Firewatch Services

Opportunity Home San Antonio is requesting bids for firewatch services across its properties and facilities under IFB 2606-5699, with bids due July 23, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. and questions due July 15, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. Section 3 employment and subcontracting goals apply: 30 percent new hires from Section 3 persons, 10 percent subcontracting to Section 3 businesses on construction contracts, and 3 percent on non-construction contracts. Small and local business utilization statements are mandatory.

Firewatch personnel must hold minimum one year of firewatch management experience, documented firewatch training completion, current CPR/AED and Basic First Aid certifications, criminal background clearance, drug screening within six months, high school diploma or GED, valid Texas Driver's License, and lawful U.S. residency. Personnel must be minimum age 21, fluent in English, and cannot have prior felony or certain misdemeanor convictions. The contractor must maintain a 24/7 dispatch center with live supervisor availability and GPS-timestamped dispatch verification. Response times are one hour for complete fire alarm impairments, sprinkler impairments, and elevator outages affecting mobility-impaired residents, and two hours for non-critical impairments. Fire watch patrols must occur every 30 minutes for large facilities and every 15 minutes for facilities with sleeping occupants.

The contract is firm fixed-price for one year with optional extension at Opportunity Home's sole discretion. Proposed fees must be fully burdened with all costs including employee salaries and benefits, overhead, profit, supplies, materials, licensing, insurance, bonding, and vehicle fuel, and must remain valid for 90 days from bid opening. The contractor must provide uniforms and ID badges at no cost to Opportunity Home, maintain electronic fire watch logs with GPS tracking, and submit daily logs to the San Antonio Fire Department and Opportunity Home Security Department. Liquidated damages of $100 per day apply for delays beyond specified completion timeframes. Bids are submitted through the Bonfire e-procurement portal.