Chemicals to maintain Hydrolab and In-Situ Sondes

The City of Austin, Texas is requesting bids on chemicals to maintain and calibrate Hydrolab and In-Situ Sondes used in water quality monitoring, with bids due August 13, 2026 under IFB 6300 BYS1059. A Small Business Preference program and a Local Business Preference program both apply; participation in either is optional and does not impact bidding eligibility.

The scope comprises eight specified chemical items in Category 1 — buffer solutions (pH 7.00, 10.00, and 4.01), conductivity standards, ultra-pure deionized water, pH reference solution, redox buffer, and sensor storage solution. The City estimates annual quantities based on historical usage but does not guarantee purchase of listed amounts; actual orders will be as-needed. Pricing must be all-inclusive of administrative fees, overhead, shipping to the Austin area, and all labor and equipment. Category 3 permits offerors to propose additional products with estimated 10% markup, capped at 25% maximum markup to costs.

The Small Business Preference program offers full preference incentives to Small Business Primes and partial preference to non-Small Business offerors that include one or more certified Small Business subcontractors totaling at least 5% of contract value. The Local Business Preference applies to entities with headquarters in the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Metropolitan Statistical Area (Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Travis, and Williamson counties). The City determined that no Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MBE/WBE) subcontracting goals apply due to insufficient subcontracting opportunities and lack of certified MBE/WBE availability; however, the City encourages use of certified Small Business subcontractors where feasible.

Mandatory insurance requirements include Workers' Compensation and Employers' Liability ($100,000 per accident / $500,000 by disease), Commercial General Liability ($500,000 per occurrence), and Business Automobile Liability ($500,000 combined single limit), all underwritten by A.M. Best B+VII or better. All contractors must certify compliance with the City of Austin Wage Theft Ordinance and complete mandatory wage theft training within 30 days of award. Subcontractor use requires prior written City approval. Delivery is FOB destination, prepaid. The procurement specialist is Brenita Wilkison.