City of Albany, Oregon REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS FOR WATER METER READING SERVICES March 15, 2012 Public Works Director... Mark Shepard, P.E. Utility Services Manager... Mark A. Yeager, P.E. Customer Services Supervisor...Patty McInnes For more information on this project contact Patty McInnes, Public Works Customer Services Supervisor, at (541) 917-7545 PUBLIC WORKS UTILITY BILLING
REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS WATER METER READING SERVICES TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction... 4 Minimum Requirements... 4 Submittal Process... 5 Inquiries... 5 Vendor Selection Process... 5 Qualification Review Protests... 6 RFQ Water Meter Reading Services Page 2 of 6
CITY OF ALBANY REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS Water Meter Reading Services Qualification Statements Due at 2:00 p.m., Tuesday, March 27, 2012 The City of Albany is soliciting statements of qualifications for water meter reading services to be used to establish a bidder list. Vendors must submit their qualifications statements and meet the minimum requirements as set forth in the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) document to be eligible for consideration. A complete Request for Qualifications solicitation document can be downloaded from the City of Albany website at http://www.cityofalbany.net/departments/finance/purchasing/bids-rfps-rfqs or obtained at Albany City Hall, Utility Billing Office, 333 Broadalbin SW, Albany, Oregon, Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. A copy may also be requested by contacting Utility Billing (541) 917-7545. It is imperative those who download the RFQ solicitation documents check the web site regularly for addenda, clarifications, and other pertinent notifications. All vendors known by the City of Albany to have received the RFQ solicitation documents will receive notification when additional information is posted. It is the responsibility of the vendor to contact Utility Billing at (541) 917-7545 to be added to the list of interested vendors. Time is of the essence in the selection of a vendor to prevent a disruption of City billing services; therefore, statements of qualifications are due no later than 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 27, 2012. One original and two copies of the signed Statement of Qualifications must be received in a sealed envelope by the due date at the Utility Billing Office, City of Albany, Attention: Patty McInnes, Public Works Customer Services Supervisor, 333 Broadalbin Street SW, Albany, OR 97321. On the outside of the envelope, please reference Statement of Qualifications for Water Meter Reading Services along with the name and address of the interested vendor. Faxed or electronic (e-mail) submittals will not be accepted. Statements of qualifications received after the closing date and time will not be opened or reviewed. DATED THIS 15 TH DAY OF MARCH 2012. Diane M. Wood Purchasing Coordinator PUBLISH: Albany Democrat-Herald, Thursday, March 15, 2012. RFQ Water Meter Reading Services Page 3 of 6
Introduction REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS Water Meter Reading Services The City of Albany is soliciting Statements of Qualifications (SOQs) for water meter reading services to be used to establish a list for a potential Request for Proposals (RFP). Vendors must submit their qualifications statements and meet the minimum requirements as set forth herein to be eligible to submit a proposal at a later date. The City of Albany serves approximately 17,000 water customers. The customer base is divided into five billing cycles, and each meter needs to be read on a monthly basis. The customer base has been increasing at approximately 1 percent (1%) per year. Vendor will be responsible to accurately read each customer meter monthly (approximately 30 days apart) and submit a report for each cycle based on the schedule below. The final results of the meter readings for each cycle shall be submitted no later than 8:00 a.m. on the due date shown below. Readings will be submitted electronically in a format that is suitable to the City and compatible with Springbrook utility billing software. Reading Cycle Number of Meter Read Accounts Period Due Date Cycle 1 3,475 1 st - 5 th 6th Cycle 2 2,950 5 th 11 th 12th Cycle 3 3,825 11 th 17 th 18th Cycle 4 3,925 23 rd 29 th 30th Cycle 5 North Albany 2,875 17 th 23 rd 24th Minimum Requirements / Standards of Responsibility The Statement of Qualifications shall not exceed five (5) total pages. One sheet is considered to be one side of a single 8-1/2-inch by 11-inch page. The minimum font size allowed shall be an 11-point font. Vendors submitting more than the specified number of pages or using a font smaller than 11 points may be considered non-responsive. The Statement of Qualifications shall include: Letter of Transmittal Vendor shall include a letter of transmittal and expression of interest in performing the required services as stated above. Vendor should indicate a willingness to enter into a contract for services with the City. The letter of transmittal shall also name the person(s) authorized to represent the vendor in any negotiations and the name of the person(s) legally qualified to sign any contract that may result. The letter shall be signed by an authorized representative of the vendor. Experience and Equipment To qualify, the vendor must, at a minimum, demonstrate the following: Three (3) years of experience reading water meters of all sizes in a local government environment. Satisfactory record of performance as a contract meter reading provider to at least three distinct cities, counties, or water districts. Possession and provision of all water meter reading equipment necessary to perform the work, including handheld computers and software. A detailed list of all equipment owned or leased must be provided. References Include a brief description of past relevant work experience along with relevant reference information for no less than three separate contracts for different agencies over the past three years. RFQ Water Meter Reading Services Page 4 of 6
Submittal Process One original and two copies of the signed Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) must be received at the City of Albany, Utility Billing Office, 333 Broadalbin, Albany, Oregon 97321, no later than 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 27, 2012. Statements of Qualifications shall be addressed as follows: Request for Qualifications Water Meter Reading Services City of Albany Attention: Patty McInnes, Public Works Customer Services Supervisor 333 Broadalbin SW Albany, OR 97321-0144 Faxed or electronic (e-mail) submittals will not be accepted. Statements of Qualifications (SOQ) received after the closing date and time will not be opened or reviewed. Each SOQ will be judged on its completeness and quality of its content. The City reserves the right to reject any or all SOQs and is not liable for any costs the vendor incurs while preparing or presenting their qualification statements. All SOQs will become part of the public file, without obligation to the City. When the evaluations are completed and the vendor is found to meet the minimum requirements as set forth herein, the vendor is eligible to submit a proposal at a later date. A selection review committee will be appointed to evaluate all Statements of Qualifications. If additional information is deemed necessary as part of the evaluations, such information will be solicited in order to allow the committee to complete the evaluation process. The Statement of Qualifications shall list a contact person and phone number so that the person may be contacted during the review and evaluation period. Each qualifications packet must include, at a minimum, the items listed in the section titled Minimum Requirements as applicable. SOQs not including this information will be considered non-responsive to this request and will not be evaluated. Inquiries Questions that arise prior to the submittal deadline shall be addressed to Patty McInnes, Public Works Customer Services Supervisor, at the address listed above. Questions must be submitted in writing no later than seven (7) days prior to the RFQ submittal date. All questions and answers will be provided in writing to all vendors who have requested this RFQ; therefore, it is imperative that those who download the RFQ solicitation documents from the City s website contact Utility Billing at (541) 917-7545 to be added to the list of interested vendors and check the web site regularly for addenda, clarifications, and other pertinent notifications posted there. Vendor Review Process The vendor review process will consist of a request for qualifications statements from vendors interested in providing the required services, and an evaluation of those qualifications compared to the minimum requirements for qualification submittals. Time is of the essence in the selection of a vendor to prevent a disruption of City billing services. The City anticipates the following general timeline for receiving and evaluating the Statements of Qualifications. RFQ Advertisement Thursday, March 15, 2012 Receive Statements of Qualifications Tuesday, March 27, 2012, 2:00 p.m. Evaluate and Select Qualified Vendors Monday, April 23, 2012 At the City s discretion, the above timeline is subject to change. RFQ Water Meter Reading Services Page 5 of 6
Qualification Review Protests If the City determines that a vendor is not qualified, the City will notify the vendor in writing and specify the reason(s) for the determination. The vendor has the right to a hearing under ORS 279B.425. Vendors must notify the City and request a hearing within three (3) business days following receipt of the notice. RFQ Water Meter Reading Services Page 6 of 6