6-RFP-02-Scope of Services.pdf

CITY OF FORT WORTH - PURCHASING DIVISION

SCOPE OF SERVICES

RFP Ref. #: 26-0221 Doc. Ref#: RFP-02 Page 1 of 10 RFP Title: ONLINE BACKFLOW TESTING MANAGEMENT SOLUTION

1.0 INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE

1.1 The City of Fort Worth (City) is seeking proposals from qualified Vendors to provide a comprehensive hosted online backflow testing management solution, implementation services, ongoing operational support, and compliance tracking.

1.2 The intention of this request for proposal (RFP) is to select a Vendor capable of providing a secure, scalable, cloud-based compliance management platform combined with long-term program administration services that improve operational efficiency, reduce manual processing, strengthen regulatory compliance, improve customer communications, and provide a sustainable framework.

1.3 The ideal solution will allow certified testers to securely submit test reports online, automate customer notifications and compliance workflows, validate tester qualifications and calibration records, provide near-real-time reporting and analytics, integrate with existing City of Fort Worth systems, support future expansion, and establish a sustainable framework for ongoing program administration.

2.0 BACKGROUND

2.1 Pursuant to Title 30 of the Texas Administrative Code (30 TAC), Chapter 290.44, “No water connection from any public drinking water supply system shall be allowed to any residence or establishment where an actual or potential contamination hazard exists unless the public water facilities are protected from contamination.” Compliance with these requirements is accomplished through the use of approved backflow prevention assemblies (BPAs) designed for varying levels of hazard protection.

2.2 The City of Fort Worth currently maintains records for approximately 50,000 backflow prevention assemblies located at approximately 15,000 facilities.

2.3 The City of Fort Worth and State of Texas regulations require BPAs to be tested annually unless otherwise modified by future regulatory action.

2.4 The City of Fort Worth anticipates future regulatory changes may require annual testing of residential irrigation backflow assemblies. It is estimated that an additional 40,000 or more residential assemblies may eventually require integration into the selected online management system.

2.5 The City of Fort Worth anticipates future regulatory changes may require annual testing of residential irrigation backflow assemblies. It is estimated that an additional 40,000 or more residential assemblies may eventually require integration into the selected online management system

2.6 The awarded Vendor shall remain current on all City of Fort Worth, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), State of Texas, and Federal rules, RFP Ref. #: 26-0221 Doc. Ref#: RFP-02 Page 2 of 10 regulations, and industry standards related to cross-connection control, backflow prevention, customer service inspections, and associated compliance programs.

3.0 DEVELOPMENT & SYSTEM CONFIGURATION

3.1 Database Development: Vendor shall develop and maintain a complete electronic database of all known backflow prevention assemblies within the City of Fort Worth. The vendor shall maintain complete assembly histories, inspection records, customer associations, tester records, and compliance histories. The system shall support ongoing updates for newly identified assemblies, facilities, and customers.

City will provide existing historical records for migration.

3.2 System Integration: The proposed solution shall support secure, bi-directional integration with existing City of Fort Worth systems, including utility billing systems, work order management systems, GIS systems, customer communication systems, and the MyH2O water management platform or any successor systems.

3.1.1 The Vendor shall provide full documentation for all available APIs and integration tools, including data schemas, authentication methods, rate limits, and example use cases. At minimum, the vendor shall describe and support the following integration capabilities:

3.1.1.1 Data synchronization

3.1.1.2 Bi-directional data exchange where applicable

3.1.1.3 Data validation and conflict resolution rules (including source-of-truth hierarchy)

3.1.1.4 Error handling and retry logic for failed transactions

3.1.1.5 Audit logging for all integrated data transactions

3.1.2 The Vendor should describe security and access controls.

3.3 Program Documents: The Vendor shall provide sample program documents including annual notifications, overdue notices, utility failure notices, compliance reminders, tester notifications, and customer correspondence templates. All customer-facing documents shall:

3.3.1 Utilize the City of Fort Worth branding and logos

3.3.2 Be approved by the City of Fort Worth prior to implementation

3.3.3 Meet applicable TCEQ and regulatory requirements

4.0 IMPLEMENTATION & OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS

4.1 Annual Notification Management: The Vendor shall notify water customers possessing backflow assemblies of annual testing requirements. Notifications shall include customer information, assembly information, and testing due dates. The vendor shall describe notification methods.

4.2 If a customer fails to comply with annual testing requirements, the vendor shall issue a notification to the City through a non-compliance tool.

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4.3 The City of Fort Worth shall retain responsibility for enforcement actions beyond the initial overdue notification unless otherwise negotiated.

4.4 Implementation Support: The Vendor shall provide weekly status reports during implementation. Reports may be provided through email, virtual meetings, conference calls, or in-person meetings as requested by the City of Fort Worth. The vendor shall provide a detailed implementation schedule describing:

4.4.1 Data migration procedures

4.4.2 Testing and validation procedures

4.4.3 Timeline milestones

4.4.4 Risk management strategies

4.4.5 Customer communication transition plans

4.5 Validation of Test Results: The vendor shall validate all submitted backflow test reports and ensure compliance with current TCEQ rules and regulations. The vendor shall identify failed assemblies, invalid submissions, incomplete reports, or questionable test results and notify the City of Fort Worth accordingly.

4.6 Validation of Tester Credentials: The vendor shall maintain tester qualification records and restrict submissions from unqualified or expired testers. The vendor shall verify that all individuals submitting backflow assembly test reports maintain current:

4.6.1 BPAT licenses and certifications

4.6.2 Insurance coverage

4.6.3 Gauge/test kit calibration records

4.6.4 Applicable State or local credentials

4.6.5 Fire Line Requirements: The vendor shall verify and maintain records for all required fire line certifications and licenses including:

4.6.6 Backflow Assembly Tester licenses

4.6.7 Sprinkler Certificate of Registration licenses for companies conducting testing

4.6.8 Any additional TCEQ-required credentials

4.7 Reporting & Analytics: The Vendor shall provide real-time, on-demand reporting capabilities allowing the City of Fort Worth personnel unrestricted access to compliance records, inspection histories, tester credentials, calibration records, customer communication histories, financial reports, and system analytics.

4.8 Reports shall be customizable by date range, assembly type, facility type, compliance status, tester, and additional criteria as requested by the City of Fort Worth.

4.9 Validation of Insurance: The Vendor shall verify that all testers maintain current

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Certificates of Liability Insurance, naming the City of Fort Worth as Certificate Holder where applicable.

4.10 Customer Service Inspection Management: The City of Fort Worth is interested in a Customer Service Inspection (CSI) management module capable of tracking inspections associated with new construction, plumbing modifications, or potential contamination hazards. The proposed CSI management module should:

4.10.1 Maintain searchable inspection histories

4.10.2 Link cross-connections to associated backflow assemblies

4.10.3 Support document scanning and retention

4.10.4 Maintain records for a minimum of ten years or current TCEQ requirements

4.10.5 Provide reporting and compliance tracking tools

5.0 DATA HANDLING, SECURITY, & OWNERSHIP REQUIREMENTS

5.1 All data associated with the City of Fort Worth’s cross-connection control program shall be securely managed within the proposed hosted environment and shall remain the exclusive property of the City.

5.2 The Vendor shall maintain administrative and operational controls that support City access to program data through secure interfaces, including:

5.2.1 Web-based dashboards

5.2.2 Secure export functionality

5.2.3 API-based access where applicable

5.3 City access to data shall be available continuously, except during scheduled maintenance windows or unplanned outages, which shall be minimized and governed by agreed service level expectations.

5.4 The Vendor shall maintain the following security controls at a minimum:

5.4.1 Encryption of data in transit and at rest using industry-standard protocols

5.4.2 Role-based access control (RBAC)

5.4.3 Multi-factor authentication

5.4.4 Comprehensive audit logging of system activity and data access

5.4.5 Regular backups and disaster recovery capabilities with defined recovery objectives

5.5 The Vendor shall comply with all applicable federal, state, and local cybersecurity requirements, including those relevant to Texas public sector data systems.

5.6 All electronic records shall be retained for a minimum of three (3) years for backflow test reports and ten (10) years for Customer Service Inspection reports, or longer if required by law or City policy. Upon contract termination or expiration, the vendor shall provide a complete export of all City data in a

RFP Ref. #: 26-0221 Doc. Ref#: RFP-02 Page 5 of 10 structured, machine-readable format as defined by the City, including all historical records, attachments, and audit logs.

5.7 The City shall retain full ownership of all data, records, and information generated or maintained in connection with the program. The vendor shall have no ownership rights or proprietary interest in City data and shall only process such data as necessary to perform contracted services.

6.0 PRICING STRUCTURE REQUIREMENTS

6.1 The City of Fort Worth seeks a transparent and scalable pricing model that aligns costs with the number of backflow prevention assemblies managed within the system. Vendors shall propose pricing that allows the City to clearly evaluate current costs, future growth, and optional program expansions.

6.2 Cost Per Completed Backflow Test Report: The vendor shall identify the estimated cost of service associated with each completed backflow test report transaction, including all platforms, administrative, notification, validation, reporting, and support services incorporated into the proposed solution.

6.3 Pricing Methodology: Vendors shall provide a detailed pricing structure based upon the number of active backflow prevention assemblies managed within the system. Pricing should be scalable and capable of supporting future program expansion. At a minimum, vendors shall provide pricing for the following assembly counts:

6.3.1 Current Program – Approximately 50,000 assemblies

6.3.2 Additional pricing tiers as proposed by the vendor

6.4 Cost Components: Vendors shall separately identify all costs associated with the proposed solution, including but not limited to:

6.4.1 Initial implementation and data migration

6.4.2 System configuration and integration services

6.4.3 Annual software licensing or subscription fees

6.4.4 Hosting and cloud infrastructure costs

6.4.5 Ongoing operational support

6.4.6 Customer notification services

6.4.7 Reporting and analytics

6.4.8 Payment processing fees, if applicable

6.4.9 Optional modules

6.4.10 Training services

6.4.11 Any other recurring or non-recurring costs

6.4.12 Cost per test report charged to customer

6.5 Financial Reporting: If the proposed solution includes fee collection or payment processing capabilities, the vendor shall provide reporting tools that support:

6.5.1 Transaction-level reporting

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6.5.2 Payment reconciliation

6.5.3 Refund and adjustment tracking

6.5.4 Historical financial reporting

6.5.5 Export capability for audit purposes

7.0 ADDITIVE ALTERNATIVES

7.1 The City of Fort Worth is interested in several “add on” features that include the

Grease Abatement Program and a Customer Service Inspection (CSI) management program. The City of Fort Worth is also interested in revenue-sharing structures associated with these features. These separate modules may or may not be awarded as part of this RFP process.

7.2 The City of Fort Worth is interested in an optional Grease Abatement Program management module. The current program includes approximately:

7.2.1 2,602 customers

7.2.2 4,010 grease traps or similar apparatuses

7.2.3 253 permitted waste hauler vehicles

7.3 The Vendor should provide capabilities for:

7.3.1 Permit management

7.3.2 Permit expiration notifications

7.3.3 Inspection scheduling

7.3.4 Compliance tracking

7.3.5 Deficiency notifications

7.3.6 Waste hauler tracking

7.3.7 Document scanning and storage

7.3.8 Revenue receipt tracking

7.3.9 Reporting and analytics

7.4 The system shall support annual, quarterly, and monthly compliance cycles depending on permit type or inspection requirements.

7.5 The Vendor shall provide methods for establishing new facilities, new apparatuses, and new waste hauler companies or vehicles.

8.0 ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

8.1 Training Requirements: The selected Vendor shall provide up to three days of annual training for City of Fort Worth personnel that includes:

8.1.1 Administrative functions

8.1.2 Compliance tracking

8.1.3 Customer communication tools

8.1.4 Data access procedures

8.1.5 Reporting and analytics

8.1.6 Financial Reporting

8.1.7 System administration

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8.2 Customer Service & Support Requirements: The vendor shall provide ongoing customer support services for The City of Fort Worth personnel, customers, and certified testers that includes:

8.2.1 Issue escalation procedures

8.2.2 Ongoing operational and technical support

8.2.3 User onboarding assistance

8.3 Use of Subcontractors: Due to the critical public health and water system protection responsibilities associated with this program, The City of Fort Worth prohibits subcontractors from independently administering the core tracking and management components of the backflow compliance program unless specifically approved in writing.

8.3.1 The vendor shall disclose all proposed subcontractors, associated services, security controls, and oversight procedures.

8.3.2 The City of Fort Worth reserves the right to approve or reject any subcontractor participation.

9.0 METHOD OF AWARD - Proposals will be evaluated based on “best value” to the City.

Proposals that receive less than 50% of the total available points, excluding price points, will not be considered for award.

10.0 EVALUATION FACTORS

To be considered, the Proposer must submit a complete Proposal by the stated deadline and in accordance with all Proposal requirements. All required documentation must be included for evaluation.

Proposals that meet these requirements will be evaluated based on the criteria listed below.

10.1 Cost – up to 35 points available

10.1.1 Documents used to evaluate this will include: Bid Table

10.2 Approach to Perform Services– up to 20 points available

10.2.1 Documents used to evaluate this will include: RFP-06 and copies of any applicable certifications and licenses, to perform services.

10.3 Qualifications and Experience– up to 10 points available

10.3.1 Documents used to evaluate this will include RFP-07 Reference Sheets

10.4 Small Business Participation up to 20 points available

10.4.1 Documents used to evaluate this will include RFP-06 Small Business Utilization Form

10.5 Ability to Meet the City’s needs– up to 15 points available

10.5.1 Documents used to evaluate this will include: RFP-04.

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11.0 PROPOSAL FORMAT AND ATTACHMENTS

To facilitate and expedite the evaluation process, Proposals should adequately address all evaluation factors and include the following list of required items that will be used as part of the evaluation. A Proposal may be deemed to be non-responsive and may be disqualified, at the City’s discretion, if the Proposal fails to comply with the following instructions.

11.1 Response forms

11.1.1 Completed and signed RFP-04-Authorized Signature and Questionnaire

11.1.2 Completed and signed RFP-05 CFW Required Forms

11.1.3 Completed and signed RFP-06 Small Business Utilization

11.1.4 Completed BT-47 DQ-Bid Table

11.1.5 Completed and signed RFP-07 Deviations

11.2 Technical Response

11.2.1 List of Exceptions/Substitutions/Clarifications/Additions

11.2.1.1 Although the Scope of Services included Project Requirements of the solicitation represents the City’s anticipated needs, there may be instances in which it is in the City’s best interest to permit exceptions to requirements and accept proposed alternatives.

11.2.1.2 If no exceptions are taken, please include a single document stating “No Exceptions taken” in the Required section.

11.2.1.3 It is extremely important for the Proposer to make clear where exceptions, clarifications substitutions and/or additions to the Scope of Services, Draft Vendor Service Agreement and General Terms and Conditions are taken and how substitutions shall be provided. The City does not recognize strikeouts, deletions, or changes to Solicitation documents. Therefore, exceptions, conditions, clarifications and/or substitutions to the provisions of the City’s requirements must be clearly identified along with the proposed addition or modification. If the Proposer does not make it clear that an addition, exception or clarification is taken, the City shall assume the Proposer is responding to and shall meet the City’s stated requirements.

11.2.1.4 Identify each exception, clarification, substitution and/or addition

RFP Ref. #: 26-0221 Doc. Ref#: RFP-02 Page 9 of 10 by specifically referencing the page number, section number, subsection number, item number or letter, and, if necessary, paragraph, or line number.

11.2.1.5 Identify each item clearly as an addition, exception, clarification or substitution. It is not necessary to include the entire text of a particular section or subsection. However, for ease of reference, Proposers may use portions of the solicitation’s text, if helpful in explanation.

11.2.1.6 For substitutions/clarifications, provide an explanation of the difference between what the solicitation requests and what is proposed. The City is open to other means of accomplishing the requested Work. Proposers must explain why they believe their method of accomplishing the Work is equal to or better than that specified by the City.

11.2.1.7 For any addition(s) proposed or exception(s) taken, provide a rationale in as much detail as possible.

11.2.1.8 Begin responses to the major sections of the solicitation on a new page.

11.2.1.9 The City shall consider the number and substance of alterations to the City’s stated requirements as a factor in determining the most advantageous response.

11.2.1.10 Pricing

Proposal pricing shall be assembled and presented in accordance with the format and instructions of this solicitation.

12.0 SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAM – The City of Fort Worth has established a 30% Small Business (SB) participation goal for this solicitation. This goal reflects the City’s determination that certified Small Business Firms are available to provide the goods and/or services required under this bid.

Accordingly, at least 30% of the total awarded contract value must be subcontracted or spent with a certified Small Business Firm. All provisions and requirements outlined in City Ordinance No. 27832-08-2025 apply to this solicitation. Bidders are required to submit the following documentation with their proposal:

a. Small Business Utilization form V1 (RFP-06), detailing how the

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Small Business goal will be achieved.

b. Current Small Business Certification issued by the North Central Texas Regional Certification Agency (NCTRCA).

Small Business Participation will be evaluated as below:

0% SB Participation = 0 points 1-10% SB Participation = 5 points 11-20% SB Participation = 10 points 21-29% SB Participation = 15 points 30% or more (goal met) = 20 points