upgrades needed for consolidation.

2. Well Relocation

• Assessment: Evaluate the feasibility of relocating the existing well to a location further from the major river, using geological and hydrological surveys. Additional data to be collected by sampling existing wells in the area.

• Impact Analysis: Investigate the potential effects on water quality and long-term sustainability from relocating the well.

• Cost Estimation: Estimate the costs associated with drilling a new well and establishing a secure water source away from the floodway.

Purpose: Evaluate the potential benefits of relocating the existing well to improve water quality.

Information: Impact on water quality and sustainability, relocation costs, and alternative options.

Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ)

Report contents: Findings from geological and hydrological surveys, cost estimates, and decision-making recommendations.

3. Install Water Treatment:

• Feasibility Study: Conduct a study to assess the viability of implementing a centralized water treatment system to address uranium and other contaminants. As an alternative, evaluate the use of Point-of-Use

(POU) devices, which might be more practical given the system’s small size of only 20 connections.

• Evaluation: Examine the technical and economic feasibility of installing treatment equipment, such as reverse osmosis systems, ion exchange units, or POU devices, to reduce contaminant levels. Compare the effectiveness, costs, and maintenance requirements of centralized treatment versus POU solutions.

• Cost Analysis: Provide a detailed analysis of the capital and operational costs of the proposed treatment systems, considering the community’s economic demographics to ensure affordability and reliability.

• Public Education: Develop resources to inform residents about water quality issues and the efforts being made to improve them. This helps foster understanding and support for the cost of safe drinking water.

Purpose: Assess the viability of installing a centralized water treatment system or install POU devices for reducing uranium levels and other contaminants.

Information Obtained: Technical and economic feasibility, potential treatment technologies, and cost estimates.

Report Contents: Cost analysis, comparison of treatment options, and implementation recommendations.

4. Source Diversification:

• Exploration: Investigate the possibility of diversifying water sources by accessing alternative groundwater reservoirs or nearby aquifers.

• Quality Analysis: Perform thorough water sampling and laboratory testing of potential alternative sources to ensure they meet required standards.

• Integration Plan: Develop a comprehensive plan for incorporating additional water sources into the existing distribution system, including infrastructure needs and cost implications.

Purpose: Explore the feasibility of using alternative groundwater sources to diversify the water supply.

Information: Water quality analysis of potential sources, infrastructure requirements, and associated costs.

Report Contents: Detailed findings from water quality testing, integration plan, and cost implications.

These tasks will be conducted in the outlined order to thoroughly evaluate the proposed alternatives, support informed decision-making, and reinforce our commitment to sustainable water quality improvements.

Based on the data gathered, we will work with the system to move forward with the best and most sustainable option.