Supply of Scale Inhibitor & Membrane Clean-In Place Chemicals

The Brownsville Public Utilities Board and Southmost Regional Water Authority are requesting proposals for annual supply of scale inhibitor and membrane clean-in-place chemicals for the SRWA Brackish Groundwater Treatment Facility, with proposals due October 7, 2026 at 5:00 PM.

The scope supplies two product categories for eight reverse osmosis trains operating at approximately one million gallons per day each with 75% overall recovery. Vendors must provide twice-annual scale inhibitor deliveries and sufficient alkaline and acidic cleaners for annual membrane cleaning. All scale inhibitor and CIP chemicals must be NSF 60 certified for drinking water applications, with manufacturers ISO 9001 certified — the primary capability filters. The SRWA currently uses Scale Inhibitor AWC A-108 Fe and Clean-In Place Chemicals AWC C-234 and AWC C-237. Vendors must demonstrate minimum three years of certifiable experience, provide three municipal references, supply computer dose modeling based on provided raw water quality data, and furnish laboratory evidence demonstrating 24-hour scale inhibition capability.

The contract term is one year from purchase order issuance with options to renew annually for two additional one-year periods if service and pricing remain satisfactory. Vendors must propose firm pricing for all three potential contract years. Unit pricing is per pound of delivered solution for scale inhibitor and per pound per plant cleaning for CIP chemicals. Delivery is FOB SRWA at 1255 N FM 511, Brownsville, Texas 78526, with required delivery within three working days of request or overnight for emergencies, Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

Evaluation criteria weight vendor ability to meet requirements and time objectives (5 points), estimated annual cost based on unit pricing (5 points), chemical performance (5 points), vendor performance history (3 points), and joint ventures/subcontractors (2 points), for a maximum of 100 points. Vendors must carry workers' compensation insurance, commercial general liability of $1 million, and excess umbrella liability of $1 million, with BPUB and City of Brownsville named as additional insureds. Proposals will be publicly opened October 8 at 10:00 AM, evaluated October 8–22, with board approval scheduled November 9, 2026.