Filter First Upgrade

Adrian Public Schools in Adrian, Michigan (Kent County) is soliciting qualified contractors through a Request for Proposals to install Filter First drinking water fixtures across nine school district buildings and one community facility. The comprehensive project encompasses the removal of existing drinking fountains and installation of new filtered water delivery systems including bottle filling stations, coolers, and faucets with integrated filtration capabilities at Adrian High School, Springbrook Middle School, Alexander Elementary, Lincoln Elementary, Prairie Elementary, Michener Elementary, Drager Elementary, Mouli Alternative Education, and Comstock Community Center. The scope of work includes supply, installation, and connection of necessary plumbing fixtures, sanitary lines, and vent piping, with Elkay brand fixtures identified as preferred products and alternative manufacturers permitted if specifications are met or exceeded. The RFP was issued on April 10, 2026, with written clarification requests due by 10:00 a.m. on April 17, 2026, a non-mandatory pre-proposal meeting scheduled for April 20, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. at Adrian Public Schools (217 Race Street), sealed proposals due by 10:30 a.m. on April 24, 2026 (in-person submission only), anticipated award on April 28, 2026, and project completion by June 8, 2026, with work hours restricted to after 4:00 p.m. on weekdays at elementary schools and weekends unrestricted. Qualified contractors must demonstrate comprehensive K-12 project experience, maintain general liability insurance with $1,000,000 per occurrence limits and $3,000,000 aggregate, carry workers' compensation and automobile liability coverage, submit a five percent bid security as either a bid bond or certified check, provide 100 percent performance and payment bonds for proposals exceeding $50,000, submit sworn Familial Disclosure and Iran Economic Sanctions Act Compliance Affidavits, complete Livescan background checks, and provide references from public school district projects or similarly-sized installations.

The Request for Proposals contains no stated set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises or minority-owned businesses, and no restrictions limiting responses to specific organization types are noted in the available documentation. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are identified in the procurement materials. The project specifications reference specific Elkay product models and technical standards, indicating that successful contractors must integrate with existing Elkay Pro Filtration system infrastructure, including ultra-capacity 10,000-gallon filters, two-stage filtration systems with sediment prefilters, cloud-connected plumbSMART capabilities, and vandal-resistant models for high-traffic areas; contractors may also propose alternative brands meeting or exceeding these specifications, and the project inventory indicates integration with products from manufacturers such as Atlas Filtri for specialized applications. All pricing is quoted F.O.B. to Adrian Public Schools and is not exempt from taxes, with contractors required to submit separate base bid and alternate bid amounts for each of the ten locations plus unit pricing for individual fixture components; the School District reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, waive informalities, and award to other than the lowest bidder at its sole discretion, though no specific budget range or award value is disclosed in the RFP materials.