Emergency_Plan_Portfolio_Support_Services.pdf

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL - GOODS AND SERVICES

RFP GGS-26-0364

EMERGENCY PLAN PORTFOLIO SUPPORT SERVICES

CITY OF PHOENIX

WATER SERVICES

200 W WASHINGTON ST

PHOENIX, AZ

85003

RELEASE DATE: June 24, 2026

DEADLINE FOR QUESTIONS: July 10, 2026

RESPONSE DEADLINE: July 22, 2026, 2:00 pm

City of Phoenix

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL - GOODS AND SERVICES

RFP GGS-26-0364

Emergency Plan Portfolio Support Services

1. INTRODUCTION

2. INSTRUCTIONS

3. SCOPE OF WORK

4. EVALUATION PROCESS

5. STANDARD TERMS AND CONDITIONS

6. SPECIAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

7. DEFENSE AND INDEMNIFICATION

8. INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

9. SUBMITTALS

10. PRICING PROPOSAL

Attachments:

A - Exhibit 1 - Locations

Request For Proposal - Goods and Services #RFP GGS-26-0364 Title: Emergency Plan Portfolio Support Services

1. Introduction

1.1. Contact Information

David Zamora

Water Services

Email: david.zamora@phoenix.gov

Phone: (505) 610-8667

1.2. Schedule of Events

The City reserves the right to change dates, times, and locations, as necessary. The City does not always hold a Pre-Offer Conference or Site Visit. All times in the Schedule of Events are

Local Phoenix, AZ Time.

To request a reasonable accommodation or alternative format for any public meeting, please contact the Procurement Officer (David Zamora) at (505) 610-8667/Voice or 711/TTY, or david.zamora@phoenix.gov, no later than five (5) business days prior to the meeting.

Solicitation Issue Date: June 24, 2026

Pre-Offer Conference (Non-Mandatory): July 1, 2026, 11:00am

Join from the meeting link:

https://cityofphoenix.webex.com/cityofphoen ix/j.php?MTID=mc66c698160ae490989af52

0df27e82fd

Join by meeting number:

Meeting number (access code): 2334 899

Meeting password: 8K5yXpdJTC7

Tap to join from a mobile device (attendees only): +1-415-655-0001,,23348999080##

US Toll Join by phone :+1-415-655-0001

US Toll Global call-in numbers

Join from a video system or application:

Dial

23348999080@cityofphoenix.webex.com

You can also dial 173.243.2.68 and enter your meeting number.

Written Inquiries Due Date: July 10, 2026, 10:00am

Offer Due Date: July 22, 2026, 2:00pm https://cityofphoenix.webex.com/cityofphoenix/j.php?MTID=mc66c698160ae490989af520df27e82fd https://cityofphoenix.webex.com/cityofphoenix/j.php?MTID=mc66c698160ae490989af520df27e82fd https://cityofphoenix.webex.com/cityofphoenix/j.php?MTID=mc66c698160ae490989af520df27e82fd mailto:23348999080@cityofphoenix.webex.com http://173.243.2.68/

2. Instructions

2.1. Description – Statement of Need

The City of Phoenix invites sealed offers for The City of Phoenix Water Services Department

(WSD) is soliciting proposals from qualified consultants to provide professional services supporting the review, update, standardization, organization, storage strategy, testing, exercising, and ongoing maintenance of its emergency planning portfolio. The portfolio includes, but is not limited to, the Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP), Emergency Response Plans

(ERP), Emergency Action Plans (EAP), Business Continuity Plan (BCP), associated annexes, playbooks, quick-reference guides, and any additional Water Services emergency plans or supporting documents identified during the course of the project. All plans must be reviewed and updated to ensure full compliance with applicable Local, State and Federal regulations..

The Effective Date of this Agreement will be upon final signature and recording by the City

Clerk’s department.

The Commencement Date of this Agreement will be upon November 1, 2026 or the Effective

Date, whichever is later.

The term of this Agreement will be for 5 years, beginning on the Commencement Date, with no options to extend.

This solicitation is available through the City’s Procurement Portal. For technical support issues related to the City's Procurement Portal, Offeror may use the support bubble on the bottom right, or email procurement-support@opengov.com for any assistance. For other issues related to this solicitation please contact the procurement officer listed under Contact Information.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Agreement will terminate upon the earliest occurrence: by reaching the end of the term including any extensions exercised, or termination pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement.

2.2. Preparation of Offer

All forms provided must be completed and submitted with the Offer. The signed and completed

Conflict of Interest and Transparency form must be included, or your Offer may be deemed non-responsive.

It is permissible to copy Submittal forms if necessary. Erasures, interlineations, or other modifications of the Offer must be initialed in original ink by the authorized person signing the

Offer. No offer will be altered, amended or withdrawn after the specified offer due date and time.

The City is not responsible for Offeror’s errors or omissions.

All time periods stated as a number of days will be calendar days.

It is the responsibility of all Offerors to examine the entire solicitation and seek clarification of any requirement that may not be clear and to check all responses for accuracy before submitting an offer. Negligence in preparing an offer confers no right of withdrawal after due date and time. Offerors are strongly encouraged to:

A. Consider applicable laws and/or economic conditions that may affect cost, progress, performance, or furnishing of the products or services.

mailto:procurement-support@opengov.com

B. Study and carefully correlate Offeror’s knowledge and observations with the solicitation and other related data.

C. Promptly notify the City of all conflicts, errors, ambiguities, or discrepancies that Offeror has discovered in or between the solicitation and other related documents.

D. The City does not reimburse the cost of developing, presenting or providing any response to this solicitation. Offers submitted for consideration should be prepared simply and economically, providing adequate information in a straightforward and concise manner. The Offeror is responsible for all costs incurred in responding to this solicitation. All materials and documents submitted in response to this solicitation become the property of the City and will not be returned.

E. Offerors are reminded that the specifications stated in the solicitation are the minimum level required and that offers submitted must be for products or services that meet or exceed the minimum level of all features specifically listed in this solicitation. Offers offering less than any minimum specifications or criteria specified are not responsive and should not be submitted.

F. Offer responses submitted for products considered by the seller to be acceptable alternates to the brand names or manufacturer’s catalog references specified herein must be submitted with technical literature and/or detailed product brochures for the

City’s use to evaluate the products offered. Offers submitted without this product information may be considered as non-responsive and rejected. The City will be the sole judge as to the acceptability of alternate products offered.

G. Prices will be submitted on a per unit basis by line item, when applicable. In the event of a disparity between the unit price and extended price, the unit price will prevail unless obviously in error.

H. Offeror shall limit its narrative response to no more than thirty (30) pages, excluding cover letter, reference questionnaire and the fee schedule.

2.3. Fixed Offer Price Period

All offers shall be firm and fixed for a period of 180 calendar days from the solicitation opening date.

2.4. Obtaining a Copy of the Solicitation and Addenda

Interested Offerors may download the complete solicitation and addenda from the City's

Procurement Portal: https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/phoenix/projects/271697/. Any interested Offerors without internet access may obtain this solicitation by calling the

Procurement Officer or picking up a copy during regular business hours at the City of Phoenix, Water Services Department, 200 W. Washington St. 9th floor Phoenix, AZ 85003. It is the

Offeror’s responsibility to check the City's Procurement Portal, read the entire solicitation, and verify all required information is submitted with their Offer.

https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/phoenix/projects/271697 https://solicitations.phoenix.gov/

2.5. Exceptions

Offeror must not take any exceptions to any terms, conditions or material requirements of this solicitation. Offers submitted with exceptions may be deemed non-responsive and disqualified from further consideration in the City’s sole discretion. Offerors must conform to all the requirements specified in the solicitation. The City encourages Offerors to send inquiries to the

Procurement Officer rather than including exceptions in their Offer.

2.6. Inquiries

All questions that arise relating to this solicitation should be directed via City’s OpenGov

Procurement Portal and must be received by the due date indicated in the Schedule of Events.

The City will not consider questions received after the deadline.

No informal contact initiated by Offerors on the proposed service will be allowed with members of City’s staff from date of distribution of this solicitation until after city council awards the contract. All questions concerning or issues related to this solicitation must be presented in writing.

The Procurement Officer will answer written inquiries in an addendum and publish any addenda on the City’s OpenGov Procurement Portal.

2.7. Addenda

The City of Phoenix will not be responsible for any oral instructions made by any employees or officers of the City of Phoenix regarding this solicitation. Any changes will be in the form of an addendum. The Offeror must acknowledge receipt of any/all addenda through the City's

Procurement Portal.

Changes to terms and conditions of the Solicitation and resulting Agreement made pursuant to an addendum shall be memorialized in the Solicitation and resulting Agreement document. To that end, a parenthetical will be added to applicable provision(s) referencing the addendum that imposed the change. The language in the final provision will reflect the updated version.

2.8. Business in Arizona

The City will not enter contracts with Offerors (or any company(ies)) not granted authority to transact business, or not in good standing, in the state of Arizona by the Arizona Corporation

Commission, unless the Offeror asserts a statutory exception prior to entering a contract with the City.

2.9. Licenses

If required by law for the operation of the business or work related to this Offer, Offeror must possess all valid certifications and/or licenses as required by federal, state or local laws at the time of submittal.

2.10. Certifications

By signature in the Offer section of the Offer and Acceptance page(s), Offeror certifies:

• The submission of the Offer did not involve collusion or other anti-competitive practices.

• The Offeror must not discriminate against any employee, or applicant for employment in violation of Federal or State Law.

• The Offeror has not given, offered to give, nor intends to give at any time hereafter, any economic opportunity, future employment, gift, loan, gratuity, special discount, trip, favor, or service to a public servant in connection with the submitted Offer.

2.11. Submission of Offer

Offers must be in possession of the Department on or prior to the exact time and date indicated in the Schedule of Events. Late offers will not be considered. The prevailing clock will be the

City Department’s clock.

Offers should be submitted electronically via the City’s Procurement Portal by clicking on “Draft

Response” via https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/phoenix/projects/271697. Offerors that are unable to submit electronically should contact the Procurement Officer to discuss the logistics of hard copy submittals. Offerors must be registered with OpenGov by signing up via https://procurement.opengov.com/signup. Vendor training guides can be found at: https://opengov.my.site.com/support/s/article/ca6d1285-1e48-4a21-bb0d-715edb7794ed

Any original documents (such as bonds, guaranties, powers of attorney), if required by the solicitation, must be separately delivered to and received by the City on or prior to the exact time and date indicated in the Schedule of Events, with a clear indication of the Offer for which it is attributed.

It is the responsibility of the Offeror to ensure that the Offer is timely and to confirm that there are no technical reasons that any offer submitted electronically may be delayed. The date and time on the upload as received/stamped by the City’s Procurement Portal will provide proof of submission and verification whether the Offer was received on or prior to the exact time and date indicated in the Schedule of Events.

For assistance with submittals, vendors are welcome to use the OpenGov support chat (blue chat bubble in the bottom right corner) to connect with a member of OpenGov's support team who will be able to assist you with your submission.

Please DO NOT submit links to Google Docs, Dropbox Paper, or similar services. Your offer may be deemed non-responsive if your offer is supplied utilizing these services.

2.12. Withdrawal of Offer

At any time prior to the solicitation due date and time, an Offeror (or designated representative) may withdraw the Offer by clicking “Unsubmit Response” on the Offer submission via the City’s

Procurement Portal.

2.13. Offer Results

Offers will be opened on the offer due date, time and location indicated in the Schedule of

Events, at which time the name of each Offeror, and the prices may be read. Offers and other information received in response to the solicitation will be shown only to authorized City personnel having a legitimate interest in them or persons assisting the City in the evaluation.

https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/phoenix/projects/271697 https://procurement.opengov.com/signup https://opengov.my.site.com/support/s/article/ca6d1285-1e48-4a21-bb0d-715edb7794ed

Offers are not available for public inspection until after the City has posted the award recommendation on the City's Procurement Portal.

The City will post a preliminary offer tabulation on the City's Procurement

Portal: https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/phoenix/projects/271697 within five business days of the offer opening. The City will post the information on the preliminary tabulation as it was read during the offer opening. The City makes no guarantee as to the accuracy of any information on the preliminary tabulation. Once the City has evaluated the offers, the City will post an award recommendation on the City's Procurement Portal. By signing and submitting its

Offer, each Offeror agrees that this posting of the award recommendation to the City's

Procurement Portal effectively serves as the Offeror’s receipt of that notice of award recommendation. The City has no obligation to provide any further notification to unsuccessful

Offerors.

2.14. Certificates of Insurance

Upon notification of a recommended award, the Offeror will have 14 calendar days to submit a complete certificate of insurance in the minimum amounts and the coverages as required in the

Insurance Requirements of this solicitation. Insurance requirements are non-negotiable.

2.15. Award of Contract

Unless otherwise indicated, award(s) will be made to responsive, responsible Offeror(s) who are regularly established in the service, or providing the goods, contained in this solicitation and who have demonstrated the ability to perform in an acceptable manner.

A. Factors that may be considered by the City include:

1. Technical capability of the Offeror to accomplish the scope of work required in the

Solicitation. This may include performance history on past and current government or industrial contracts; and,

2. Demonstrated availability of the necessary manpower (both supervisory and operational personnel) and necessary equipment to accomplish the scope of work in the Solicitation; and,

3. Safety record; and,

4. Offeror history of complaints and termination for convenience or cause.

B. Notwithstanding any other provision of this solicitation, the City reserves the right to: (1) waive any immaterial defect or informality; or (2) reject any or all offers or portions thereof; or (3) reissue a solicitation.

C. A response to a solicitation is an offer to contract with the City based upon the terms, conditions, and specifications contained in the City’s solicitation. Offers do not become contracts until they are executed by the Chief Procurement Officer or Department

Director. A contract has its inception in the award, eliminating a formal signing of a separate contract. For that reason, all of the terms, conditions and specifications of the https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/phoenix/projects/271697 procurement contract are contained in the solicitation, and in any addendum or contract amendment.

2.16. Solicitation Transparency Policy

Commencing on the date and time a solicitation is published, potential or actual Offerors or respondents (including their representatives) shall only discuss matters associated with the solicitation with the Mayor, any members of City Council, the City Manager, any Deputy City

Manager, or any department director directly associated with the solicitation (including in each case their assigned staff, except for the designated Procurement Officer) at a public meeting, posted under Arizona Statutes, until the resulting contract(s) are awarded to all offers or responses are rejected and the solicitation is cancelled without any announcement by the

Procurement Officer of the City’s intent to reissue the same or similar solicitation.

As long as the solicitation is not discussed, Offerors may continue to conduct business with the

City and discuss business that is unrelated to the solicitation with the City staff. Offerors may not discuss the solicitation with any City employees or evaluation panel members.

Offerors may discuss their proposal or the solicitation with the Mayor or one or more members of the Phoenix City Council, provided such meetings are scheduled through the Procurement

Officer, and are posted as open meetings with the City Clerk at least 24 hours prior to the scheduled meetings. The City Clerk will be responsible for posting the meetings. The posted notice shall identify the participants and the subject matter, as well as invite the public to participate.

With respect to the selection of the successful Offerors, the City Manager and/or City Manager's

Office will continue the past practice of exerting no undue influence on the process. In all solicitations of bids and proposals, any direction on the selection from the City Manager and/or

City Manager's Office and Department Head (or representative) to the proposal review panel or selecting authority must be provided in writing to all prospective Offerors.

This policy is intended to create a level playing field for all Offerors, assure that contracts are awarded in public, and protect the integrity of the selection process. OFFERORS THAT

VIOLATE THIS POLICY SHALL BE DISQUALIFIED. After official Notice is received by the City for disqualification, the Offeror may follow the Protest process, unless the Solicitation is cancelled without notice of intent to re-issue.

“To discuss” means any contact by the Offeror, regardless of whether the City responds to the contact. Offerors that violate this policy will be disqualified until the resulting contract(s) are awarded, or all offers or responses are rejected and the solicitation is cancelled without any announcement by the Procurement Officer of the City’s intent to reissue the same or a similar solicitation. The City interprets the policy as continuing through a cancellation of a solicitation until Council award of the contract, as long as the City cancels with a statement that the City will rebid the solicitation.

2.17. Protest Process

Offeror may protest the contents of a solicitation no later than seven days before the solicitation deadline when the protest is based on an apparent alleged mistake, impropriety or defect in the solicitation. Protests filed regarding the solicitation may be addressed by an amendment to the solicitation or denied by the City. If denied, the opening and award will proceed unless the City determines that it is in the City’s best interests to set new deadlines, amend the solicitation, cancel or re-bid.

Therefore, unless otherwise notified by a formal amendment, the Protester must adhere to all solicitation dates and deadlines, including timely filing of an offer, regardless of filing a protest.

Offeror may protest an adverse determination issued by the City regarding responsibility and responsiveness, within seven days of the date the Offeror was notified of the adverse determination.

Offeror may protest an award recommendation if the Offeror can establish that it had a substantial chance of being awarded the contract and will be harmed by the recommended award. The City will post recommendations on the City’s Procurement Portal to award the contract(s) to an Offeror(s). Offeror must submit award protests within seven days after the posting of the award recommendation, with exceptions only for good cause shown, within the

City’s full and final discretion.

All protests will be in writing, filed with the Procurement Officer identified in the solicitation and include the following:

• Identification of the solicitation number;

• The name, address and telephone number of the protester;

• A detailed statement describing the legal and factual grounds for the protest, including copies of relevant documents;

• The form of relief requested; and

• The signature of the protester or its authorized representative.

The Procurement Officer will render a written decision within a reasonable period after the protest is filed. The City will not request City Council authorization to award the contract until the protest process is complete. All protests and appeals must be submitted in accordance with the

City’s Procurement Code, (Phoenix City Code, Ch. 43) and any protests or appeals not submitted within the time requirements will not be considered. Protests must be filed with the

Procurement Officer.

2.18. Public Record

All Offers submitted in response to this solicitation will become the property of the City and become a matter of public record available for review pursuant to Arizona State law. If an

Offeror believes that a specific section of its Offer response is confidential, the Offeror will isolate the pages marked confidential in a specific and clearly labeled section of its Offer response. An Offeror may request specific information contained within its Offer is treated by the

Procurement Officer as confidential provided the Offeror clearly labels the information

“confidential.” To the extent necessary for the evaluation process, information marked as

“confidential” will not be treated as confidential. Once the procurement file becomes available for public inspection, the Procurement Officer will not make any information identified by the

Offerors as “confidential” available to the public unless necessary to support the evaluation process or if specifically requested in accordance with applicable public records law. When a public records request for such information is received, the Procurement Officer will notify the

Offeror in writing of any request to view any portion of its Offer marked “confidential.” The

Offeror will have the time set forth in the notice to obtain a court order enjoining such disclosure.

If the Offeror does not provide the Procurement Officer with a court order enjoining release of the information during the designated time, the Procurement Officer will make the information requested available for inspection.

2.19. Late Offers

Late Offers must be rejected, except for good cause. If a late Offer is submitted, the Department will document the date and time of the submittal of the late Offer, keep the Offer and notify the

Offeror that its Offer was disqualified for being a late Offer.

2.20. Right to Disqualify

The City reserves the right to disqualify any Offeror who fails to provide information or data requested or who provides materially inaccurate or misleading information or data. The City further reserves the right to disqualify any Offeror on the basis of any real or apparent conflict of interest that is disclosed by the Offer submitted or any other data or information available to the

City. This disqualification is at the sole discretion of the City. By submission of a solicitation response, the Offeror waives any right to object now or at any future time, before any agency or body including, but not limited to, the City Council of the City or any court as to the exercise by the City of such right to disqualify or as to any disqualification by reason of real or apparent conflict of interest determined by the City. The City reserves the right to replace the disqualified

Offeror.

2.21. Contract Award

The City reserves the right to award a contract by individual line items, by group, all or none, or any other combination most advantageous to the City. The City reserves the right to award multiple contracts.

2.22. Determining Responsiveness and Responsibility

Offers will be reviewed for documentation of minimum qualifications, completeness, and compliance with the Solicitation requirements. The City reserves sole discretion to determine responsiveness and responsibility.

Responsiveness: Nonresponsive Offers will not be considered in the evaluation process. The solicitation states criteria that determine responsiveness, and the solicitation includes terms and conditions that if included or excluded from Offers (as the case may be) will render an Offer nonresponsive.

Exceptions, conditions, reservations, or understandings are presumed to be unacceptable, and an Offer that includes unacceptable exceptions, conditions, reservations, or understandings may be rejected as nonresponsive. Alternatively, the City in its sole discretion may instruct in writing that any Offeror remove the conditions, exceptions, reservations or understandings. If the Offeror fails to do so in writing, the City may determine the Offer to be nonresponsive.

Responsibility: To obtain true economy, the City must conduct solicitations to minimize the possibility of a subsequent default by the Contractor, late deliveries, or other unsatisfactory performance that may result in additional administrative costs. It is important that the Offeror be a responsible Contractor. Responsibility includes the Offeror’s integrity, skill, capacity, experience, and facilities for conducting the work to be performed.

The Procurement Officer will review each Offer to determine if the Offeror is responsible. The

City’s determination as to whether an Offeror is responsible will be based on all information furnished by the Offeror, interviews (if any), and information received from Offeror’s references, including information about Offeror’s history, terminations for convenience or cause, contract breach lawsuits or notices of claim and any other sources the City deems appropriate. Award of the Contract resulting from the solicitation will not be made until any necessary investigation, which each Offeror agrees to permit by submitting its Offer, is made by the City as it deems necessary. A review of responsibility may occur up to contract award.

The Offeror’s unreasonable failure to promptly supply information about an inquiry with respect to responsibility may be grounds for a determination of non-responsibility with respect to such

Offeror.

2.23. Equal Low Offer

Contract award will be made by putting the names of the tied vendors in a cup for a blind drawing limited to those bidders with tied offers. If time permits, the offerors involved will be given an opportunity to attend the drawing. The drawing will be witnessed by at least three persons, and the contract file will contain the names and addresses of the witnesses.

2.24. Evaluation of Competitive Sealed Offers

The City will use its discretion in applying the following processes to this solicitation. Any ties in scoring will be resolved with a best and final price request and the lowest price will prevail.

2.25. Detailed Evaluation of Offers and Determination of Competitive Range

During deliberations, the Evaluation Panel will reach a consensus score for each evaluation criterion except price. The Procurement Officer will score the price, which will be added to the overall consensus score. The overall consensus scores will determine the Offerors’ rankings and which offers are within the Competitive Range, when appropriate.

2.26. Offers Not Within the Competitive Range

The City may notify Offerors of Offers that the City determined are not in the Competitive

Range.

2.27. Discussions with Offerors in the Competitive Range

The City will notify each Offeror whose Offer is in the Competitive Range or made the ‘short list’ and provide in writing any questions or requests for clarification to the Offeror. Each Offeror so notified may be interviewed by the City and asked to discuss answers to written or oral questions or provide clarifications to any facet of its Offer. The Offerors in the competitive range may be required to provide a demonstration of their product.

Demonstrations - Offerors in the competitive range may be invited to construct a hands-on sample or presentation of their solution at the City of Phoenix. In addition, each finalist may prepare and deliver a presentation of their proposed solution based on the script developed by the evaluation panel. The City may also require a hands-on lab demonstration designed specifically for the evaluation panel. The results of the surveys will be tabulated and delivered to the evaluation team for the final review and solution selection session(s).

If an Offer in the Competitive Range contains conditions, exceptions, reservations or understandings to or about any Contract or Solicitation Scope requirement, the City may discuss or negotiate the conditions, exceptions, reservations or understandings during these meetings. But the City in its sole discretion may reject any and all conditions, exceptions, reservations and understandings, and the City may instruct any Offeror to remove the conditions, exceptions, reservations or understandings. If the Offeror fails to do so, the City may determine the Offer is nonresponsive, and the City may revoke its determination that the Offer is in the Competitive Range.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the City will not provide any information, financial or otherwise, to any Offeror about other Offers received in response to this solicitation. During discussions with Offerors in the Competitive Range, the City will not give Offerors specific prices or specific financial requirements that Offerors must meet to qualify for further consideration.

The City may state that proposed prices are too high with respect to the marketplace or otherwise unacceptable. Offerors will not be told of their relative rankings before Contract award.

2.28. Best and Final Offers (BAFO)

A BAFO is an option available for negotiations. Each Offeror in the Competitive Range, which is determined in the City’s sole discretion, may be afforded the opportunity to amend its Offer and make one BAFO.

If an Offeror’s BAFO modifies its initial Offer, the modifications must be identified in the BAFO.

The City will evaluate BAFOs based on the same requirements and criteria applicable to initial

Offers. The City will adjust appropriately the initial scores for criteria that have been affected by offer modifications made by a BAFO. Based on the criteria defined in the solicitation as weighted, the City will then perform final scoring and prepare final rankings.

The Evaluation Panel will recommend the Offer that is the best value and most advantageous to the City based on the evaluation criteria.

The City reserves the right to make an award to an Offeror whose Offer is the highest rated, best value, and most advantageous to the City based on the evaluation criteria, without conducting written or oral discussions with any Offeror, without negotiations, and without soliciting BAFOs.

3. Scope of Work

3.1. Purpose

A. The City of Phoenix Water Services Department (WSD) is soliciting proposals from qualified consultants to provide professional services supporting the review, update, standardization, organization, storage strategy, testing, exercising, and ongoing maintenance of its emergency planning portfolio. The portfolio includes, but is not limited to, the Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP), Emergency Response Plans (ERP), Emergency Action Plans (EAP), Business Continuity Plan (BCP), associated annexes, playbooks, quick-reference guides, and any additional Water Services emergency plans or supporting documents identified during the course of the project. All plans must be reviewed and updated to ensure full compliance with applicable Local, State and Federal regulations.

3.2. Background and Objectives

A. Background

1. WSD provides water and wastewater services in the area of approximately 540 square miles and for a population of roughly 1.7 million and is the largest potable water provider in Arizona. WSD relies on a network of nearly 1,500 employees to manage its major assets, which include 5 treatment plants; 3 wastewater treatment plants; 7,149 miles of water mains; 5,048 miles of sewer mains, 300 pumps, well, lift, and pressure stations; 56,576 fire hydrants; and 101,191 manholes. WSD produces over 110 billion gallons per year of clean water and 60 billion gallons of effluent water put to re-use to irrigate non-edible crops.

2. WSD performs essential public services that must be continued, restored, or rapidly stabilized during disruptions caused by natural, technological, or human-caused incidents. In addition to the Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP), WSD relies on a broader portfolio of emergency planning documents, which may include Emergency

Response Plans (ERP), Emergency Action Plans (EAP), Business Continuity Plan

(BCP) materials, incident-specific procedures, annexes, recovery procedures, checklists, and other emergency plans or support documents used by Water

Services divisions.

3. This procurement is intended to provide subject-matter support to WSD staff in maintaining a compliant, practical, and sustainable emergency planning portfolio.

The consultant shall support WSD planning activities in coordination with the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (OHSEM). Nothing in this Scope of Work transfers to the consultant any authority or responsibility assigned by AR

4.12 to OHSEM, the WSD Department Director, or designated WSD continuity planners.

4. The emergency plan is comprised of approximately ten (10) WSD sites as shown in

Exhibit 1 - Locations.

5. Ensure that the scope of the existing COOP and all other emergency plans, including

ERP, EAP, BCP, and additional plans identified during the inventory, are current, relevant, internally consistent, and operationally usable.

6. Align the COOP with AR 4.12 and align non-COOP emergency plans with applicable local, state and federal regulations as well as city guidance, operational needs, and emergency management best practices.

7. Create a complete inventory of Water Services emergency plans, supporting procedures, ownership, approval status, revision history, and interdependencies.

8. Determine and document the best City-approved repository, access method, system of record, and backup access location for each emergency plan.

9. Establish a standardized annual maintenance, version-control, review, approval, and corrective-action process for the full Emergency Plans Portfolio.

10. Improve usability through standardized formatting, cross-references, concise quick-reference tools, and clear activation or decision-support aids.

11. Support annual review, testing, exercising, and after-action improvement activities so approved updates are incorporated into the applicable plans each year.

3.3. Definitions/Acronyms

A. Business Continuity Plan (BCP) – Documented, strategic framework that outlines procedures to ensure an organization can maintain, or quickly resume, critical functions during and after a disaster, such as cyberattacks, natural disasters, or pandemics.

B. BOLDPlanning System Administration – Cloud-based, interactive, and easy-to-use software platform designed to assist organizations in developing, documenting, and maintaining emergency and continuity plans through the COOP.

C. Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) – Predetermined, written set of instructions and procedures that outlines how an organization will ensure that essential operations continue and that services are restored rapidly after a disruption should internal City

Staff be unable to restore operations, from a fire in the building; to a natural disaster; to the threat or occurrence of a terrorist attack. Any event that makes it impossible for employees to work in their regular facility could result in the activation of the Continuity plan.

D. Emergency Action Plans (EAP) – Formal, site-specific plan that provides procedures and responsibilities for employees during emergencies such as fires, evacuations, hazardous conditions, or critical incidents.

E. Emergency Response Plans (ERP) – Documented, structured strategy outlining procedures, roles, and resources to effectively manage, control, and mitigate sudden, critical incidents like fires, natural disasters, hazardous releases, or medical emergencies.

F. Homeland Security and Emergency Management (OHSEM) – Specialized, multi-disciplinary government department dedicated to protecting communities from, and coordinating responses to, natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made emergencies.

G. WSD – Water Services Department

3.4. Contractor Requirements

The Contractor shall perform the services described in this section using a milestone-based approach to deliver comprehensive continuity of operations and emergency planning support services. Each milestone includes defined tasks and obligations the Contractor shall complete.

A. Comprehensive Inventory, Current-state Assessment and Gap Analysis

1. The Contractor shall conduct a comprehensive inventory, current-state assessment and gap analysis of the WSD Emergency Plans Portfolio, in coordination with WSD and, where applicable, the OHSEM. The portfolio shall be treated as an open-ended set of emergency planning documents and shall include, at a minimum, the COOP and any ERP, EAP, BCP, annexes, procedures, or related documents identified by

WSD or discovered during the project. During this phase, at a minimum, the

Contractor shall:

a. Conduct a formal project kickoff meeting with the WSD staff to Confirm project objectives, roles, communication protocols and deliverable schedule.

b. Collect and review the current COOP, ERP, EAP, BCP and all other emergency plans, annexes, response procedures, recovery procedures, quick-reference guides, and related emergency management documents identified by WSD or identified during the inventory process.

c. Review the COOP for alignment with AR 4.12 and verify that it addresses essential functions, order of succession or chain of command, delegations of authority as applicable, alternate facilities or continuity operating locations, vital records and resources, staffing considerations, operational dependencies, communication needs, and implementation procedures.

d. Develop a comprehensive plan inventory that identifies, at a minimum, the document title, purpose, WSD division owner, primary users, current repository or storage location, last revision date, approval status, associated systems of record, and key dependencies or cross-references.

e. Assess the portfolio for accuracy, completeness, internal consistency, usability, accessibility, duplication, conflicts, and missing content.

f. Identify plans that are obsolete, redundant, fragmented, or insufficiently maintained and recommend whether each should be updated, consolidated, retired, or replaced.

g. Review existing hazard information relevant to Water Services continuity and emergency operations.

h. Facilitate workshops or interviews with WSD personnel to identify hazards and operational disruptions that could affect essential functions, facilities, systems, staffing, supply chains, or response capabilities.

i. Assess key dependencies, recovery priorities, continuity implications, and cross-plan impacts associated with identified hazards and disruptions.

j. Document findings in a format compatible with WSD planning processes and the

BOLDPlanning System where the COOP is concerned.

k. Prepare a draft written current-state and gap assessment identifying priority actions, sequencing recommendations, and compliance considerations for the

COOP and other plans included within scope of this task.

l. Incorporate approved findings into plan updates, recommended mitigation actions, and maintenance priorities.

m. Conduct and in-person presentation of the draft assessment findings and recommendations to designated WSD stakeholders. The presentation shall include, at a minimum, an overview of the assessment methodology, identified gaps, recommended actions and proposed sequencing.

n. Facilitate stakeholder review and discussion, respond to questions, and document all requested revisions, clarifications, or additions provided by WSD stakeholders during and following the presentation.

o. Incorporate all WSD approved changes into the written assessment and recommendations. A revised draft shall be submitted for final stakeholder confirmation prior to the Contractor issuing the final recommendations report. No final deliverable shall be considered complete until WSD requested modifications have been fully incorporated to the satisfaction of WSD.

B. Review, Standardization and Emergency Plan Portfolio Updates

1. The Contractor shall review, standardize, and update the Emergency Plan Portfolio designated by WSD for inclusion in this project, including COOP, ERP, EAP, BCP materials, and any additional emergency plans, annexes, procedures, playbooks, or reference tools identified during Milestone 1 or later directed by WSD. At a minimum, the Contractor shall:

a. Review and update contact data, resource inventories, technology dependencies, facility information, and other operational details provided by

WSD.

b. Reformat and streamline the WSD Emergency Plan Portfolio to improve readability, navigation, and emergency usability while maintaining required continuity content.

c. Review each emergency plan for operational relevance, current content, internal consistency, cross-references, and alignment with WSD operational practices.

d. Standardize document structure, naming conventions, section order, version-history fields, approval fields, and owner identification across the portfolio to the extent approved by WSD.

e. Update contacts, activation steps, decision points, resource information, communication pathways, dependencies, and recovery or coordination actions reflected in the plans based on information provided by WSD.

f. Ensure the COOP and other emergency plans reference one another appropriately so the portfolio functions as an integrated set of documents rather than disconnected files.

g. Develop concise quick-reference guides where they materially improve emergency use.

h. Provide a standardized annual maintenance and governance framework for the full Emergency Plans Portfolio.

i. Develop document version-numbering conventions, revision dates, authorship fields, auditable change-log procedures, and archive standards for WSD approval.

j. Develop an annual review schedule identifying required reviews, approvals, tests, exercises, audits, corrective-action follow-up, and plan-owner responsibilities.

k. Establish update triggers for organizational changes, facility changes, technology changes, after-action items, regulatory changes, and lessons learned from incidents, tests, or exercises.

l. Identify and document responsible WSD roles for each major plan, plan section, review cycle, approval action, and repository-management function.

m. Provide version control and governance framework templates, dashboards, logs, or workflow tools compatible with City-approved systems to help WSD keep the portfolio current every year.

C. Repository, Storage, and Accessibility Strategy

1. The Contractor shall determine and document the best locations, systems of record, and access methods for the Emergency Plans Portfolio using City-approved platforms and practices. At a minimum, the Contractor shall:

a. Assess where each plan should reside based on purpose, frequency of use, required speed of access, edit-control needs, collaboration needs, security, offline availability, redundancy, and user roles.

b. For the COOP, coordinate with WSD and OHSEM so repository recommendations remain consistent with AR 4.12 and the BOLDPlanning process.

c. For non-COOP plans, evaluate appropriate City-approved repositories or access methods, which may include collaboration platforms, controlled shared repositories, emergency reference binders, or other approved locations.

d. Develop a plan-location matrix identifying for each document the system of record, editable source location, approved distribution copy location, backup access location, owner, reviewer, and access restrictions.

e. Support migration, cleanup, organization, or population of approved content within designated repositories, as directed by WSD.

f. Not assume ownership of BOLDPlanning System administration, user access administration, or other responsibilities assigned to OHSEM under AR 4.12.

D. Final Plan Portfolio Delivery

1. Contractor Shall:

a. Produce final, approved versions of all emergency plans and annexes.

b. Ensure final plan portfolio complies with all approved standardized formatting, proper versioning and storage.

c. Ensure final plan portfolio captures all requested revisions by the WSD subject matter experts.

d. Ensure final portfolio is aligned with Local, State and Federal requirements.

E. Training and Transition

1. The Contractor shall provide training and transition Support services, including but not limited to the following:

a. Orientation sessions for WSD personnel on the revised emergency plans portfolio, repository model, maintenance procedures, and consultant-developed tools.

b. Handoff materials so WSD plan owners and continuity planners can maintain the portfolio after contract completion.

c. Coordination of all emergency-planning support activities with WSD and OHSEM to ensure consistency with City roles, processes, and COOP-specific requirements under AR 4.12.

d. Final integrated emergency plans portfolio and transition package with approved plan set, repository map, updated logs, handoff materials.

F. ONGOING MAINTENANCE (OPTIONAL AT THE DISCRESION OF THE CITY)

1. The following requirements outline optional ongoing maintenance services that the

City of Phoenix Water Services Department (WSD) may request, at its sole discretion, on an as-needed basis.

a. Annual Review Audits

i. The Contractor shall support WSD's annual audit review process for the

Emergency Plans Portfolio and prepare audit materials for WSD and OHSEM consideration, as applicable. At a minimum, the Contractor shall:

I. Develop an annual review checklist for all emergency plans in scope and a COOP-specific checklist aligned with AR 4.12 requirements.

II. Evaluate whether required elements, owners, contacts, locations, approval dates, and cross-references are current and complete.

III. Prepare an annual status report summarizing plan status, overdue updates, gaps, corrective actions, responsible parties, and target completion dates.

IV. Track corrective actions to closure or documented management disposition.

V. Support incorporation of approved audit and review results into updated plans, maintenance records, and repository controls.

b. Continuity Testing and Exercise Support

i. The Contractor shall support WSD in planning, executing, documenting, and enhancing its annual continuity testing and exercise program. Where directed by WSD, the Contractor shall use testing and exercise results to validate interfaces with other emergency plans. At a minimum, the Contractor shall:

I. Design and facilitate at least one (1) continuity test annually to validate a specific operational capability documented in the COOP.

II. Design, coordinate, and facilitate at least one (1) continuity exercise annually. Unless otherwise approved by WSD, the minimum exercise type shall be a discussion-based tabletop exercise aligned to Water

Services continuity priorities.

III. Develop plausible scenarios relevant to Water Services operations, which may include power outage, cyber incident, evacuation, workforce disruption, facility inaccessibility, supply interruption, or other continuity events.

IV. Prepare exercise and test materials, including objectives, scope, participant list, facilitation materials, evaluation criteria, and documentation templates.

V. Conduct pre-test and pre-exercise briefings and facilitate post-event debriefs.

VI. Prepare a written After-Action Report/Improvement Plan (AAR/IP) for each exercise and an execution summary with corrective actions for each test.

VII. Document lessons learned and recommended corrective actions and support incorporation of approved improvements into the COOP and other affected plans, records, and repository controls.

VIII. Cooperate, coordinate, and work in good faith with any other contractors, subcontractors, consultants, or service providers engaged or designated by the WSD in connection to this scope of work.

3.5. Contractor Project Team Roles and Responsibilities

The Contractor shall:

A. Ensure the work outlined in this solicitation is completed within a seven (7) month timeframe, unless mutually agreed upon in writing between the Contractor and WSD.

B. Provide qualified personnel with demonstrated experience in continuity planning, emergency management, facilitation, technical writing, repository governance, and document control.

C. Provide personnel that may include the…