Acoustic Water Leak Detection Survey Services

Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners, through its Purchasing Department on behalf of the Water Utilities Department, is soliciting proposals for acoustic water leak detection survey services via Request for Proposal No. 21-031-IM and Amendment 1. The procurement seeks comprehensive leak detection services covering approximately 100 miles of water main throughout the county's 2,411-mile water distribution system, which serves approximately 591,000 residents across nearly 1,300 square miles. The scope of work involves surveying water mains with an anticipated material breakdown of 70% PVC (70 miles), 8% Ductile Iron Pipe (8 miles), 7% Cast Iron Pipe (7 miles), and 15% Asbestos-Cement pipe (15 miles), with leak sound correlators not required on service lines and water mains smaller than 6-inch diameter. Survey work will include listening at main line valves, fire hydrants, and service connections using acoustic leak detection equipment, with listening distances not exceeding 400 feet between points, along with an estimated 80 miles of daytime leak detection work, 20 miles of evening/nighttime leak detection work, and 80 hours of annual repair documentation and verification services. Proposers must demonstrate experience in acoustic water leak detection survey services within the past five years, provide a minimum of three references, and maintain adequate insurance coverage including Commercial General Liability ($500,000), Business Auto Liability ($500,000), Professional Liability ($1,000,000), and Workers' Compensation. Evaluation criteria include experience and qualifications (30 percent), project approach and understanding (20 percent), key personnel and operations (25 percent), price proposal (20 percent), and business location/local preference (5 percent), with pricing submitted on a per-mile or per-hour basis. Critical dates include a non-mandatory pre-proposal conference held on April 28, 2021, a deadline for questions and comments of May 5, 2021, at 5:00 p.m., a proposal due date of May 21, 2021, at 4:00 p.m., oral presentations scheduled for June 15, 2021, a Notice of Intent to Award on June 18, 2021, and Board of County Commissioners approval anticipated for August 17, 2021.

The contract commences October 1, 2021, and continues through September 30, 2023, with three optional one-year renewal periods at the County's sole discretion. While the County's Equal Business Opportunity Ordinance is applicable to this project, Affirmative Procurement Initiatives have been waived and there is no required minimum percentage for Small/Minority/Women Business Enterprise (S/M/WBE) participation; however, if subcontractors are utilized, required EBO documentation must be submitted for compliance tracking purposes. All proposers must register with the County's Vendor Self Service (VSS) system and ensure all subcontractors are similarly registered prior to contract finalization. Proposals must be executed with original physical signatures from authorized officers, as the County does not accept electronic signatures, and all amendments must be signed and submitted with the proposal to avoid deeming the proposal non-responsive. The County stated it is not inclined to accept exceptions to the Sample Standard Contract terms and conditions. No specific budget range or award value is disclosed in the procurement documents; however, given the scope of 100 miles of surveying and associated verification services over a two-year initial contract term with three optional renewal periods, the total contract value could potentially range from several hundred thousand to over one million dollars depending on the pricing structure submitted by proposers.