Orange Water and Sewer Authority

Our community’s trusted partner for clean water and environmental protection.

RFP NO. 27-001

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

FOR

OWASA.ORG WEBSITE REBUILD

Date Issued: August 13, 2026

Table of Contents

NOTIFICATION

1 NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

2 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

3 SCOPE OF WORK

4 PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTS

5 SECTION 1 – QUALIFICATIONS AND APPROACH

6 SECTION 2 – COST PROPOSAL

7 EVALUATION CRITERIA AND SELECTION PROCESS

8 GENERAL PROPOSAL CONDITIONS

8.1 Addenda and Communication Guidelines

8.2 Public Proposal Opening

8.3 Late Proposals

8.4 Confidentiality and Public Records Disclosure

8.5 Method of Response

8.6 Withdrawal of Proposals

8.7 Acceptance of Terms and Conditions

8.8 False, Incomplete or Unresponsive Statements

8.9 Clear and Concise Submission

8.10 Prime Proposer’s Responsibilities

8.11 Insurance

8.11.1 Excess/Umbrella Liability Insurance

8.11.2 General Liability Insurance

8.11.3 General Liability Property Damage Liability

8.11.4 Automobile Liability Insurance

8.11.5 Workers' Compensation Insurance

8.12 Contract Term

9 PROTEST PROCEDURES

9.1 Protests Received Prior to Receipt of Proposals

9.2 Selection Protests

9.3 Filing Procedures

10 COSTS AND DAMAGES

Attachment A--------------Scope of work Attachment B--------------Cost Proposal Form Attachment C--------------E-Verify Affidavit Attachment D--------------Certification Regarding Conflict of Interest Attachment E--------------Iran Divestment Act Certification Attachment F--------------Companies Boycotting Israel Divestment Act Certification Attachment G--------------Non-Collusion Affidavit

Attachment H--------------Reference Form Attachment I---------------RFP Response Checklist

RFP No. 27-001 OWASA.ORG WEBSITE REBUILD Page 1 of 8

NOTIFICATION

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

SOLICITATION NO. 27-001

FOR

OWASA.ORG WEBSITE REBUILD

1 NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Orange Water & Sewer Authority (hereinafter called “OWASA”) invites qualified web development firms to submit proposals for the rebuild of OWASA.org website. OWASA seeks a collaborative and innovative web development partner to update the look, functionality, and technology supporting its website. The selected firm will work with OWASA through discovery, strategy and planning, design, development, content migration, quality assurance and testing, launch and stabilization, training, and post-launch support.

The project is intended to create a modern, accessible, secure, user-friendly website that improves customer access to information and services, provides an easy-to-manage content platform for OWASA staff, supports existing and future integrations, and strengthens the overall online customer experience.

To obtain a copy of the RFP, suppliers shall download the document from OWASA’s proposal opportunities webpage.

Proposal submission deadline: September 2, 2026, by 3:00 PM ET.

Questions regarding the RFP shall be directed to David Moore, Procurement Supervisor, at dmoore@owasa.org.

OWASA reserves the right to reject any or all Proposals

2 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

DATE SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Wednesday, August 13, 2026 RFP distributed and posted to OWASA’s website Wednesday, August 19, 2026, by 3:00 PM ET Inquiries must be received in writing by email to

David Moore at dmoore@owasa.org Monday, August 24, 2026 Responses to questions will be posted on

OWASA’s website Wednesday, September 2, 2026, by 3:00 PM ET Proposals are due to OWASA September 9–10, 2026 (tentative, if needed) Interviews/presentations with shortlisted firms Wednesday, September 16, 2026 (tentative) Announcement of Intent to Award Contract

RFP No. 27-001 OWASA.ORG WEBSITE REBUILD Page 2 of 8

3 SCOPE OF WORK

(SEE ATTACHMENT A)

4 PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTS

Proposals must be signed by an authorized official and submitted electronically by the date and time stated in the Schedule of Events. Only electronic submissions will be accepted. Paper submissions will not be accepted.

Proposals shall be clearly identified as:

“Response to RFP 27-001 for OWASA.org Website Rebuild.”

Electronic Submission

Proposals shall be submitted via email to David Moore, Procurement Supervisor, at dmoore@owasa.org. The email subject line shall read:

“Response to RFP 27-001 – OWASA.org Website Rebuild.”

Proposals must be submitted as two separate PDF files:

• Section 1 – Qualifications and Approach

• Section 2 – Cost Proposal

All proposal materials must be clearly organized and include a table of contents identifying sections and page numbers. The information requested in this RFP must be presented in a clear, comprehensive, and concise manner and in the specified order to facilitate OWASA’s evaluation.

Page Limit

Section 1 – Qualifications and Approach shall not exceed fifteen (15) pages, excluding the cover page, table of contents, resumes, references, and other specifically requested appendices.

OWASA reserves the right to disregard content exceeding the stated page limit.

Section 2 – Cost Proposal and all required forms and certifications are excluded from the fifteen (15)-page limit.

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Receipt of Proposals

Proposers are responsible for ensuring that their complete proposal is received by OWASA prior to the submission deadline. Proposers are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time for electronic submission and confirmation of receipt before the deadline.

OWASA will provide an email acknowledgment upon receipt of a proposal. If a proposer does not receive confirmation of receipt within a reasonable period after submission, the proposer should promptly contact David Moore at 919-271-3905 to verify that the proposal was received.

Proposers should not wait until the submission deadline to confirm receipt, as sufficient time should be allowed to address any email transmission or delivery issues.

Late proposals will not be accepted.

5 SECTION 1 – QUALIFICATIONS AND APPROACH

This section should include the proposer’s experience, capabilities, proposed team, and approach for completing the work outlined in Attachment A. Proposals should be clear, focused, and tailored specifically to OWASA’s website rebuild objectives and requirements.

1. A summary of the firm’s experience successfully completing website rebuilds of similar size, complexity, and public-facing importance, particularly for utilities, local governments, public agencies, or other service-oriented organizations.

2. Demonstrated experience with modern web design and development, user experience, responsive design, information architecture, intuitive navigation, site search, SEO, analytics, content migration, and content management systems.

3. Demonstrated experience achieving WCAG 2.2 AA compliance and establishing processes, documentation, and staff training to help maintain accessibility after launch.

4. Demonstrated experience with cybersecurity, user privacy, emergency readiness, low-bandwidth functionality, performance optimization, Core Web Vitals, structured data/schema markup, redirects, Google Search Console, and Google Analytics.

5. Demonstrated experience integrating third-party platforms and tools comparable to OWASA’s current and desired integrations, including GIS/iframes, Power BI, Cognito forms, eScribe, social media, customer portals, employment platforms, and development portals.

6. A description of the proposed CMS/platform, including why it is appropriate for OWASA staff with beginner-to-intermediate web content management experience and how it supports easy page creation, content updates, design consistency, modernization, and future needs.

7. Identification of the proposed project team, including the project manager and key personnel, their roles, qualifications, relevant experience, and availability. Resumes may be included in an appendix.

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8. A detailed methodology for discovery and information gathering, stakeholder engagement, user research, content and technical audits, design, development, content migration, testing, launch, stabilization, training, documentation, hosting, warranty, and ongoing support.

9. A preliminary project timeline consistent with OWASA’s anticipated 12–13 month discovery-to-launch schedule, including major tasks, milestones, dependencies, stakeholder review periods, and estimated completion dates.

10. Examples of at least three similar website rebuild projects completed within the past five years.

Include client name, scope of work, dates, platform/CMS, key integrations, project value, and contact information for references.

11. A description of the firm’s project management and communication process, including stakeholder collaboration, quality control, risk management, schedule management, and change management.

12. Disclosure of any potential conflicts of interest, regulatory actions, or pending litigation.

6 SECTION 2 – COST PROPOSAL

The Cost Proposal shall be submitted as a separate PDF and clearly labeled:

“Cost Proposal – RFP 27-001 – OWASA.org Website Rebuild.”

Proposers shall complete and submit Attachment B – Cost Proposal Form in its entirety. The Cost Proposal shall include:

• A lump-sum Total Base Project Cost for completing the full Scope of Work.

• A breakdown of the Total Base Project Cost by major project phase or service.

• Separate pricing for post-launch hosting, ongoing maintenance and technical support, and additional or ad-hoc development services.

• Identification of any reimbursable expenses, third-party fees, licenses, subscriptions, or other costs necessary to implement, host, maintain, or operate the proposed solution.

• Separate pricing for any recommended optional services not included in the Total Base

Project Cost.

• Any assumptions, exclusions, limitations, or conditions that materially affect the proposed pricing.

All costs necessary to perform the base Scope of Work shall be included in the Total Base Project Cost, except for costs expressly identified on Attachment B as excluded, optional, or separately priced.

a. Scope of Work (Attachment A) Reference Only

b. Cost Proposal Form (Attachment B) Mandatory Form

c. E-Verify Affidavit (Attachment C) Mandatory Form

RFP No. 27-001 OWASA.ORG WEBSITE REBUILD Page 5 of 8

d. Certification Regarding Conflict-of-Interest (Attachment D) Mandatory Form

e. Iran Divestment Act Certification (Attachment E) Mandatory Form

f. Companies Boycotting Israel Divestment Act Certification (Attachment F) Mandatory

Form

g. Non-Collusion Affidavit (Attachment G) Mandatory Form

h. Reference Form (Attachment H) Mandatory Form

i. RFP Response Checklist (Attachment I) Mandatory Form

Proposers are advised that late Proposals will not be accepted.

7 EVALUATION CRITERIA AND SELECTION PROCESS

Proposals will be evaluated to identify the firm that best meets OWASA’s needs and demonstrates a clear understanding of the project scope, a strong record of comparable work, and the capacity to deliver a high-quality website aligned with OWASA’s objectives.

Relevant Website Rebuild Experience (25 Points) Experience with comparable website rebuilds, including public-sector or utility projects, accessibility, CMS modernization, integrations, content migration, SEO, and post-launch support.

Technical Approach and Methodology (30 Points) Quality and completeness of the proposed approach to discovery, stakeholder engagement, user research, information architecture, design, development, accessibility, cybersecurity, integrations, migration, testing, performance, launch, and stabilization.

Team and Process (20 Points) Qualifications and availability of the project team; project management; communication; collaboration;

stakeholder engagement; training; documentation; quality control; and schedule management.

Cost and Value (15 Points) Reasonableness, completeness, and transparency of pricing and overall value to OWASA. Lowest cost will not necessarily receive the highest score.

References (10 Points) Relevance and quality of references and demonstrated past performance, responsiveness, client satisfaction, and successful delivery of similar projects.

Shortlisted firms may be invited to participate in interviews, presentations, and/or demonstrations to discuss their proposals and proposed solutions in greater detail.

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8 GENERAL PROPOSAL CONDITIONS

8.1 Addenda and Communication Guidelines

Any changes to this RFP will be issued in writing by OWASA. Proposers must acknowledge all addenda.

All questions related to the RFP must be submitted in writing to the designated procurement contact by the deadline in the Schedule of Events.

8.2 Public Proposal Opening

There will not be a Public Proposal Opening.

8.3 Late Proposals

Late submissions will not be accepted. It is the proposer’s responsibility to ensure its complete proposal is received by the stated deadline.

8.4 Confidentiality and Public Records Disclosure

Proposers must clearly identify any information they consider trade secret, privileged, proprietary, or confidential. OWASA will handle proposal records in accordance with applicable North Carolina public records requirements.

8.5 Method of Response

Proposals must be prepared and submitted in accordance with the Scope of Work and instructions in this RFP. Failure to follow these instructions may result in rejection.

8.6 Withdrawal of Proposals

Proposers may withdraw a proposal before the closing date and time by written request from an authorized representative.

8.7 Acceptance of Terms and Conditions

Submission of a proposal constitutes acknowledgment and acceptance of the RFP requirements except as otherwise specifically identified in the proposal. Portions of the selected proposal may become part of the resulting agreement.

8.8 False, Incomplete or Unresponsive Statements

False, incomplete, or unresponsive statements may be sufficient cause for rejection.

8.9 Clear and Concise Submission

Proposals shall provide a straightforward, concise description of the proposer’s capability to satisfy the requirements of the RFP and provide all required information.

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8.10 Prime Proposer’s Responsibilities

The selected prime proposer will be responsible for all requested deliverables in Attachment A regardless of who performs the work and will serve as OWASA’s sole point of contact for contractual matters.

8.11 Insurance

During performance of the Contract, the selected proposer shall maintain the minimum insurance levels required by OWASA.

8.11.1 Excess/Umbrella Liability Insurance, with a limit of $4,000,000.

8.11.2 General Liability Insurance, with a combined single limit of $1,000,000 for each occurrence and $1,000,000 in the aggregate.

8.11.3 General Liability Property Damage Liability, with a limit of $1,000,000 for each occurrence.

8.11.4 Automobile Liability Insurance, with a combined single limit of $1,000,000 for each person and $1,000,000 for each accident.

8.11.5 Workers' Compensation Insurance in accordance with statutory requirements and Employers' Liability Insurance, with a limit of $1,000,000 for each occurrence.

8.12 Contract Term

The website rebuild is anticipated to require approximately 12–13 months from discovery through launch, followed by the required 90-day post-go-live warranty period. Ongoing hosting, maintenance, and support will be addressed in the resulting agreement.

9 PROTEST PROCEDURES

9.1 Protests Received Prior to Receipt of Proposals

Protests concerning the procedures or requirements of this solicitation must be submitted in writing to the OWASA Director of Finance no later than five (5) working days prior to the proposal submission deadline.

Upon receipt of a protest, the Director of Finance may, at their discretion, extend or postpone the proposal submission deadline. OWASA will issue a written response no later than three (3) working days prior to the proposal submission deadline.

9.2 Selection Protests

Following OWASA’s Notice of Intent to Award Contract, a Proposer may protest the recommended selection. The protest must be submitted in writing to the OWASA Director of Finance no later than five (5) working days after the Notice of Intent to Award Contract.

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OWASA will consider properly filed protests concerning the recommended Proposer prior to execution of the contract.

9.3 Filing Procedures

All protests must:

1. Include the name and address of the protester.

2. Identify the procurement being protested.

3. State the legal and factual grounds for the protest and include supporting documentation.

The grounds for the protest must be fully supported.

4. State the ruling or relief requested from OWASA.

Protests shall be submitted to the OWASA Director of Finance by personal delivery or courier to:

Orange Water and Sewer Authority Attn: Director of Finance 400 Jones Ferry Road Carrboro, NC 27510

The Director of Finance will respond to each substantive issue raised in a properly filed protest.

OWASA’s determination regarding the protest shall be final.

10 COSTS AND DAMAGES

All costs associated with preparing a proposal, participating in interviews or demonstrations, and pursuing any protest are the responsibility of the proposer. OWASA will not be liable for such costs.

Attachment A - Scope of Work | RFP 27-001 - OWASA.org Website Rebuild

ORANGE WATER AND SEWER AUTHORITY

ATTACHMENT A - SCOPE OF WORK

RFP 27-001 - OWASA.org Website Rebuild

OWASA seeks a collaborative and innovative web development partner to update the look, functionality, and technology supporting OWASA.org.

1. BACKGROUND

OWASA is a mid-sized water, sewer, and reclaimed water utility serving Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and parts of southern Orange County. OWASA serves a population of approximately 86,000 through 23,000 customer accounts. The population served includes roughly 34,000 UNC-Chapel Hill students. OWASA's largest customers are UNC-Chapel Hill and UNC Health.

We strive to be our community's trusted partner for clean water and environmental protection while we fulfill our mission to deliver valuable water and sewer services that are essential to our community's health, environment, and economy through the stewardship of infrastructure and natural resources.

OWASA.org provides information on water service emergencies, bill payment, community water resources, capital projects, public meetings, career opportunities, recreation resources, bid opportunities for contractors and engineers, public health education on water contaminants, and other customer and community resources.

2. PROJECT TIMELINE

From discovery through launch, OWASA anticipates a 12-13 month project. The draft timeline is shown below. The proposed budget and timeline may change based on findings from the discovery phase.

Project Phase Estimated Duration Notes

Discovery, Strategy and Planning 8 weeks

Design 10 weeks

Development 14 weeks

Content Migration 8 weeks

Quality Assurance and Testing 6 weeks Includes stakeholder review and feedback

Launch and Stabilization 8 weeks

3. ABOUT OUR TEAM

OWASA's Community Relations Department includes the customer service and communications teams. The department's work is focused on customer experience, including improving the information provided to customers, increasing the effectiveness of important communications, and engaging with the community in person and online to receive feedback on OWASA's work, values, priorities, and service.

OWASA's communications team has some experience with, but limited expertise in, web content management using WordPress. OWASA is seeking a newly built website that makes page creation, content updates, and design as easy as possible. The team will be engaged throughout the project and is willing to learn a new platform if another solution is best suited to meet OWASA's goals and modernization needs. The team has approximately three years of beginner-to-intermediate content-management experience, and website content management represents approximately 15% of the team's workload.

4. OBJECTIVES FOR THE NEW WEBSITE

1. Updated design with strong brand-guided visual elements.

2. A user-friendly Content Management System (CMS) that allows communications staff to update content quickly, easily, and consistently.

3. ADA accessibility: meet WCAG 2.2 AA standards and establish protocols to help ensure future content continues to meet these standards.

4. Greater user empowerment through improved accessibility, self-service, intuitive navigation, and improved search capabilities.

5. Seamless integration with third-party platforms.

6. An AI-ready website architecture and content environment.

7. Improved mobile responsiveness and desktop optimization based on analytics.

8. A graphically pleasing, modern user experience.

9. Improved customer access and interface to services, including bill pay, account review, and water conservation tools.

10. Modernized and simplified content management.

11. Enhanced cybersecurity.

5. DESIRED FEATURES AND INTEGRATIONS

1. Emergency alert banner.

2. Display of water outage notification map through iframe or comparable integration.

3. Online bill payment link.

4. Accessible, non-PDF display of water quality reports.

5. Capital improvement projects dashboard.

6. Public meeting information through eScribe integration.

7. Employment opportunities.

8. Procurement bid opportunities.

9. Interactive service area map using GIS.

10. Language translation.

11. Staff directory.

12. Document search for a large development database.

13. Customer feedback and sign-up forms through Cognito integration.

14. Social media integrations, including Facebook, Nextdoor, X/Twitter, Bluesky, and LinkedIn.

15. Analytics dashboard.

16. PFAS data dashboard through Power BI integration.

17. Water Watch tool.

18. Preservation of current integrations where appropriate.

19. Link to and/or integration with the portal for property developers.

6. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

1. Cybersecurity and user privacy.

2. ADA accessibility: meet WCAG 2.2 AA standards and establish an approach for archiving non-essential documents, forms, and reports on the site.

3. Emergency readiness and alert-banner functionality.

4. A low-bandwidth version of the website, comparable to the functionality on the current site, that staff can toggle on during emergencies to communicate pertinent water-service and public-health information.

5. Dynamic dashboards/storyboards for Water Watch; capital improvements planned and underway; bid opportunities with easy back-end updates; and template storyboards for future Water Quality Report Cards and Wastewater Report Cards.

6. Social media integrations capable of displaying recent social posts.

7. Google Analytics update/modernization.

8. A custom-built, future-oriented site that does not rely on plugins or other tools that are not future-proof or could become obsolete.

9. Code and Asset Ownership: OWASA will own all custom code, design files, and content.

7. OWASA'S AUDIENCE AND CURRENT WEBSITE

Primary Audiences

1. Customers, including residents, business owners, local schools, UNC students, faculty and staff on and off campus, UNC Health facilities, other medical facilities, and retirement living communities, seeking billing information, service changes, water quality reports, water supply information, reservoir recreation information, and information on starting and stopping service.

2. Property developers seeking OWASA standards, specifications, permits, and services.

3. Contractors and engineers seeking bid opportunities, standards, and specifications.

4. People outside OWASA's service area seeking recreational information for University Lake and Cane Creek

Reservoir.

5. Potential employees seeking careers at OWASA.

6. Town Council members, Orange County Commissioners, and Town of Chapel Hill and Town of Carrboro planning staff.

Current Website OWASA.org consists of approximately 56 landing pages, plus several resource libraries, member login areas, sliders, photos, tables, charts, calendars, and other content.

The homepage is the starting point for customers across Chapel Hill and Carrboro to access water and sewer bills, track water usage, find events, access water quality data and reports, find bid opportunities, learn about emergencies causing service disruptions and how homes or businesses may be affected, view plans for capital improvement projects, and more.

The highest-traffic pages include the homepage; Start, Stop, Move, where new customers establish or cancel accounts;

Recreation, where visitors sign up to visit reservoirs for fishing or boating; My Account pages for bill information; and Bid Opportunities.

Recent analytics show an average engagement time of 49 seconds, approximately 24 users per hour, and approximately 30,000 monthly views.

Current site problems include search engines directing users to outdated content or failing to surface relevant existing content; ineffective website search; old content appearing in Google searches; confusing or unintuitive navigation; an outdated overall user experience; and outdated design and brand elements.

Current Content Management System: WordPress 7.0.1 with approximately 44 plugins.

Prominent current features include navigation, responsive mobile design, responsive layout, a footer with quick links, visual hierarchy, calls to action, and a search bar.

Current Integrations and External Portals

• Power BI, Cognito, eScribe, GIS, and Agua Vista.

• Customer account portal: VXSmart and Invoice Cloud.

• Board of Directors agenda materials: eScribe.

• Career Development: NeoGov. OWASA's career page directs users to NeoGov for career information.

• Trimble Development Portal / Timmons Community Portal: CityWorks, OWASA's work order/asset management system, was purchased by Trimble in 2019. The portal is Trimble's public access for system development permitting and plan review software, which OWASA is acquiring. OWASA chose to utilize Timmons Community Portal;

Timmons is an implementing partner of CityWorks/Trimble.

• Iframes, including GIS (Water Outages, Service Area Map, Capital Projects), Power BI dashboards, and Cognito Forms.

Website Statistics - FY 2026 Monthly Average

Metric FY 2026 Monthly Average

Average Engagement Time Per User 49 seconds

Views 20,220

New Users 7,617

Metric FY 2026 Monthly Average

Active Users 8,867

8. DELIVERABLES

Discovery and Information Gathering

• Analytics review of the current website.

• Facilitation of stakeholder engagement, including user feedback to identify pain points and usability insights and internal stakeholder engagement to identify key information needed on the website.

• SEO evaluation and improvement plan.

• Stakeholder interviews, content audit, technical audit, and user research.

• Website audit report.

• Rebuild strategy report.

Design Plan

• Design and navigation plan for OWASA review and collaboration.

• Facilitation of stakeholder review.

• Web design visual refresh in alignment with OWASA's brand.

Content Migration

• Migration of existing content.

• Removal of outdated content.

• Archiving of content that does not require active retention but is useful for historical reference.

• Stakeholder review of migrated content.

Redirects

• A complete redirect map as a pre-launch deliverable.

• Every old URL must have a 301 redirect to its new page equivalent. Generic redirects to the homepage are not acceptable.

Warranty, Training, and Support

• A 90-day post-go-live warranty period to identify and fix bugs and monitor and manage redirects.

• Staff training and supporting documentation, including how to maintain WCAG 2.2 AA compliance and content-management SOPs.

• Ongoing technical support.

New Content

• New messaging, page copy, and new content sections will be written by OWASA staff or scoped separately.

9. SERVICE REQUIREMENTS

Content Migration

• Migration of existing content.

• Removal of outdated content.

• SEO optimization.

• Metadata creation.

Quality Assurance and Testing

Launch and Stabilization

Privacy and User Data

• Ensure privacy of user data and transfer of user data to the new site.

Google Search Console Monitoring

• Submit an updated sitemap within 24 hours of launch, with indexing requests for high-priority pages.

Google Analytics Transfer

SEO Discovery

• Use the discovery process to determine what SEO competitiveness means for OWASA.

Ongoing Maintenance and Support

• Responsive proposers will provide a summary of the cost and scope of ongoing maintenance and support of the

OWASA website and OWASA's communications team's takeover of content management, including staff training, updates, security monitoring, backups, and ad-hoc development hours.

Title Tag and Meta Description Migration

• Custom metadata must be transferred or rewritten with SEO intent preserved.

Post-Launch 404 Monitoring

• Provide 90 days of post-launch monitoring to troubleshoot redirects, with weekly reports for the first four weeks followed by monthly reports.

Structured Data and Schema Markup Carryover

Performance Targets

• Page load time under three seconds.

• Passing Core Web Vitals scores.

• Mobile performance parity with desktop.

Vendor-Provided Hosting Post-Launch

Warranty Period

• Provide a 90-day warranty period during which the vendor will manage all bugs and fixes.

Training

• Provide at least four hours of live CMS training for content editors.

• Provide written documentation covering common tasks.

Code and Asset Ownership

• OWASA will own all custom code, design files, and content.

Access Documentation

• All logins, API keys, and administrative access must be documented and transferred at project completion.

Discovery Phase

• Include stakeholder interviews, content audit, technical audit, and user research.

• The proposed budget and timeline may change based on what discovery reveals.

10. PROJECT GOVERNANCE

Project Lead Katie Hall, Public Information Officer

Approval Authority Mary Tiger, Director of Community Relations; Katie Hall, Public Information Officer

Departments/Staff Stakeholders Executive Team (3); Department Directors (8)

Attachment B - Cost Proposal Form | OWASA.org Website Rebuild

ATTACHMENT B - COST PROPOSAL FORM

OWASA.org Website Rebuild | RFP No. 27-001

Instructions: Complete this form in its entirety. Pricing shall include all labor, materials, equipment, overhead, profit, travel, and other costs necessary to perform the identified services, except for costs expressly identified as excluded or optional. Do not include this form in the 15-page limit for Section 1 - Qualifications and Approach.

Firm Name: ____________________________________________________________ Primary Contact: _______________________________________________________ Email / Phone: _______________________________________________________

A. BASE PROJECT COST

Provide a lump-sum cost for each project phase. The Total Base Project Cost should represent the complete cost to perform the base Scope of Work from discovery through launch and stabilization.

Project Phase / Service Included in Base Scope Lump-Sum Cost

Discovery, Strategy and Planning Yes / No $ __________________

Design Yes / No $ __________________

Development Yes / No $ __________________

Content Migration Yes / No $ __________________

Quality Assurance and Testing Yes / No $ __________________

Launch and Stabilization Yes / No $ __________________

Staff Training and Documentation Yes / No $ __________________

Other Required Base-Scope Services (describe below) Yes / No $ __________________

TOTAL BASE PROJECT COST $ __________________

Description of Other Required Base-Scope Services, if applicable:

B. POST-LAUNCH AND ONGOING SERVICES

Provide separate pricing for post-launch services. Clearly indicate when a service is included in the Total Base Project Cost.

Service Pricing Basis Cost

90-Day Warranty / Bug-Fix Period Included in Base Cost / Separate $ __________________

Website Hosting Annual $ __________________ / year

Ongoing Maintenance and Technical Support

Annual $ __________________ / year

Additional / Ad-Hoc Development Hourly $ __________________ / hour

Other Recurring Cost (describe) Specify $ __________________

C. OPTIONAL SERVICES

Identify and price any recommended optional services that are not included in the Total Base Project Cost. Optional services will not be assumed to be part of the base Scope of Work unless expressly incorporated into the resulting agreement.

Attachment B - Cost Proposal Form | OWASA.org Website Rebuild

Optional Service Description Cost

D. THIRD-PARTY, LICENSE, SUBSCRIPTION, AND OTHER COSTS

Identify any licenses, subscriptions, third-party fees, reimbursable expenses, or other costs necessary to implement, host, maintain, or operate the proposed solution that are not included in the Total Base Project Cost.

Item / Service Purpose One-Time Cost Recurring Cost

E. PRICING ASSUMPTIONS / EXCLUSIONS

List any assumptions, exclusions, limitations, or conditions that materially affect the pricing proposed above. If none, state “None.”

F. PRICING CERTIFICATION

The undersigned certifies that the pricing provided on this form is complete and accurate and includes all costs necessary to perform the services identified as part of the base Scope of Work, except for costs expressly identified on this form as excluded, optional, or separately priced. The undersigned further certifies that they are authorized to submit this Cost Proposal on behalf of the firm.

Authorized Representative:

Title:

Signature:

Date:

Firm Name:

Telephone:

Email:

Attachment C - E-Verify Affidavit | RFP 27-001

ATTACHMENT C - E-VERIFY AFFIDAVIT

RFP 27-001 - OWASA.org Website Rebuild

Employer / Proposer Name:

Authorized Affiant:

I, the individual identified above, being duly authorized by and on behalf of the entity identified as the "Employer," after first being duly sworn, hereby swear or affirm as follows:

1. Employer understands that E-Verify is the federal E-Verify program operated by the United States Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies, or any successor or equivalent program used to verify the work authorization of newly hired employees pursuant to federal law.

2. Employer understands that, under Article 2 of Chapter 64 of the North Carolina General Statutes, an “Employer” generally means a person, business entity, or other organization that transacts business in North Carolina and employs twenty-five

(25) or more employees in North Carolina. An Employer subject to Article 2 must verify the work authorization of newly hired employees through E-Verify.

3. Employer certifies that it will comply with the requirements of Article 2 of Chapter 64 of the North Carolina General Statutes, to the extent applicable to Employer.

4. Employer will require its subcontractors under the resulting contract, if any, to comply with the requirements of Article 2 of Chapter 64 of the North Carolina General Statutes, to the extent applicable.

Statutory Note: N.C.G.S. § 143-133.3 requires contractors and their subcontractors under applicable public contracts to comply with Article 2 of Chapter 64. The twenty-five (25)-employee threshold is part of the definition of “Employer” in N.C.G.S. § 64-25.

AFFIANT CERTIFICATION

Date:

Signature of Affiant:

Print or Type Name:

Title:

Name of Counterparty:

Orange Water and Sewer Authority

NOTARY ACKNOWLEDGMENT

State of:

County of:

Signed and sworn to (or affirmed) before me this the:

______ day of ____________________, 20____

Notary Public:

My Commission Expires:

Signature of Notary Public:

Notarial Seal:

Attachment D - Certification Regarding Conflict of Interest | RFP 27-001

ATTACHMENT D - CERTIFICATION REGARDING CONFLICT OF INTEREST

RFP 27-001 - OWASA.org Website Rebuild

The Proposer must disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest that could affect, or reasonably appear to affect, its ability to perform the work objectively and in OWASA's best interest. This requirement applies to the Proposer, its affiliates, proposed subconsultants/subcontractors, and key personnel.

OWASA's Code of Ethics restricts certain relationships between OWASA employees or Board members and persons or entities conducting or proposing to conduct business with OWASA and prohibits the acceptance of gifts from vendors. Disclosed conflicts will be evaluated by OWASA's General Counsel to determine the appropriate course of action. Failure to disclose a conflict may affect eligibility to participate in OWASA's procurement process.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST CERTIFICATION

Select ONE:

☐ NO CONFLICT DISCLOSED

After reasonable inquiry, the Proposer is not aware of any actual or potential conflict of interest related to this solicitation or the resulting contract.

☐ CONFLICT DISCLOSED

The Proposer has identified an actual or potential conflict of interest and has completed the disclosure section below. Attach additional pages if necessary.

DISCLOSURE OF ACTUAL OR POTENTIAL CONFLICT

Individual / Company / Relationship Involved:

Nature of Actual or Potential Conflict:

Proposed Mitigation / Remedy:

CERTIFICATION AND SIGNATURE

The undersigned certifies that the information provided on this form is true and complete to the best of their knowledge and that they are authorized to make this certification on behalf of the Proposer.

Proposer / Company Name:

Date:

Authorized Representative:

Title:

Authorized Signature:

Email / Telephone:

Attachment E - Iran Divestment Act Certification | RFP 27-001

ATTACHMENT E - IRAN DIVESTMENT ACT CERTIFICATION

RFP 27-001 - OWASA.org Website Rebuild

RFP Number: 27-001

Name of Vendor or Bidder:

REQUIRED BY N.C.G.S. 143C-6A-5(a)

As of the date listed below, the vendor or bidder listed above is not listed on the Final Divestment List created by the State Treasurer pursuant to N.C.G.S. 143-6A-4.

The undersigned hereby certifies that he or she is authorized by the vendor or bidder listed above to make the foregoing statement.

CERTIFICATION AND SIGNATURE

Signature:

Date:

Printed Name:

Title:

NOTES TO PERSONS SIGNING THIS FORM

N.C.G.S. 143C-6A-5(a) requires this certification for bids or contracts with the State of North Carolina, a North Carolina local government, or any other political subdivision of the State of North Carolina. The certification is required at the following times:

• When a bid is submitted.

• When a contract is entered into (if the certification was not already made when the vendor made its bid).

• When a contract is renewed or assigned.

N.C.G.S. 143C-6A-5(b) requires that contractors with the State, a North Carolina local government, or any other political subdivision of the State of North Carolina must not utilize any subcontractor found on the State Treasurer's Final Divestment List.

The State Treasurer's Final Divestment List can be found on the State Treasurer's website and is updated every 180 days.

Attachment F - Companies Boycotting Israel Divestment Act Certification | RFP 27-001

ATTACHMENT F - COMPANIES BOYCOTTING ISRAEL DIVESTMENT ACT CERTIFICATION

RFP 27-001 - OWASA.org Website Rebuild

RFP/RFQ Number: 27-001

Name of Contracting Party or Bidder:

REQUIRED BY N.C.G.S. § 147-86.81 et seq.

Pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 147-86.81, any person identified as engaging in a boycott of Israel, as defined by the Act, and appearing on the Final Divestment List created by the State Treasurer, is ineligible to contract with the State of North Carolina or any political subdivision of the State.

As of the date listed below, the supplier or bidder listed above is not listed on the Final Divestment List created by the State Treasurer pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 147-86.81.

The undersigned hereby certifies that he or she is authorized by the contracting party or bidder listed above to make the foregoing statement.

CERTIFICATION AND SIGNATURE

Signature:

Date:

Printed Name:

Title:

NOTES TO PERSONS SIGNING THIS FORM

N.C.G.S. § 147-86.81 requires this certification for bids or contracts with the State of North Carolina, a North Carolina local government, or any other political subdivision of the State of North Carolina. The certification is required at the following times:

• When a bid is submitted.

• When a contract is entered into (if the certification was not already made when the vendor made its bid).

• When a contract is renewed or assigned.

N.C.G.S. § 147-86.81(b) requires that contractors with the State, a North Carolina local government, or any other political subdivision of the State of North Carolina must not utilize any subcontractor found on the State Treasurer's Final Divestment List.

The State Treasurer's Final Divestment List is maintained on the State Treasurer's website and is updated every 180 days.

Note: Enacted by Session Law 2017-193 as N.C.G.S. § 147-86.81 et seq.

Attachment G - Non-Collusion Affidavit | RFP 27-001

ATTACHMENT G - NON-COLLUSION AFFIDAVIT

RFP 27-001 - OWASA.org Website Rebuild

Proposer / Company Name:

Business Address:

The Proposer, being duly sworn, solemnly swears or affirms that neither the Proposer nor any officer, official, agent, employee, or representative of the Proposer has entered into any agreement, participated in any collusion, or otherwise taken any action in restraint of free competitive bidding in connection with this solicitation or any resulting contract.

The Proposer further swears or affirms that it has not been convicted of violating N.C.G.S. § 133-24 within the last three (3) years and that it intends to perform the work with its own bona fide employees or subcontractors and is not submitting this proposal for the benefit of another contractor.

By submitting this Non-Collusion Affidavit, the Proposer certifies, under penalty of perjury according to North Carolina law, its compliance with the foregoing non-collusion requirements.

PROPOSER CERTIFICATION

Authorized Representative:

Title:

Signature:

Date:

Witness Name:

Witness Signature:

NOTARY ACKNOWLEDGMENT

AFFIDAVIT MUST BE NOTARIZED

State of:

County of:

Subscribed and sworn to (or affirmed) before me this the:

______ day of ____________________, 20____

Notary Public:

My Commission Expires:

Signature of Notary Public:

Notarial Seal:

Attachment H - Reference Form | RFP 27-001

ATTACHMENT H - REFERENCE FORM

RFP 27-001 - OWASA.org Website Rebuild

PROPOSER TO COMPLETE AND RETURN WITH PROPOSAL

Provide references for the three (3) similar website rebuild projects identified in Section 1 - Qualifications and Approach.

References should be for projects completed within the past five (5) years. OWASA may contact the references provided to verify the proposer's experience and past performance.

Proposer/Firm Name: ______________________________________________________________

REFERENCE NO. 1

Client / Organization:

Project Name:

Contact Person:

Title:

Email:

Telephone:

Project Dates:

Contract / Project Value:

Platform / CMS:

Brief Description of Services / Project Scope:

REFERENCE NO. 2

Client / Organization:

Project Name:

Contact Person:

Title:

Email:

Telephone:

Project Dates:

Contract / Project Value:

Platform / CMS:

Brief Description of Services / Project Scope:

REFERENCE NO. 3

Client / Organization:

Project Name:

Contact Person: Title:

Attachment H - Reference Form | RFP 27-001

Email:

Telephone:

Project Dates:

Contract / Project Value:

Platform / CMS:

Brief Description of Services / Project Scope:

REFERENCE INFORMATION CERTIFICATION

The proposer certifies that the reference information provided above is accurate and that OWASA is authorized to contact the listed references regarding the proposer's performance.

Authorized Representative:

Title:

Signature:

Date:

Attachment I - RFP Response Checklist | RFP 27-001

ATTACHMENT I - RFP RESPONSE CHECKLIST

RFP 27-001 - OWASA.org Website Rebuild

Complete and return this checklist with your proposal. Confirm that each required item is included before submission.

Proposer / Firm Name: ______________________________________________________________________

Required Proposal Component Included? Submission Note

Section 1 – Qualifications and Approach ☐ Yes ☐ No Maximum 15 pages

Section 2 – Cost Proposal, including Attachment B – Cost Proposal Form ☐ Yes ☐ No Submit as separate PDF

Attachment C – E-Verify Affidavit ☐ Yes ☐ No Required

Attachment D – Certification Regarding Conflict of Interest ☐ Yes ☐ No Required

Attachment E – Iran Divestment Act Certification ☐ Yes ☐ No Required

Attachment F – Companies Boycotting Israel Divestment Act Certification ☐ Yes ☐ No Required

Attachment G – Non-Collusion Affidavit ☐ Yes ☐ No Required

Attachment H – Reference Form ☐ Yes ☐ No Required

Attachment I – RFP Response Checklist ☐ Yes ☐ No Complete and return

FINAL CHECK BEFORE SENDING

☐ Proposal is signed by an authorized representative.

☐ Submission includes two separate PDF files: Section 1 – Qualifications and Approach and Section 2 – Cost Proposal.

☐ Email subject line reads: “Response to RFP 27-001 – OWASA.org Website Rebuild.”

☐ Proposal will be submitted before the deadline with sufficient time to confirm OWASA's receipt.

Reminder: Late proposals will not be accepted. If you do not receive confirmation of receipt within a reasonable period after submission, contact David Moore at 919-271-3905 before the proposal deadline.

10 COSTS AND DAMAGES