This is a service / maintenance or supply contract in Sierra Vista, Arizona. Contact the soliciting agency for additional information.

All questions related to solicitation shall be submitted in writing through the OpenGov Question/Answer Tab via the City's e-Procurement portal, on or before Friday, January 16, 2026 at 5:00 pm. Please include the section title for each question, if applicable, in order to ensure that questions asked are responded to correctly. All questions submitted and answers provided shall be electronically distributed to all prospective bidders through the City's e-Procurement Portal. For questions, contact Helen Lee at helen.lee@sierravistaaz.gov or (520) 439-2207. Summary The City of Sierra Vista is soliciting proposals from Energy Services Companies (ESCOs) to provide energy service and improvements on the existing Wastewater infrastructure, primarily housed at the City's Environmental Operations Park, located at 7201 State Route 90, Sierra Vista, AZ 85635 and other improvements at the plant that can generate energy and other cost savings. For the purpose of this RFP, "ESCO" refers to any entity that is qualified to provide a turn-key utility conservation program that includes the services and requirements set forth in this RFP. The District intends to select an ESCO to perform an energy efficiency project as allowed under Arizona Revised Statutes 34-105. This RFP will be the basis of the City's selection of an ESCO partner to take the project from preliminary feasibility study to project development, design, construction, commissioning, and performance guarantee. The objective of this project is to implement as many of the wastewater master plan recommendations as possible, select and install energy and operationally-efficient equipment that require minimal capital expenditure by the City. Energy and operational savings over time will be expected to fund the project. The selected ESCO will perform a detailed feasibility analysis (i.e., an Investment Grade Audit, IGA) of the Master Plan and will propose a project that will provide: Project funding through a combination of guaranteed reduction in utility costs, procurement of utility incentives and/or energy grants and/or capital investment by the City, which delivers a net positive cash flow each year of the 25-year project term; Research and promote potential utility partnerships; Recommend potential for the energy savings through implementation of a solar array farm at the EOP; Reduction of energy consumption; Reduction of peak energy demands; Reductions in maintenance and other operations costs; Positive public recognition Should the City move forward from this initial phase into subsequent phases, the ESCO shall be responsible for the overall design, construction, construction management, and coordination with the City to complete a fully functional system that incorporates both the energy savings improvements and the required wastewater improvements. The ESCO shall arrange procurement of the equipment and material to provide a complete system as designed. The ESCO shall provide all necessary submittals, including but not limited to all electrical and mechanical equipment submittals to the City for approval. In addition, the ESCO shall provide construction support services, including meetings with contractors and City staff, design clarification, inspection of installation, review of change orders, final operations, and maintenance manuals, and drafting as-built record drawings. The ESCO, with the City's input and concurrence, will be responsible for, but not limited to, the following: Managing the selection of qualified contractors. Managing and administering the contract. Providing onsite construction management and coordination with the City's project staff. Obtaining all necessary permits and assist in identifying and obtaining any applicable energy grants, rebates and/or incentives. Direct equipment testing, commissioning, and monitoring to verify cost savings. Manage the schedule to coordinate and plan all activities and deliver a completed project expeditiously. Background The City of Sierra Vista (COSV or City) is located in Cochise County, Arizona. It includes within its incorporated limits the Ft. Huachuca military base and has a population of over 45,000 (2022) including the population on-base. Ft. Huachuca is served by its own wastewater collection system and wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The City is served by a gravity collection system comprised of 200 miles of pipe ranging from 4 inches to 30 inches which conveys flow to the Environmental Operations Park (EOP) WWTP in the northeast portion of the City (Figure ES - 1). The City does not operate a municipal drinking water system. Several private water companies have service territories covering the City and surrounding areas. The EOP WWTP operates under the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) Aquifer Protection Permit (APP) No. 101489 and has an annual average effluent discharge limit of 4.0 million gallons per day (mgd). The plant's influent flow meters were recently calibrated and currently measure flows above 75 percent of the permitted capacity for extended periods of time. The City of Sierra Vista contracted with Hazen and Sawyer to conduct a Wastewater Master Plan to make recommendations for our system. Their final report and recommendations are included in Attachments A & B. It is the City's intent to implement as much of the masterplan as feasible with the priorities as outlined in Attachment A, which includes a Cost Reduction Report of the original Master Plan document (Attachment B). Interviews: Mid to Late February Scope of Work The ESCO shall analyze and determine the viability of the project, and may include various options and alternatives for energy projects beyond those anticipated by this RFP that can enhance the feasibility of this performance project. ESCOs shall submit information regarding fee structures (i.e., timing and pricing) for preparation of the IGA as part of the response to this RFP. Following an initial evaluation of each response to this RFP, the City may conduct interviews with particular ESCOs to discuss in detail the contents of their responses. However, the City is under no obligation to enter into discussions with any of the Responders. The City may then negotiate a contract for the services of an ESCO selected pursuant to Arizona Revised Statutes, or any other procurement method, to conduct an IGA. The IGA will include a comprehensive feasibility analysis of the Wastewater Master Plan implementation, focusing on the following priorities, as set in the Implementation Phasing Evaluation (Attachment B): Electrical and Controls Bioreactor Basins Clarifiers Yard Piping Sludge Holding and Belt Filter Press Chlorine Contact Basin - Dechlorination Operations / Laboratory Building Blower Facility Improvements Civil Improvements including Compost Area Paving Screening Grit Removal Influent Equalization / Pump Station If the City determines to move forward with the project, it may negotiate the fee for the IGA with the selected ESCO, then contract with the selected ESCO to implement the recommendations. When the final work scope and pricing are agreed upon, the ESCO shall present to the City a contract that includes the City's long term ESPC arrangement with the ESCO and the performance of the design, engineering, procurement, and constructions phases, including commissioning, performance testing, and the measurement and verification of savings. The following sections describe the scope of work to be performed by an ESCO in the IGA. The ESCO is further expected, if the City and the ESCO agree on a project, to provide the design and construction services to perform the scope of work resulting in a complete project including drawings, specifications, equipment procurement, construction, commissioning, startup testing, and measurement and verification (M&V) of savings to provide a turn-key, working system. In addition, all designs must conform and adhere to the City's standards, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) and industry best practices, and all statutory and regulatory requirements. In the RFP response, the City invites each potential ESCO to demonstrate fully its capabilities with respect to each category below. 4.2. Phase 1 - Conduct an Energy Investment Grade Audit (IGA) The ESCO shall coordinate with the City to perform all measures, receive all information, and make sufficient site visits as are necessary to prepare the IGA. The City's existing energy costs and sample mechanical and electrical equipment specifications are available upon request. The ESCO must submit any requests for information, or other items, clearly and concisely, to the specified City contact. To the extent consistent with applicable law, the City may consider all audit information provided or produced as non-public information until various contract stages have occurred, such as completion of an Energy Audit or the execution of an Energy Services Agreement with an ESCO. At a minimum, the ESCO shall: Collect and analyze City's utility usage and cost data and evaluate other operational costs (i.e., maintenance) as appropriate for identifying improvement measures that can be implemented that will generate cost savings and an attractive rate of return. Evaluate whether improvements can be implemented to reduce energy consumption, generate cost savings or increase efficiency; Provide recommendations for viable system improvements and retrofits; Conduct spot measurements and/or data-logging as needed to supplement the billing data for proper baseline development; Document the planned commissioning activities for each measure to ensure that newly installed equipment/systems will perform as designed; Document how the savings guaranteed for each measure will be measured and verified (M&V) during the post construction period; Provide a detailed breakdown of all project cost development. Provide a financial pro-forma showing the City's cash flow over the term of the project; Prepare and conduct a presentation with the City's staff to discuss the result of the final IGA report. The ESCO shall provide interim reports and presentations at the 30/60/90% levels of audit completion. Typically, the 30% IGA report should focus on proper documentation of the baseline usage and cost; the 60% report should focus on the planned scope with highly developed costs for planned measures, and the 90% report is a draft of the final report. The ESCO shall provide regular project status updates more frequently if it is determined to be necessary by City staff. 4.3. Design and Drawings As part of the IGA, the ESCO shall prepare plans, specifications, construction costs, energy savings calculations, technical memorandums, and other design related documents sufficient to contractually implement the savings and improvements identified in the Energy Audit or otherwise available. The project plans will describe the overall project delivery approach, scope of work and associated switch-over and sequencing necessary to maintain operation of the wastewater system during construction. The project documents must also describe the maintenance requirements necessary to ensure continued energy savings and provide information about the incentives, rebates, grants, and other financing information for each measure identified that may be available to the City. The ESCO will make site visits to gain knowledge and understanding of the project. Through regular progress meetings, the ESCO will develop and share with the City the scope of work, projected savings and cost. The ESCO shall submit all plans and specifications to the City for review. The City's staff must be given opportunity for input to and fully approve the design, selected equipment and technology, and operational intent. The ESCO shall provide final, firm pricing and guaranteed savings for the project at the conclusion of the IGA phase in the completed IGA. The City may reject any savings calculation, or project recommendations presented by the ESCO. As described above, the ESCO shall provide interim reports to the City and any projects that the City does not wish to pursue will be eliminated from further consideration. 4.4. Construction Services For project elements that the City accepts, the ESCO shall arrange for the construction and procurement of the equipment and material to provide a complete system as designed. The ESCO shall submit all necessary submittals, including but not limited to all electrical and mechanical equipment submittals to the City for approval. In addition, the ESCO shall provide construction support services, including meetings with contractors and City staff, design clarification, inspection of installation, review of change orders, final operations and maintenance manuals, and drafting as-built record drawings. The ESCO, with City input, will be responsible for, but not limited to, the following: Managing the selection of contractors; Managing and administering the contract; Providing onsite construction management and coordinating with the City staff to provide supplemental inspection services; Obtaining all permits and assist in identifying and obtaining any applicable energy grants, rebates and/or incentives; Decommissioning and disposal of any equipment to be replaced; Direct equipment testing, commissioning, and monitoring to verify cost savings;