RFP_1100_LLM3005_ATT_1_v2.pdf

This solicitation cover sheet is for Request for Proposals (RFP 1100 LLM3005) issued by the City of Austin, operating through Austin Energy, for underground utility locating and marking services throughout Austin Energy's public utility servicing areas. The contractor must provide qualified personnel, labor, vehicles, tools, equipment, supervision, and materials to locate and mark underground utilities in response to excavation notices through the Texas 811 Notification Center. The estimated annual workload consists of 75,000 to 100,000 service tickets monthly, with response times of 48 hours during normal business hours (7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday) and 2-hour response times for emergency locates available 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. The solicitation was published on March 2, 2026, with written questions due by March 16, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. CST via email only. A non-mandatory pre-offer conference is scheduled for March 12, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. CST via Microsoft Teams. Proposals are due March 31, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. CST with offer opening at 3:00 p.m. CST the same day. The initial contract term is 24 months from execution with options for three additional 12-month renewal periods. Contractors must complete a 60-day ramp-up period following contract execution and achieve a 95 percent on-time performance rate.

Pricing shall be submitted on a per-ticket basis for normal business hours locates and emergency after-hours locates at higher rates, with all pricing firm for the initial 12 months and adjustable on subsequent anniversary dates based on verifiable cost trends. Contractors must comply with the City's living wage requirement of $22.05 per hour for all directly assigned employees and subcontractors. The solicitation offers local and small business preferences up to 10 points each for proposals valued between $50,000 and $499,999, and up to 6 points each for proposals between $500,000 and $50 million. No mandatory Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE) subcontracting goals apply due to insufficient subcontracting opportunities and limited certified M/WBE firm availability. Evaluation criteria assigns up to 100 points across Program (20 points), Staffing Plan (20 points), Offeror Experience & Personnel (25 points), Price (15 points), Local Business Preference (up to 10 points), and Small Business Preference (up to 10 points). Contractors must demonstrate a minimum of three consecutive years of underground locating experience within the past five years and provide at least three client references. Required insurance includes workers' compensation with $1,000,000 limits, commercial general liability with $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate, business automobile liability with $1,000,000 combined single limit, and $5,000,000 umbrella coverage. Contractors must integrate with Austin Energy's KorTerra Utility Industry Application ticket management system and comply with comprehensive data security and network access requirements, including the Anywhere Outside Connect (AOC) platform with SSH encryption and background checks for all personnel with data access.