RFP Online Backflow Testing Management Solution

The City of Fort Worth is requesting proposals for an online backflow testing management solution for the Water Department on an "as needed" basis, with proposals due July 30, 2026. A 30% small business participation goal applies; eligible small businesses must be located in Tarrant, Wise, Johnson, Parker, or Denton County and hold current certification from a City Manager-approved organization, including the North Central Texas Regional Certification Agency.

The scope encompasses a cloud-based compliance management platform combined with implementation and ongoing operational support to manage backflow prevention assemblies across the water system. The City currently maintains records for approximately 50,000 assemblies at 15,000 facilities and anticipates integrating an additional 40,000 or more residential assemblies. The solution must support secure online submission of test reports by certified testers, automate customer notifications and compliance workflows, validate tester qualifications and calibration records, and provide real-time reporting and analytics. Integration is required with existing City systems including utility billing, work order management, GIS, customer communication platforms, and the MyH2O water management platform. The vendor must deliver weekly implementation status reports, detailed implementation schedules, data migration procedures, testing and validation procedures, and customer communication transition plans. Upon contract termination, the vendor must provide complete data export in structured, machine-readable format with the City retaining full ownership of all data.

Vendors must submit transparent, scalable pricing proposals itemizing initial implementation, data migration, system configuration, annual software licensing, hosting infrastructure, operational support, customer notification services, reporting, training, and per-test-report costs.

Proposals will be evaluated on best value across five criteria: cost (up to 35 points), approach to perform services (up to 20 points), qualifications and experience (up to 10 points), small business participation (up to 20 points), and ability to meet City needs (up to 15 points). Proposals receiving less than 50% of total non-price points will not be considered for award. The vendor must comply with all federal, state, and local cybersecurity requirements, including data encryption, multi-factor authentication, and comprehensive audit logging. Insurance minimums include Commercial General Liability and Technology Liability at $2 million per occurrence each, Professional Liability at $1 million, and Automobile Liability at $1 million.