Automated Bulk Water Sales Solution

The City of Westerville, Ohio, located in Delaware County, is soliciting proposals for an Automated Bulk Water Sales Solution to modernize and streamline its Water Division's bulk water dispensing operations. The procurement seeks a comprehensive system capable of providing automated payment processing, real-time monitoring, accurate metering, and comprehensive reporting capabilities for bulk water sales to commercial and residential customers, operating 24/7 without direct staff supervision. Deliverables must include a complete technical proposal addressing system architecture, cybersecurity and disaster recovery protocols, project management and implementation timeline, training plan, licensing models, ongoing support structure, required insurance coverage, and third-party dependencies. Key qualifications required include demonstrated experience and expertise in similar implementations, with evaluation criteria weighted as follows: responsiveness (5 points), experience and qualifications (25 points), system capabilities and project approach (60 points), and cost (10 points), with cost representing no more than 10 percent during initial evaluation phases. Critical deadlines include a questions deadline of February 25, 2026 at 5:00 PM EST, a non-mandatory pre-proposal conference on February 19, 2026 at 1:00 PM EST via Google Meet, a site visit on February 23, 2026 between 10:00 AM and 12:00 PM EST at the Water Treatment Plant located at 312 W. Main Street, Westerville, Ohio 43081, and a proposal submission deadline of March 12, 2026 at 5:00 PM EDT. Contract award is anticipated by early second quarter, with services commencing on or about April 15, 2026 and work completion by the end of second quarter.

The procurement documents do not specify set-aside designations or restrictions limiting eligibility to disadvantaged enterprises or particular organizational types. No incumbent vendors, current contractors, or existing technology infrastructure requiring integration are identified in the available documentation. Offerors must provide initial project costs as a line-item breakdown with a total lump sum not-to-exceed fee, along with any continuing project and ongoing support costs for future years; however, specific budget ranges or award values are not disclosed in the RFP materials. The selected vendor must maintain liability and property damage insurance of at least $1,000,000 per person and $2,000,000 per accident for bodily injury, and $1,000,000 per accident and $2,000,000 for all accidents for property damage, as well as professional liability insurance including cyber liability of at least $5,000,000. The contract will be governed by Ohio law with venue in Franklin County, Ohio, and the City reserves the right to reject any or all proposals or make partial or multiple awards.