RFP - Water Billing and Customer Service Support

The City of Menlo Park Public Works Department is soliciting proposals for an outsourced water billing and customer service provider to manage approximately 4,400 service connections. The selected vendor will provide a new Customer Information System software platform and handle comprehensive billing operations, including monthly bill production within five business days of meter reads, payment processing, and the management of past due accounts in accordance with CA SB 998 policies. The scope of work encompasses seven primary tasks: implementation and data conversion, billing services, collections and disconnections, data security, customer service in English and Spanish, training, and integration with the Sensus FlexNet AMI system. The contract is intended for an initial three-year term with two optional one-year extensions. Proposers must demonstrate significant experience, including the successful management of a similar implementation for a North American water utility within the last 24 months and the maintenance of a United States office. Technical requirements include an ADA-compliant customer portal with a multilingual chatbot and adherence to strict data security standards such as ISO/IEC 27001 or NIST frameworks. Vendors are required to remit collected funds to the City via direct deposit or wire transfer within one week of collection and must maintain a fidelity or crime bond. Proposals are due by October 9, 2026, and will be evaluated based on the vendor's ability to perform tasks, personnel qualifications, technical methodology, schedule reasonableness, and overall cost.