RFP_26-04,_Bid_Documents.pdf

CITY OF BARTOW

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

RFP 26-04,

UTILITY METER READING SERVICES

ISSUED DATE: NOVEMBER 21, 2025

QUESTIONS DUE: DECEMBER 23, 2025

RESPONSES DUE: TUESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2025

PRIOR TO 2:00 P.M. (EDT)

(Proposals Will Not Be Opened on Regularly Scheduled Wednesday Due to Holidays)

OPENING OF PROPOSALS: TUESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2025

AT 2:00 P.M. (EDT) OR SHORTLY THEREAFTER

ATTACHED ARE IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS AND SPECIFICATIONS REGARDING

RESPONSES TO THIS RFP. FAILURE TO FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS COULD

RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION.

SUBMIT SEALED RESPONSES TO:

Danielle Rose, Purchasing Manager City of Bartow-Purchasing Department 450 N. Wilson Ave.

Bartow, FL 33830 Office Hours: 7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (M-F) Phone# (863) 534-0141 Email: drose@cityofbartow.net mailto:drose@cityofbartow.net

CITY OF BARTOW

NOTICE OF

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

(RFP)# 26-04, UTILITY METER READING SERVICES

NOVEMBER 21, 2025

Sealed Proposals (1) unbound single sided original of its proposal, five (5) complete paper copies of its proposal, and one (1) electronic copy of its proposal in Adobe PDF format on a USB flash drive will be received by the City of Bartow’s Purchasing Department located within Bartow’s City Hall: 450 N. Wilson Ave, Bartow, Florida 33830 until 2:00 P.M., Tuesday, December 30, 2025 and publicly opened shortly thereafter, at City Hall within a designated Conference Room in response to the “Request for Proposals (“RFP”).

SCOPE: The City of Bartow, Florida (City”) is actively seeking a qualified, and experienced utility meter reading vendors to provide monthly electric and water metering services for the City of Bartow’s Customer Service Department, in an area of strong economic growth and new construction presence. Please be sure to download the full bid documents for further details from the City of Bartow’s website:

https://www.cityofbartow.net/310/Bid-Opportunities (free). Note: Starting December 1, 2025, all solicitations will be managed and advertised through OpenGov, which means Bid Opportunities will no longer but posted on DemandStar. Interested parties should regularly check the City of Bartow’s website for instructions accessing OpenGov and registering.

QUESTIONS DEADLINE: All inquiries, questions, and requests for additional information regarding this RFP shall be addressed to Danielle Rose, drose@cityofbartow.net, in writing, in ample time before the period set for the receipt and opening of proposals. Inquiries, if received prior to 4:00 P.M. on Tuesday, December 23, 2025, will be answered. Any inquiries received after that time will not be answered or given any consideration. Oral answers will not be authoritative. The City shall issue any City responses for proposers’ inquiries in the form of an addendum to the RFP, posted on the City’s website and Demandstar as timely as possible.

For additional information contact the City's Purchasing Department at (863)534- 0141.

Sincerely, Danielle Rose, City of Bartow – Purchasing Manager https://www.cityofbartow.net/310/Bid-Opportunities

RFP/Bid Registration Form

It is recommended that any person or vendor wishing to submit a proposal register for this specific project by utilizing the form listed below. If you do not register with the City, you will not directly receive addenda that may be issued, which could result in disqualification of your proposal.

If you would like to register with the City of Bartow in its entirety for any future proposals/bids an Online Vendor Registration Form is also available on the City’s website under Doing Business / Bid Opportunities / Vendor Registration:

https://www.cityofbartow.net/311/Vendor-Registration.

Date: _____________

RFP #: 26-04

RFP Title: UTILITY METER READING SERVICES

Carefully complete this form and return it to the Purchasing Department via e-mail to purchasing@cityofbartow.net. You must submit one form for each solicitation that you are registering for.

NAME OF BUSINESS: ___________________________________________________________

MAILING ADDRESS: ____________________________________________________________

CITY: __________________________________________________________________________

STATE: ________________________________________________________________________

NAME (SIGN & PRINT): __________________________________________________________

TITLE: _________________________________________________________________________

TELEPHONE NUMBER: __________________________________________________________

EMAIL ADDRESS: ______________________________________________________________

CONTACT NAME (IF DIFFERENT THAN ABOVE) ___________________________________

REMARKS: ____________________________________________________________________

https://www.cityofbartow.net/311/Vendor-Registration mailto:purchasing@cityofbartow.net

STATEMENT OF “NO-BID”

IF YOU DO NOT INTEND TO BID ON THIS REQUIREMENT, PLEASE COMPLETE AND

RETURN THIS FORM PRIOR TO DATE SHOWN FOR RECEIPT OF BIDS TO: CITY OF

BARTOW, ATTN: PURCHASING DEPARTMENT, 450 N. WILSON AVE., BARTOW, FL

33830 OR EMAIL TO purchasing@cityofbartow.net.

WE, THE UNDERSGINED, HAVE DECLINED TO BID ON RFP #26-04, UTILITY METER

READING SERVICES OPENING ON TUESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2025, FOR THE

FOLLOWING REASON(S):

______ SPECIFICATIONS ARE TOO RESTRICTIVE (PLEASE EXPLAIN REASON

BELOW)

______ INSUFFICIENT TIME TO RESPOND TO INVITATION TO BID

______ WE DO NOT OFFER THESE PRODUCTS.

______ OUR PRODUCTION SCHEDULE WOULD NOT PERMIT US TO PERFORM.

______ UNABLE TO MEET SPECIFICATIONS

______ UNABLE TO MEET BOND REQUIREMENTS

______ SPECIFICATIONS UNCLEAR (PLEASE EXPLAIN BELOW)

______ OTHER (PLEASE EXPLAIN BELOW)

REMARKS:

COMPANY NAME

ADDRESS

SIGNATURE AND TITLE

TELEPHONE NUMBER EMAIL ADDRESS

DATE

mailto:purchasing@cityofbartow.net

SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND INFORMATION

1.1. Purpose of Solicitation

The City of Bartow, Florida (City”) is actively seeking a qualified and experienced Vendors capable of providing the required services consisting of utility metering reading services for electric and water utilities to more than approximately 24,000 customers in the City of Bartow’s Utilities Service Areas (BUSA). The City intends to evaluate submitted proposals and award a Contract to one (1) vendor with exemplary credentials exhibiting comprehensive experience in said field of services.

The Customer Service (Billing) Division of the Finance Department is responsible for monitoring day-to-day operations with the selected meter reading company, and for ensuring that quality, thoroughness, timeliness, customer service and public image goals are fully met.

Throughout the City's service area there are both manual and automated meter reading (AMR) devices. All meters are read and billed monthly. The total service areas currently cover approximately 115 square miles.

CUSTOMER TYPE METER COUNT

Residential 21,387 (9,000 are water) Commercial / Industrial 2,545 (774 are water) Municipal / Government 296 (164 are water) Multi-Family 36

Water Meter Types The list below provides the different types of meters that the City currently utilizes for water and electricity services:

• AMCO

• ZENNER

• RG3

• Landis

• Fyr

• Aclara

• Elster

• G.E.

The awarded Contractor shall be able to provide and coordinate water and electric meter reading services as provided for in this bid, plus all related operations associated with those as detailed herein.

In order to avoid any interruption in billing services, sufficient testing must first be completed for vendor to satisfy the City of Bartow Information Technology Department that their communications and proposed equipment is ready and able to perform satisfactorily prior to Contract execution (or as a condition of the contract), can officially begin. The period for testing is not to exceed two

(2) months, however, may be extendable if warranted and mutually agreed upon by the Contractor and the City.

The cost per read of Water and Electric Meter Readings utilizing Contractor purchased, owned and maintained smartphone meter reading system, must be inclusive of, but not limited to the purchase of equipment, software, licenses, operations, services, maintenance, labor and travel, required for reading existing meters and providing transferable data files fully compatible with Tyler Technologies, Utility Billing System Incode Version 9. The City is currently using Tyler Technologies Incode version 9 for Utility Billing module and is expecting to upgrade to OpenGov and will coordinate with the selected vendor upon implementation.

Note: Please be advised the selected vendor will need to work with IT on the flat file transfer specification.

1.2 City Background Information

The City of Bartow, Florida (hereinafter known as "the City") was granted its municipal charter in 1882. It is located in Central Florida, within Polk County, and is accessible from U.S. Highway 17 and State Road 60. Its neighboring cities are Lakeland and Winter Haven, and it is situated between Tampa and Orlando. It is the County Seat and serves a resident population of approximately 20,000.

The City has approximately 290 full-time employees and provides a number of municipal services including Fire Protection, Police Protection, Public Works, Parks and Recreation, Library Services, Golf, Electric Distribution, Water Treatment, Wastewater Treatment, Stormwater Treatment, Fiber Optic Services and Solid Waste Collection.

The City is governed by a Commission-Manager form of government. The City Manager, who is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the elected five-member City Commission, serves as the City’s Chief Executive Officer. Elected officials serve 3-year staggered terms and are chosen in non-partisan elections. Three seats represent specific districts and two seats are elected at-large. Annually the City Commission elects one Commissioner to serve as Mayor. The City Commission is responsible for the legislative and policy direction functions of City government.

SECTION 2: RFP INFORMATION

2.1. RFP Process

In accordance with F.S 287.057 and more fully explained in this RFP, an award, if made, shall be made to the best overall proposer(s) whose proposal is most advantageous to the City, taking into consideration the evaluation factors set forth in this RFP. The City shall not use any other factors or criteria in the evaluation of the proposals received. The Evaluation Committee empaneled for this solicitation will review the qualifications of all submitting proposers as part of the selection process. The City reserves the rights to: (a) determine, at its sole discretion, whether a Proposal satisfactorily meets the criteria established in this RFP; and (b) seek clarification from any vendor(s) submitting a statement of qualifications/Proposal.

Responses specified shall be furnished in accordance with the terms and conditions of the RFP solicitation, the specifications, addenda issued by the City of Bartow if any, and all other documents prepared for this procurement submittal. A form W-9 should be attached to each Proposer’s response when returned by the responding vendor. Payment under any resulting contract will be rendered to the name of the vendor appearing on the Proposer’s form W-9.

The City of Bartow reserves the right to reject any and all proposals, to waive informalities, to re-advertise, and to enter into a contract or series of contracts determined to be in its best interest, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the solicitation.

2.2. Interested Parties.

All interested parties must submit the requested information within the time provided herein.

2.3. Qualifications

Vendors shall be in the business of providing professional services as it relates to the utility metering reading services as further described in the scope of work and each vendor submitting a Proposal must possess sufficient financial support, equipment and organization to ensure that it can satisfactorily perform services if awarded a Contract. Proposers must demonstrate that they, or the principals assigned to the City’s project, have successfully provided services of similar magnitude to those specified in this RFP to at least one (1) government agency and the managerial and financial ability to successfully perform the work envisioned by this RFP.

Proposers must satisfy each of the following requirements cited below. Failure to do so will result in the Proposal being deemed non-responsive:

2.3.1 Before awarding the Contract, the City reserves the right to require that a Proposer submit such evidence of qualifications as the City may deem necessary. Further, the City may consider any evidence of the financial, technical, and other qualifications and abilities of a Proposer in making the award in the best interest of the City.

2.3.2 Proposer shall have no record of judgments, pending lawsuits against the City or criminal activities involving moral turpitude and shall not have any conflicts of interest that have not been disclosed to and waived by the City.

2.3.3 Neither Proposer nor any principal, officer, or stockholder of Proposer(s) shall be in arrears or in default of any debt or contract involving the City, (as a party to a contract, or otherwise); nor have failed to perform satisfactorily on any previous contract with the City.

2.4. Selection

It is the intent of the City to enter into an Agreement with the top ranked vendor following the negotiation of services to be render. The final Agreement will require approval by the City Commission at one of their regular meetings.

Award:

The City intends to award to one (1) vendor; however, the City reserves the right to award as the City deems in its best interest. The City of Bartow also reserves the right to reject any or all Responses or any part of any Response, to waive any informality in any Response, or to re-advertise for all or any part of the work contemplated.

2.5. Term of Agreement

The performance period for this project shall be three (3) years. Upon expiration of the initial term, the agreement may be renewed on an annual basis thereafter upon mutual written agreement of the parties. If the agreement is renewed, any price adjustments for services may be negotiated and finalized through a written amendment to the contract executed by both parties.

2.5.1 It is the intention of the City that the Vendor’s personnel proposed for the contract will be available for the contract term. In the event the Contractor wishes to substitute personnel, he shall propose personnel of equal or higher qualifications and all replacement personnel are subject to City approval. In the event substitute personnel are not satisfactory to the City and the matter cannot be resolved to the satisfaction of the City, the City reserves the right to cancel the Contract for cause.

2.5.2 Vendor agrees and understands that the contract shall not be construed as an exclusive arrangement and further agrees that the City may, at any time, secure similar or identical services from another vendor at the City’s sole option.

2.5.3 Performance Period shall commence upon execution of the Agreement between the City and issuance of a Purchase Order to the successful vendor.

2.5.4 Vendor also agrees and understands that the contract shall not be construed as an exclusive arrangement and further agrees that the City may, at any time, secure similar or identical services from another vendor at the City’s sole option.

2.6. Insurance Requirements

2.6.1 Coverages

Successful Proposer shall, at a minimum, provide, pay for, and maintain in force at all times during the term of this Contract the following insurances:

2.6.1.1 Commercial Liability Insurance

Vendor shall maintain commercial general liability (CGL) insurance with a limit of not less than $1,000,000 each occurrence. If such CGL insurance contains a general aggregate limit, it shall apply separately to this location/project in the amount of $1,000,000. Products and completed operations aggregate shall be $1,000,000. CGL insurance shall be written on an occurrence form and shall include bodily injury and property damage liability for premises, operations, independent vendors, products and completed operations, contractual liability, broad form property damage and property damage resulting from explosion, collapse or underground (x,c,u) exposures, personal injury and advertising injury. Fire damage liability shall be included at $100,000.

2.6.1.2 Commercial Business Automobile Liability

Business Automobile Liability shall be provided with minimum limits of One Million Dollars ($1,000,000.00) per occurrence, combined single limit for Bodily Injury Liability and Property Damage Liability. Coverage must be afforded on a form no more restrictive than the latest edition of the Business Automobile Liability policy, without restrictive endorsements, as filed by the Insurance Services Office, and must include:

• Owned Vehicles, if applicable.

• Hired and Non-Owned Vehicles, if applicable.

• Employers' Non-Ownership, if applicable.

2.6.1.3 Workers Compensation Insurance

(a) Such insurance shall be no more restrictive than that provided by the Standard Workers’ Compensation Policy, as filed for use in Florida by the National Council of Compensation Insurance, without restrictive endorsements. In addition to coverage for the Florida Workers’ Act, where appropriate, coverage is to be included for the Federal Employer’s Liability Act and any other applicable Federal or State law. The policy must be endorsed to provide the Owner with thirty (30) days’ notice of cancellation.

The minimum amount of coverage (inclusive of any amount provided by an umbrella or excess policy) shall be:

(i) Part One: “Statutory”

(ii) Part Two: $1,000,000 Each Accident

$1,000,000 Disease-Policy Limit $1,000,000 Disease-Each Employee

2.6.2 General Provisions of Insurance

2.6.2.1 Such policy or policies shall be without any deductible amount unless otherwise noted in any ensuing Contract and shall be issued by approved companies authorized to do business in the State of Florida, and having agents upon whom service of process may be made in Polk County, Florida. Vendor shall pay all deductible amounts, if any. Vendor shall specifically protect the City and the Bartow City Commission by naming the City and the Bartow City Commission as additional insureds under the Commercial Liability Policy as well as on any Excess Liability Policy coverage.

2.6.2.2 Vendor shall furnish to the City a Certificate of Insurance or endorsements evidencing the insurance coverage specified herein within fifteen (15) calendar days after notification of award of any ensuing Contract. The required Certificates of Insurance shall name the types of policies provided, refer specifically to that Contract, and state that such insurance is as required by Contract. Vendor’s failure to provide to City the Certificates of Insurance or endorsements evidencing the insurance coverage within fifteen (15) calendar days shall provide the basis for Contract termination. The Certificates are to be signed by a person authorized by that insurer to bind coverage on its behalf and coverage shall be obtained with a carrier having an AM Best Rating of A-VII or better.

2.6.2.3 Coverage is not to cease and is to remain in force (subject to cancellation notice) until all performance required of Vendor is complete. Where commercially feasible, all policies must be endorsed to provide the City with at least thirty (30) days’ notice of expiration, cancellation and/or restriction. If any policy of insurance coverage will expire prior to the completion of the work, a copy of the renewal policy shall be furnished at least thirty (30) days prior to the date of the policy’s expiration.

2.6.2.4 The City reserves the right to review and revise any insurance requirements at the time of renewal or amendment of any ensuing Contract, including, but not limited to, deductibles, limits, coverage, and endorsements based on insurance market conditions affecting the availability or affordability of coverage, or changes in the scope of services that affect the applicability of coverage. If Vendor uses a subconsultant, Vendor shall ensure that subconsultant names City as an additional insured.

2.7 RFP Schedule

RFP PROCESS DATE

RFP Solicitation Issued November 21, 2025 Deadline to Submit Questions or Requests for Additional Information

December 23, 2025

Proposals Due December 30, 2025 1st Evaluation Committee Meeting – to review selection process

January 7, 2026

2nd Evaluation Committee Meeting – to shortlist January 16, 2026 3rd Evaluation Committee Meeting – to interview shortlisted vendors, if applicable

January 21, 2026

City Commission Award – Tentative TBD

2.8 Local Preference refer to Tab 6 for applicability

A purchasing preference shall be afforded to local vendors in accordance with the following criteria:

The term BUSA vendor mean any business whose commercial activities have been regularly transacted from a physical location within the boundaries of the City of Bartow Utility Service Area (BUSA) for a period of at least six months, including the date of quote or bid award.

A local vendor preference shall not be afforded in any quote or bid award where it is precluded by law, administrative rule, policy, regulation, or related funding agreement.

2.9 Vendor Preference, refer to Tab 7 for applicability

A purchasing preference shall be afforded to Veteran Business Enterprises (VBE), and Women/Minority Business Enterprises (W/MBE) in accordance with the following criteria:

(1) The term “Veteran-Owned Business Enterprise (VBE)” means any business having at least fifty-one (51%) ownership by a veteran owner who must have been honorably discharged from service and must independently control management and daily business operations. Must hold the professional license for the business, if applicable.

(2) The term “Women/Minority-Owned Business Enterprise (W/MBE)” means any business having at least fifty-one (51%) ownership by women or minority group members who independently control the management and daily business operations. Group members are Women, African

Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, and Native Americans.

Must hold the professional license for the business, if applicable.

In order for a vendor to be recognized as a VBE or W/MBE by the City the following documentation must be submitted with the vendor’s registration through the City’s e-procurement system and/or such documentation must be submitted with their quote or bid submission:

• Valid Veteran or W/MBE Certification form from one of the following:

• U.S. Small Business Administration

• National Veteran Owned Business Association

• Florida Minority Supplier Development Council

• Women Business Enterprise National Council

• The State of Florida Office of Supplier Diversity

• Florida Department of Transportation

• Other Florida governmental agencies

A Vendor preference shall not be afforded in any quote or bid award where it is precluded by law, administrative rule, policy, regulation or related funding agreement.

This policy in no way supersedes the Local Preference Policy.

SECTION 3: SCOPE OF SERVICES

3.1. Overview

The City of Bartow, Florida (“City”) is actively seeking a qualified and experienced vendor to provide vendor to provide utility meter reading services monthly for electric and water meters located with the City of Bartow’s Utilities Service Area.

The scope of services provided shall be construed broadly to include all matters related to said services.

3.2. Minimum Required Services

Contractor will be able to provide and coordinate water and electric meter reading as provided for in this bid, plus all related operations with those services as detailed herein. Standard requirements in the meter reading process shall include but are not limited to the following:

1. Read all water and electric meters monthly (approximately 24,500), within timeframes and accuracy guidelines set by the City.

2. Re-read all meters for which first readings or accurate initial readings have not been obtained. Re-reads, generated by the system or as deemed by City, will be completed by the awarded vendor at no additional cost to the city.

3. Report, via electronic hand-held meter reading devices, any problems or hazards encountered in the field while reading meters, including but not limited to problems with meter boxes and covers.

4. Immediately communicate to City staff about any unsafe or hazardous situation encountered while reading meters, including but not limited to cracked sidewalks and broken meter boxes and lids, etc.

5. Maintain water meter boxes to ensure safe and complete access is available to all the meters.

6. Provide pleasant and professional customer service to the public; resolve customers' questions, concerns or problems as they relate to meter readers, meters or meter reading.

7. Work and communicate with designated Customer Service staff daily.

8. Maintain records of meter sequence reports, meter reading exception listings, time stamp details, and other management reports, such as daily read schedule, employee listings (past and present) and complaints, pertinent to the oversight and direction of a meter reading operation.

9. Maintain a back-up copy of all software and data files related to the resulting contract at an off-site location for security and prompt retrieval when necessary for at least the preceding twenty-four (24) month period.

10. Maintain a minimum staff of six (6) meter readers and one (1) lead / supervisor for the duration of the contract.

11. Contact customers with meter accessibility issues the day prior to reading meters in the area.

12. Switching or changing meter readers on routes to ensure the same meter reader does not read the same route more than three months in a row.

13. Supervisor will be responsible for reporting to City Hall each day to obtain and return the necessary keys required to access meters located in secured or restricted areas.

3.3. Detailed Scope of Services

A more detailed scope of services to be performed includes, but is not limited to, the following:

1. Have the capacity, or ability to obtain the capacity, to expand meter reading services should the City determine if the service is needed.

Expansion of service during the contract term shall be at the sole discretion of the City and will be negotiated with the Vendor and subject to an amendment of the Agreement.

2. As required operationally, re-sequence meter routes as needed in coordination with the City Customer Service Manager. Meter routes in the process of being re sequenced may be read outside the normal route schedule, provided that the City approves the route schedule change within a week in advance of the change.

3. City shall provide in the read file the account number, address and Meter

ID number, previous read and High Limit. Photos will be requested by the City on Negative, Unread or Excess usage meters with Notes to include other photo request based on issues or concerns of specific parties.

4. Provide meter reading services for designated meter routes. There shall be no change in the number or configuration of the water and electric meter reading routes without the prior consent of the City and Vendor.

Each water meter route must be read in a sequence and timely fashion to support the City daily utility billing. It is expressly understood that Vendor will make every effort to read all meters in the route, however, if a read is not obtained due to no fault of Vendor, the read shall be billed but shall be marked as "Unread Meter" with note.

5. Provide and maintain for Meter Readers all apparatus necessary to perform Meter Reading Services.

6. Deliver meter reads via personalized web page designed by the Vendor for the City or any other agreed-upon medium to the City.

7. Ensure that all meter reading equipment, software and files used are compatible with City operating system and support current software.

8. Readings shall be accurate with an allowable error ratio of one (1) error per one thousand meters read. Meter reading errors will be charged back to the Vendor in accordance with the following schedule:

NUMBER OF ERRORS CHARGE TO VENDOR

One (1) per 1000 Meters Read

None

More than one (1) but less than two (2) per 1000 Meters read

$5.00 per error

Two (2) per 1000 Meters read

$10.00 per error

Three (3) or more errors per 1000 Meters read

$15.00 per error

Note: An error – is defined as an original read made by the meter reader that is subsequently determined to be incorrect. These charges shall be deducted from the following month's invoice.

Contractor shall ensure that at least 99.7% of all meters are read each month (i.e., no more than three unread meters per 1,000 scheduled meter reads).

Unread meters will be charged at the rate of $5.00 each for any unread meters exceeding three (3) per 1,000 scheduled meter reads and deducted from the Contractor’s current month invoice. At the City’s discretion, the unread meter charge may be waived for meters that cannot be read or located due to construction.

If, for any reason, it is believed that a meter reading is incorrect, and there is no photo with the reading, the Vendor will be issued a reread service order. All billing re-reads must be returned to City staff within one (1) working day from the day the re-read service order is generated by the City and given to Vendor.

Failure to do so will result in a charge back to the Vendor in the amount of $15.00 per day for each incident, unless the City gives prior written approval for the delay. Any charges associated with meter re-reads, where the original read is determined to be correct, must be specifically stated in the proposal.

The Vendor must complete all scheduled meter reading within the allotted time for each billing cycle. Failure to complete schedule on time will result in a charge back to the Vendor in the amount of $100.00 for each additional day required to complete the work.

The aforementioned financial penalties shall be considered liquidated damages under this Agreement.

9. Notify the City the same day of any hazardous conditions requiring immediate attention (e.g.: broken water meter box lids, broken meters, potential water leaks, construction issues, etc.). The Vendor will give the City access to meter reading codes and any incidents that may be connected with meter reading performance and/or the distribution of water and/or electric service. The reporting format shall be pre-approved by the City.

10. Report to the City damaged meters, damaged meter boxes and/or lids, leaking meters, or any other repairs that need to be made by the City at the time of attempted read. The Vendor shall report to the City, on the same working day, any hazardous or irregular situations observed on the City's water or electric distribution systems, including but not limited to suspected tampering, equipment or facility malfunctions, or actual potential safety problems.

11. Charge backs for services provided in the field

Failure to properly replace each meter box cover each

$10.00

Unapproved reading outside of normal business hours, per day

$100.00

Failure to obtain reading after two (2) consecutive months of no reading, per occurrence

$50.00

Failure to “Dig Out” meter box to depth of 2” below dial, each

$10.00

Break Curd-stop $100.00 Break Service Line or Customer Line $100.00

12. Be responsible for the routine cleaning of meters and meter boxes, which means ensuring that accessibility to the meter is not hampered by grass, sand or debris that can be reasonably set aside by a meter reader during the regular conduct of meter reading services. Any removal of debris, branches, limbs, etc., will not be done by the Vendor. The Vendor shall mark any meter that is unable to read due to this as an "unread with Note" and take a photo. The Vendor recognizes that it is unacceptable for meter box covers and/or caps to be left open or not properly sealed or closed and will take reasonable measures to ensure that these conditions are not caused by the Vendor or the Vendor's employees. All mechanical repairs to the meter boxes will be the responsibility of the City. Vendor's employees must NOT attempt repairs of any kind. The Vendor shall report to the City, on the same working day, all defective meter boxes, lids and meters in order that required repairs may be scheduled.

13. Not jump fences to reach a meter; the Vendor is to notify the City whenever they are unable to gain access to a meter. The Vendor will note these meters as "Unread with Notes' and take a photo.

14. At all times, employ only competent readers, experienced or well trained in the task being performed, and who are familiar with meter location, and Vendor shall continuously oversee the activities of such readers. At the City's written request, and based upon reasonable evidence that follows Federal, State, Local and Corporate guidelines, the Vendor shall immediately remove and replace any incompetent, careless or negligent meter readers.

15. Health and Safety: The Vendor shall be solely liable for the health, safety and well-being of all its’ personnel used to accomplish the required work under this contract.

16. Vendor shall furnish fully trained personnel deemed necessary to complete the work and is solely responsible for insuring that its employees have the necessary skill, knowledge, training and experience to perform meter reading accurately and safely so as not to injure or endanger the City, its employees or any third party. The Vendor is responsible for providing the City with a detailed training plan that demonstrates a commitment to employee training. Training materials and methods are subject to approval by the City. The Vendor shall notify the City in advance of training, time and location, so it can be monitored at the City's discretion.

17. Employee Identification: Personnel assigned will be required to wear a Vendor provided uniform and a visible identification badge with employee photo.

Uniform samples may be requested by the City prior to award, for approval, but must be provided within five (5) business days of request. The design of the uniform is subject to approval of the City. The logo, seal or name of the City shall not be used without the written permission of the City.

Cleaning of uniforms will be the responsibility of the Vendor. Vendor's employees must maintain a neat and clean appearance while providing meter reading services, and torn, worn, or soiled uniforms shall not be worn while performing services. The City reserves the right to inspect uniforms and require Vendor to replace them if soiled or damaged.

• Identification badges shall be worn and visible at all times while providing services under this contract.

• The Contractor shall ensure that employees return their ID badges upon termination or separation from employment.

• No meter reader will be permitted to work in the field without the appropriate uniform and identification badge, unless the employee is working in a training capacity and is accompanied by a trained meter reader. If the City observes an employee of the contractor, who is not in a training capacity, not wearing the appropriate uniform and /or identification, a charge of $25.00 will be deducted from next month’s bill for each incident.

18. Provide background checks on all employees that will read meters for the City.

Regarding anyone who might provide services to City, Vendor shall not employ anyone who has any prior felony arrests.

19. Provide full-time supervision of all personnel. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, arranging work assignments, monitoring of meter readers in the field and resolving customer complaints within two (2) working days. Failure to satisfactorily resolve customer complaints within two (2) working days will result in a charge back to the Vendor in the amount of $25.00 for each incident, unless the City gives prior approval for the delay. Such financial penalty shall be considered a measure of liquidated damages.

20. Driver Licenses: Vendor shall be responsible for checking their employees for proof of valid driver licenses at a minimum of every six (6) months if they are required to drive a motor vehicle. Contractor shall provide the City a list of these employees upon successful verification.

21. Vendor will furnish and be responsible for all properly insured transportation necessary to complete the work. Employee-owned vehicles may be used but at the sole responsibility of the Contractor for ensuring the appropriateness and safety of each vehicle. All vehicles must be professionally maintained so as to provide a clean and mechanically sound image. Vendor must furnish vehicle identification (approved by the City) clearly indicating its use for meter reading for the City.

22. Vendor’s employees will not consume alcohol or illegal substances during working hours, will not work while under the influence of alcohol or illegal substances, and will not smoke while on customers' premises or in City buildings. The City reserves the right to remove any of the Contractor’s employees found to be engaging in any of the above and the Contractor shall provide a qualified replacement employee immediately.

23. Customer Relations: the Vendor is responsible for ensuring that its employees conduct themselves in a courteous and professional manner when dealing with the public, utility customers and employees of the City.

24. The Vendor is responsible for becoming familiar with all meter reading routes and City operating procedures and for training its employees before work is to begin.

25. The City will provide the meter reading schedule and the Vendor shall adhere to the schedule in order to maintain the billing cycle. The City will work with the Vendor to make route changes that may improve meter reading efficiency. Any routes not completed will be re-issued by the City the next day. The reading schedule is subject to change with a minimum notice of ten (10) working days.

26. The City, at its discretion, may elect to waive any or all penalties provided for during the initial sixty (60) days of the contract.

27. Pay for all utilities costs associated with the staging area or office. (if applicable)

28. Report to the City any located meters that are not within the City Read file.

Vendor will inform the City of the Address, Meter ID Number, Location and current read.

29. Certified Readings Requirements: Electric Meters: A certified reading is required if the current month’s usage is 700 kWh or more above the previous month’s reading. Water Meters: A certified reading is required if the current month’s usage is 10,000 gallons or more than the previous month’s reading.

Negative or Unread Meters: Any negative or unread meters must include detailed notes explaining the situation. Photo Documentation: For all certified readings, a clear photo of the meter display must be taken and uploaded to a designated site for Customer Service review. Additional Requests: The City reserves the right to request photos for specific accounts as needed

30. For the purpose of this agreement, "working days" are defined as all days other than Saturdays, Sundays and observed City holidays. Meter reading is only allowed on working days between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.

Meter reading is strictly prohibited between the hours of 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., regardless of daylight savings time. Should it become necessary to allow meter reading on non-working days or beyond authorized meter reading hours as defined above, the Vendor must, in advance, obtain written approval from the City. The twelve (12) currently observed City holidays are as follows:

• New Year’s Day

• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

• Good Friday

• Memorial Day

• Juneteenth

• Independence Day

• Labor Day

• Veterans Day

• Thanksgiving Day

• Thanksgiving Friday

• December 24th

• December 25th

*Actual date of observed holiday may vary if on Saturday or Sunday.

Notwithstanding the observed holidays, all reads must still be completed within the allotted time for each billing cycle pursuant to the read schedule, and otherwise pursuant to this Agreement.

31. City shall work diligently with the Vendor throughout the term of the contract to implement a successful meter reading program. This includes:

a. During the first 90 days, (hereinafter, referred to as "start-up period") the

City will provide the Vendor with reasonable assistance to the meter readers to perform the services under the contract, including but not limited to, providing all pertinent information as to the meter locations to the Vendor meter readers.

b. Provide the Vendor with any changes that occur on City meters, including but not limited to, meter additions, changes or substitutes and changes in location and instruction codes via personalized web page or any other agreed upon medium.

c. City Shall maintain all meters and enclosures in a reasonable repair and condition at all times in order for the Vendor to provide water meter reading services without undue hardship or danger, provided that the Vendor shall be responsible and liable for any meters or meter enclosures that become defective, faulty, broken or damaged as a result of negligence, carelessness or intentional acts of Vendor employees. Any damaged meters or meter boxes found should be reported to city staff the same day through email or in person.

d. Provide Vendor access to all areas in the City needed for the Vendor to perform services under contract.

e. When New Meters are installed by the City or found by the Vendor, the city must be notified.

f. Provide Vendor access to radio read devices to obtain radio reads.

g. Provide Vendor with read schedule 30 days in advance from when the first meter must be read.

32. When the bid is awarded for Vendor purchased and maintained equipment, the City agrees vendor will be allowed a 60-day window to purchase, install, test, and interface with the City. The Vendor purchased and maintained equipment shall be a Smartphone Meter Reading System, hardware and software, complete with smartphone GPS technology mapping, photo read verifications and real time data transfer. Staff access to the data system must include at least five (5) staff members. The City should not have to pay for additional licenses to access the data and/or dashboard.

The additional minimum specifications required for a Vendor to be considered for award are as listed below and Vendor must provide proof of its ability to meet or exceed these requirements for a single customer (municipality) comparable in size and scope to the City of Bartow prior to award:

a) Vendor must meet or exceed expectations specified herein and demonstrate proven ability to read 30,000 + meters monthly for a single client organization in Florida. The Contractor must, prior to award, provide a minimum of three references from municipalities similar in size and scope to the City of Bartow for whom meter reading services have been provided within the past three (3) years.

b) Proven qualifications in managing meter reading services, with a minimum of three (3) years’ business experience and sound financial capacity. The proposal submitted should include a listing of key personnel who would be responsible for this contract including a brief overview of a typical dispute escalation process. The City requires that the awarded vendor have a designated Supervisor who can be reached at a minimum between the hours of 6:00a.m. and 6:00p.m., on normal business days (Mon-Fri) and weekends if reads are scheduled. In addition, the City requests a customer service telephone number to handle any question about the read/location of a meter between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. This information, if not submitted as an attachment to the bid, will be required within five business days of request by City staff.

c) The awarded Vendor should have detailed written procedures for completing the work in accordance with local, state and federal laws which should be provided by City staff within five business days of request.

d) The Vendor’s facilities, equipment and fully trained personnel must be adequate to handle the scope of work as outlined in this bid document.

Information relating to the contractor’s facilities (location, size, equipment, personnel and financial stability) should be included with the submittal but must be provided within five business days of request by City staff.

e) Vendor must have a proven and established management system which ensures quality and on-time performance of meter reading. The City reserves the right to request reports prior to award that show the timeliness of completion of meter reads for entities similar in size and scope to Bartow.

f) Vendor shall not utilize any person identified on any Florida or National registry as a sex offender or sex predator to provide services under the resulting Contract. Background checks will be the responsibility of the vendor selected.

g) The awarded Vendor represents that its principle owners, corporate officers and employees do not have any criminal charges, and the City reserves the right to approve or reject, for any reason, staff assigned to perform services under this contract.

3.4.1 Licensure Requirements

a. To do business with the City of Bartow, businesses based within the City limits of the City of Bartow shall furnish a copy of the most recent City of Bartow Business/Occupational License in which can be obtained from https://www.cityofbartow.net/departments-services/city-clerk-public-records/business-tax-receipt-occupational-licenses-applications-payments.

b. For businesses based outside the City limits of the City of Bartow but are based in Polk County or those businesses based outside Polk County shall furnish a copy of the most recent Polk County Business/Occupational License in which may be obtained from https://www.polktaxes.com/services/local-business-taxes/.

c. Vendor should also be licensed to perform the type of work stated in this solicitation. Indicate registration, license numbers or certificate numbers for the business or professions which are the subject of this Bid.

Please attach certificate of competency and/or state registration.

Proposals received from a company not holding the proper license shall be deemed non-responsible and not considered for award. The proposal will not be evaluated by the Technical Evaluation Panel.

https://www.cityofbartow.net/departments-services/city-clerk-public-records/business-tax-receipt-occupational-licenses-applications-payments https://www.cityofbartow.net/departments-services/city-clerk-public-records/business-tax-receipt-occupational-licenses-applications-payments https://www.cityofbartow.net/departments-services/city-clerk-public-records/business-tax-receipt-occupational-licenses-applications-payments https://www.polktaxes.com/services/local-business-taxes/

3.4.2 Qualifications & Eligibility

The City desires to contract with a qualified and experienced company on this project. Responding companies must have documented experience for similar projects. The responding company shall have a minimum of three

(3) similar projects within the last five (5) years that were provided with one being to another government entity. Project references shall be provided in their submittal as instructed. The city will be the sole determinant as to ‘similar projects’.

Vendor shall be required to have a Supervisor to oversee all aspects of the services detailed herein. The Supervisor shall be a full-time employee and have a minimum of two (2) years of verifiable supervisory experience in the area of meter reading operations. The Supervisor shall not be a part of the staff assigned to reading meters daily. As part of their submittal, Vendor shall submit personnel that will meet this minimum requirement to include qualifications, years of experience and any licenses and/or certifications received. In addition, Bidder shall submit a list of other employees that will be involved in performing the work under this award, including years of experience and any licensing and certifications received. Throughout the term of the award, the City reserves the right to request, and subsequently receive a replacement, for any person(s), including the Supervisor, that is deemed to be unqualified.

Vendor shall provide an overview/plan of how the meter reading services will be provided, within the City’s route and cycle requirements, once an award is made by the City.

Vendor shall submit a list of equipment/materials that is to be used in the execution of the work detailed herein. This list shall include the capabilities and any other relevant technical data of the equipment that is listed. This information should be sufficient for the City to determine the suitability of the equipment/materials to accomplish the work described herein. The city reserves the right to inspect the Awardee’s place of business to ensure adequacy in these aforementioned items prior to the start of the award resulting from this specification.

Bidders that do not meet these requirements and submit the required information in the bid response package may not be considered.

The potential Awardee will be required to provide a list of all employees who will be assigned to perform the services upon award to obtain the required security clearance.

• After reviewing all bid submittals, the City will notify the Awardee of its request to provide the City the list of employees and corresponding background checks.

• The Awardee shall have a period of five business days to provide the requested list to the City.

• In the event that the potential Awardee cannot provide an employee list in the required timeframe required, the City shall have the right to consider the next qualified vendor based on selection committee final scores for award.

3.4.3 Bond Requirements

Bonds: The Performance Bond & Payment Bond shall be executed by a surety authorized to do business in the State of Florida and as named in the current list of “Companies Holding Certificates of Authority as Acceptable Sureties on Federal Bonds and as Acceptable Reinsuring Companies” as published in Circular 570 (amended) by the Audit Staff, Bureau of…