Advanced Metering Infrastructure Program

The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD) is soliciting qualified vendors through an Invitation to Negotiate (ITN) to implement a comprehensive Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) program serving Polk County, Florida. This procurement encompasses the deployment of a multi-utility AMI system supporting seven utilities (electric, potable water, chilled water, hot water, natural gas, wastewater, and reclaimed water), replacement of all existing meters with new equipment and endpoints, migration of legacy operational data from FoxPro to a modern SQL database platform with high-availability disaster recovery capabilities, and establishment of robust data retention and ownership protocols. The project includes system assessment and planning, data mapping and schema design, migration development and testing, network infrastructure integration with both RF communications for local meter networks and non-RF technologies (fiber, Ethernet, or cellular) for backhaul, cybersecurity implementation compliant with NIST standards, cloud-based headend system deployment with 99.9% uptime and automatic elastic scaling, customer web portals, customer information system integration, staff training, and 24/7 technical support with continuous firmware updates. The phased implementation will begin with natural gas utility (approximately 222 meters), followed by water utility (532 meters), electric utility (1,605 meters), and hot and chilled water utility (40 meters), with full deployment across all District utilities to be completed by the end of 2027, assuming a contract award date of August 2026. Qualified bidders must hold Florida General Contractor, Low Voltage Contractor, and Electrical Contractor licenses; provide uniformed, badged installation staff with GPS time-stamped and photo-documented deployments; and supply a detailed subcontractor list disclosing all subcontractors involved in project delivery. The ITN evaluation process will assess proposals on a maximum 100-point scale across seven criteria: Technical Architecture & AMI Compliance (30 points), Cybersecurity, Cloud & Compliance (15 points), AMI Software, HES, MDM & Portal (10 points), Database Migration & Integration (10 points), Data Ownership, Retention & Legal Compliance (10 points), Deployment, Support & Vendor Qualifications (15 points), and Cost and Price Proposal Requirements (10 points); the District will shortlist proposals scoring 90 points or higher for negotiation. Proposals must be submitted electronically through the CFTOD BID PORTAL by May 14, 2026, with a maximum length of 30 pages excluding front covers, resumes, and a two-page cover letter; GIS Garmin GPX files containing meter location data are available to registered prospective bidders upon email request to the designated buyer.

The ITN does not establish explicit set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises; however, the General Terms and Conditions specify that in the event of tie bids, awards will be made based on certified Diverse Small Business Enterprise (DSBE) status or highest DSBE participation percentage. There are no identified incumbent vendors or current contractors referenced in the solicitation documents; however, the project requires integration with CFTOD's existing Customer Information System and assumes migration of legacy FoxPro operational data currently residing in older systems. All contractors and subcontractors must comply with comprehensive insurance requirements including Commercial General Liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence, Automobile Liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence, Workers' Compensation of $1,000,000 per occurrence, Umbrella Liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence (or $4,000,000 if crane operations are involved), and conditional requirements for Cyber Liability ($1,000,000 per occurrence), Professional Liability ($1,000,000 per occurrence if applicable), and Pollution Liability ($1,000,000 per occurrence if hazardous materials are used). Contractors must also comply with safety requirements including OSHA standards, confined space entry protocols per 29 CFR 1926.1200, and complete the Conflict of Interest and Public Entity Crime Affidavit and Foreign Countries of Concern Affidavit forms. Equipment warranty must be not less than one year from project completion, or the manufacturer's warranty period if longer, with optional 5-10 year extension periods available. The solicitation documents do not specify a total project budget, contract value range, or award amount; pricing will be subject to negotiation with shortlisted proposers based on their cost and price proposals submitted with their ITN responses.