CITY OF TUCSON

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

270118

TUCSON WATER METERS

Due Date: Monday, August 17, 2026

City of Tucson

255 W Alameda St

Tucson, AZ 85701

Procurement portal https://secure.procurenow.com/portal/tucson-az

Public Portal https://secure.procurenow.com/portal/tucson-az/projects/264617

PUBLISH DATE: July 27, 2026 https://secure.procurenow.com/portal/%7Bproject.government.code%7D https://secure.procurenow.com/portal/%7Bproject.government.code%7D/projects/%7Bproject.id%7D https://secure.procurenow.com/portal/%7Bproject.government.code%7D/projects/%7Bproject.id%7D

CITY OF TUCSON REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. 270118

BUSINESS SERVICES DEPARTMENT Page 2 of 46 SHARED SERVICES PROCUREMENT DIVISION RESPONSIBLE CONTRACT OFFICER: Sonya Lazo

255 W. ALAMEDA, 6TH FLOOR, TUCSON, AZ 85701 PH: (520) 837-4473

Attachments:

A - Offer and Acceptance C - Attachment I - SmallStaticMetersSpecifications -#1 J - Attachment II - LargeElectronicMetersSpecifications #2 K - Attachment III - LargeTurbineMeterSpecifications #3 L - Cellular500W_SP_101863 - Informational Only

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A. NOTICE

A.1. CITY OF TUCSON

NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO 270118

TITLE: Tucson Water Meters

SUBMITTAL DUE DATE: Monday, August 17, 2026 AT 2:00 P.M. LOCAL AZ TIME

PRE-SUBMITTAL MEETING DATE: Wednesday, August 5, 2026

TIME: 1:00 pm LOCAL AZ TIME

LOCATION: Microsoft Teams Meeting - Virtual

QUESTIONS SHALL BE DIRECTED TO: Sonya Lazo

(520) 837-4473 sonya.lazo@tucsonaz.gov

Posted Date: Monday, July 27, 2026

Competitive sealed offers for the material or service specified in this solicitation must be submitted through the City’s online bidding system. No late submitted offer will be accepted or considered.

Reponses submitted in physical form or by facsimile or email will not be considered. Offerors are cautioned to commence the submittal process sufficiently ahead of time to allow for unanticipated delays resulting from things like a slow internet connection, internet outage, difficulty uploading large documents, differing system requirements, etc.

Questions about this solicitation must be addressed to the responsible Contract Officer listed herein.

https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_MTRiMDA1ODgtNzY0ZC00ODFlLTllY2YtNzA1M2I3YzJkOGIy%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22d21e59ec-c208-43eb-aaf1-cf06d9a196e0%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%220f36c3c9-704b-4ca5-ab5f-4ca805ebdc79%22%7d

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B. INTRODUCTION

B.1. Summary

The City of Tucson is soliciting proposals from qualified contractors/manufacturers to provide 5/8 X 3/4” and larger meters compatible with Advance Metering Infrastructure (AMI) technology. Meters shall be delivered to a Tucson Water Stores facility. Location(s) shall be determined at a later date.

Tucson Water serves approximately 722,000 people (just over 70% of the population of the Tucson metropolitan area) within a 350 square-mile service area. About one-third of the utility's customers reside outside the city limits. Residential accounts (single family, multi-family and duplex/triplex) make up close to 93% of all potable metered connections.

The Contractor shall provide 5/8 X 3/4” through 16” Water Meters compatible with AMI technology, to include alarms, for use by Tucson Water in residential and commercial installations for both reclaimed and potable water systems.

The City intends to award all required sizes and models to the manufacturers meeting qualifications, specifications, pricing and testing criteria, with up to five (5) awards anticipated. Proposed products must have been commercially available for a minimum of one (1) year prior to the solicitation closing date.

To ensure a comprehensive selection of products and provide adequate geographic coverage for Tucson Water customers, the City reserves the right to make multiple awards.

The resulting contract(s) shall be a cooperative contract, and eligible participating agencies shall have the option to use the contract(s) to purchase water meters from the contractor.

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C. SCOPE OF WORK

C.1. Operating Specifications

Tucson Water currently utilizes the Itron system of Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) reading for customer billing and customer service functions.

Proposed meters and registers offered must be listed on Itron's Water Meter and Telemetry Module Compatibility Matrix found at https://docs.itrontotal.com/WaterTelemetryCompMatrix/Content/Content/Topics/Welcome.htm

The meters furnished by the Contractor(s) must comply with the latest revisions of NSF/ANSI 61, the American Water Works Association (AWWA) C715-18 Standards for electronic meters, the AWWA C701 Standards for turbine meters, and comply with the special provisions included herein.

All products being offered in response to this solicitation shall be in current and ongoing production for a minimum of 1 year, shall be formally announced for general marketing purposes, shall be a model or type currently functioning in a user (paying customer) environment, and shall be capable of meeting or exceeding all specifications and other requirements set forth in this solicitation.

Contractor Inventory Requirements

1. The Contractor shall deliver the meters on an as-needed basis to the participating agency.

2. The Contractor shall have a supply of meters stored and readily available to Tucson Water. Tucson Water will provide the Contractor with a seven-day notice that delivery must take place within two weeks.

3. The Contractor shall provide an electronic invoice to the Water Stores Supervisor and the Meter Shop Supervisor relating the meter serial number to the accuracy test results of each meter delivered and certifying that each ultrasonic or electromagnetic meter meets the AWWA C715 Type 1 requirements for accuracy of registration and capacity and each Class II horizontal turbine meter meets the AWWA C701 Class II requirements for accuracy of registration and capacity.

4. For each shipment of each meter size, the meter serial numbers must be in sequential consecutive order.

5. The City has an existing contract to provide the Itron brand 500W ERT modules for cellular network AMI.

The selected meter vendor will be required to work with the City’s contractor, Mountain States Systems LLC, as well as Itron, to assure that the correct connectors to the ERT modules and meter registers proposed are used. Meters proposed must be on Itron’s current Water Meter and Telemetry Module Compatibility Matrix (https://docs.itrontotal.com/WaterTelemetryCompMatrix/Content/Content/Topics/Welcome.htm).

Warranty

1. The Contractor shall respond within two (2) business days to all warranty claims, delivery problems, requests for technical information and consultation, and any other requirement for customer service.

2. The Contractor shall be fully responsible for any and all warranties related but not limited to stuck meters, blank registers, and programming errors.

3. The Contractor agrees to assume full responsibility for all reasonable shipping and transportation costs associated with the return of the defective item and the delivery of https://docs.itrontotal.com/WaterTelemetryCompMatrix/Content/Content/Topics/Welcome.htm https://docs.itrontotal.com/WaterTelemetryCompMatrix/Content/Content/Topics/Welcome.htm

BUSINESS SERVICES DEPARTMENT Page 6 of 46 repaired or replacement goods. This includes, but is not limited to, freight, handling, and applicable logistics charges. The supplier will coordinate and cover all applicable shipping costs to ensure timely resolution, repair, or replacement at no additional expense to the Customer. This provision ensures that the Customer incurs no financial burden related to the shipment of defective items covered under the warranty.

Tucson Water Meter Design and Performance Specifications

Most municipalities, water districts, and private water utilities have their own unique design and performance specifications for their water meters. Therefore, it is anticipated that participating agencies will vary in their design specifications and water meter requirements, and the resulting contract shall allow for that. Below is a description of Tucson Water’s current meter design specifications. The Attachments I, II, and III to this RFP indicate the design and performance specifications that have been established by the City of Tucson to provide minimum acceptable characteristics of meter materials, construction, design, operation, warranty, reliability, and longevity for each meter size and type to assure long-term effective use and ownership by the City of Tucson. In addition, specific compatibility and performance requirements are indicated below. Attachment I provides detailed specification for ultrasonic and electromagnetic meters ranging from 5/8x3/4-inch to 4-inch in size. Attachment II provides detailed specification for ultrasonic and electromagnetic meters ranging from 6-inch to 12-inch in size. Attachment III provides detailed specification for Class II turbine meters ranging from 6-inch to 16-inch in size.

1. Registers

a. Registration shall be in cubic feet.

b. Meter serial numbers must be stamped or painted on the register lid.

c. Register must be tamper resistant and secured to the main case in such a manner that tampering can readily be determined.

d. Registers shall be equipped with a low flow indicator (leak detector).

e. The register must be permanently hermetically sealed, waterproof, and free from the possibility of condensation and fogging.

f. Battery must have a minimum 10-year warranty.

g. The register must have an absolute encoder output.

h. Offerors must have experience in providing a minimum of 100,000 encoder registers connected to the Itron 500W+ ERT, which is the City’s infrastructure.

i. The register wiring must be compatible with the Itron 500W+ ERT.

j. The register output wiring shall include an Itron ERT connector. The City shall be free to specify the length of the register wiring. Wire length shall be up to 12 ft.

k. The offeror shall be responsible for the connector that joins the register wiring to the Itron ERT. If the encoder register is not able to communicate with the Itron ERT, the offeror must provide the solution to warranty.

l. The offeror shall perform a failure analysis on integral units returned to the offeror or for warranty and provide Tucson Water with the results. The offeror shall provide the solution to remediate the cause of the failure.

m. Registers shall be shrouded and equipped with a lid. The meter serial number shall be stamped on the register lid.

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n. Registers shall have a nationally published warranty for a minimum of ten years.

Meter Operational Performance with Respect to Head Loss and Operating Pressure:

a. All meters shall comply with a maximum allowable pressure loss of 10 pounds per square inch at the safe maximum operating capacity (SMOC) specified by the manufacturer for a given meter size.

b. All ultrasonic and electromagnetic meters shall operate properly under a continuous working pressure of 175 pounds per square inch (psi) without leakage or damage to any meter components.

c. All Class II turbine meters shall operate properly under a continuous working pressure of 150 pounds per square inch (psi) without leakage or damage to any meter components.

Meter Specifications

Meters furnished by the supplier(s) must:

• comply with or exceed the latest revision of AWWA Standard C715 for Type 1 Electromagnetic and Ultrasonic Meters used for revenue-generation purposes.

• comply with or exceed the latest revision of AWWA Standard C701 for Class II Turbine Meters used for revenue-generation purposes

• be NSF/ANSI 61 certified.

• comply with all lead-free provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act.

• comply with the special provisions included herein.

The specific meter design and performance specifications for each of the requested meter sizes are included in Attachment 1 and require manufacturer indication of compliance or not.

C.2. General Requirements

A. Training

The Contractor shall provide the City and any participating agency with primary training for each basic unit of equipment purchased. This training shall be adequate to the needs of the typical equipment operator in order to assure proper repair, operation and utilization of the equipment supplied. The Contractor must be knowledgeable about how their meter works in conjunction with the Itron 500W ERT. The Contractor must work with Itron to provide training. Any manuals necessary to perform the required training shall be furnished by the Contractor.

B. Samples The City may, at its sole discretion, conduct a shortlist evaluation. As part of that process, the City may request sample meters from the short listed Offerors for further evaluation. If samples are requested, they will be requested after the Proposal Due Date. Samples do not need to be submitted with the offeror’s original submittal on the Proposal Due Date.

If samples are requested, offeror must provide ONE sample meter for each size and type, representative of all size meters of the Same Make & Model meter proposed on the Price Pages. If additional make and model meters are proposed for specific size(s) or type of meter, a sample will be requested. All samples will remain the property of the City of Tucson and will not be returned to the offeror.

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Samples or demonstrations may also be requested if an item bid/offered is other than specified. If samples should be requested, unless otherwise authorized, such samples must be received by the City no later than five work (5) days after a formal request is made. When required, the City may request full demonstration of any item(s) bid/offered prior to the award of any Contract.

Samples shall be an exact and true representative sample of the actual material offered. Each sample shall be properly tagged or labeled with the name of the Offeror and manufacturer, the due date of the samples requested, and the solicitation number. Samples shall be provided at no additional costs to the City and become property of the City.

After award, the City reserves the right to secure additional samples from the actual material supplied.

In the event the samples fail to conform to the Contract requirements, the Contractor shall immediately replace the portion of the delivered commodity with acceptable material conforming to the Contract requirements at no cost to the City.

C. Testing

Sample meters will be tested for accuracy in accordance with AWWA testing standards outlined in the current AWWA M6 Manual.

D. Electronic Reports

Upon award, the Contractor will provide an Excel spreadsheet, in coordination with Water Stores personnel, of a complete listing of offered meters with Stores description, offered prices, and Tucson Water stock number. The Contractor shall also provide an electronic copy of a usage report upon request to the City of Tucson Shared Services Procurement Division or Tucson Water. The report shall provide complete information on the quantity, description, and total price for items purchased under this Contract. Upon request, Contractor shall provide a requested report within 14 days of notification.

E. Substitute Items

The City intends to award Contract(s) for particular products and/or models of equipment as a result of this solicitation. In the event that a product or model is discontinued by the manufacturer, the City, at its sole discretion, may allow the Contractor to provide a substitute for the discontinued item. The Contractor shall request permission to substitute a new product or model and provide the following:

o A formal announcement from the manufacturer that the product or model has been discontinued.

• Documentation from the manufacturer that names the replacement product or model.

1.

• Documentation that provides clear and convincing evidence that the replacement meets or exceeds all specifications required by the original solicitation.

• Documentation that provides clear and convincing evidence that the replacement will be compatible with all the functions or uses of the discontinued product or model.

• Documentation confirming that the price for the replacement is the same as or less than the discontinued model.

F. Equipment/Recall Notices

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In the event of any recall notice, technical service bulletin, or other important notification affecting equipment purchased from this contract, a notice shall be sent to the Contract Representative within 7 days of issuance by the manufacturer. It shall be the responsibility of the Contractors to assure that all recall notices are sent directly to the agency’s Contract Representative. Contractors must obtain confirmation that the City’s Contract Representative has received the notice.

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D. INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS

D.1. DEFINITION OF KEY WORDS USED IN THE SOLICITATION

For purposes of this solicitation and any subsequent contract, the following terms have the meanings set forth below:

City:The City of Tucson, Arizona

Contract:The legal agreement(s) executed between City and the Successful Offeror(s). The Contract will be deemed to include all the conditions and requirements set forth in this solicitation and any Addenda to the solicitation, all the Special Terms and Conditions and Standard Terms and Conditions, and all the terms of the Offer submitted by Offeror as finally negotiated and accepted by the City.

Contractor/Consultant:A Successful Offeror that enters into a Contract with the City.

Contract Representative:The City employee or employees who have been designated to act as the City contact for this solicitation process and who are responsible for monitoring and overseeing the Contractor's performance under the Contract.

Business Services Director:The contracting authority for the City, authorized to sign contracts and addenda thereto on behalf of the City.

May: Indicates something that is not mandatory but permissible.

May not:The indicated party is prohibited from taking the action.

Must: The action or condition is required.

Offer:Any proposal, statement of qualifications, bid, or other submission provided by an Offeror in response to this Solicitation.

Offeror: Each individual or entity that submits an Offer in response to this solicitation.

Successful Offeror: An Offeror who received a Notice of Award or a Notice of Intent to Award from the City.

Will:The indicated party is promising to take the action or abide by the condition.

D.2. PRE-SUBMITTAL MEETING

A Pre-Submittal Meeting will be held at the date and time stated on the cover page of this solicitation, if such a date and time is provided. Attendance at this meeting is not mandatory, but written minutes and/or notes regarding the meeting will NOT be provided, so attendance is encouraged. The purpose of this meeting will be to clarify the contents of this solicitation in order to prevent any misunderstanding of the City's position.

D.3. INQUIRIES

Any questions about this solicitation or the proposed Contract must be presented at the Pre-Submittal Meeting, if there is one (see above), or submitted in writing, via email, or through the online bidding system, to the Contract Officer by the Question Submission Deadline. The email must refer to the solicitation number and the paragraph number of the provision that the question concerns. The Contract

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Officer may respond by email or may, if they deem it appropriate, address the question in a solicitation addendum or response through the question and answer portal in the online bidding system. Offeror may not rely on oral interpretations or clarifications about the solicitation; only questions answered in an email by the Contract Officer, posted through the online bidding system, or posted as a formal solicitation addendum will be binding.

D.4. ADDENDUM OF SOLICITATION

Solicitation Addenda will be posted on the City’s link to the online bidding website. Offeror is responsible for checking the webpage regularly for new solicitation addenda and must acknowledge each addendum to this solicitation in its submittal. Please note that vendors who have registered with the Business Services Department at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/tucson-az and follow the City of Tucson will receive email notifications of solicitation addenda.

D.5. UNDERSTANDING SCOPE OF WORK

Before submitting an Offer to this solicitation, Offeror must familiarize itself with the Scope of Work, laws, regulations, physical conditions, and other factors affecting the obligations – including the expense and difficulty of fulfilling those obligations – that Offeror will have under the Contract if awarded to Offeror. No adjustment to the financial or other terms of the Contract will be justified by Offeror’s failure to fully understand or appreciate the Contract requirements or other factors affecting Contract performance.

D.6. PREPARATION OF OFFER

A. Form and Organization. If Offer forms are included in this Solicitation, Offeror’s Submittal must be on those forms. Supporting documentation must be arranged in a manner that follows and clearly refers to corresponding sections of the solicitation. Offeror may copy the submittal forms in order to complete them electronically but may not alter or rearrange them or change any paragraph designations.

B. Confidential Information. Any information in its submittal that Offeror wishes to be treated as confidential must be clearly marked “CONFIDENTIAL.”

C. Offer Contents. Offeror’s submittal must contain responses to all sections of this solicitation, any Offer forms provided must be completed and any requested supporting documentation must be attached.

D. Signatures. Offeror must include in their submittal signed copies of the Offer and Acceptance page. Any cover letter accompanying the proposal documents must be signed. Offeror must initial each erasure, interlineation or other modification in the submittal. The person signing and initialing on behalf of Offeror must be a person authorized to legally bind Offeror.

E. Prices. Where a unit price is provided it will govern over any erroneous extension of the price.

F. Time Periods. Periods of time, stated as a number of days, will be calendar days unless specifically stated otherwise.

G. Accuracy. Mistakes in preparation of its submittal confers on Offeror no right to modify or withdraw its submittal after the Submittal Deadline.

https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/tucson-az

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H. Cost of Preparation. The City will not reimburse Offeror for the cost of developing, presenting, submitting or providing any response to this solicitation.

I. Subcontractors. Offeror must, in their submittal, list any subcontractors that it will utilize in the performance of the Contract if they are awarded the Contract and must describe their qualifications in detail.

J. Incomplete Information. Failure to include all requested information may have a negative impact on the evaluation of Offeror’s submittal.

D.7. PAYMENT DISCOUNTS

Payment discount periods shall be computed from the date of receipt of the material/service or correct invoice, whichever is later, to the date City’s payment warrant is mailed. Unless freight and other charges are itemized, any discount provided shall be taken on full amount of invoice. Payment discounts of twenty-one calendar days or more shall be deducted from the proposed price in determining the price points. However, the City shall be entitled to take advantage of any payment discount offered by a vendor provided payment is made within the discount period. The payment discount shall apply to all purchases and to all payment methods.

D.8. TAXES

The City is exempt from federal excise tax, including the federal transportation tax, but is not exempt from any other taxes, including state and local sales and excise taxes.

D.9. EXCEPTIONS TO CONTRACT PROVISIONS

By submitting an offer in response to this solicitation, Offeror is offering to enter into the Contract with the City. If Offeror wishes to modify any Contract terms and conditions, Offeror must, in its Offer, clearly identify the changes it is requesting. No requested modification will be deemed accepted by the City unless and until the City’s Business Services Director or their designee expressly accepts it in writing.

D.10. PUBLIC RECORD

Any documents submitted by Offeror in response to this solicitation will become the property of the City.

Except as set forth below with respect to Confidential Information, the Submittal will be deemed to be a public record available for review by the public after the award notification.

D.11. CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION

The City is obligated to abide by the Arizona Public Records Law, A.R.S. §§ 39-101 through 39-161. If Offeror believes that any portion of its Offer, specification, protest or correspondence contains information that is confidential and subject to being withheld from disclosure in the event that the City receives a public records request to which the record is responsive, Offeror must, when the record is submitted, provide the Contract Officer written notification of that fact. The records or portions of records that Offeror wishes to be treated as confidential must also be clearly marked “CONFIDENTIAL” on their face. Pricing will not be treated as confidential.

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If the City, after award notification, receives a public-records request the scope of which includes a document submitted by Offeror and marked "CONFIDENTIAL", the Contract Officer will make a written determination regarding whether the document will be provided to the requestor. If the Contract Officer determines that the document should be released, City will notify Offeror in writing. Unless Offeror, within 10 days after the date of that notice, obtains and provides to City an order from a court of competent jurisdiction prohibiting the City from releasing the documents, the City may release the documents without any liability to Offeror.

D.12. WHEN AND HOW TO SUBMIT OFFERS

In order to be considered, Offeror must, no later than the Offer Submittal Deadline, submit its Offer electronically through the City’s online bidding system:

https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/tucson-az

NOTE: THE ENTIRE OFFER MUST BE IN "“SUBMITTED"” STATUS IN THE CITY’S ONLINE

BIDDING SYSTEM IN ORDER TO BE CONSIDERED. RESPONSES THAT HAVE BEEN CREATED

IN THE SYSTEM, BUT THAT ARE NOT IN "“SUBMITTED"” STATUS BY THE OFFER SUBMITTAL

DEADLINE WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.

D.13. CERTIFICATION OF NONCOLLUSION; CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

Offeror will not communicate, orally or in writing, with any member of the Mayor and Council, or with any City staff outside the Procurement Division of the Business Services Department, regarding this Solicitation. By submitting an Offer, Offeror warrants that:

A. Preparation and submission of the submittal did not involve collusion or other anti-competitive practices.

B. Offeror has not given, offered to give, nor intends to give at any time hereafter, any economic opportunity, future employment, gift, loan, gratuity, special discount, trip, favor, meal or service to a public servant in connection with this solicitation.

C. No person has been employed or retained to solicit or secure a Contract under this solicitation upon a promise of a commission, percentage, brokerage, or contingent fee.

D. No employee of the City involved in this Solicitation process, or any family member of such an employee, has any substantial financial interest in Offeror’s firm. No member of the City of Tucson Mayor and Council who has, or whose family member has, any substantial financial interest in Offeror’s firm will participate in any action taken by the Mayor and Council with respect to this Contract. The terms “relative” and “substantial interest” have the meanings assigned in A.R.S. § 38-502

The City may disqualify Offeror from further participation in the solicitation process if the City determines that any City employee or official involved in this Solicitation process has an actual or apparent conflict of interest or if Offeror has engaged in any collusion or anti-competitive practices.

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D.14. WITHDRAWAL OF OFFER; BINDING OFFER

By submitting an Offer in response to this Solicitation, Offeror is offering to enter into the Contract with the City. Offeror may withdraw a submitted Offer at any time prior to the Offer Submittal Deadline.

Telephonic or oral withdrawals are not effective.

Offeror cannot withdraw an Offer that is in “submitted” status as of the Offer Submittal Deadline unless the Director of the Business Services Department consents in writing to the withdrawal. The Offer will be irrevocable for 90 days after the Offer Submittal Deadline.

D.15. DISCUSSIONS

The City may, at its discretion, conduct discussions with Offeror for the purpose of eliminating minor irregularities, informalities, or apparent clerical mistakes in Offeror’s submittal in order to clarify the offer and assure full understanding of, and responsiveness to, solicitation requirements.

D.16. VENDOR REGISTRATION; BUSINESS LICENSE

In order to be eligible for award of a Contract, Offeror must:

A. Register with the City’s Business Services Department. Registration can be completed at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/tucson-az

B. Obtain a City of Tucson Business License or a written determination from the City's Business License Section that a license is not required. For questions contact the City's Business License Section at

(520) 791-4566 or email at license@tucsonaz.gov mailto:license@tucsonaz.gov

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E. OFFER EVALUATION AND CONTRACT AWARD

E.1. PROPOSAL EVALUATION CRITERIA – (listed in relative order of importance)

A. Compliance with Meter Design and Performance Specifications

B. Price Proposal

C. Qualifications & Experience

E.2. INTERVIEWS

The City may interview some or all of the offerors at any point during the evaluation process. If interviews are conducted, information provided during the interview process will be taken into consideration in the evaluation process. The City will not reimburse the Offeror for any costs Offeror incurs during its participation in the interview process.

E.3. ADDITIONAL INVESTIGATIONS

The City may undertake any additional investigations it deems appropriate to evaluate the competence and financial stability of any offeror.

E.4. OTHER INFORMATION

Information that evaluation committee members have about an offeror beyond what is provided in the offeror’s Offer may be taken into consideration during the evaluation process.

E.5. PRICE

A. Tax Offset Policy. If applicable under Section 28-18(6) or Section 28-17(7)(d) of the Tucson Procurement Code, the City will include the amount of all business privilege taxes other than the City’s in evaluating the pricing component of each Offer.

B. Payment Discounts. Any discounts offered by Offeror for payments made within 21 calendar days or more will be deducted from the proposed price in evaluating an offeror’s pricing.

However, the City may take advantage of any early- or timely-payment discounts offered by a vendor. Any proposed payment discount will apply to all purchases and to all payment methods

E.6. CITY’S RIGHT TO WAIVE DEFECTS OR REJECT OFFERS

Notwithstanding any other provision of this solicitation, the City may:

A. Waive any immaterial defect or informality; or

B. Reject any or all submittals, or portions thereof; or

C. Reissue the solicitation.

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E.7. CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS

At the City’s discretion, it may negotiate with one or more responsible offerors to agree upon the final conditions, terms and price of the Contract. In doing so, the City will treat offerors fairly and will not disclose to any offeror information from responses submitted by other offerors. Exclusive or concurrent negotiations do not constitute a contract award and do not confer any rights to the offerors participating in such negotiations. In the event the City deems that negotiations are not progressing, the City may formally terminate these negotiations and may enter into concurrent or exclusive negotiations with the next most qualified firm(s).

E.8. AWARD OF CONTRACT

A Contract is created when, and only when, it is formally awarded, which occurs when the Business Services Director and the City Attorney sign the Offer and Acceptance page of the Successful Offeror’s submittal. When a Contract is awarded, the City will send the Contractor a Notice of Award.

The City may first issue a Notice of Intent to Award to the Successful Offeror(s). Offeror, if it receives a Notice of Intent to Award from the City, must sign and file with the City, within ten (10) days after receipt of the Notice, all documents necessary for execution of the Contract. A Notice of Intent to Award does not create a contract. Only a subsequent formal award, as described above, creates a Contract.

E.9. MULTIPLE AWARDS

The City, at its sole discretion, may award multiple Contracts.

E.10. SUBMITTAL RESULTS

After the City issues a Notice of Award, the City will post the name(s) of the Successful Offeror(s) on the Business Services Department’s Internet site at https://procurement.opengov.com/portalucson-az/contracts

E.11. PROTESTS

Any interested party, may, in accordance with Article IX of the Tucson Procurement Code, protest either this solicitation or the award of a Contract under this solicitation. A protest based on alleged improprieties in this solicitation must be filed no later than five (5) working days before the Proposal Submittal Deadline. A protest of a proposed or actual award must be filed no later than ten (10) calendar days after the City issues a Notice of Intent to Award or, if no Notice of Intent to Award is issued, after the City issues a Notice of Award.

A protest must be made in writing and filed with the Contract Officer. It must include:

A. The name, address, and telephone number of the protestant;

B. The signature of the protestant or its representative;

C. The solicitation or Contract number;

D. A detailed statement of the legal and factual grounds for the protest along with copies of all relevant documents; and https://procurement.opengov.com/portalucson-az/contracts https://procurement.opengov.com/portalucson-az/contracts

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E. The form of relief requested.

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F. EVALUATION CRITERIA

No. Evaluation Criteria Scoring Method Weight (Points)

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1. COMPLIANCE WITH METER DESIGN

AND PERFORMANCE SPECIFICATIONS

A. Functional Specifications:

1. Indicate whether the firm can meet the Tucson Water design specifications or not.

Offerors may propose alternatives to the Tucson Water requirements, provided that the offeror explains how the alternative design specifications will still provide equivalent functionality.

2. Offerors shall state design features of register and register numerals, which contribute to easy reading of the register from the height of an average size person to a below ground meter.

3. Offerors shall state design features of register and register glass which will provide scratch resistant lens and minimize accumulation of dirt and debris, thereby maintaining readability of meter.

4. Offerors shall state characteristics, dimensions, and imprinting method of the serial numbers imprinted on meter case and register lid that will ensure legible serial numbers throughout the life of the meter.

5. Offerors shall state the interchangeability of register shrouds and lids between meter sizes.

6. Offerors shall state the size of meter flange bolt holes on all meters.

7. Offerors shall provide information on all the external dimensions of the meters they are offering to the City.

This shall be done for each meter size offered.

8. Offerors shall describe how meter design and construction shall facilitate easy assembly and disassembly. Please include

Points Based 50 (50% of Total)

BUSINESS SERVICES DEPARTMENT Page 20 of 46 complete manufacturers' descriptive literature for the proposed product. Literature shall have sufficient detail in order to allow a complete evaluation of the offer submitted.

9. Performance of the meters should minimize friction loss per cubic foot of water measured. Offerors shall state the maximum friction loss in PSI per cubic foot of water measured for each meter size specified in this

RFP.

10. Each Offeror shall furnish its most current product and service literature. This literature shall contain a complete and detailed description of each meter the Offeror proposes to furnish, suitable for evaluation.

Information must be submitted with the proposal and must include detailed physical, construction, performance, and manufacturer’s standard national warranty/guarantee information.

11. Offerors shall explain tamper resistant features.

12. Offerors shall describe the features of the meter and integral unit which help prevent it from malfunctioning and preventing the accurate registration of water flow.

13. Offerors shall state their ability to pre-wire the Itron ERT module and wiring harness to the register. Wire length shall be up to 12 ft.

14. Offerors shall state their ability to assemble the ERT module as an integral part of the register with no visible wires.

15. Offerors must state their ability to provide meters capable of either left or right

BUSINESS SERVICES DEPARTMENT Page 21 of 46 side Itron 500W ERT module attachment.

16. Offerors shall state their ability to provide meter serial numbers as required.

17. Offerors shall state their ability to provide a meter serial number bar code sticker that may be removed from the meter or the factory tag and secured to City’s paperwork order.

18. Offerors shall describe how to replace the register in the field by Water Department Personnel.

B. Training:

1. Offerors shall state any training program available to Tucson Water and participating agencies, at the manufacturer’s expense, which shall include, but not be limited to:

a. Repair and replacement of meter parts for each size meter.

b. Testing of each size meter.

c. Calibration methods, if applicable, of each meter size.

C. Warranty and Guarantee:

1. Offerors shall state the number of years for which the main case is warranted against leaking or failure of any kind.

2. Offerors shall state the period for which meters are guaranteed against failures of any and all operating parts or inability to perform because of faulty construction or materials. Offerors shall state this period for each meter size listed on the price sheet of this RFP. Offerors shall describe the process for

BUSINESS SERVICES DEPARTMENT Page 22 of 46 turning in meters for warranty.

Include shipping details.

3. Offerors shall state the period for which registers are unconditionally guaranteed against failure for any reason, other than tampering or vandalism. This would be a no-cost replacement.

4. Offerors shall state the period after installation for which meters would be guaranteed to perform according to AWWA new meter accuracy requirements.

Offerors shall state this period for each meter size listed on the price sheet of this RFP. Offerors shall state any gallon restrictions.

5. Offerors shall state the period after installation for which meters would be guaranteed to perform according to AWWA repaired meter accuracy requirements.

Offerors shall state this period for each meter size listed on the price sheet of this RFP. Offerors shall state any gallon restrictions.

6. Offerors shall state the level of support that will be provided to the City of Tucson in the event that a shipment of meters fails to meet the contract specifications upon receipt.

7. Offerors shall state the level of support that will be provided to the City of Tucson should the meters fail to meet contract specifications after installation.

8. Offerors shall describe their ability to warrant the integral unit should the unit fail to accurately transmit the registration of water flow.

9. Offerors shall describe how all enhancements and upgrades of meter components are delivered as part of the annual contract.

BUSINESS SERVICES DEPARTMENT Page 23 of 46

List the typical frequency of major upgrades, minor releases, and bug fixes, and state whether upgrades are cumulative. In addition, describe the ability to ensure, through version tracking and control, that modules remain compatible as selected modules are upgraded.

D. AMI Support:

Offerors shall describe their ability to work with the City’s Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) vendor (Itron, Inc.), for technological training, warranty issues, problem resolution and support.

Offeror shall describe their ability to support Itron standards in areas such as communication protocols, security, EDI, object technology, user interfaces, etc.

Please comment on any area where you do NOT support Itron standards.

2. PRICE PROPOSAL

Provide price proposal as requested on the Price Page attached herein.

Points Based 30 (30% of Total)

BUSINESS SERVICES DEPARTMENT Page 24 of 46

3. QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

1. State the location and name of the local representative responsible for providing service on this contract. What is the value of local inventory of meters available within 1 – 3 days?

2. Provide a general overview of your company, including number of years in business, number of employees, and daytime working hours.

Include a brief history and description of your firm.

3. Offeror shall indicate whether the firm is presently or has been involved in any litigation, bankruptcy or reorganization.

4. Each offeror shall submit a customer reference listing.

This list shall include names, addresses, email addresses, and telephone numbers of a minimum of five utility type organizations for which the offeror has had the same cold-water type meters being offered to the City in this RFP/Contract installed and operating for a minimum of three years. At least three of the references should be from water utilities that service more than 75,000 water customer accounts.

5. If a portion of the work is to be performed by a sub-contractor, Offeror shall identify the sub-contractor, provide contact information, and identify the work to be performed by the sub-contractor.

6. Offerors who submit an offer as a manufacturer's representative must supplement the offer with a letter from each manufacturer involved. The letter shall certify that the vendor is authorized to provide the specific equipment presented, that the vendor is authorized to submit an offer on such equipment, and shall

Points Based 20 (20% of Total)

BUSINESS SERVICES DEPARTMENT Page 25 of 46 guaranty that should the vendor fail to fulfill any obligations established as a result of a Contract award, the manufacturer, upon assignment by the City, will either assume such obligations or provide an alternate authorized vendor for the balance of the Contract period. All other terms and conditions of the Contract shall remain the same.

7. All products offered must have been commercially available for at least 1 year.

Please provide documentation that supports the requirement, including, but not limited to, a copy of the product(s) initial announcement.

BUSINESS SERVICES DEPARTMENT Page 26 of 46

G. PRICE PROPOSAL

A. ULTRASONIC / ELECTROMAGNETIC AMI COMPATIBLE METERS

PLEASE ENTER MANUFACTURER AND MODEL INFORMATION ON THE PRICE TABLE. Price must be inclusive of all costs, including but not limited to, direct and indirect costs for labor, overhead, materials, printing, initial product training, etc.

Line Item Description Manufacturer Model Quantity Unit of Measure

Unit Cost Total

1 5/8 X 3/4" Ultrasonic Water Meter 3,000 EA

2 3/4" Ultrasonic Water Meter 100 EA

3 1 "Ultrasonic Water Meter 150 EA

4 1 1/2"Ultrasonic Water Meter 350 EA

5 2" Ultrasonic Water Meter 750 EA

6 3" Ultrasonic Water Meter 50 EA

7 4" Ultrasonic Water Meter 40 EA

8 6" Ultrasonic Meter 10 EA

9 8" Ultrasonic Meter 10 EA

10 5/8 X 3/4" Electromagnetic Water Meter

500 EA

11 3/4" Electromagnetic Water Meter 40 EA

12 1 1/2" Electromagnetic Water Meter 40 EA

13 2" Electromagnetic Water Meter 40 EA

14 3" Electromagnetic Water Meter 40 EA

15 4" Electromagnetic Water Meter 40 EA

16 6" Electromagnetic Water Meter 10 EA

17 8" Electromagnetic Water Meter 10 EA

TOTAL

B. MECHANICAL AMI COMPATIBLE METERS

PLEASE ENTER MANUFACTURER AND MODEL INFORMATION ON THE PRICE TABLE. Price must be inclusive of all costs, including but not limited to, direct and indirect costs for labor, overhead, materials, printing, initial product training, etc.

Line Item Description Manufacturer Model Quantity Unit of Measure

Unit Cost Total

18 6" Class II Turbine Meter 20 EA

BUSINESS SERVICES DEPARTMENT Page 27 of 46

Line Item Description Manufacturer Model Quantity Unit of

Measure Unit Cost Total

19 8' Class II Turbine Meter 15 EA

20 10" Class II Turbine Meter 1 EA

21 12" Class II Turbine Meter 1 EA

22 16" Class II Turbine Meter 1 EA

C. FIRE HYDRANT AMI COMPATIBLE METERS

PLEASE ENTER MANUFACTURER AND MODEL INFORMATION ON THE PRICE TABLE Price must be inclusive of all costs, including but not limited to, direct and indirect costs for labor, overhead, materials, printing, initial product training, etc.

Line Item Description Manufacturer Model Quantity Unit of Measure

Unit Cost Total

23 3" Turbo with 2.5" Connections 100 EA

BUSINESS SERVICES DEPARTMENT Page 28 of 46

H. SPECIAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

H.1. COOPERATIVE PURCHASING

Contractor will, when requested, provide goods and services at the same prices and under the same terms and conditions as set forth in this Contract to any public or nonprofit agency that, at the time of request, has a Cooperative Purchasing Agreement with the City or participates in the Strategic Alliance for Volume Expenditures (SAVE) cooperative. See http://www.tucsonprocurement.com/coop_partners.aspx and click on “Cooperatives” for a list of agencies that have Cooperative Purchasing Agreements with the City; see http://www.mesaaz.gov/home/showdocument?id=23638 for a list of agencies participating in SAVE.

These lists are subject to change. Contractor may, however, charge an agency that is outside the Tucson Metropolitan Area for additional out-of-pocket expenses that will be incurred by Contractor in providing goods and services to the agency (i.e., freight charges, travel related expenses, etc.).

Each participating agency that orders goods or services under this Contract as provided above is solely responsible for paying Contractor for those goods and services. The City is not responsible for any disputes arising out of transactions made by others.

H.2. FOB DESTINATION FREIGHT PREPAID

Prices shall be FOB Destination Freight Prepaid to the delivery location designated. Contractor shall retain title and control of all goods until they are delivered and the Contract of coverage has been completed. All risk of transportation and all related charges shall be the responsibility of the Contractor.

All claims for visible or concealed damage shall be filed by the Contractor. The City will assist the Contractor in arranging for inspection.

H.3. PRICE ADJUSTMENT

At least 90 days before the date that the Contract is eligible for extension, Contractor may submit to the Contract Officer a request for price adjustments based on documented increased Contractor costs and the City may, at its discretion, make price adjustments, which will apply during the extension term.

H.4. SUBSTITUTE ITEMS

In the event that a product or model provided under the contract is discontinued by the manufacturer, the City at its sole discretion may allow the Contractor to provide a substitute for the discontinued item.

The Contractor shall request permission to substitute a new product or model and provide the following:

• A formal announcement from the manufacturer that the product or model has been discontinued.

• Documentation from the manufacturer that names the replacement product or model.

• Documentation that provides clear and convincing evidence that the replacement meets or exceeds all specifications required by the original solicitation.

http://www.tucsonprocurement.com/coop_partners.aspx http://www.mesaaz.gov/home/showdocument?id=23638

BUSINESS SERVICES DEPARTMENT Page 29 of 46

• Documentation that provides clear and convincing evidence that the replacement will be compatible with all the functions or uses of the discontinued product or model.

• Documentation confirming that the price for the replacement is the same as or less than the discontinued model.

H.5. TERM AND RENEWAL

The term of the Contract will commence when awarded to Contractor and remain in effect for a period of one (1) year, unless terminated, canceled or extended as otherwise provided herein. The City may, at its sole option, extend the Contract's term for up to four (4) additional one-year periods or portions thereof.

BUSINESS SERVICES DEPARTMENT Page 30 of 46

I. INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

I.1. REQUIRED INSURANCE POLICIES

Contractor will obtain and maintain during the entire term of this Contract and for 2 years after the Contract term ends, the following insurance coverage from insurers that have an “A.M. Best” rating of not less than A-VII:

I.2. COMMERCIAL GENERAL LIABILITY

Policy must include Bodily Injury, Property Damage, Personal Injury and Broad Form Contractual Liability with coverage limits no lower than:

A. Each Occurrence: $2,000,000

B. General Aggregate: $4,000,000

C. Products & Completed Operations Aggregate: $2,000,000

D. Personal and Advertising Injury: $2,000,000

E. Blanket Contractual Liability: $2,000,000

I.3. COMMERCIAL AUTOMOBILE LIABILITY

Policy must include bodily injury and property damage, for any owned, hired, and/or non-owned vehicles used in performance of work under this Contract, with a Combined Single Limit no lower than $1,000,000.

I.4. WORKER'S COMPENSATION

Policy must have coverage limits no lower than:

A. Per Occurrence: Statutory

B. Employer's Liability: $1,000,000

C. Disease Each Employee: $1,000,000

D. Disease Policy Limit:…