Owasa. ORG website rebuild

Orange Water & Sewer Authority (OWASA) in North Carolina is soliciting proposals for a complete rebuild of its OWASA.org website, with proposals due September 2, 2026 at 3:00 PM ET. Shortlisted firms will be invited for interviews and presentations tentatively scheduled for September 9–10, 2026, with final contract award expected by September 16, 2026.

OWASA serves approximately 86,000 residents and 23,000 customer accounts across Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and parts of southern Orange County. The scope encompasses discovery and strategy planning (8 weeks), design (10 weeks), development (14 weeks), content migration (8 weeks), quality assurance and testing (6 weeks), and launch and stabilization (8 weeks) — a total anticipated timeline of 12–13 months from discovery through launch. The current website contains approximately 56 landing pages. The selected firm will work collaboratively to create a modern, accessible, secure, user-friendly website with an easy-to-manage content platform for OWASA staff, support existing and future integrations, and deliver post-launch training and support. OWASA will own all custom code, design files, and content upon project completion; the awardee must document and transfer all logins, API keys, and administrative access.

The resulting contract will include a 90-day post-launch warranty period and ongoing hosting, maintenance, and support services to be finalized during negotiations. Evaluation weighs relevant website rebuild experience (25 points), technical approach and methodology (30 points), team qualifications and project management (20 points), cost and value (15 points), and references (10 points). Proposers must carry minimum insurance of $4 million excess/umbrella liability, $1 million general liability per occurrence and in the aggregate, $1 million automobile liability per person and accident, and statutory workers' compensation coverage. Cost proposals must include lump-sum total base project cost broken down by major phase, with separate pricing for post-launch hosting, maintenance, technical support, and additional development services. Proposals require nine mandatory attachments including cost forms, E-Verify and conflict-of-interest certifications, Iran Divestment Act and Companies Boycotting Israel certifications, non-collusion affidavits, and reference forms. Contact David Moore, Procurement Supervisor, at dmoore@owasa.org for RFP questions.