ESBD_487599_1772127499469_RFP 2026-006 Addendum No. 2.pdf

Purchasing Services Post Office Box 2570

Waco, Texas 76702-2570 Phone: 254-750-8098

Fax: 254-750-8063 melaniew@wacotx.gov

CITY OF WACO www.waco-texas.com

Date: 02/26/2026

RFP No: 2026-006 Commodity: SCADA Support Maintenance, and On-Call Services Purchasing Agent: Melanie Wade

Closing Time: 2:00 P.M. CST, Thursday, March 12, 2026 Opening Time: 2:01 P.M. CST, Thursday, March 12, 2026

RFP Opening Location: Via Zoom Video and Dial In

Addendum No: 2 Questions and Answers

The above-mentioned RFP has been changed. Sign and return addendum to the Purchasing Office by the closing time and date with your RFP response. Returning this page signed by your authorized agent will serve to acknowledge this change. All other requirements of the invitation remain unchanged. If you have any questions, please call or stop by the Purchasing Office at the above address.

Firm:____________________________________________________________________________________

Address___________________________________________________________________________________

Signature of Person Authorized to Sign Bid:______________________________________________________________________

Signor's Name and Title (print or type):_____________________________________________________________________________

E-mail Address:____________________________________________________________________________

Date:____________________Telephone:___________________________Fax:_________________________ mailto:melaniew@wacotx.gov file://NETAPP/HOMES/JodyC/0%20Purchasing/Utilities/2014/RFB%202014-012%20Generator%20Rebuild/www.waco-texas.com

Questions RFP 2026-006 SCADA Support Maintenance and On-Call Services

1. On page 18 under 6.2 it states a preference for ISA Certified Automation Professional, CAP, and/or ISA Certified Control Systems Technician,CCST. Do you consider a Texas professional engineering license for control systems equivalent? ISA CAP and ISA CCST are listed as preferred credentials. A Texas PE license will be viewed favorably, but it is not considered equivalent, proposers should submit all applicable licenses, certifications, and relevant SCADA and controls experience for evaluation.

2. On page 27 under 6.2 it discusses change logs. Is AssetCentre used? The City does not require the use of any specific vendor tool for change logging. The requirement is that the contractor maintain a complete change log for all material SCADA and OT changes, and provide it in a format usable by the City, consistent with Exhibit B and Exhibit C. If the contractor uses a tool such as FactoryTalk AssetCentre or equivalent internally, the City will accept exports or reports provided they include the required fields and are delivered in an editable format.

3. If the phase 0 assessment is offered as a lump sum, it will be helpful to know the size of the system under assessment. Should it be assumed the assessment is restricted to SCADA (OT, not IT) at 1 facility? Is there any sizing information such as IO count, number of HMI screens, water production capacity, etc? Phase 0 is not intended to be limited to a single facility. Exhibit A states that the City will provide a facilities list and will identify a subset of critical sites and systems for deeper review. Proposers should submit their Phase 0 approach based on a multi-site municipal water and wastewater OT environment, including treatment facilities and remote sites, and should clearly state any assumptions. To support fair comparison, proposers are encouraged to provide a lump sum base assessment plus optional unit price adders, for example additional sites, additional onsite days, or additional deliverable depth, consistent with Exhibit A.

4. Regarding RFP 2026-006, page 18, section 7 (Proposal Submission Requirements), may the items listed be combined in a single proposal document? If not, are there any that the City would allow to be combined while the remainder remain standalone? Yes, the items listed will be presented in a single proposal document.

5. We are reviewing the solicitation and would appreciate clarification on the following items to properly structure our technical and commercial proposal:

Task Orders Acceptance Will work under this contract be issued through task orders on an as-needed basis, and is the contractor permitted to decline specific task orders due to scheduling, resource availability, or scope considerations?

If task orders may be declined, are there any penalties or performance impacts associated with declining a task order? Work under this contract may be issued through task orders on an as needed basis. Contractors may decline a specific task order due to scheduling, resource availability, or scope considerations, provided they notify the City promptly and propose an alternate schedule when feasible. Declining a task order is not automatically a penalty, however the City may consider responsiveness and ability to support mission critical needs as part of ongoing performance management and when issuing future task orders.

Billable Activities Are approved hourly rates intended to cover not only hands-on technical services, but also administrative and coordination activities, including project management, documentation, reporting, meetings, phone calls, and email communications related to task orders? Approved hourly rates are intended to cover all labor necessary to perform the work, including coordination and administrative activities directly supporting the task order scope, such as project management, documentation, reporting, meetings, phone calls, and email communications. Proposers should clearly describe any proposed fee structure for on call services or recurring support, and any assumptions.

Travel and Site Visits Should local travel and site visits within the City be included within the hourly rates, or may travel-related costs be billed separately?

If travel expenses are reimbursable, are they required to be pre-approved? Proposers should identify how local travel and site visits are handled in their pricing. Reimbursable travel expenses, if proposed, must be reasonable, consistent with City policy, and pre-approved by the City in advance of incurring the expense.

Minimum On-Site Charges Are minimum billable hours per on-site visit (for example, a minimum of 4 hours for on-site or emergency response) acceptable under this contract?

These clarifications will help ensure accurate pricing, proper staffing, and full alignment with the City’s expectations prior to proposal submission. Proposers may propose minimum billable hours for onsite visits, including emergency response, if they are clearly stated with justification and apply consistently. The City will evaluate proposed minimums as part of overall value and on call coverage expectations.

6. We are currently reviewing the solicitation and would appreciate clarification on several technical and operational items in order to ensure proper alignment prior to proposal submission.

Software Ownership and Licensing Can the City confirm whether all PLC, HMI, and SCADA software licenses (including Rockwell Automation platforms such as Studio 5000 and FactoryTalk) are owned and maintained by the City?

Is the contractor expected to provide any software licenses or proprietary programming tools under this contract? The City owns and maintains the software licenses currently used to support its PLC, HMI, and SCADA environment, including applicable Rockwell Automation platforms. The contractor is not expected to furnish core programming software licenses as part of this contract, and will be provided access to City licensed software as needed for authorized work. If a proposer’s approach requires additional third party subscriptions, specialty tools, or additional license seats beyond what the City has available, those needs shall be clearly identified in the proposal and may be addressed through a task order or other City approved method.

System Documentation Will the City provide existing system documentation, including PLC programs, HMI configurations, network diagrams, and as-built drawings for the facilities covered under this contract? The City will provide available documentation that exists at the time of contract start, which may include as built drawings, network diagrams, configuration exports, PLC and HMI project files, and other records as available. The City does not warrant completeness. Contractors shall update documentation and provide turnover deliverables for work performed under this contract consistent with the solicitation requirements and Exhibits.

Required Certifications or Operational Licenses Are there any specific operational licenses (e.g., wastewater plant operator certification) required for personnel performing PLC/SCADA support services, or is the requirement limited to automation and control systems experience? The City is not requiring wastewater or water operator licenses for contractor personnel performing PLC and SCADA support services. Contractor personnel must be qualified for the work performed, including applicable automation, controls, networking, and cybersecurity experience, and must comply with all safety and site access requirements. Work that legally requires a licensed trade or professional license must be performed or supervised by appropriately licensed personnel.

Cybersecurity and System Compliance Is the contractor responsible for implementing cybersecurity policies, or only for complying with the City’s established OT/IT security standards during system modifications? The contractor is responsible for complying with the City’s established OT/IT security standards and the requirements in Exhibit B when performing work under this contract. Cybersecurity governance and policy ownership remain with the City.

Experience Requirements For evaluation purposes, is prior recent municipal utility experience mandatory, or will demonstrated experience in industrial automation and Rockwell PLC environments be considered sufficient?

These clarifications will help ensure accurate staffing, proper software access planning, and full compliance with the City’s expectations prior to proposal submission. Municipal water and wastewater SCADA and OT experience will be evaluated as part of the published criteria and is strongly preferred due to the mission critical and regulatory nature of the environment. Proposers may also submit relevant industrial automation experience in Rockwell PLC and HMI environments; however, proposers should demonstrate their ability to operate within municipal utility operational constraints, documentation and change control expectations, and cybersecurity governance requirements.

7. Is there a historical annual spending range for similar SCADA support services? The City does not provide historical spending information for this solicitation. Proposers shall submit pricing and assumptions consistent with the solicitation requirements.

8. Is there an estimated annual budget allocation for this contract? The City has not established a guaranteed annual contract value and does not guarantee any minimum volume of work. The City anticipates issuing an annual purchase order with a not to exceed amount based on the City’s estimated needs and coordination with the selected contractor. Actual work will be performed on an as needed basis through authorized support activities and task orders consistent with the solicitation.

9. Are Technology Errors & Omissions (E&O) or Professional Liability policies required?

What are the required coverage limits? Please see page 35 of the bid package for insurance requirements.

10. Appendix A Exhibit A Sec 6.1 - Based on the Scope of Services (Section 3) would it be acceptable to exclude electrical and inclusion of a reference for a Texas Master Electrician? The City’s intent is to procure SCADA and OT support services. Proposers may exclude electrical contracting scope beyond what is incidental to controls troubleshooting and coordination. However, where work legally requires electrical licensure, the contractor shall provide appropriately licensed personnel, which may include a Texas Master Electrician or equivalent licensed trade resources. Proposers shall clearly describe any exclusions and how electrical work would be handled when required.

11. Appendix A Exhibit A Sec 3.2 and Sec 4 - What is the estimated number of control panels/enclosures in scope of the core support and the patch management program? The City will not provide panel or enclosure counts for this solicitation. Proposers should base their approach on a multi-site municipal water and wastewater OT environment and clearly state assumptions. The City will provide available facility and system information to the selected contractor during Phase 0 and onboarding.

12. Appendix A Exhibit A Sec 3.2 and Sec 4 - What is the estimated number of PCs or servers in scope of the core support and the patch management program? The City will not provide PC or server counts for this solicitation. Proposers should include assumptions and propose an approach scalable to a multi-site municipal OT environment.

13. Appendix A Exhibit A Sec 3.2 and Sec 4 - How many physical locations are in scope of the core support and the patch management program? The City will not provide the number of physical locations for this solicitation. Proposers should assume multiple treatment and remote sites and state assumptions.

14. Appendix A Exhibit A Sec 3.2 and Sec 4 - For how many incidents has Waco required support within the past two years for the assets in scope of the core support and the patch management program? The City will not provide historical incident counts for this solicitation. Proposers should propose their on call support model, response assumptions, and staffing approach consistent with the solicitation and Exhibits.

15. Appendix A Exhibit A Sec 3.2 - Can you please provide a listing with descriptions of the licensed radios and related field communications types that apply along with the number of locations that are served by each? The City will not provide detailed communications inventories, radio types, or counts as part of this solicitation. Proposers should describe their experience supporting typical municipal OT communications methods, including licensed radios and related field communications, and state assumptions. Detailed system information will be provided to the selected contractor during Phase 0 and onboarding as appropriate.

16. Appendix B Exhibit B Sec 2 - The RFP identifies a need for remote access session logging. Does the City utilize an existing solution to provide this or shall the vendor include a compliant system for remote access as part of their offer? The City utilizes an existing, City approved remote access solution that provides remote access session logging. The selected contractor will be required to use the City’s approved remote access method and comply with Exhibit B requirements for access control and logging.

Proposers may recommend optional enhancements or supplemental tools; however, any additional remote access tools or changes to the City’s remote access architecture are subject to City approval and will not be implemented without written authorization.

17. Appendix B Exhibit B Sec 3 - Does the City have existing remote access systems that allow network access to the Perdue Level 1 type OT assets (PLCs, etc.) to support ongoing inventorying? The City will provide access to City owned systems and networks as needed for authorized work, consistent with City IT policy and Exhibit B. Proposers should not assume unrestricted access to Level 1 OT assets. Inventorying and validation activities will be coordinated with City IT and Operations during Phase 0 and ongoing support as appropriate.

18. Appendix B Exhibit B Sec 4.2 - The RFP identifies a preference for testing patches in a separate test environment prior to production deployment. Does the City of Waco have existing testing environments and assets for all systems for which they prefer patches be staged? Or would the city like the vendor to include such environments and assets in their offer. Exhibit B states that testing or staging should be used where practical. Proposers should describe their testing, staging, and risk reduction approach and should not assume a full duplicate test environment exists for all systems. If a proposer recommends establishing a test environment or staging capability, it should be identified as an optional approach with assumptions and estimated cost impacts.

19. Appendix B Exhibit B Sec 6 - Does the City have existing automated backup and recovery systems for taking and storing offsite, image-based backups of Windows-based assets? Exhibit B requires the contractor to verify backups exist and are current and to perform change related backups for work performed under this contract. Proposers should not assume the City has automated, image based offsite backups for all Windows based OT assets. Proposers may recommend improvements as part of Phase 0 roadmap and may propose optional approaches subject to City approval.

20. Appendix B Exhibit B Sec 6 - Does the City have their own security operations center (SOC) or do they seek that the first-line response to security tool alerts be provided by the vendor in their offer? The City retains cybersecurity governance and incident response authority. The contractor’s responsibilities under Exhibit B include coordination, remote triage, and support for containment and restoration activities for OT cyber events when requested by the City. Proposers are not required to provide a full SOC as part of this contract. If a proposer offers additional monitoring or managed security services, those may be proposed as optional services subject to City approval.

21. The RFP states that Phase 0 “may be proposed as a lump sum and will be evaluated as part of the proposal.” Is the City requiring a Phase 0 price to be included with the proposal, or may Phase 0 pricing be negotiated after award under the on-call contract? If Phase 0 pricing is required, will the City provide sizing parameters (e.g., number of sites, estimated I/O counts, number of HMIs or historians), or should proposers include assumptions? Proposers shall include a Phase 0 approach and pricing with their proposal, consistent with Exhibit A. The City will not provide detailed sizing parameters for this solicitation. Proposers shall clearly state assumptions and are encouraged to provide a lump sum base price plus optional unit price adders, for example additional sites, additional onsite days, or additional deliverable depth, to support fair evaluation.

22. Will the City accept a firm-wide safety program and documented safety procedures as an equivalent to OSHA training at the proposal stage? The City will accept a firm wide safety program and documented safety procedures as evidence of a mature safety culture at the proposal stage. Personnel performing onsite work must meet any City site specific safety requirements prior to field work, which may include OSHA training or equivalent training accepted by the City.

23. For required or preferred certifications and OSHA training, must proposed personnel hold certifications at the time of proposal submission, or is it acceptable for them to complete this prior to task order execution and field work? Proposers should identify proposed key personnel and current qualifications in the proposal. Required licensure for work that legally requires a license must be held at the time the work is performed. For preferred certifications and training, it is acceptable for personnel to complete those items prior to task order execution and field work, provided the proposer’s plan and timeline are clearly described and acceptable to the City.