Bottled Water Services

Texas Tech University (TTU) is soliciting proposals for a bottled water services contract to provide drinking, deionized, and distilled water in three or five-gallon plastic bottles across multiple campus locations including Lubbock, Junction, Fredericksburg, Highland Lakes, Dallas, Austin, Houston, Amarillo, Abilene, and El Paso. The comprehensive services include product delivery, installation, transportation, water dispenser equipment rental, maintenance, annual inspection, cleaning, equipment repair and replacement, and debris removal. Proposers must submit firm fixed prices covering all product and service costs without bottle deposit charges, with deliveries coordinated on a weekly or bi-weekly basis and additional services to be fulfilled within 48 hours of request. The evaluation criteria will weight proposals based on Financial Value (40%), Demonstrated Ability to Fulfill Requirements (35%), Value Added Options (15%), and Quality Assurance Plan and Control Measures (10%). Key deadlines include a written questions deadline of December 12, 2025, at 1:00 PM Central, with proposals due January 9, 2026, at 1:00 PM Central, followed by a public online proposal opening. The initial contract term will begin before September 1, 2026, and expire four years from the effective date, with options for up to four additional one-year renewals.

The solicitation includes specific requirements for Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) program participation, with a goal of 11.87% for all other services contracts. Proposers must submit a Certificate of Insurance with specified liability coverage limits and may submit pricing through various structures including percentage discounts, fixed pricing, or a combination of methods. The contract is non-exclusive, allowing TTU to potentially contract with multiple proposers for similar services, and no minimum order quantity is guaranteed. Pricing will remain firm for the first 24 months, with potential annual increases of up to 3% thereafter. Proposers must also provide three professional references, disclose any pending litigation or financial claims, and demonstrate capability to service multiple campus locations. While specific budget ranges are not explicitly stated, the multi-year contract and extensive geographic coverage suggest a significant procurement opportunity for qualified water service providers capable of meeting TTU's comprehensive requirements across various Texas locations.