City of Tampa

REQUEST FOR QUOTES (RFQ) FOR

After Hours Answering Service

26-P-00594

Water Distribution

Gloria Tolbert gloria.tolbert@tampagov.net

Table Of Contents

1. Instructions to Bidders

2. General Conditions

3. Technical Specifications

4. Price Proposal

5. Vendor Questionnaire

Attachments:

A - Technical Specifications Sept 2026

1. Instructions to Bidders

1.1. Instructions to Bidders

City of Tampa quote solicitations are issued electronically via OpenGov solicitation distribution system. Obtaining quote solicitations through OpenGov will ensure that vendors will have the following capabilities: receipt of quote solicitations electronically via e-mail and view plans and blueprints online electronically. Vendors who obtain specifications and plans from sources other than OpenGov are cautioned that the quote packages may be incomplete.

The City is not responsible for errors and omissions occurring in the transmission or downloading of any quote documents, plans, or specifications from this website. In the event of any discrepancy between information on this website and the hard copy quote documents, the terms and conditions of the hardcopy document will prevail. OpenGov has no affiliation with the City of Tampa other than as a service that facilitates communication between the City and its vendors. OpenGov is an independent entity and is not an agent or representative of the City. Communications to OpenGov does not constitute communications to the City.

Contact OpenGov at https://opengov.my.site.com/support/s/ for more information.

Quotes shall be accepted no later than the time and date specified on the quote transmission. All quotes shall be submitted electronically through OpenGov. Offers by telegram, telephone, mail, e-mail, or fax are not acceptable, unless authorized by the City of

Tampa Purchasing Department prior to the closing time and date. No quote may be withdrawn or modified after the time fixed for the opening of quotes. Quote tabulations (results) will not be disclosed over the telephone.

The Bidder shall comply with the applicable requirements of Federal and state laws, all Codes and Ordinances of the City of Tampa as amended from time to time, and any applicable professional regulations.

The bidder is expected to carefully examine the entire quote solicitation and all of its attachments, including but not limited to all provisions, terms, and conditions. Failure to do so will be at the bidder’s risk.

Quote solicitations contain a General Conditions section and a Technical Specification section. The attached General Conditions contain general requirements and the Technical Specifications, viewable through OpenGov, details the scope of the goods and/or services requested. The Technical Specifications shall always govern whenever there appears to be a conflict.

Project Contact: Gloria Tolbert, gloria.tolbert@tampagov.net.

2. General Conditions

2.1. Authorization

Official award will be made by City of Tampa Purchase Order only. Purchases under $2,000 may also be placed by City of Tampa

Purchasing Card (Visa).

2.2. Quantities

Quantities listed are an estimate only. The City shall not be required to purchase any minimum or maximum quantities during any award resulting from this quote. The City reserves the rights to increase or decrease quantities shown without penalty.

2.3. Shipping/Delivery

All items shall be shipped Freight On Board (FOB) Destination. All shipping, handling, and freight charges shall be included in the quote. Materials ordered shall be delivered to the location specified and within the days After Receipt of Order (ARO) as stated in the

Technical Specifications.

2.4. Addition/Deletion

The City of Tampa reserves the right to add to or delete any item from this bid or resulting award when deemed to be in the best interest of the City of Tampa.

2.5. Rejection

The City reserves the right to cancel, reject any and/or all quotes, or to waive irregularities and accept that quote which is the lowest and best.

2.6. Non-Availability of Funds

https://opengov.my.site.com/support/s/

In the event that funds are insufficient or unavailable for this quote or the resulting intent to award, the City reserves the right to cancel the quote or resulting intent to award without penalty.

2.7. Substitutions / Alternate Quotes

Unless otherwise specified in the Technical Specifications, quotes for alternate products which the bidder believes to be of equal quality will be considered. The offer of an alternate product for any item shall be construed as a refusal to quote on the product specified.

Bidders offering an alternate product shall submit the precise specifications of the alternate and all of the differences, if any, between the specified product and the alternate product. The determination as to whether any alternate product quoted is or is not equal to the product specified shall be made by the City, and such determination shall be final and binding for all bidders.

2.8. Prices

Quote prices shall be good for a minimum of sixty (60) days unless otherwise specified in the Technical Specifications.

2.9. Basis of Award

The City reserves the right to award this quote by division, line item, or aggregate total. To be considered lowest responsive, responsible bidder by aggregate, the bidder must quote on all items within the quote solicitation. If award by aggregate total is not feasible, division or line item will prevail.

2.10. Insurance

All vendors performing work on City property, regardless of the dollar amount, are required to submit proof of insurance prior to award. The City’s current insurance requirements can be found on the Purchasing Department website at http://www.tampa.gov/purchasing/info

2.11. Subcontracting Submittals

No Awardee shall assign the award/contract or any rights or obligations thereunder without the written consent of the City. The

Awardee shall be required to perform with its own forces at least fifty-one (51) percent of the work, unless written consent to subcontract a greater percentage of the work first obtained by the City. In the event of such approved subcontracting, the Awardee agrees to provide the City with written documentation relative to the Subcontractor(s) solicited, or that will be employed in this award, including but not limited to submittal of attached the following Schedule of Sub-Contracting Forms:

• Schedule of All Sub-Contractors/Consultants/Suppliers Solicited - DMI 10

• Schedule of Sub-Contractors/Consultants/Suppliers to be Utilized - DMI 20 Further information and copies of all forms can be found at http://www.tampa.gov/msbd

Subcontractor shall be defined as: a business enterprise, firm, partnership, corporation, consultant, or combination thereof having a direct contract with a prime contractor for any portion of the advertised work that is awarded by the owner/owner's representative.

Supplier shall be defined as: a business enterprise that either directly contracts with a prime contractor/consultant or directly contracts with a subcontractor under such a prime contractor/consultant to provide materials, supplies, or equipment in connection with a contract awarded by the owner/owner’s representative. A supplier may be a regular dealer, distributor, or manufacturer.

2.12. Invoicing

The awardee shall furnish the City complete itemized invoices for the goods received. Invoices are to reflect the prices stipulated on the purchase order and as outlined in the quote solicitation. Invoices shall contain, but not be limited to the following information:

• Invoice number;

• Company name;

• Purchase Order number;

• Location and dates of delivery;

• Cost of items as stated on the quote response and extended price to reflect total cost for number of items received.

http://www.tampa.gov/purchasing/info http://www.tampa.gov/msbd

If subcontractors will be utilized during this award, the awardee agrees to provide the City with written documentation relative to the subcontractor(s) payments, including but not limited to submittal ofSchedule of Sub-Contractors/Consultants/Suppliers Payments

,Waiver and Release of Lien upon Progress Payment , and/orAffidavit of Contractor in Connection with Final Payment . Further information and copies of all forms can be found at www.tampa.gov/msbd

2.13. Payment

Full payment will be made by the City after receipt and acceptance of materials/services, correct invoices, subcontractor(s) payments forms, and normal processing time – approximately 30 days in total. The City does not pay service charges on late payments; however the City is subject to the Florida Prompt Payment Act. (see Section 218.70-218.79, Florida Statutes.) An incorrect invoice may delay payment for services/materials provided.

2.14. Tampa Port Access

All personnel assigned to provide this service or required to deliver goods to the Port of Tampa, if applicable in this award, shall obtain a Port Access Badge. To obtain this port pass will require each employee to have a valid photo ID and will require background check including fingerprinting. It is the responsibility of the Awardee to obtain badges before work begins or prior to delivery. The cost shall be incurred by the Awardee. Documentation, pricing and other information related to the access requirements for the Port of Tampa can be found at: https://www.porttb.com/port-security/

2.15. Employee Verification

Awardee must utilize the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s E-Verify Systems to verify the employment eligibility of all persons employed during the term of the award to perform employment duties within the State of Florida and all persons, including subcontractors, assigned by Awardee to perform work pursuant to the award.

2.16. Florida Public Records Law

In accordance with Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes, and, except as may be provided by Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes and other applicable State and Federal Laws, all Bidders should be aware that the Bid and the responses thereto are in the public domain and are available for public inspection and copying. If the Bidder is asserting that certain information in its Bid is confidential and/or proprietary and/or exempt from public disclosure, then the Bidder is required to do the following: (1) identify, with specificity, the information which the Bidder asserts is confidential and/or proprietary and/or exempt from public disclosure, (2) place such information

(including any applicable electronic media on which such information is contained) in a sealed envelope that is separate from the

Bidder's other Bid documents, (3) clearly label the envelope that contains the confidential, proprietary and/or exempt information as follows: "EXEMPT FROM PUBLIC DISCLOSURE" with Bidder's name and the Bid number marked on the outside, and (4) specifically cite the applicable Florida Statute(s) that exempts such information from public disclosure such citation must be placed on the sealed envelope and also on a separate document contained within the sealed envelope along with any relevant explanations. The envelope that contains the Bidder's confidential/proprietary/exempt information must be submitted with the Bidder's other Bid documents. Bidder is advised that failure to follow the aforementioned instructions may result in Bidder's alleged confidential/proprietary/exempt information being disclosed to the public. All submittals received in response to this Bid will become the property of the City of Tampa and will not be returned. In the event of an award, all documentation produced as part of the contract will become the exclusive property of the City.*

Be aware that the designation of an item as exempt from public disclosure by a Bidder may be challenged in court by any person or entity. By designation of material in your Bid submittal as exempt from public disclosure, Bidder agrees to defend the City of Tampa

(and its employees, agents and elected and appointed officials) against all claims and actions (whether or not a lawsuit is commenced) related to Bidder’s designation of material as exempt from public disclosure and to hold harmless the City of Tampa (and its employees, agents and elected and appointed officials) for any award to a plaintiff for damages, costs and attorneys’ fees, and for costs and attorneys’ fees incurred by the City by reason of any claim or action related to your designation of material as exempt from public disclosure.

*Note: The City will not accept Bid submittals when the entire submittal is labeled as exempt from public disclosure.

Bidder’s References and Cost or Price information will be deemed a public record, and if a claim of confidentiality/proprietary information is made, the City may deem the Bid submittal as “non-responsive”.

http://www.tampa.gov/msbd https://www.porttb.com/port-security/ https://www.porttb.com/security

In accordance with section 119.071(1)(b)2, Florida Statutes, sealed bids, proposals, or replies received by the City of Tampa pursuant to a competitive solicitation are exempt from section 119.07(1), Florida Statutes and section 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution until such time as the City of Tampa provides notice of an intended decision or until 30 days after opening the bids, proposals, or final replies, whichever is earlier.

In accordance with section 119.071(1)(b)3, Florida Statutes, if the City of Tampa rejects all bids, proposals, or replies submitted in response to a competitive solicitation and the City of Tampa concurrently provides notice of its intent to reissue the competitive solicitation, the rejected bids, proposals, or replies remain exempt from section 119.07(1), Florida Statutes and section 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution until such time as the City of Tampa provides notice of an intended decision concerning the reissued competitive solicitation or until the City of Tampa withdraws the reissued competitive solicitation. A bid, proposal, or reply is not exempt for longer than 12 months after the initial City of Tampa notice rejecting all bids, proposals, or replies.

The City of Tampa is a public agency subject to Chapter 119, Florida Statutes. In accordance with Florida Statutes, 119.0701, Awardee agrees to comply with Florida’s Public Records Law, including the following:

i. Awardee shall keep and maintain public records required by the City to perform the services;

ii. Upon request from the City, Awardee shall provide the City with copies of the requested records, having redacted records in total or in part that are exempt from disclosure by law or allow the records to be inspected or copied within a reasonable time (with provision of a copy of such records to the City) on the same terms and conditions that the City would provide the records and at a cost that does not exceed that provided in Chapter 119, Florida Statutes, or as otherwise provided by law;

iii. Ensure that public records, in part or in total that are exempt or that are confidential and exempt from public record requirements are not disclosed except as authorized by law for the duration of the contract term and following completion (or early termination) of the contract if the Contractor does not transfer the records to the City;

iv. Upon completion (or earlier termination) of the award, Awardee shall within 30 days after such event either transfer to the City, at no cost, all public records in possession of the Awardee or keep and maintain the public records in compliance with Chapter 119, Florida Statutes. If Awardee transfers all public records to the City upon completion (or earlier termination) of the award, Awardee shall destroy any duplicate records that are exempt or confidential and exempt from public records disclosure requirements. If Awardee keeps and maintains public records upon completion

(or earlier termination) of the award, Awardee shall meet all applicable requirements for retaining public records. All records stored electronically must be provided to the City in a format that is compatible with the information technology systems of the agency.

v. The failure of Awardee to comply with Chapter 119, Florida Statutes, and/ or the provisions set forth above shall be grounds for immediate unilateral termination of the contract by the City; the City shall also have the option to withhold compensation due Awardee until records are received as provided herein.

IF THE AWARDEE HAS QUESTIONS REGARDING THE APPLICATION OF CHAPTER 119, FLORIDA STATUTES TO THE

AWARDEE’S DUTY TO PROVIDE PUBLIC RECORDS RELATING TO THIS AWARD, CONTACT THE CUSTODIAN OF PUBLIC

RECORDS AT 813/274-8351,

https://cityoftampa.govqa.us/WEBAPP/_rs/(S(vibddvcchtrkqdyvbitqictk))/SupportHome.aspx OR MAILING ADDRESS

OF PURCHASING DEPARTMENT, CITY CENTER AT HANNA, 2ND FLOOR, 2555 E HANNA AVENUE, TAMPA, FL 33610.

2.17. City of Tampa Ethics Code

The Bidder shall comply with all applicable governmental and city rules and regulations including the City's Ethics Code which is available on the City's website. (City of Tampa Code, Chapter 2, Article VIII. - Section 2-522). Moreover, each Bidder responding to this

Invitation to Bid or Request for Proposal acknowledges and understands that the City's Charter and Ethics Code prohibit any City employee from receiving any substantial benefit or profit out of any contract or obligation entered into with the City, or from having any direct or indirect financial interest in effecting any such contract or obligation. The Awardee shall ensure that no City employee receives any such benefit or interest as a result of the award of this Invitation to Bid or Request for Proposal. (City of Tampa Code, Chapter 2, Article VIII Section 2-514(d)).

Please note that the City's Ethics Code may be accessed on the Internet by utilizing the website link http://www.tampa.gov/human-resources/info/lobbyist-information or can be found in the City of Tampa’s municipal codes published online by the Municipal Code https://cityoftampa.govqa.us/WEBAPP/_rs/(S(vibddvcchtrkqdyvbitqictk))/SupportHome.aspx http://www.tampa.gov/human-resources/info/lobbyist-information http://www.tampa.gov/human-resources/info/lobbyist-information

Corporation at the website link https://www.municode.com/library/fl/tampa/codes/code_of_ordinances. Printed copies of the Ethics

Code can also be obtained from the City Clerk's Office for a fee of $0.15 cents a page.

2.18. Indemnification

Contractor/Successful Proposer/Awardee/Firm (collectively the “Firm”) releases and agrees to defend, indemnify and hold harmless the

City, its officers, elected and appointed officials, employees, and/or agents (collectively, “City Indemnified Parties”) from and against any and all losses, liabilities, damages, penalties, settlements, judgments, charges, or costs (including without limitation attorneys’ fees, professional fees, or other expenses) of every kind and character arising out of any and all claims, liens, demands, obligations, actions, proceedings or causes of action of every kind and character, caused by or resulting from, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, any act, negligence, recklessness, wrongful misconduct, omission or other conduct of Firm or any tier of subcontractor/subconsultant/ supplier, agent, employee, or anyone for whom Firm may be liable, in connection with, arising directly or indirectly out of the execution or performance of the obligations assumed under or incidental to the document to which this section/article/exhibit is incorporated (singularly or collectively “Claims”), unless such injuries or damages are the result of the sole negligence or willful acts or omissions of the City Indemnified Parties.

Without limiting the foregoing, any and all such Claims, including but not limited to personal injury, disease, sickness, death, damage to property, natural resources, or the environment (including destruction or loss of use, costs of hazardous or toxic substance cleanup and disposal), defects in materials or workmanship, actual or alleged infringement of any patent, trademark, copyright (or application for any thereof) or of any other tangible or intangible personal or property right, or any actual or alleged violation of common law, any applicable law, statute, ordinance, administrative order, rule, or regulation or decree of any court, shall be included in the indemnity hereunder and, to the extent required, the defined term “Claims”. Firm further agrees to investigate, handle, respond to, provide defense (including without limitation attorney fees, paralegal fees, and expert fees to and through appellate, supplemental, or bankruptcy proceedings) for and defend such Claims at its sole cost and expense through counsel approved in advance and in writing by the City and agrees to bear all other costs and expenses related thereto, even if the Claims are groundless, false, or fraudulent. Firm shall advance or promptly reimburse to the City any and all costs and expenses incurred by a City Indemnified Party in connection with investigating, preparing to defend, settling, or defending any legal proceeding for which the City Indemnified Party is entitled to indemnification hereunder. Firm agrees and recognizes that the City Indemnified Parties shall not be held liable or responsible for

Claims which may result from any actions or omissions of Firm in which the City Indemnified Parties participated either through providing data, advice, review, and/or concurrence of Firm’s actions. In reviewing, approving, or rejecting any submissions by Firm or other acts of Firm, the City Indemnified Parties in no way assume or share any responsibility or liability of Firm or any tier of subcontractor/subconsultant/supplier, under the document (hereinafter the “Agreement) to which this section/article/exhibit

(hereinafter “Article”) is incorporated.

This obligation is absolute and unconditional and shall in no way be limited by the amount or type of Firm’s insurance coverage, conditioned on any attempt by a City Indemnified Party to collect from an insurer, or subject to any set-off, defense, deduction, or counterclaim that the Contractor might have against the City Indemnified Party. The duty to defend hereunder is independent and separate from the duty to indemnify which shall exist regardless of any ultimate liability of Firm or any City Indemnified Party, and shall arise immediately upon presentation of a Claim and written notice of same being provided to Firm. Firm's defense and indemnity obligations hereunder will survive the Agreement’s expiration or earlier termination. In the event the law is construed to require a specific consideration for this indemnification, the parties agree that the sum of $10.00, receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, is the specific consideration for same and the providing of such indemnification is deemed to be part of the specifications with respect to the services provided by Firm.

Specifically, where the Agreement is a professional services contract with a design professional as defined in Section 725.08, Florida

Statutes, this Article shall be limited to Section

725.08. Further, where the Agreement is a construction contract for a public agency or in connection with a public agency’s project per

Section 725.06, Florida Statutes, this Article shall be limited to said Section 725.06. Moreover, whenever there appears in the

Agreement an indemnification within the purview of Section 725.06, Florida Statutes, the monetary limitation on the extent of the indemnification provided shall be $1 Million Dollars or a sum equal to the total contract price, service cost, or project value whichever is greater.

NOTWITHSTANDING ANYTHING IN THE FOREGOING TO THE CONTRARY, the parties agree that to the extent this Article is found to be in conflict with any provisions of Florida law, it shall be deemed automatically modified in such a manner as to be in full and complete compliance with all such laws, including containing such limiting conditions or limitations of liability and/or not containing any unenforceable or prohibited term or terms, such that this indemnification shall be enforceable in accordance with and to the maximum extent permitted by Florida law.

2.19. Non-Discrimination in Contracting and Employment

https://www.municode.com/library/fl/tampa/codes/code_of_ordinances

The following provisions are hereby incorporated into any contract executed by or on behalf of the City of Tampa. The Awardee shall comply with the following Statement of Assurance:

During the performance of this Award, the Awardee herein assures the City, that said Awardee is in compliance with Title VII of the

1964 Civil Rights Act, as amended, the Florida Civil Rights Act of 1992, and the City of Tampa Code of Ordinances, Chapter 12, in that the Awardee does not on the grounds of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, familial status, or marital status, discriminate in any form or manner against said Awardee’s employees or applicants for employment.

Awardee understands and agrees that this award is conditioned upon the veracity of this Statement of Assurance, and that violation of this condition shall be considered a material breach of this award. Furthermore, the Awardee herein assures the City that said Awardee will comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 when federal grant(s) is/are involved. This Statement of Assurance shall be interpreted to include Vietnam-Era Veterans and Disabled Veterans within its protective range of applicability.

Awardee further acknowledges and agrees to provide the City with all information and documentation that may be requested by the

City from time to time regarding the solicitation, selection, treatment and payment of subcontractors, suppliers and vendors in connection with this award. Awardee further acknowledges that it must comply with City of Tampa Code of Ordinances, Chapter 26.5, as enacted by Ordinance No. 2008-89.

Per City of Tampa Code of Ordinances, Section 2-284, Bidder(s) are requested to provide information as to whether Bidder(s) has criminal history screenings similar in nature to the practices contained in Chapter 12, Article VI, City of Tampa Code of Ordinances. The

City of Tampa’s municipal codes are published online by the Municipal Code Corporation at the website link https://www.municode.com/library/fl/tampa/codes/code_of_ordinances.

2.20. Equal Opportunity

The City of Tampa hereby notifies all Bidders that all eligible businesses, including Small Local Business Enterprises (SLBEs), will be afforded a full opportunity to participate in any Award made by the City of Tampa pursuant to this present proposal matter and will not be subjected to discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, familial status, or marital status. The City of Tampa prohibits any person involved in City of Tampa contracting and procurement activities, to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, familial status, or marital status.

3. Technical Specifications

3.1. SCOPE OF SERVICES

The City of Tampa (City) intends to contract with a company to provide Professional Answering Services (Services) currently needed by the Mobility & Water Departments. The service is needed to answer calls to the City after normal business hours Monday through

Friday, all day Saturday and Sunday, all day on Holidays, and during Emergencies. The calls received require immediate action to provide for the safety and well-being of the public. The required Services to be performed are answering, assigning, dispatching, reporting and recording /documenting all calls in accordance with City procedures and protocols. Services shall be conducted in the

United States, preferably in the Tampa Bay Area.

i. The City’s Mobility & Water Department receives approximately 2,000 inbound/outbound calls per month.

3.2. SERVICE REQUIREMENTS

3.2.1 Awardee shall provide personnel to answer multiple calls for the Departments during the designated hours of service needed by the City. Answering machines will not be accepted.

3.2.2 Answering machines will not be accepted. It is further noted that the Awardee should be ready at any time to provide continuous service on a 24-hour, 365 day per year, basis during the award period if deemed necessary by the City, including state of emergencies, planned and unplanned events. Awardee shall be notified immediately, by phone and in writing, if any of these circumstances occur.

https://www.municode.com/library/fl/tampa/codes/code_of_ordinances

3.2.3 When providing answering service for multiple telephone lines, the Awardee's

Agents must be able to determine from which telephone line an incoming call was transferred (i.e., the telephone number to which the call was initially placed).

3.2.4 The City will notify the Awardee of the dates and times telephone answering service shall be in effect.

3.2.5 Awardee shall be required to change the call out list of the City's employees upon request. This change may occur weekly or more often as conditions require.

3.2.6 Awardee will be required to become familiar with the Mobility and Water Department’s operations, activities and procedures (i.e., traffic signal maintenance and repair, street maintenance, stormwater management, drawbridge openings, etc.) in order to be able to make a determination as to who to contact regarding specific situations/problems. To avoid any confusion or misunderstanding, and to ensure that all requests receive immediate attention, the Awardee will be given detailed instructions on proper emergency and non-emergency notification procedures.

3.2.7 Upon receiving a call, the Operator shall obtain as much information as possible from the caller relative to the situation. After being advised of the situation, the Operator shall immediately contact the designated contact at the City to determine the appropriate action which may include dispatching to qualified personnel to address the situation. The appropriate personnel to whom calls/emails will be directed will be dictated by the nature of the requests and information received from the callers. The City will provide the

Awardee with a list of the names, telephone numbers and emails of personnel, including their respective areas of responsibility, who are available on a 24-hour, 7 day a week basis, and who may be contacted concerning response on-call service. While being concise, the Operator shall accurately describe the situation encountered and/or the nature of the action/service requested by the caller. The

City will update this list on an as-needed basis to ensure the Awardee has the most updated information.

3.2.8 In the event the responsible individual cannot be immediately reached or is unable to respond, messages may be left on voicemail/answering machines/services; however, the Operator shall continue to contact other individuals until an available person is reached. Individuals shall be contacted in the order that they appear on the list. As the Operator goes down the list, the Operator will note the time each call is made and whether the response was "no answer", "line busy", “voicemail box full”, "individual not at home", "individual responding", "individual did not want to respond", or "individual returning call". Calls shall be followed by an Email in order to have a documentation trail.

3.2.9 It is imperative that all calls be handled immediately. Awardee shall have professional, adequate, efficient, and courteous

Operators to effectively accommodate all calls and provide the required service. Incoming calls shall not be placed on hold for an excessive period of time (over one minute) on a continual basis. Repeated failure on the part of the Awardee to comply with these requirements may result in termination of the contract.

3.2.10 The answering service shall not exceed 15 minutes in any situation (from call input to dispatching the call. All calls that exceed 15 minutes shall be documented and an email shall be sent to City Representative explaining the reason of the call, the outcome and why the delay. During the term of the award, the Tampa Police Department or Tampa Fire Rescue may call for services to be performed by the Mobility & Water Department. These calls shall be handled as a priority.

3.2.11 Awardee shall provide bilingual interpretation in English and Spanish. All other languages are preferred, but optional.

By Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) also known as relay service or IP-relay

(English and Spanish)

3.2.12 Services must be performed 365 days per year, including holidays and weekends.

• Weekdays 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m.

• Weekends beginning Friday at 4:30 p.m. to Monday at 7:30 a.m.

• Holidays 24 hours per day

• Emergency as required

Note: Hours are subject to change based on the needs of the City.

3.2.13 The City’s Holidays can be obtained by going to: https://www.tampagov/info/city-holidays

It is the Awardee’s responsibility to obtain the City’s holiday schedule at the beginning of each calendar year.

3.2.14 Emergency Services. Emergency services shall be as required by the City: and the City shall notify the vendor within 24 hours of such occurrence.

3.2.15 Telephone Numbers. The following numbers must be utilized.

They are: City of Tampa TSS Department telephone number: 813-274-3101

City of Tampa Water Department: 813-274-8811

3.2.16 Any changes in telephone numbers or the addition of other telephone lines will be preceded by written notice to the Awardee at least one week prior to the effective date of the change or addition.

3.2.17 Awardee shall be responsible for ensuring that daily scripts are up-to-date and accurate on a daily basis.

3.2.18 Vendor shall provide a dedicated Representative to the City during this contract period at no additional cost to the City. The dedicated representative shall be able to handle any concerns, questions, etc. from customers. Awardee’s contact information shall be provided to the City upon award. Awardee’s Representative shall be present for all meetings, oversee daily operations and escalate issues as deemed necessary, to City Representatives, and communicate any outages based on customer complaints immediately to the

City Representative.

3.2.19 All communication between the City and Awardee shall be documented at all times. Depending on the urgency of the request, a phone call is permitted but shall be followed by an email at all times.

3.2.20 Awardee shall have the capability of text messaging of messaging via Microsoft Teams at any time during this contract.

3.3. Awardee Responsibilities

The Awardee shall be responsible for providing the following:

3.3.1 Completed Calls consist of the following:

• Incoming calls will consist of customer calls for reporting the need for emergency services or situations.

• Outgoing calls will consist of the Operator calling the City’s Designated Contact(s) and calling the Customer on request of the City’s Designated Contact.

• Confirm incoming calls are for City of Tampa Service Area.

• Email and/or text of the Customer call to the City’s Designated Contract afterwards.

3.3.2 Incoming Calls. The following information is required of each call: • Verification the call is for the City of Tampa service area.

• Date and Time of incoming call.

• Person taking the call.

• Full Name of Caller.

• Address.

• Telephone Number.

• Reason for Call.

• Type of Service needed.

• Action Taken.

3.3.3 Outbound Calls. The following information is required

• Date and Time of the outbound call.

• Person dispatching the call.

• Name of City’s Designated Contact On-Duty.

• Name of City’s Designated Contact call was dispatched to.

• Number of times City Designated Contact was called.

• Confirmation of verbal contact with City Designated Contact. • Electronic contact.

(Email and/or Text)

3.3.4 Call Reports. Call reports per Department must clearly reflect the following information:

• Date call taken

• Time call received

• Type of service required (Call Type)

• Time call dispatched to Technician

• Duration of call

• Customer Name

• Customer Address

• Customer telephone number

• Details of call (Action/Service requested and Location)

• Information provided to customer (Call Description)

• Name of Technician call was dispatched to

• Name(s) of any other personnel on the call-out list who were contacted but were unable to respond, and the order in which they were contacted.

• Confirmation of verbal contact with City’s Designated Contact.

• Confirmation of electronic contact with City’s Designated Contact.

The Awardee shall furnish to the City on a daily basis, a complete and comprehensive record of all calls, preferably in XML format. Call Reports for all calls received and dispatched must be sent by email daily per Department. For the Mobility Services Department no later than 8:00 AM (EST) to their specified designated contacts.

3.3.5 Monetary deductions for breach or non-compliance. It is the objective of the City to obtain full performance of services in accordance with the terms of the specifications, and at the quality standards of work set forth in this award. To this end, the City is awarding for the complete performance of each department’s service requirements as identified in the specifications, and deductions will, therefore, be made in accordance with the following stipulation:

A monetary deduction of $25.00 per day shall be assessed by the City for non-compliance of the daily reports and/or completed calls not received by the times specified above and will continue daily until such deficiencies or non-compliance is corrected to the satisfaction of the City.

In the event the Awardee, for any reason whatsoever, consistently fails to perform work to the quality required on the technical specifications of this award, the City reserves the right to make deductions in accordance with the rate above. Five deductions within a one month period may result in notice of termination proceedings and award to the next lowest, responsible bidder or be rebid.

3.3.6 Call records must remain in archive for a minimum of 60 days.

3.3.7 The Awardee shall maintain an audio recording of each call archived with the ability to easily retrieve the call and email to the appropriate City of Tampa management upon request.

3.3.8 The City Technician’s telephone number must not be given to the caller for any reason or condition.

3.3.9 Communicate effectively with City of Tampa customers and on-call Technicians for expedient and efficient delivery call information and services.

3.3.10 Awardee shall not revise the Mobility Services customized answering service protocols and response methods without prior written approval from identified City Designated Contact(s).

3.4. CITY RESPONSIBILITIES

Each City Department shall:

▪ Provide Awardee with written Departments protocol and procedures to be followed.

▪ Provide Awardee with designated telephone numbers.

▪ Provide Awardee, on a monthly basis, a list of on-call City Technicians and their shifts per Department.

▪ Notify Awardee of any (last minute) changes to the on-call list as soon as possible (in the event of illness, emergencies, etc.)

▪ Provide Awardee with a list of telephone/contact numbers to be used.

▪ Notify Awardee in event where the Departments closes due to an emergency.

3.5. METHOD OF PAYMENT

Fees shall be full compensation for all material, equipment, personnel, labor and facilities required to carry out a call transaction and email. For the purpose of payment, the following constitutes a completed call transaction:

▪ Answering/documenting the initial incoming call.

▪ Contacting/documenting appropriate City personnel based on the information obtained from the caller.

▪ Contacting/documenting each subsequent call until the first available qualified person is contacted.

▪ Answering/documenting call back from personnel responding to request.

▪ Placing a call back to customer upon request of the City.

▪ Emails in order to have a documentation trail.

Note: Payment will not be made to the Awardee for incomplete call transactions.

3.6. BIDDER QUALIFICATIONS

The Bidder must submit the following with their bid.

3.6.1 Bidder shall submit with their bid a brief history of the organization and the number of years in business.

3.6.2 Bidder shall provide a minimum of three (3) references which the Bidder is currently providing services similar to the City.

Include, Company/Individual name, contact person, email address, number of years servicing the client. The City shall have the right to contact said references for the purpose of investigating the Bidder's competency, responsibility, qualifications, and experience.

3.6.3 Bidder shall thoroughly describe its capability to perform/facilitate the services required, to include methodology and approach to servicing the City.

3.6.4 Bidder shall describe the time needed to setup the City’s accounts to begin accepting after-hour calls.

3.6.5 Bidder shall address the number of employee’s it would dedicate to this contract.

3.6.6 a detailed list of equipment the company owns to meet the requirements described herein.

3.6.7 In order to be considered for this procurement, Bidder must meet all the above qualification requirements. Bidders which do not meet all of the above qualifications will be disqualified from further consideration for award.

3.7. OPERATORS

i. How many Bilingual operators are available for this contract?

ii. How many operators will be available on staff during:

a. Normal Business Hours

b. After-Hours

c. Weekends

d. City Holidays

3.8. Invoice

3.8.1 Awardee shall bill the City upon the price proposal line items.

3.8.2 Awardee shall provide the City with billing structure outside of normal scope of work (i.e. Emergency services, planned outages, unplanned outages, etc.)

4. Price Proposal

Line Item Description Quantity Unit of

Measure

Unit Cost Total

1 Call Transaction including an Email with all Inquiry infomation

10,000 EACH

2 Emergency Services, Planned/unplanned outages Rate

(Call Transaction including an

Email with all Inquiry information)

4,000 EACH

TOTAL

5. Vendor Questionnaire

1. Authorized Representative’s Information*

Please include the following information regarding your Authorized Representative:

• Name

• Title

• Mailing Address

• Telephone Number

• Email Address

*Response required

2. Business License*

Is your business licensed (unless exempt by applicable law), permitted and certified to do business in the State of Florida?

☐ Yes

☐ No

*Response required

When equals "Yes"

2.1. License Number*

Enter your Florida Business License Number here.

*Response required

3. Public Record Declaration or Claim of Exemption*

As a Bidder, any document you submit to the City of Tampa may be public record and be open for personal inspection or copying by any person. In Florida “public records” are defined as all documents, papers, letters, maps, books, tapes, photographs, films, sound recordings, data processing software, or other material, regardless of the physical form, characteristics, or means of transmission, made, or received pursuant to law or ordinance or in connection with the transaction of official business by any agency. Section

119.011(11), F.S. A document is subject to personal inspection and copying unless it falls under one of the public records exemptions created under Florida law.

Do you claim any exemptions from the public records laws?

☐ Yes

☐ No

*Response required

When equals "Yes"

3.1. Exemption form Public Records Law and Agreement to Indemnify and Defend the City of Tampa*

Upload a redacted copy of your submittal. Include statutory citations for applicable exemptions under the law.

By claiming that parts of the bid are exempt from the public records law, and uploading a redacted copy, the Bidder agrees to protect, defend, indemnify, and hold the City of Tampa, its officers, employees, and agents free and harmless from and against any and all claims arising out of a request to inspect or copy the bid. The Bidder agrees to investigate, handle respond to, provide defense (including payment of attorney fees, court costs, and expert witness fees and expenses up to and including any appeal) for and defend any such claim at its sole cost and expense through counsel chosen by the City of Tampa and agrees to bear all other costs and expenses related thereto, even if they (claims, etc.) are groundless, false, or fraudulent.

*Response required

4. Upload a brief history of your organization/business and the number of years in business*

*Response required

5. Upload References per technical specifications.*

*Response required

6. Bidder shall thoroughly describe its capability to perform/facilitate the services required per technical specifications to include methodology and approach to servicing this contract.*

*Response required

7. Bidder shall address the time needed to setup the City's accounts to begin accepting after-hour calls.*

*Response required

8. Bidder shall list the number of employee's it would dedicate to this effort and a list of equipment the company owns to meet the requirements of the technical specifications.*

*Response required

9. How many bilingual operators are available for this contracyt?*

*Response required

10. How many operators will be available on staff during normal business hours, after-hours, weekends, City Holidays? You must answer each requirement.*

*Response required