Request for Proposal

for

Utility Billing System Needs Assessment

May 28, 2009

City of Oceanside 300 North Coast Highway Oceanside Ca 92054

CITY OF OCEANSIDE
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR UTILITY BILLING SYSTEM NEEDS ASSESSMENT
The City of Oceanside is soliciting proposals from qualified consulting firms for services related to the performance of a Needs Assessment for the Citys Utility Billing System. When completed, the City shall have an Assessment Report documenting existing and recommended hardware, software, and network resources required for operation and maintenance of the system and cost estimates for procurement and/or implementation of recommendations. Please carefully read the Request for Proposal in its entirety. Each firm responding to this RFP must follow the rules stated within this section. Adherence to these rules will ensure a fair and objective analysis of all proposals. Pages may be attached as necessary. Failure to comply with or complete any part of this request may result in rejection of a proposal. Inquiries regarding this Request for Proposal shall be directed to: Sheri Brown, Financial Services Division Manager Sbrown@ci.oceanside.ca.us All questions must be submitted in writing and emailed to Sbrown@ci.oceanside.ca.us. Every question submitted in writing to the City of Oceanside will be forwarded, with an answer, to all participating firms. The City of Oceanside will not respond to phone calls.

Please submit an original plus six (6) copies of the proposal to: Sheri Brown, Financial Services Division Manager Financial Services Department City of Oceanside 300 N. Coast Hwy Oceanside, CA 92054

Proposals must be received at the office by:

5:00 p.m., July 2, 2009

No Late Proposals will be accepted.

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I. PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The City of Oceanside wishes to replace the current Utility Billing Software/Hardware System used to bill and collect for water, sewer and solid waste services.

II. TIME OF COMPLETION

City staff has set a deadline of October 15, 2009 for delivery of the Needs Assessment Report, with the intention of soliciting proposals for implementation of selected recommendations by December 31, 2009. Please see the attached timeline for additional deadlines. If these deadlines do not present a reasonable timeframe for completion of the project, the proposal shall include an alternate timeline.

III. SCOPE OF WORK

The City of Oceanside is seeking a qualified consulting firm to perform a Needs Assessment for the Citys Utility Billing System and prepare a final report. The final report shall be submitted in both hard copy and electronic format (Microsoft Word or Excel). The selected consultant is expected to complete the following: a. Assessment Report documenting existing and recommended hardware, software, and network required for operation and maintenance of the system b. Cost estimates for procurement and/or implementation of recommendations The City is interested in the total scope of services offered by the consultants who have a specific focus on providing billing systems for governmental fund accounting environments.

IV. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Proposals should be as concise as possible and shall contain, at a minimum, the information requested below. Additional materials, including detailed resumes and brochures, may be submitted as an attached appendix. Brochures and marketing materials not directly related to specific experience with the proposed Scope of Work shall not be submitted. Any exceptions to the requirements stated herein shall be clearly explained. Completed proposals and price information must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on July 2, 2009. Proposals shall include the following a. An introductory letter, addressed to the Finance Division Manager, containing the firms mailing address, telephone number, fax number, type of ownership, and the name of the person to contact regarding the proposal. This letter shall be signed by an official authorized to bind the firm, shall express the consultants interest in the work, and shall contain a statement to the effect that the proposal is valid for at least 120 days. b. Identification and role of key personnel to be assigned to the project including their backgrounds and experience. The proposal shall include a project team organization

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chart and shall be specific in identifying the nature and extent of each persons participation in the needs assessment. c. A detailed description of the consultants approach to the needs assessment as described in the Scope of Work. The description shall convey the consultants basic understanding of the work to be accomplished. d. A statement of the consultants ability to perform services within the required time of completion, including an estimated time schedule. e. A not to exceed cost estimate and in this estimate describe how and when fees are billed. f. A minimum of three references for which the consultant has provided similar services during the past five years. If the project team includes sub-consultants, clearly state which firm was responsible for each specific project reference, and identify any previous projects that were jointly completed.

V. ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA AND LEGAL OBLIGATIONS

The City of Oceanside will not pay any costs incurred for the proposal preparation and submission in response to this RFP. All costs for the preparation of the proposal shall be borne by the proposing firm. The firm is responsible for all travel arrangements and expenses. Each bidder is solely responsible for the accuracy and completeness of its bid. The City of Oceanside is not liable for any cost incurred by the bidders prior to execution of a contract and the issuance of a purchase order. Responses to this RFP will become part of any future contracts. The City of Oceanside reserves the right to negotiate the final contract and price with the most responsive firm(s) Proposals may be modified or withdrawn prior to the date and time specified for proposal submission by an authorized representative of the firm or by formal written notice to the City. Proposals submitted will become the property of the City of Oceanside after the proposal submission deadline and may not be withdrawn. The selected bidder shall be required to assume responsibility for all items offered in his bid whether or not he produces them. Further, the agency shall consider the selected bidder to be the sole point of contact with regard to contractual matters, including payment of any and all charges resulting from the contract. The City of Oceanside reserves the right to reject any and all proposals or any part of any proposal, to waive minor defects or technicalities, or to solicit new proposals on the same project or on a modified project which may include portions of the originally proposed project as the City of Oceanside may deem necessary in its interest. The successful consultant shall agree to indemnify the City of Oceanside, its officers and employees against loss or damage (including reasonable attorneys fees and other costs of litigation) caused by the successful consultant's negligent acts or omissions or the negligent
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acts or omissions of the successful consultant's agents or employees. The successful consultant shall agree to defend any suit against the City of Oceanside alleging injuries or damages arising out of the service provided, however, that nothing contained herein shall require the successful consultant to defend or indemnify the city for injuries or damages arising out the negligence of the City of Oceanside its agents, or employees.

VI. SELECTION PROCESS

The City of Oceanside will review all proposals with particular emphasis to determine: a. Consultant's previous record of performance and service, and experience in the industry b. Conformance to required contract provisions c. Completeness of the proposal d. References The City of Oceanside will be the sole judge of the appropriateness and completeness of any and all proposals and reserves the right to reject any and all proposals that do not provide the information requested. Neither the City nor any agent thereof on behalf of the City shall be obligated in any fashion by any response(s) to this RFP. The City of Oceanside reserves the right to negotiate those issues not included in the proposal document. The City of Oceanside will not reimburse consultants for costs incurred in preparing proposals or traveling to the City to demonstrate services.

VII. CITY OF OCEANSIDE PROFILE

City of Oceanside is a full service city providing its 179,681 residents with full police and fire protection, public works, water service and recreation facilities. Its full-time staff of 1,060 employees manage and run the business of the City. The operational makeup of the Oceanside Financial Services Department consists of 43 employees responsible for accounts payable, general ledger activities, purchasing, payroll, and revenue processing. The Revenue Division of the Financial Services Department consists of 23 employees with 12 assigned to utility billing, central cashiering and reprographics. The utility bill is comprised of water, sewer and solid waste charges with approximately 44,000 regular bills, divided into 20 cycles, mailed monthly. Approximately 4,500 delinquent notices are mailed monthly with 2,000 shut-off notices generated monthly. Every month approximately 500 new accounts are started. Because we are a beach community, the volume of new accounts opened increases in the summer months. Also, current foreclosure rates have had an impact on the volume of new accounts opened. Rate changes for solid waste services have occurred annually for many years while water and sewer rates have recently been changing every two years. Our City has adopted water rates for declared drought statuses that will be applied if/when specific conservation targets are mandated. The water rates for most account classifications are tiered with the exception of non-residential. Single family sewer rates are recalculated annually because the flow rates are based on the prior year lowest winter quarter average water use. Multifamily sewer rates are based on the number of dwelling units being served while commercial
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sewer rates are classified based on the type of business operation. Solid waste rates are flat monthly amounts based on the level of service. The following pages represent the rates currently in place.

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CITY OF OCEANSIDE
Financial Services Department - Revenue Division Breakdown of Utility Billing Charges

WATER
1 unit = 748 gallons of water

BASE WATER SERVICE MONTHLY CHARGE

$12.97 $28.59 $54.63 $85.89 $158.81
5/8" METER 1" METER 1 1/2" METER 2" METER 3" METER

$262.98 $523.42 $835.93 $1,200.54

4" METER 6" METER 8" METER 10" METER

MWD READY-TO-SERVE
(billed monthly) $1.15 5/8" $2.87 1" $5.74 1 1/2" $9.18 2" $17.21 3" $28.68 4" $57.35 6" $91.76 8"
10" $131.91

SDCWA INFRASTRUCTURE
$1.90 $3.04 $5.70 $9.88 $18.24 $31.16 $57.00 $98.80 $148.20

SDCWA SURCHARGE for all meter sizes - $0.25 for each unit of water used CLEAN WATER PROGRAM for all services - $0.07 for each unit of water used

CONSUMPTION CHARGES SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL

Consumption Tier 1 Consumption Tier 2 Based on usage Based on usage X $1.88 First 0-13 units used X $2.16 14 units and above

MULTI-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL (Per dwelling unit)

Consumption Tier 1 Consumption Tier 2 Based on usage Based on usage X $1.74 First 0-7 units used X $2.00 8 units and above

MASTER-METERED SINGLE FAMILY (MS) (Per dwelling unit)

Consumption Tier 1 Consumption Tier 2 Based on usage Based on usage X $1.88 First 0-13 units used X $2.16 14 units and above

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MANUFACTURED HOMES (MH) (Per dwelling unit)

Consumption Tier 1 Consumption Tier 2 Based on usage Based on usage X $1.74 First 0-7 units used X $2.00 8 units and above

NON-RESIDENTIAL
All consumption
Amount of usage

X $2.05

RECLAIMED WATER
All consumption
Amount of usage

X $1.65

SEWER
BASE SEWER SERVICE MONTHLY CHARGE
$15.93 $34.93 $66.60 $104.61 $193.30
5/8" METER 1" METER 1 1/2" METER 2" METER 3" METER

$320.00 $636.76 $1,016.85 $1,460.30

4" METER 6" METER 8" METER 10" METER

FLOW CHARGE
SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL
(BASED ON YOUR TWO LOWEST CONSUMPTIONS FOR THE WINTER QUARTER AVG)

Effective July 1st thru June 30th of the year following the Winter Quarter Average Low Sewer Flow Medium Sewer Flow High Sewer Flow $8.90 0-5 units consumed during the WQA $19.18 6-10 units consumed during the WQA $37.44 11 + units consumed during the WQA ~ plus srvc fee based on mtr size

MASTER-METERED SINGLE FAMILY (MS) (Per dwelling unit )

$15.04 ~ plus srvc fee based on mtr size

MANUFACTURED HOMES (Per dwelling unit )

$10.28 ~ plus srvc fee based on mtr size

MULTI-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL (Per dwelling unit )

$2.42 X 75% of consumption~w/o separate irrigation meter~MF $2.42 X 90% of consumption~w/ separate irrigation meter~MI ~ plus srvc fee based on mtr size

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NON-RESIDENTIAL SEWER FLOW CHARGES

RATE SIC CODE $2.42 20s $2.74 30s $3.92 40s $4.69 50s $2.42 80s $2.42 61,63 $2.42 62 $2.42 62 $1.49 73 $2.42 75 $2.42 75 $2.42 75 $2.03 72 $2.42 74 $2.40 70 $2.42 76 $1.46 23 $1.62 23 $4.07 50 $2.42 23 $2.42 37 $3.60 24 $8.20 24 CLASS General Comm Low Strng Medium Strength Medium High Strength High Strength RV Parks, Hotel, Motel Churches/Mbsh org Public Schools (w/ sep irr) " " no sep irr mtr Deutsch Co. Cal Mat Co. Superior Ready Mix Orco Cement Mix Mission Linen Tri City Hospital Hydranautics Mountain Water Ice Genentech - NICO/OCP Genentech - NIMO Metro Tile/Metro Roof Dan Rose (Elite Metal) Nitto Denko Ca Creative Foods RNH&J Prop (Sepro)
(ONE MONTH ADVANCE CHARGE) MULTIPLIER 90% consumption 90% consumption 90% consumption 90% consumption 90% consumption 90% consumption 90% consumption 75% consumption 47% consumption 2% consumption 2% consumption 2% consumption 75% consumption 100% consumption 90% consumption 1% consumption 90% consumption 90% consumption 90% consumption 90% consumption 90% consumption 90% consumption 90% consumption

X X X X X X X X X X X X X X

X
X X X X X X X X

TRASH REMOVAL
CHARGES
CODE M170 X170 M171 M172 M173 M174 M175 M176 M180

SERVICE Residential/1 time per week with green waste Residential/1 time per week without green waste Residential/2 times per week with green waste Residential/1 time per week/1 extra green waste Residential/1 time per week/2 extra green waste Residential/1 time per week/3 extra green waste Green waste only Residential/1 time per week/4 extra green waste Multi-family recycling

RATE $19.44 $16.30 $37.98 $20.61 $21.79 $22.96 $3.14 $24.15 $1.16

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CODE M181 M182 M183 M184 M270 M271 M274 M275 M276 M277 M278 M279 M281 M285 M286 M374 M375 M376 M377 M378 M379

SERVICE 3-Yard mixed paper 3-Yard green waste 96 gallon green waste toter 96 gallon glass/commingled toter Commercial Can (1xweek) Commercial Can (2xweek) Commercial Pickup (3yd bin 1xweek) Commercial Pickup (3yd bin 2xweek) Commercial Pickup (3yd bin 3xweek) Commercial Pickup (3yd bin 4xweek) Commercial Pickup (3yd bin 5xweek) Commercial Pickup (3yd bin 6xweek) Pull Out Fee Initial Lock Fee Additional Lock Fee Commercial Pickup (4yd bin 1xweek) Commercial Pickup (4yd bin 2xweek) Commercial Pickup (4yd bin 3xweek) Commercial Pickup (4yd bin 4xweek) Commercial Pickup (4yd bin 5xweek) Commercial Pickup (4yd bin 6xweek)

RATE $46.94 $77.59 $16.77 $14.85 $26.35 $47.91 $94.76 $171.55 $248.34 $325.11 $401.92 $478.70 $3.76 $3.82 $1.91 $124.62 $225.30 $325.99 $426.67 $527.37 $628.05

CITY WASTE DISPOSAL

Public Streets $3.77 Private Streets $3.55

ADMINISTRATIVE FEES
Set Up Fee (Billed on the first billing of every account) After Hours Fee (Water service requested on after regular business hours) Reinstatement Fee (Reactivate service turned off for non-payment) Returned Check Fee (Fee required for any check returned by bank) Lock Check Fee Delinquent Tagging Fee Broken Lock Fee $35.00 $110.00 $40.00 $25.00 $10.00 $10.00 $20.00

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Utility Billing Needs Assessment Schedule

2009 May May 28 July 2 July 20 24 July 27 31 August 3 - 7 August 10 September 30 October 15 November 19 December 31 Develop scope of service for needs assessment Distribute RFP for needs assessment Proposals due to City Interview limited number of vendors Select a vendor for the needs assessment Prepare and finalize contract for services Begin needs assessment process Draft needs assessment report submitted to City Final needs assessment report submitted to City Draft request for proposal distributed to team Finalize request for proposal

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