REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

FOR

RFP 25/26-22

TECHNOLOGY SERVICES TO OPERATIONS TECHNOLOGY (OT) INFRASTURCTURE

Issue Date: March 13, 2026

Requested by:

Audrey Stenerson, Senior Buyer

Procurement & Contracts Division Alameda County Water District

43885 South Grimmer Boulevard Fremont, CA 94538

Tel.: (510) 668-4291

Rev 10219

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

1. . INFORMATION / INSTRUCTIONS TO PROPOSERS

1.1. INVITATION

1.2. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

1.3. BACKGROUND

1.4. DEFINITIONS

1.5. SOLICITATION TIMELINE

1.6. VENDOR REGISTRATION

1.7. EXAMINATION OF RFP DOCUMENTS

1.8. PRE-PROPOSAL MEETING

1.9. QUESTIONS AND REQUESTS FOR CLARIFICATIONS

1.10. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF ADDENDUM / ADDENDA TO THE SOLICITATION

1.11. BASIS OF AWARD

1.12. EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS

1.13. EVALUATION CRITERIA

1.14. DISTRICT’S RIGHTS

1.15. SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS

1.16. PERIOD FOR ACCEPTANCE OF PROPOSALS

1.17. MODIFICATION, WITHDRAWAL, MISTAKES, AND MINOR INFORMALITIES

1.18. EX-PARTE COMMUNICATIONS

1.19. CONFIDENTIALITY

2. . SCOPE OF SERVICES AND SPECIAL PROVISIONS

2.1. PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND

2.2. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

2.3. PROPOSER’S QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

2.4. SCOPE OF SERVICES

2.5. ACCOUNT MANAGER & ESCALATION MATRIX

2.6. DISTRICT RESPONSIBILITIES

2.7. CONTRACTOR RESPONSIBILITIES

3. . PROPOSAL CONTENT AND SUBMITTAL

3.1. PROPOSAL CONTENT

3.2. PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL

4. . APPENDICES A,B,C,D,E

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1. INFORMATION / INSTRUCTIONS TO PROPOSERS

1.1. INVITATION

The Alameda County Water District (District) invites qualified firms or individuals to submit proposals to provide Operations Technology (OT) support services with the District’s hardware and software applications.

1.2. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The District anticipates making multiple awards, but reserves the right to make only one, to the highest ranked Proposers, in accordance with the evaluation criteria set forth herein. The term of the Agreement shall be for a two (2) year base term and three (3) one year options to renew at the sole discretion of the District.

1.3. BACKGROUND

The District is a California Special District located in the San Francisco Bay Area. For 100 years, the District has supplied water to the residents and businesses of southern Alameda County. The area has grown and changed from being an important agricultural center to supporting a growing suburban population, the water system has grown and changed with it.

Today, the District has a staff of over 240 dedicated employees and supplies drinking water to the more than 348,000 people living in the cities of Fremont, Newark, and Union City. It is the mission of the District to provide a reliable supply of high quality water at a reasonable price to our customers.

1.4. DEFINITIONS

Whenever the following words occur in this Request for Proposal (RFP), they shall have the following meanings:

EUNA PROCUREMENT shall mean the District’s E-Procurement System

COMPETITIVE SEALED PROPOSALS is a transparent procurement method in which Proposals from competing contractors, suppliers, or vendors are invited by openly advertising the scope, specifications, and terms and conditions of the proposed Agreement. Award is typically made to the most qualified Proposer or Proposers whose Proposal(s) provides the best value to the District.

CONTRACT ADMINISTRATOR shall mean the District’s Contract Administrator who will be identified after Solicitation award. Any reference to the Contract Administrator in the Agreement shall mean the Contract Administrator or designated representative. The Agreement will be performed under the direction, inspection and supervision of the Contract Administrator.

CONTRACTOR or CONSULTANT means any person or firm having a Contract with the District.

DISTRICT or ACWD shall mean the Alameda County Water District.

PROPOSER means a corporate entity or individual who responds to this Request for Proposals.

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REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS or RFP means all documents, whether attached or incorporated by reference, utilized for soliciting Proposals; also referred to as “Solicitation.”

SERVICES shall mean the requested services, goods, supplies or equipment.

1.5. SOLICITATION TIMELINE

The District intends to adhere to the following anticipated timeline:

1.6. VENDOR REGISTRATION

Please go to the District’s E-Procurement System, Euna Procurement at https://acwd.bonfirehub.com to register, if you have not already done so. Future solicitation announcements will be sent via the District’s E-Procurement System, Euna Procurement at https://acwd.bonfirehub.com to those vendors who have registered.

1.7. EXAMINATION OF RFP DOCUMENTS

The selected Proposer will be required to execute an Agreement for Services, refer to sample located in Appendix B, with the District, describing the Scope of Services to be performed, compensation, insurance requirements and other pertinent provisions.

Before submitting its Proposal, each Proposer must (a) examine the RFP documents thoroughly and

(b) familiarize itself with any applicable Federal, State and local laws, ordinances, rules and regulations, and standards affecting provision of the Services.

1.8. PRE-PROPOSAL MEETING

Proposers are invited to attend a Pre-Proposal meeting remotely, via Teams, the date and time specified in Section 1.5. Attendance is not mandatory but strongly recommended. Due to the sensitive information within this solicitation, it is required for all attendees of the pre-proposal meeting to complete Appendix C, Non-Disclosure Agreement and return it by March 31st.

Please RSVP no later than May 1st to receive Appendix D, Technology & Infrastructure and instructions to attend the meeting electronically to Audrey Stenerson, Senior Buyer, audrey.stenerson@acwd.com.

Date of Issuance: 3/13/2026

Pre-Proposal Meeting @ 1pm PST: 4/2/2026 Questions & Requests for Clarifications Due:

by 3:00pm PST 4/7/2026

Addendum Issued 4/10/2026

Proposals Due by 3pm PST: 4/24/2026

Consultant Interviews, if held: 5/11 -5/13

Anticipated Award Date June 30, 2026 https://acwd.bonfirehub.com/ https://acwd.bonfirehub.com/ mailto:audrey.stenerson@acwd.com

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The meeting shall consist of a review of the solicitation process, requested services and required proposal submittals. The meeting is anticipated to take up to One (1) hour.

1.9. QUESTIONS AND REQUESTS FOR CLARIFICATIONS

Prospective Proposers must carefully examine the Solicitation documents, including terms and conditions of the Agreement. In the event of doubt of anything contained in the Solicitation, all questions or requests for clarification about the meaning or intent, discrepancies or omissions of the RFP documents may be submitted in writing to Audrey Stenerson Procurement & Contracts Division, via the District’s E-Procurement System, Euna Procurement at https://acwd.bonfirehub.comuntil the date and time specified in Section 1.5.

Responses to questions and requests for clarification will be posted in the form of an addendum via the District’s E-Procurement System, Euna Procurement at https://acwd.bonfirehub.com no later than the date and time specified in Section 1.5. Only questions answered in a formal written response will be binding. Oral and other interpretations or clarifications will be without legal effect. Any information given to a prospective Proposer by the District will be furnished to all prospective Proposers, if that information is necessary in submitting Proposals, or if the lack of such information would be prejudicial to other prospective Proposers. Bidders are responsible for checking the District’s E-Procurement System, Euna Procurement, at https://acwd.bonfirehub.comfor any addenda. The District makes no guarantee that any questions submitted after the deadline will be answered.

1.10. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF ADDENDUM / ADDENDA TO THE SOLICITATION

Each Proposer shall acknowledge receipt of any addendum / addenda to this Solicitation. via the District’s E-Procurement System, Euna Procurement at https://acwd.bonfirehub.com Proposers are required to submit the signature page of each addendum, if any, with their Proposal.

1.11. BASIS OF AWARD

The District anticipates making multiple awards, but reserves the right to make only one, to the highest ranked Proposers, in accordance with the evaluation criteria set forth in Section 1.13 “Evaluation Criteria.” In the event a mutually satisfactory Contract cannot be negotiated with the highest ranked Proposer, negotiations may be terminated by the District and commenced with the next highest ranked Proposer.

1.12. EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS

Proposals will be screened to ensure responsiveness to the requirements of the RFP. The District reserves the right to request additional information and clarifications during the evaluation and selection process from any or all Proposers regarding their proposals.

• Technical Evaluation Team

A Technical Evaluation Team (TET), which is composed of District staff, or other qualified persons, will review and screen the proposals submitted according to the weighted criteria and https://acwd.bonfirehub.com/ https://acwd.bonfirehub.com/

Page | 5 process indicated in Section 1.13; Evaluation Criteria below. While price is one basic determinant for award, it is not the sole consideration. The TET's composite scores for all steps of the evaluation process will comprise the official record for the proposal evaluation process;

individual evaluation records will not be available for public inspection at any point during or after the evaluation process.

• Interviews and Presentations

Following the initial review and evaluation of proposals, some Proposers may be invited to participate in the next step of the proposal selection process. This may include the submission of additional information, as described below, and/or participation in an oral interview. If the District conducts interviews, they will do so only with those Proposers initially found to be within the “competitive range”. Interviews, if held, are tentatively scheduled on the date and time specified in Section 1.5 and will be held via Teams.

The District reserves the right to further reduce the “competitive range” at any time during this step of the evaluation and selection process, and the District may hold simultaneous discussions with those Proposers that remain in the “competitive range.” Proposers who are no longer in the “competitive range” will be notified as soon as it is practicable and will not continue in the selection and evaluation process.

• References

Proposers are required to submit references of three (3) clients (preferably public sector clients in California) for similar services during a five (5) year period. For each client submitted as a reference, Proposers shall supply a brief description of the services provided, the timeframe services were provided and client contact information. All references will be contacted by a District Designee via e-mail, fax, or telephone call to obtain answers to questions, as applicable, before an evaluation decision is made.

1.13. EVALUATION CRITERIA

The maximum possible total combined score for a proposal is 100 points.

• Methodology and Approach to Scope of Services Maximum Points 15 points

The Proposer’s responsiveness, overall methodology and approach to successfully providing the Scope of Services will be evaluated. Proposals will be evaluated on, but not limited to:

o This includes the Proposer’s completeness, clarity, detail and methodology to RFP scope of work, o Demonstrated knowledge of the work to be completed, o Inclusion and completeness of requested forms (e.g. resumes of project team, furnished proposal forms [properly signed and executed], completed contact information for references provided.

o The scope, quality and feasibility of Proposer’s work plan.

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• Task Examples Maximum Points 25 points o Provide an example of customer redacted OT infrastructure documentation such as SOP, strategy document, change management process, etc. which Consultant has developed for various customers.

• Responses to the questions from Section 3.1 Proposal Content. Maximum Points 25 points

• Qualifications and Experience of Company Maximum Points 25 points

The capabilities of each Proposer will be assessed on:

o Company's qualifications and experience in providing the specified services for similar operations and/or entities.

o Public sector and or Water Utility Agency experience.

o Availability of designated staff, consultants/account representative(s) and other team members assigned to work with the District.

o Proposer’s experience in carrying out the project of this type, demonstrated by the past (5) years of experience.

o Proposer’s demonstrated capacity, facilities and organizational structure to perform the type of services sought in this RFP.

• Cost Proposal Maximum Points 10 points

The proposer submitting the lowest priced cost receives the maximum points allowed. All other proposal receive a percentage of points available based on their cost relationship to the lowest.

This is determined by applying the following formula:

𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿 𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶

𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶 𝐵𝐵𝐵𝐵𝐵𝐵𝐵𝐵𝐵𝐵 𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸

× 𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀 𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃 𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴 = 𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴 𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃

Total Possible Points for this RFP = 100

Example:

The cost of the lowest proposal is $10,000. The next lowest proposal has a cost of $12,500;

the total number of points available for cost is 30 points. ($10,000

$12,500 ) 𝑥𝑥 30 = 24 𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝 𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎

1.14. DISTRICT’S RIGHTS

The District reserves the right to do any of the following at any point during the solicitation process:

• To cancel this solicitation in whole or in part, at its sole discretion, at any time,

• This RFP does not commit the District to award an Agreement, to pay any costs incurred by

Proposers in the preparation of their proposals submitted in response to this RFP,

• To procure or contract for services.

• The District reserves the right to modify or cancel in whole or in part this RFP,

• To reject any and all proposals, Page | 7

• To accept the proposal, it considers most favorable to the District’s interest at its sole discretion,

• To waive irregularities or informalities in any proposal or in the proposal procedures.

• Reserve the right to reject all proposals and seek new proposals when the District considers such a procedure to be in its best interest. If there is any evidence indicating that two or more Proposers are in collusion to restrict competition or are otherwise engaged in anti-competitive practices, the proposals of all such Proposers shall be rejected, and such evidence may be a cause for disqualification of the participants in any future solicitations issued by the District.

• To hold discussions and/or negotiations with any individual or qualified firm,

• To interview or not, to request additional information or revised proposals or to request best and final offers (BAFO) if it is in the best interest of the District to do so.

• To make an award without conducting any interviews or negotiations; therefore, Proposers are encouraged to submit their best proposal at the outset.

• To disregard questions that appear to be generic, automatically generated, or not reflective of a reasonable review of the RFP. Respondents are encouraged to ensure all questions reflect their understanding of the project and the specific requirements of this solicitation.

1.15. SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS

The Proposer shall assume full responsibility for timely delivery for receipt of Proposals. Each Proposer shall submit a Proposal via the District’s E-Procurement System, Euna Procurement at https://acwd.bonfirehub.com before the posted deadline. All required documents must be completed in full.

Proposers shall comply with all instructions in the RFP and must include Proposer’s name, contact number, address, email address.

Completed proposal forms and required attachments shall be submitted via the District’s E- Procurement System, Euna Procurement at https://acwd.bonfirehub.com. Any bid submissions not submitted to the District’s E-Procurement System listed shall not be considered.

No other method of submission, other than those specified herein, shall be considered.

The only acceptable evidence to establish the time of receipt is the time/date stamp provided by the District’s E-Procurement System and maintained by the Procurement & Contracts Division.

Any Proposal received after the deadline for receipt will not be opened and considered for evaluation. However, an exception may be made when a late Proposal would have been timely but for the action or inaction of District.

1.16. PERIOD FOR ACCEPTANCE OF PROPOSALS

In order to allow for adequate evaluation, the District requires a response to this Solicitation to be valid and irrevocable for 90 calendar days after submittal date and time.

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Should there be valid reasons why the Agreement cannot be awarded within the specific period; the time may be extended by mutual agreement between the District and the Proposer.

1.17. MODIFICATION, WITHDRAWAL, MISTAKES, AND MINOR INFORMALITIES

• Modification or Withdrawal o Proposals may be modified or withdrawn prior to the established due date via the District’s E-Procurement System, Euna Procurement at https://acwd.bonfirehub.com.in a form and manner that complies with the requirements set forth in this RFP.

o No Proposer may withdraw a Proposal after the Proposal Due Date.

o At no time shall the highest ranked proposal be withdrawn.

• Mistakes in Proposals (Discovered Before Due Date) o Mistake on the part of the Proposer in preparing the Proposal confers no right for the withdrawal of the Proposal after it has been opened o A Proposer may correct mistakes in a Proposal prior to the time and date set for due date by submitting a replacement Proposal via the District’s E-Procurement System, Euna Procurement at https://acwd.bonfirehub.com, in a form and manner that complies with the requirements set forth in this RFP.

1.18. EX-PARTE COMMUNICATIONS

There shall be no communication with any officer, director, employee, or agent of the District.

Proposers and Proposers’ representatives must communicate in the manner set forth in this RFP.

Nothing herein prohibits Proposers and their representatives from making oral statements or presentations in public to one or more representatives of the District during a public meeting.

1.19. CONFIDENTIALITY

All responses to this RFP become property of the District and will be kept confidential until a recommendation for award of a contract has been announced. Thereafter, submittals are subject to public inspection and disclosure under the California Public Records Act (Commencing at California Government Code Sections 7920 et seq). Therefore, unless the information is exempt from disclosure by law, the content of any proposal, request for explanation, exception, or substitution, response to these specifications, protest, or any other written communication between the District and any Proposer regarding the procurement, shall be available to the public.

If Proposer believes any communication contains trade secrets or other proprietary information that the Proposer believes would cause substantial injury to the Proposer’s competitive position if disclosed, the Proposer shall request that the District withhold from disclosure the proprietary information by marking each page containing such proprietary information as confidential. By submitting a proposal with portions marked “confidential,” a Proposer represents it has determined such portions qualify for exemption from disclosure under the California Public Records Act. A Proposer may not designate its entire Proposal as confidential, nor may a Proposer designate its Cost Proposal as confidential. The District will not honor such designations and will disclose submittals

Page | 9 so designated to the public and may deem the proposal non-responsive and may remove the proposal from advancing through the evaluation process.

If Proposer requests that the District withhold from disclosure information identified as confidential, and the District complies with the Proposer’s request, Proposer shall assume all responsibility for any challenges resulting from the non-disclosure, indemnify and hold harmless the District from and against all damages (including but not limited to attorneys’ fees that may be awarded to the party requesting the Proposer information), and pay any and all costs and expenses related to the withholding of Proposer information. Proposer shall not make a claim, sue, or maintain any legal action against the District or its directors, officers, employees, or agents concerning the withholding from disclosure of Proposer information.

If Proposer does not request that the District withhold from disclosure information identified as confidential, the District shall have no obligation to withhold the information from disclosure and may release the information sought without any liability to the District.

2. SCOPE OF SERVICES AND SPECIAL PROVISIONS

2.1. PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND

The Alameda County Water District (District) invites qualified firms to submit proposals to provide Operations Technology (OT) support services for the District’s hardware and software applications as outlined below in section 2.4, “Scope of Services.” The District is continuously upgrading its infrastructure to both improve its security profile and continue maintaining its technology. There will be ongoing infrastructure maintenance and upgrades in which the District seeks support from qualified firms through this solicitation. All hardware and software licenses for upgrades will be procured and installed by the District. The support services requested in this solicitation does not include SCADA and PLC programming services.

The District owns and operates a variety of facilities to supply, produce, treat, and distribute water to its customers throughout the cities of Fremont, Newark, and Union City (the District’s service area). These facilities include raw water diversion, groundwater recharge, water wells, water treatment and production plants, SFPUC take-off facilities, water storage facilities, booster stations, pressure-regulating stations, and interconnection to other water utilities. These facilities operate on a 24/7 basis and depend upon the (OT) infrastructure to communicate, control, and automate for continuous operations of the facilities.

The District’s OT infrastructure comprises of a suite of hardware and software platforms, networking equipment, communication systems, and data storage that are interconnected to manage monitoring and control of the physical devices and processes within the multiple industrial control systems. The OT infrastructure is located across six facilities throughout the District’s service area. A wide area network (WAN), shared with District IT/Business functions, provides connectivity across these multiple facilities. The OT infrastructure supports critical operations and industrial process controls including Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) HMI applications, Programmable Logic

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Controllers (PLCs), databases, SQL server reporting services, and data historian for the District’s water supply, production, treatment, and distribution activities.

The OT infrastructure includes the following in general. Reference Appendix D for Technology & Infrastructure which will be furnished by the District upon execution of a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) included in Appendix C. The Proposer and any subconsultants/subcontractors that may be hired shall be required to execute the NDA.

• Servers

• Storage

• Backup Solutions

• Application Delivery Controllers

• Database

• Virtual Delivery Agent – VDA

• Networking

• Firewalls

2.2. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The District’s ultimate goal is to maintain the Operations Technology environment in a manner to maximize availability of the industrial control systems and applications. This will be accomplished through reference to the District’s Cybersecurity Plan, NIST standards, and other applicable industry best practices.

Time is of the essence. The Proposer shall ensure available resources, as necessary, to facilitate work in a timely fashion.

To meet the goals of this RFP, the Proposer’s primary objectives are to help the District:

• Execute the scope of services as defined herein.

• Understand the District’s existing technology and architecture specific to the OT system.

• Understand how the OT system integrates into the District’s core business.

• Meet the established schedule.

• Follow Cybersecurity best practices and standards.

• Mitigate unnecessary downtime of existing processes and operations.

2.3. PROPOSER’S QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

In order to be considered for award, Proposer’s personnel must possess a minimum of five (5) years’ experience providing similar services to those sought herein:

• Virtualization

• Application Delivery Controllers

• Networking

• Backups

• Firewall

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• Identity Management

• Security Compliance

• Server Administration, SQL Server, Active Directory, GPOs

2.4. SCOPE OF SERVICES

The scope of professional services described below is a draft and the activities and deliverables listed are those anticipated by the District to support our needs. It is the District’s expectation that the Consultant will use their expertise to customize each task in order to improve the District’s ability to meet service goals and objectives in the most expeditious and cost-effective manner. Based on their experience, the Consultant may identify additional elements needed to meet the stated goals.

The work, at a minimum, is anticipated to include the following tasks:

Task 1: Emergency Response to a Component or System Failure

The purpose of this task is to provide emergency support services for critical issues that disrupt District’s operations such as server failures, network outages, cybersecurity threats, or major system outages. The Consultant shall be available to provide on-call services to quickly diagnose and resolve urgent technical problems to minimize downtime, protect data, and bring systems back online in a timely manner. The Consultant shall respond to service calls immediately within 4 hours to help troubleshoot any issues within OT environment. All issues shall be resolved within 24 hours depending on the criticality of the problems.

The estimated level of effort for this task, as anticipated by the District, is 50 hours for 2-year base term.

Task 1 Deliverables:

• Submit contact information of main on-call support personnel including backup individuals for both regular business hours and after-hours including holidays and weekends.

Task 2: Maintenance Upgrades and System Improvements

The purpose of this task is to provide ongoing support for District’s OT staff in performing maintenance upgrades and incremental improvements within OT infrastructure. The Consultant shall work with District’s OT staff to properly plan and document changes prior to actual implementation.

The District has an existing change management process in place which must be followed by the Consultant team. The changes shall be tested and validated to ensure successful implementation. All testing shall be completed within a safe isolated environment which must be witnessed and verified by the District’s OT staff prior to applying them in live production environments. Consultant shall utilize existing change management form and/or recommend additional forms to improve document control process.

The estimated level of effort for this task, as anticipated by the District, is 100 hours for 2-year base term.

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Task 2 Deliverables:

• Submit Facility Change Request (FCR) to outline overall workplan and submit it to the District for every upgrade and/or system improvement. Refer to Appendix E for a copy of the FCR form.

• Submit a test plan and develop a checklist of items for verification.

• Submit final as-built drawings, network architecture diagrams, and configuration files to accurately reflect the changes.

Task 3: Periodic Regular Software Patches, and Maintenance Activities

The purpose of this task is to provide helpdesk support services remotely for Microsoft, VMware, Citrix, Fortinet, Stratus and Cisco technologies within the OT infrastructure. The Consultant shall follow the District’s established policies and procedures, manufacturer’s recommendations, industry framework and standards, and best practices to properly perform the work. The District’s upgrade components include, but are not limited to the following:

• Windows Domain Support:

o Migration of Microsoft services to new Microsoft environments o Upgrade of Window Domains o Install & Configure Microsoft SQL Server o SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) Deployment o Domain Group Policy Objects (GPO) Policy review o Distributed File System (DFS) Public Master o O365 deployment, licensing and administration

• Remote Access Configuration:

o Cloud NetScaler o Identity Management & Multi-factor authentication o Security Certificate administration and deployment

• Citrix Infrastructure:

o Build & Configure Storefront, Delivery Control Server(s) o Citrix Virtual Delivery Agent (VDA) Deployment o Citrix Policy & Redirection o Monitoring & Backup best practices o Virtual Desktops

• Networking & Firewall:

o Multi-factor authentication o Firewalls administration o Cisco Routers & Switch configuration & administration o WAN and SD-WAN design & implementation

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• Other regular routine maintenance activities that are required to keep OT infrastructure fully functional.

• Proposers are expected to understand and be able to implement best practices in the listed technologies.

The estimated level of effort for this task, as anticipated by the District, is 100 hours for the 2-year base term.

Task 3 Deliverables:

• Maintain a running log of all maintenance activities and submit the log to the District monthly.

• Update existing documentation and drawings that are affected by the upgrades.

Task 4: Cybersecurity Improvements and Enhancements

The purpose of this task is to review, plan, and implement many of the Cybersecurity recommendations and enhancement projects that are identified in the District’s Cybersecurity plan.

The District completed several Cybersecurity plans and studies which identified a set of recommendations that would further improve security posture within District’s ICS systems.

Subsequently, the District hired external consultants to perform penetration testing and assessments in which they discovered cybersecurity vulnerabilities for the OT and overall IT environments. All of these documents will be furnished after contract execution.

The estimated level of effort for this task, as anticipated by the District, is 150 hours for 2-year base term.

Task 4 Deliverables:

• Submit Facility Change Request (FCR) to outline overall workplan and submit it to the District for every upgrade and/or system improvement. Refer to Appendix E for a copy of the FCR form.

• Submit a test plan and develop a checklist of items for verification.

• Submit final as-built drawings, network architecture diagrams, and configuration files to accurately reflect the changes.

• Support implementation of security recommendations from existing Cybersecurity studies.

• Provide a list of consolidated recommendations for security improvements.

Task 5: Incident Response, Disaster Recovery, and Backup

The purpose of this task is to work alongside OT staff to provide Incident Response (IR) and Disaster Recovery (DR) support, including backing up the critical data and storing it in a separate secure location. The District is in the process of developing IR and DR plans with runbooks to help guide step-by-step processes for restoring and recovering OT environment from incidents, cyber events, system crashes, or network disruptions.

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The estimated level of effort for this task, as anticipated by the District, is 150 hours for 2-year base term.

Task 5 Deliverables

• Recommendations for OT environment based on NIST/CISA standards

• Support to remediate incidents

• Support and training with OT staff to effectively implement IR and DR plans

Task 6: OT Infrastructure Documentation Update and Development

The purpose of this task is to review, document, and update any undocumented systems or dependencies and configurations.

Task 6 Deliverables:

• Network/Application Information

• Update or develop new Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

• Update existing policies and plans

The estimated level of effort for this task, as anticipated by the District, is 50 hours for 2-year base term.

Task 7: Support for District’s Information Technology (IT) Infrastructure

The purpose of this task is to support District IT staff on an as needed basis. Areas of support are anticipated to generally overlap with those areas identified herein for OT Tasks.

The estimated level of effort for this task, as anticipated by the District, is 150 hours for 2-year base term.

Task 8: Project Management

The purpose of this task is for Consultant’s management and coordination of resources, develop and provide schedule(s) for tasks and activities, provide monthly invoicing and reporting, and associated activities if not addressed within other task deliverables.

The estimated level of effort for this task, as anticipated by the District, is 100 hours for 2-year base term.

Task 8 Deliverables:

All monthly invoices shall indicate the following:

• A summary of any labor expenditures, direct costs, and billed subconsultant charges.

• Billing statements shall be organized such that the billing categories correspond with the scope of service tasks

• A narrative describing summary of activities occurring during the invoice period

Execution Of Work

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Consultant shall be required to work in conjunction with District staff through each step of this upgrade. Majority of the tasks may be completed remotely; however, Consultant is expected to provide on-site support for incident response specifically in the areas of networking or other time sensitive system outages. Evaluation preference will be given to the firms that can offer immediate on-site support services within 4 hours to help troubleshoot any critical issues.

The District envisions typical work to be completed in accordance with the following sequence:

• District staff contacts Consultant to schedule work associated with a specific portion of the upgrade.

• Work shall typically be scheduled for 1-3 hours per day, on 1-3 days a week, until completed.

• Work typically shall be completed remotely, while simultaneously collaborating with District staff on a collaboration site such as Zoom or Teams.

• On site support will be needed for networking and any sensitive system outages.

Support Response Levels

Please describe your firm’s support response levels. The District will require a detailed description of your response levels broken down by types (i.e. project support and helpdesk support), then further broken down by degree (i.e. critical, urgent and non-urgent).

2.5. ACCOUNT MANAGER & ESCALATION MATRIX

Consultant shall assign an Account Manager to the District who is able to maintain open and timely communication with District staff at all times and who can be reached during normal business hours.

The Account Manager will be solely responsible and accountable for the quality of work. The Account Manager must be directly reachable by telephone or email.

The escalation matrix shall be used in the event the Account Manager is not available. If changes are made, a revised matrix must be submitted to the District’s Contract Administrator with the most current contact information.

2.6. DISTRICT RESPONSIBILITIES

The District shall be responsible for the following:

• Providing all online access required to perform the services listed above in Section 2.4 “Scope of Services.”

• Providing all the required information and/or documents regarding the District’s current Microsoft and Citrix environments.

• Provide a timely response to Consultant’s inquiries.

2.7. CONTRACTOR RESPONSIBILITIES

The Contractor shall be responsible for the following:

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• Providing knowledgeable and qualified staff.

• Adhering to previously agreed upon service levels

• Accurately document every change that is implemented within OT infrastructure.

3. PROPOSAL CONTENT AND SUBMITTAL

3.1. PROPOSAL CONTENT

The intent of this RFP is to encourage responses that clearly communicate the Proposer’s understanding of the requirements of this RFP and the Agreement for Services and its implementation. Submission of a proposal indicates acceptance by a firm of the conditions contained in this RFP, unless otherwise indicated in the proposal.

The proposal should set forth a comprehensive description of the approach to providing the Services required in section 2.4 “Scope of Services” and should clearly demonstrate an understanding of the District’s requirements with a detailed description of work tasks that shall include the proposed methodologies, rationale, procedures and techniques to be utilized. For each work task defined in the Scope of Work the Proposer shall include a list of deliverables anticipated in completing the task.

Provide a detailed workplan or sequence of events/schedule outlining how the District will receive support for each of the tasks identified above.

In order to facilitate the Proposer’s preparation of its proposal and the District’s review of the same;

proposals shall be limited to fifty (50) pages, not including the Letter of Introduction, table of contents, single page resumes of personnel selected for the project, certifications, work plan, and other required forms. Proposals should provide the requested information in a concise, well-organized manner and should follow the format outlined below.

• Letter of Introduction

A signed Letter of Introduction, on company letterhead, introducing the firm and summarizing the firm’s qualifications. It should clearly state the firm’s understanding of the requirements under this RFP and highlight any unique qualifications.

• Table of Contents

Include a Table of Contents displaying the organization of the proposal being submitted.

• Proposer’s Qualifications and Experience

The following information should be included in the proposal:

o Qualifications and Experience of Company

Describe the firm, its size and organization, the number and location of offices, and general operational structure, as well as its management and technical personnel. Identify services

Page | 17 the firm has provided to other public entities. Describe those aspects of the firm that pertain to the ability to provide superior service for the scope of services described under this RFP.

Evidence of certification and licenses, if applicable, must be submitted.

o Qualifications and Experience of Personnel

The individuals assigned to perform services will be an important factor considered by the Evaluation Committee. Provide the names of individuals who would be directly engaged in the performance of the scope of services. Identify the personnel and outline the team’s capacity to successfully perform the desired services. There can be no change of personnel, once a contract has been awarded, without the prior approval of the District. For each of these individuals, please submit:

The number of years of experience providing the desired services, which must be a minimum of five (5) years.

A summary of their experience providing similar services for public agency clients, professional affiliations, licensures and certifications.

Provide resumes for the proposed personnel. Resumes shall not count towards the 50 page limit.

• Approach to Scope of Services

The proposal should set forth a comprehensive description of the approach to providing the Services required in Section 2.4 “Scope of Services” and should clearly demonstrate an understanding of the District’s requirements.

Provide a detailed work plan and preliminary schedule identifying the major tasks and activities to be performed, personnel to be assigned and the estimated completion date for each task/activity should also be addressed.

Provide an example of customer redacted OT infrastructure documentation such as SOP, strategy document, change management process, etc. which Consultant has developed for various customers.

• Responses to the following are to be part of your proposal.

o What types of documentation are recommended for operations and maintenance of ICS infrastructure? The response shall also include recommendations for various network architecture diagrams and drawings.

o What are recommended best practices in regard to firewalls in DMZ and layer 3 network switches according to NIST SP 800-82 in modern ICS network architecture? The response shall be specific to firewalls, routers, and switches to reasonably segment between control network and business network.

Page | 18 o Explain the process of managing changes within ICS infrastructure. Provide examples of change management process the firm has successfully implemented which follows industry standards and best practices.

• Cost Proposal

Proposers must submit cost proposals for the complete scope of work, including the hourly rates. For each phase of the project, please submit the estimated hours and extended cost.

Also include a separate line for your hourly emergency rates. The fully loaded rates should include all possible costs, direct and indirect costs, travel, and any other expenses. Proposer may also include additional recommended services, if desired, which should be clearly identified as optional services and should be included as separate line items in the cost proposal.

The hourly rates will apply to all phases of the project and for any additional ad-hoc services outside of the existing scope of services.

o Exceptions to RFP Documents

Submittal of a proposal shall be deemed as acceptance of all the terms set forth in this RFP and the Services Agreement; unless the Proposer includes with its proposal, any and all exceptions or modifications. Such exceptions and modifications shall be set forth in the Exceptions to Solicitation Documents form located in Appendix A. The District will not consider any exceptions received after the proposal due date.

o All Required Forms

Submit all the required forms provided in this solicitation, as set forth in Appendix A “Forms,” and all required submittals set forth in this RFP.

3.2. PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL

• Submission of Proposals

In order for firms to be considered for award the following submittals are to be included with Proposer’s response. Proposals shall be submitted via the District’s E-Procurement System, Euna Procurement at https://acwd.bonfirehub.com. Proposals must be received by the Procurement and Contracts Division via the District’s E-Procurement System, Euna Procurement at https://acwd.bonfirehub.com before the date and time specified in Section 1.5. Proposals received after this time will not be considered for award.

• The District will not accept hard Copies of proposals.

• Proposal shall include a Table of Contents and Letter of Introduction

• Cost Proposal

• All required Forms, located in Appendix A.

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• Acknowledgement of Addenda, if applicable

• Evidence of Insurance

• An example of OT infostructure documentation.

4. APPENDICES A,B,C,D,E

Request For Proposals

Appendix A

Required Forms

PROPOSER QUALIFICATION FORM

This Statement is to accompany the proposal submitted in response to Request for Proposals No.

RFP 25/26-22 Technology Services to Operations Technology (OT) Infrastructure.

I certify that the following information submitted is true and correct:

The company has been engaged in performing similar services to those under this Solicitation within the United States for a minimum of five (5) years.

1. NAME OF PROPOSER: ____________________________________________

2. BUSINESS ADDRESS: ____________________________________________

3. TELEPHONE NO.: ____________________________________________

4. EMAIL: ____________________________________________

5. OFFICIAL REP. & TITLE: ____________________________________________

6. SIGNATURE: ____________________________________________

7. DATE: ____________________________________________

EXCEPTIONS TO SOLICITATION DOCUMENTS

Submittal of a proposal shall be deemed acceptance of all the requirements and terms set forth in this RFP and the sample Agreement, respectively, unless the Proposer includes with its proposal, in writing, any exceptions or modifications requested by the Proposer to this RFP or the sample Agreement. Please select one of the two options below.

I, ____________________________, an authorized representative of _______________________________, have read, understand and confirm my acceptance of all the requirements of the District’s RFP and the terms of its sample Agreement without any exceptions.

I, ____________________________, an authorized representative of _______________________________, have read the requirements of the District’s RFP and the terms of its sample Agreement and hereby stipulate the following exceptions:

REFERENCES FORM

Please provide three (3) references for contracts of similar scope and size within the past five (5) years.

These customers may be contacted by the District. Responses will be considered by the District during the proposal evaluation process.

1. Name: _________________________________________________________________

Address: _______________________________________________________________

City, State, Zip: ______________________________________________________ _____

Telephone /Email: ________________________________________________________

Contact Person and Role: __________________________________________________

Brief Description: ________________________________________________________

2. Name: _________________________________________________________________

Address: _______________________________________________________________

City, State, Zip: ______________________________________________________ _____

Telephone /Email: ________________________________________________________

Contact Person and Role: __________________________________________________

Brief Description: ________________________________________________________

3. Name: _________________________________________________________________

Address: _______________________________________________________________

City, State, Zip: ______________________________________________________ _____

Telephone /Email: ________________________________________________________

Contact Person and Role: __________________________________________________

Brief Description: ________________________________________________________

Appendix B

Sample Agreement

AGREEMENT FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

THIS AGREEMENT is made by and between the ALAMEDA COUNTY WATER DISTRICT (“DISTRICT”) located at 43885 South Grimmer Boulevard, Fremont, CA 94538 and XXXXX (“CONSULTANT”), located at ADDRESS, CITY, STATE ZIP CODE (“PARTIES”).

WHEREAS, the DISTRICT desires to obtain services (Services) and issued a Request for Proposals XX/XX-XX [TITLE], dated XXXXX, a copy of which is attached and incorporated as Attachment 1.

WHEREAS, the CONSULTANT is ready, willing and able to furnish such services and has submitted a proposal dated, XXXXXX, a copy of which is attached and incorporated as Attachment 2.

NOW, THEREFORE, THE PARTIES AGREE AS FOLLOWS:

1. RENDITION OF SERVICES

The CONSULTANT agrees to provide services to the DISTRICT in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement. CONSULTANT represents that it will exercise the same degree of professional care, skill, efficiency, and judgment ordinarily used by consultants providing similar professional services. CONSULTANT at all times will comply with all federal, state, and local laws, regulations and policies applicable to the services performed pursuant to this Agreement.

2. SCOPE OF SERVICES

The scope of the CONTRACTOR’s services is set forth in Attachment 1, as supplemented by Attachment 2. However, to the extent that Attachment 2 is inconsistent with Attachment 1, Attachment 1 will govern over Attachment 2.

3. TERM OF AGREEMENT

This Agreement will commence upon a written notice to proceed and conclude upon completion of work followed by final invoice submittal.

It is further understood that the Agreement is subject to the DISTRICT's right to terminate in accordance with Section 17 of this Agreement.

4. OWNERSHIP OF WORK

All reports, designs, drawings, plans, specifications, and other materials prepared, or in the process of being prepared, by CONSULTANT, its employees, subcontractors, or agents under this Agreement (“Work Product”) shall be and are the property of the DISTRICT.

The DISTRICT shall be entitled to access and to copy the Work Product during the progress of the work. If requested by DISTRICT, CONSULTANT shall deliver one copy of the Work Product remaining in the hands of the CONSULTANT, or in the hands of any subcontractor, upon completion or termination of the work.

CONSULTANT assigns to DISTRICT all right, title, and interest in and to the Work Product, including ownership of copyright in the Work Product. The DISTRICT may utilize any material prepared or work performed by CONSULTANT pursuant to this Agreement, including computer software, in any manner which the DISTRICT deems proper without additional compensation to CONSULTANT. CONSULTANT shall have no responsibility or liability for any revisions, changes, or corrections to the Work Product made by the DISTRICT, nor for any use or reuse of the Work Product for any purpose other than the Work unless CONSULTANT accepts such responsibility in writing. The CONSULTANT shall not disclose Work related data or information without the prior written consent of the DISTRICT.

5. USE OF SUBCONTRACTORS

CONSULTANT shall not subcontract any Services to be performed under this Agreement without the prior written approval of the DISTRICT. CONSULTANT may subcontract with service firms engaged in drawing, reproduction, typing and printing without the prior written consent of the DISTRICT.

CONSULTANT shall be solely responsible for reimbursing any subcontractor and the DISTRICT shall have no obligation to them.

6. CHANGES

The DISTRICT may, at any time,…