BackgroundThe City of Seattle operates a complex and mission-critical Customer Information System (CIS) environment leveraging Oracle's Customer Care and Billing (CC&B) platform, currently running version 2.7 in an on-premises deployment. The system serves as the backbone for utility customer account management, billing, meter data processing, and service delivery across Seattle City Light (SCL) and Seattle Public Utilities (SPU). In support of its long-term strategy, the City of Seattle's Information Technology Department (ITD), Seattle City Light (SCL), and Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) (hereon jointly referred to as the “the City”) intends to upgrade its CC&B environment (application, OS, middleware, database, physical infrastructure) to version 25.4, the latest supported release as of April 2025 . This upgrade is vital to ensuring system sustainability, improving cybersecurity posture, enhancing compatibility with modern technologies, and positioning the City for future cloud readiness and service innovation. The existing CC&B ecosystem is integrated with over 35+ enterprise and third-party systems, including but not limited to Oracle Meter Solutions Cloud Services (MSCS), Oracle Work and Asset Cloud Service (WACS), Oracle Network Management System(NMS), Esri GIS, Itron field systems, Maximo, and PeopleSoft Financials. These integrations play a pivotal role in enabling end-to-end utility operations, such as metering, billing, outage management, and customer engagement. To support development, testing, training, and operational continuity, the City maintains seven (7) distinct CC&B environments: Production User Acceptance Testing (UAT) Quality Assurance (QA) Development Training Sandbox Gold (pre-production baseline) All environments must be upgraded and revalidated to ensure consistent functionality, data integrity, and compliance with City operational requirements. The City employs Oracle WebLogic for application deployment, Oracle GoldenGate for real-time database replication to support reporting, and BI Publisher, Sequel Server Reporting Solution (SSRS), Tableau, and Power BI as part of its reporting suite. Additionally, Azure DevOps is leveraged for managing project tracking, defect resolution, and Agile delivery. Given the critical nature of utility services to residents and businesses, the City seeks a Vendor with proven experience in delivering large-scale CC&B upgrades, particularly within the public utility domain. The selected Vendor will be expected to bring deep industry knowledge, robust technical capabilities, and a collaborative delivery approach to ensure the success of this strategic initiative. Project Approach 1. OverviewThe City with the assistance of the Vendor will be responsible for planning, executing, and delivering the upgrade in a way that minimizes operational disruption, ensures compatibility with all impacted systems, and maintains compliance with Oracle support requirements. This upgrade will require coordination with multiple stakeholders, including Business Units, Seattle ITD, and third-party interface vendors. The approach must include structured planning, effective communication, and adherence to City governance and technical standards. 2. Methodology The project shall employ a proven methodology—such as Waterfall with Agile iterations—that has been successfully implemented in prior utility-sector projects. The methodology should balance the predictability of structured phases with the flexibility to adjust for emerging technical and business needs. 2.1. Planning & AnalysisDetermine and document requirements and scope through engagement with Business Units, ITD, and interface vendors. Determine the current state of the CC&B 2.7 environment (applications, integrations, infrastructure, and business processes) Assess all impacted integrations, reports, custom code, and infrastructure. Identify resource needs, dependencies, and risks. Deliver a workable project plan with timeline, milestones, and resource assignments. 2.2 Design & Development Update or refactor all custom code and interfaces identified during requirements gathering. Assess and incorporate new or redeveloped functionality in CC&B v25.4 where feasible. Upgrade end-of-life infrastructure and hardware to meet CC&B v25.4 software requirements and provide infrastructure sizing recommendation for components & environments. Define version for all technologies components to support CC&B v25.4 like Database, WebLogic, OUA/OBIEE, OSB/SOA etc. Review and, if necessary, rewrite web services customized Oracle Service Bus integrations under ITD’s SOA architecture. Identify and update any impacted BI reports. 2.3 Testing & Quality Assurance (QA) Develop a QA plan covering system, integration, E2E, ORT and user acceptance testing (UAT). Perform load and performance testing with new infrastructure Perform penetratationpenetration testing to test network and cybersecurity Involve Business and ITD resources early and throughout the QA process. Maintain a defect log and track resolution to closure. 2.4 Training & Change Management Deliver train-the-trainer sessions and ensure sufficient time for all trainees to gain confidence in using v25.4 functionality prior to Go-Live. Conduct readiness assessments and post-training evaluations. Develop a Change Management Plan to ensure City resources can fully support the application post Go-Live. 2.5 Go-Live & Stabilization Execute a controlled cut-over with minimal service disruption. Provide hypercare, issue resolution, and complete knowledge transfer. 3. Tools & Standards Utilize City-standard tools available through ITD (e.g., Azure DevOps) for tracking, documentation, and testing. Any additional tools must be justified with demonstrated need and prior successful use. Maintain centralized, version-controlled documentation. Provide regular status updates, completed milestone documentation, and conduct walkthroughs with Business Units to demonstrate progress. 4. Resources The project will be staffed by a blend of City (ITD and Business Unit) and Vendor resources. Vendor resources must have proven experience in similar engagements, ideally having worked together on multiple projects, and must be able to work in Pacific Standard Time (PST) hours. Certain key resources (e.g., Project Manager, Leads) will be expected to travel on-site periodically. 4.1 Resource Expectations Role Required Qualifications Project Manager(s) Experienced in CC&B upgrades, stakeholder coordination. Technical Architect Deep knowledge of Oracle stack (WebLogic, OUAF, Batch Controls, DB, SOA, GoldenGate). Functional Architect Functional leadership in utility CIS transformations. Integration Lead Proven experience with Oracle Service Bus, Service Oriented Architecture Suite, and Oracle Productize Integration and 3rd-party API integrations. Development Lead(s) Experience with OUAF, Java, and Groovy code development; ability to coordinate multiple development resources across multiple areas. Test Lead(s) Knowledge of CC&B functionality, integrated functions with MSCS, and testing methodology; able to guide/mentor and manage multiple testers. Developers & Testers Familiar with Oracle CC&B; available during PST hours; maintain team continuity. Depending on the skillsets and background of the Test Leads, a Test Manager may be needed on the project. The Test Manager will be a resource that will coordinate the activities and status of the various testing efforts and provide detailed status of the test effort for all functional areas and phases of testing. 5. Reporting, KPIs, and Project Management Controls 5.1 Reporting Weekly status reports summarizing accomplishments, upcoming activities, risks, issues, and key metrics. Stakeholder engagement through regular meetings, milestone sign-offs, and demonstrations. Formal change control process for scope, schedule, and budget modifications. Ongoing risk and issue tracking, with escalation procedures and mitigation strategies. 5.2 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) Schedule Adherence – % of tasks/milestones completed on time. Defect Resolution Rate – % of defects resolved within agreed SLA during QA. Test Pass Rate – % of test cases successfully passed during different phases/cycles of testing Requirements Traceability Coverage – % of documented requirements successfully tested and met. Training Completion Rate – % of targeted City staff trained and assessed as “ready” prior to Go-Live. Post-Go-Live Issue Rate – Number of high/critical issues identified in the stabilization period. 5.3 Project Management Controls Use project plans to monitor schedule and cost performance. Maintain a risk register with probability, impact, and mitigation strategies; review at least bi-weekly. Use a requirements traceability matrix (RTM) to ensure all requirements are delivered and tested. Hold stage gate reviews to validate deliverables and readiness before proceeding. Employ established City configuration and change management controls to prevent unauthorized or untracked changes to code, integrations, or infrastructure. Establish entrance/exit criteria for each phase of the project Define acceptance criteria for the various deliverables 6. Deliverables Approved project plan with milestones, dependencies, and resources. Requirements and design documentation. Updated interface and BI report specifications. Hardware and infrastructure upgrade plan. Test plans, scripts, and execution results. Training materials and completion reports. Change Management and post-Go-Live support plan. Cut-over and stabilization plan with final project closeout report. KPI tracking reports and final performance evaluation against agreed metrics.

Minimum qualifications are required for a Consultant to be eligible to submit a proposal response. Your submittal response must show compliance to these minimum qualifications. Those that are not responsive to these qualifications shall be rejected by the City without further consideration:1) Experience with Oracle Energy and Water ProductsThe Vendor team, whether a single prime contractor or a combination of prime and subcontractor(s), must possess a minimum of five (5) years of demonstrated experience with Oracle Energy and Water products. This experience must include both technical and functional expertise. 2) Experience with Related Oracle Technologies The Vendor team must have demonstrated expertise with the following technologies: Oracle Service Bus (OSB), Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) Oracle RAC Database, Oracle GoldenGate Development using Oracle-supported technologies: Angular, JavaScript, Java, and Groovy Oracle WebLogic Oracle Utilities Analytics(OUA), OBIEE, BI PublisherOracle Meter Solutions Cloud Services 3) Prior Experience with CC&B Upgrades Vendor should have successfully implemented at least 3 prior CC&B upgrade projects like this one. There should be experience with complicated implementations where there are multiple utilities with different service lines (e.g. water, electricity, sewer, etc.).

The Vendor shall: Analyze and review the current CC&B 2.7 environment—including applications, integrations (listed in Appendix A), BI reports, system architecture, business processes—and based on the current state, propose a comprehensive, phased upgrade approach to version 25.4. Develop a high-level upgrade roadmap with input from City stakeholders, reflecting milestones, dependencies, and key deliverables. Provide a detailed implementation plan for each environment iteration: Development, Sandbox, Training/Gold, QA, UAT, and Production. Conduct functional and technical workshops to validate the upgrade scope, gather detailed use cases for integrations, and identify impacted reports and interfaces. These workshops shall: Identify where existing customizations may be replaced by base product functionality in v25.4. Provide details on any new components to be developed in Groovy for future cloud readiness. Evaluate existing components for update in Java or Groovy, as appropriate. Identify and discuss new functionality within v25.4 that may benefit the City in its use of CC&B.Ensure system functionality, performance, and data integrity are maintained or improved in the upgraded environment. Maintain full integrity of integration with MSCS and other critical systems. Apply verifiable data migration methodologies to ensure accuracy and completeness. Ensure compatibility with existing Oracle OSB & SOA Productized integrations and OCI infrastructure; rewrite or update OSB & SOA integrations as needed.Implement quality controls to verify that all integrations and reports function correctly post-upgrade.

If you have not previously done so, register at: http://www.seattle.gov/obd The City expects all firms to register. Women- and minority-owned firms are asked to self-identify. For assistance, email FAS_PC@seattle.gov.

The City has rules to govern the rights and obligations of interested parties that desire to submit a complaint or protest to this process. See the City website at https://www.seattle.gov/purchasing-and-contracting/doing-business-with-the-city/solicitation-and-selection-protest-protocols. Interested parties have the obligation to know of and understand these rules, and to seek clarification from the City. Note there are time limits on protests, and submitters have final responsibility to learn of results in sufficient time for such protests to be filed in a timely manner.

The City will review responses for responsiveness and responsibility. Those found responsive and responsible based on an initial review shall proceed to Step 2. Equal Benefits, Minimum Qualifications, an Inclusion Plan, satisfactory financial responsibility and other elements are screened in this Step. A significant failure to perform on past City projects may also be considered in determining the responsibility of a firm.

The City consultant contract is attached (See Attachments Section). The City has attached its boilerplate contract terms so Proposers can be familiar with the boilerplate and the non-negotiable terms before submitting a proposal. Any questions about the City’s boilerplate should be made in advance of submittal. If a Consultant seeks to modify the Contract, the Consultant must request that within their Proposal response as taking an “Exception”. The Consultant must provide a revised version that shows their proposed alternative contract language. The City is not obligated to accept such proposed changes. If you request Exceptions that materially change the character of the contract, the City may reject the Consultant’s Proposal as non-responsive. The City cannot modify provisions mandated by Federal, State or City law: Equal Benefits, Audit (Review of Vendor Records), WMBE and EEO, Confidentiality, and Debarment, or mutual indemnification. Such Exceptions would be summarily disregarded.Although the City may open discussions with the highest ranked apparent successful Proposer to align the proposal or contract to best meet City needs, this does not ensure negotiation of modifications proposed by the consultant through the exception process above.

The City has attached its boilerplate contract terms to allow Proposers to be familiar with boilerplate, and the non-negotiable terms before submitting a proposal. The City may negotiate with the highest ranked apparent successful Proposer. The City cannot modify contract provisions mandated by Federal, State or City law: Equal Benefits, Audit (Review of Vendor Records), WMBE and EEO, Confidentiality, and Debarment or mutual indemnification. Exceptions to those provisions will be summarily disregarded.

Procurement Contact: Laura Park, IT Contracts, laura.park@seattle.gov, (206) 733-9595Proposals are to be submitted through the e-Procurement portal at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/seattle, no later than 4:00 pm on Monday, January 12, 2026.Unless authorized by the Procurement Contact, no other City official or employee may speak for the City regarding this solicitation until award is complete. Any Proposer contacting other City officials or employees does so at Proposer’s own risk. The City is not bound by such information.

The City seeks a skilled Vendor to help the Seattle Department of Information Technology upgrade its Oracle Customer Care and Billing 2.7 to the current version as of 8/1/2025 The City expects Vendors to provide the following types of resources to upgrade the system: Oracle Customer Care and Billing experts - Oracle Utility services experience Developers with knowledge of CCB and skilled in Angular, Java Script, .NET Integration support experts who are familiar with integrating CCB with 3rd party applications (use the list of City of Seattle Interfaces in the Appendix) Project Management resources

No minimum qualifications are required for a consultant to submit a proposal response.

The City consultant contract is attached (See Attachments Section).Consultants submit proposals understanding all Contract terms and conditions are mandatory. Response submittal is agreement to the Contract without exception. The City reserves the right to negotiate changes to submitted proposals and to change the City's otherwise mandatory Contract form during negotiations. If the Consultant is awarded a contract and refuses to sign the attached Contract form, the City may reject the Consultant from this and future solicitations for the same work. Under no circumstances shall Consultant submit its own boilerplate of terms and conditions.

The Vendor shall collaborate closely with the City’s IT Project Manager and provide: A comprehensive, milestone-based project plan covering all phases: preparation, discovery, design/development, testing, training, go-live, and stabilization. Qualified personnel in key roles, consistently assigned throughout the project for continuity, with City approval required for substitutions. A formal change control process for scope, schedule, and budget modifications. Stage Gate documentation for each project phase transition, including entrance and exit criteria. Walkthroughs and sign-off on all major deliverables and milestones. Acceptance criteria for deliverables. A Go-Live readiness and execution plan, with defined post-Go-Live hypercare and support duration. Identification of all third-party dependencies, along with an outline of the overall implementation methodology. A milestone-based payment schedule aligned with deliverables and City review checkpoints. Weekly or biweekly status meetings, with detailed progress reporting, KPI tracking, and risk/issue updates. A collaboratively maintained risk and issue register with probability, impact, and mitigation strategies. Support for QA and UAT to ensure deliverables meet City-defined acceptance criteria. Complete project documentation, including updated plans, meeting notes, and a final handover of all project artifacts. Support for transition to steady-state operations, including full documentation transfer and knowledge handover.

The City issues results and award decisions to all bidders. The City provides debriefing on a limited basis for the purpose of allowing bidders to understand how they may improve in future bidding opportunities.

Proposals shall be evaluated using the evaluation criteria in the Proposal Evaluation Section.

The Apparently Successful Consultant(s) will receive an Intent to Award Letter from the Procurement Contact after award decisions are made by the City. The Letter will include instructions for final submittals due prior to execution of the contract.Once the City has finalized and issued the contract for signature, the Consultant must execute the contract and provide all requested documents within ten (10) business days. This includes attaining a Seattle Business License, payment of associated taxes due, and providing proof of insurance. If the Consultant fails to execute the contract with all documents within the ten (10) day time frame, the City may cancel the award and proceed to the next ranked Consultant, or cancel or reissue this solicitation. Cancellation of an award for failure to execute the Contract as attached may disqualify the firm from future solicitations for this same work.

The City offers an optional pre-submittal conference at the time, date and location on the Timeline. Proposers are highly encouraged to attend but not required to attend to be eligible to propose. The meeting answers questions about the solicitation and clarifies issues. This also allows Proposers to raise concerns. Failure to raise concerns over any issues at this opportunity will be a consideration in any protest filed regarding such items known as of this pre-proposal conference.

The Vendor shall provide a dedicated project team including: Role Required Qualifications Project Manager(s) Experienced in CC&B upgrades, stakeholder coordination. Technical Architect Deep knowledge of Oracle stack (WebLogic, DB, SOA, GoldenGate). Able to help with batch configuration and interfaces to CC&B Functional Architect Functional leadership in CC&B utility transformations. Integration Lead Proven experience with SOA/Web Services and 3rd-party API integrations. Development Lead(s) Experience with OUAF, Java, and Groovy code development; ability to coordinate multiple development resources across multiple areas. Test Lead(s) Knowledge of CC&B functionality, integrated functions with MSCS, and testing methodology; able to guide, mentor, and manage multiple testers. Developers & Testers Familiar with Oracle CC&B; available during PST hours; maintain team continuity. (A Test Manager should also be proposed. This may or may not be a need that the City chooses to move forward with) Additional Requirements: All resources must be available during Pacific Time (PST) business hours. Onsite presence of key roles (PMs, Architects, Leads) as needed throughout the project. The City requires resumes and references for all key personnel. Vendor shall promptly replace any staff at the City’s request. Vendor staff shall coordinate closely with City staff to meet project goals, but shall not directly manage City employees. All deliverables must adhere to industry best practices and City quality standards, and be reviewed and approved by City staff.

The City may interview top ranked firms from the proposal evaluation. If interviews are conducted, rankings of firms shall be determined by the City, using the combined results of interviews and proposal submittals. Consultants invited to interview are to bring the assigned key person(s) named by the Consultant in the Proposal, and may bring other key personnel named in the Proposal. The Consultant shall not bring individuals who do not work for the Consultant or are not on the project team without advance authorization by the Procurement Contact. If interviews are conducted, they will be worth the points listed in the Proposal Evaluation section.

Proposers may submit their questions through the Procurement Portal. Proposers may also email questions to the Procurement Contact until the deadline stated in the Timeline. Failure to request clarification of any inadequacy, omission, or conflict will not relieve the Consultant of responsibilities under any subsequent contract. It is the responsibility of the interested Consultant to assure they receive responses to questions if any are issued.

The Consultant(s) should anticipate the Letter will require at least the following. Consultants are encouraged to prepare these documents when possible, to eliminate risks of late compliance.Seattle Business License is current and all taxes due have been paid.State of Washington Business License.Evidence of Insurance (if required)Special Licenses (if any)Form W-9 if a new Consultant for the City

The Vendor shall provide: Issue troubleshooting and resolution support during all testing phases and post-deployment stabilization. Rapid resolution of defects and technical issues per agreed SLAs. Support for deployment validation and defect fixes after Go-Live. Defined hypercare period following Go-Live, including KPI tracking for post-go-live issue rates.

The City may contact one or more references. The City may use references named or not named by the Proposer. The City may also consider the results of performance evaluations issued by the City on past projects.

The Vendor shall conduct a comprehensive training and knowledge transfer program including: Training sessions for City staff covering new features, operational procedures, integration impacts, and troubleshooting. Train-the-trainer sessions allowing City staff to cascade training internally. Sufficient lead time for training completion prior to Go-Live, with readiness assessments. Detailed design and configuration documentation, including architecture diagrams. Structured knowledge transfer sessions with demonstrations, documentation, and Q&A. Reference guides, FAQs, and post-implementation support resources. Access to online knowledge bases, recorded training sessions, or vendor-specific training resources. One of the Business Units may decide to bring on a separate OCM vendor and so being able to collaborate with other vendors on this effort is a must.

The City shall select the highest ranked Proposer(s) for award, including written proposal and the interview (if applicable). The City reserves the right to make a final selection based on the combined results and/or the overall consensus of the Consultant Evaluation Committee.

The City may make changes to this RFP if, in the sole judgment of the City, the change will not compromise the City’s objectives in this solicitation. Any change to this RFP will be made by formal addendum issued by the City, through the Procurement Portal at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/seattle and shall become part of this RFP.

Proof of insurance is required, see Attachments for Insurance Transmittal Form.

The City may negotiate elements of the proposal as required to best meet the needs of the City, with the apparent successful Proposer. The City may negotiate any aspect of the proposal or the solicitation. The City does not intend to negotiate the base contract, which has been attached (See Attachments).

It is the obligation and responsibility of the Consultant to learn of addenda, responses, or notices issued by the City, through the Procurement Portal. Some third-party services independently post City of Seattle solicitations on their websites. The City does not guarantee that such services have accurately provided all the information published by the City.All submittals sent to the City may be considered compliant with or without specific confirmation from the Consultant that any and all addenda was received and incorporated into your response. However, the Project Manager reserves the right to reject any submittal that does not fully incorporate Addenda that is critical to the project.

The City reserves the right to perform independent verification and validation (IV&V) activities at any project phase throughout the project lifecycle including project governance, project management controls. The Vendor must cooperate fully by providing requested documentation, system access, and technical support. The Vendor is also required to give IV&V unrestricted read-only access to environments and artifacts, involve IV&V in reviews, respond to findings within a specified number of business days, and implement approved corrective actions at no additional cost if the issue relates to the Vendor's scope.

Proposals must be received by the City no later than the date and time in the Timeline, except as revised by Addenda. The submitter has full responsibility to ensure the response is submitted to the City's Procurement Portal within the deadline. The Procurement Portal will not allow vendors to upload submissions past the deadline.

The City reserves the right to revise the SOW based on project activities completed prior to the Vendor’s onboarding. The Vendor shall apply project management controls (stage gates, RTM, risk registers, change control) throughout the engagement. KPIs defined in the Project Approach shall be tracked and reported to the City on a regular basis. The City may choose to engage the Vendor in additional work that is not currently defined in this RFP and is related to the City's CIS portfolio. The discussion around additional work will be entirely at the City's discretion.

It is the Proposer’s responsibility to respond in a manner that does not require interpretation or clarification by the City. The Proposer is to provide all requested materials, forms and information. The Proposer is to ensure the materials submitted properly and accurately reflect the Proposer’s offering. During scoring and evaluation (prior to interviews if any), the City will rely upon the submitted materials and shall not accept materials from the Proposer after the RFP deadline; this does not limit the City’s right to consider additional information (such as references that are not provided by the Proposer but are known to the City, or past City experience with the consultant), or to seek clarifications as needed.

If a contract is executed resulting from this solicitation and is terminated within 90-days, the City may return to the solicitation process to award to the next highest ranked responsive Consultant by mutual agreement with such Consultant. New awards thereafter are also extended this right.

Proposers shall not interfere in any way to discourage other potential and/or prospective proposers from proposing or considering a proposal process. Prohibited contacts includes but is not limited to any contact, whether direct or indirect (i.e. in writing, by phone, email or other, and by the Proposer or another person acting on behalf of the Proposer) to a likely firm or individual that may discourage or limit competition. If such activity is evidenced to the satisfaction and in sole discretion of the City department, the Proposer that initiates such contacts may be rejected from the process.

If no Consultant is selected at the conclusion of all the steps, the City may return to any step in the process to repeat the evaluation with those proposals active at that step. The City shall then sequentially step through all remaining steps as if conducting a new evaluation process. The City reserves the right to terminate the process if no proposals meet its requirements.

The Consultant must meet all applicable licensing requirements immediately after contract award or the City may reject the Consultant. Companies must license, report and pay revenue taxes for the Washington State business License (UBI#) and Seattle Business License, if required by law. Carefully consider those costs before submitting an offer, as the City will not separately pay or reimburse such costs.Seattle Business Licensing and associated taxesIf you have a “physical nexus” in the city, you must obtain a Seattle Business license and pay all taxes due before the Contract can be signed. A “physical nexus” means you have physical presence, such as: a building/facility/employee(s) in Seattle, you make sales trips into Seattle, your own company drives into Seattle for product deliveries, and/or you conduct service work in Seattle (repair, installation, service, maintenance work, on-site consulting, etc). We provide a Consultant Questionnaire Form in our submittal package items later in this RFP/RFQ, and it will ask you to specify if you have “physical nexus”.All costs for any licenses, permits and Seattle Business License taxes owed shall be borne by the Consultant and not charged separately to the City. The apparent successful Consultant(s) must immediately obtain the license and ensure all City taxes are current, unless exempted by City Code due to reasons such as no physical nexus. Failure to do so will cause rejection of the submittal. The City of Seattle Application for a Business License and additional licensing information can be found on this page here: https://www.seattle.gov/city-finance/business-taxes-and-licenses/business-licenses For Questions and Assistance, call the Revenue and Consumer Protection (RCP) office which issues business licenses and enforces licensing requirements. The general e-mail is tax@seattle.gov. The main phone is 206-684-8484. Self-Filing You can pay your license and taxes on-line https://www.filelocal-wa.gov/Default_FileLocal.aspx If a business has extraordinary balances due on their account that would cause undue hardship to the business, the business can contact the License and Tax Administration office at tax@seattle.gov or 206-684-8484 to request additional assistance. Those holding a City of Seattle Business license may be required to report and pay revenue taxes to the City. Such costs should be carefully considered by the Consultant prior to submitting your offer. When allowed by City ordinance, the City will have the right to retain amounts due at the conclusion of a contract by withholding from final invoice payments.

Before the contract is signed, you must have a State of Washington business license (a “Unified Business Identifier” known as a UBI#). If the State of Washington has exempted your business from State licensing (some foreign companies are exempt and sometimes, the State waives licensing because the company has no physical presence in the State), then submit proof of that exemption to the City. All costs for any licenses, permits and associated tax payments due to the State because of licensing shall be borne by the Consultant and not charged separately to the City. Instructions to apply for a business license can be found at https://dor.wa.gov/open-business/apply-business-license and the State of Washington Department of Revenue contact help page at https://dor.wa.gov/contact.

The City is exempt from Federal Excise Tax.

The City does not guarantee utilization of any contract(s) awarded through this RFP/RFQ process. The solicitation may provide estimates of utilization; such information is for Consultant convenience and not a usage guarantee. The City reserves the right to issue multiple or partial awards, and/or to order work based on City needs. The City may turn to other appropriate contract sources or supplemental contracts to obtain these same or similar services. The City may re-solicit for new additions to the Consultant pool. Use of such supplemental contracts does not limit the right of the City to terminate existing contracts for convenience or cause.

The contract limits expansion of scope and new work not expressly provided for within the RFP.Expansion for New Work (work not specified within the original Scope of Work Section of this Agreement, and/or not specified in the original RFP as intended work for the Agreement) must comply with the following:(a) New Work is not reasonable to solicit separately; (b) is for reasonable purpose; (c) was not reasonably known by the City or Consultant at time of solicitation or was mentioned as a possibility in the solicitation (i.e. future phases of work, or a change in law); (d) is not significant enough to be regarded as an independent body of work; (e) would not attract a different field of competition; and (f) does not change the identity or purpose of the Agreement. The City may make exceptions for immaterial changes, emergency or sole source conditions, or other situations required in City opinion. Certain changes are not subject to these limitations, such as additional phases of Work anticipated during solicitation, time extensions, and Work Orders issued on an On-Call contract. Expansion must be mutually agreed and issued by the City through written Addenda. New Work performed before an authorizing Amendment may not be eligible for payment.The City reserves the right to independently solicit and award any New Work to another firm when deemed appropriate or required by City policy.

Solicitation responses are valid until the City completes award. Should any Proposer object to this condition, the Proposer must object prior to the Q&A deadline in the Timeline.

The City is not liable for costs incurred by the Proposer to prepare, submit and present proposals, interviews and/or demonstrations.

The City’s ability to evaluate proposals is influenced by the organization, detail, comprehensive material and readable format of the response.

Prior to the proposal submittal closing date and time established for this RFP, a Consultant may change or correct its proposal by following the Instructions here: https://opengov.my.site.com/support/s/article/4f4218bf-7da6-4fc6-b0c3-7eade0776ebe. No change to a proposal shall be made after the proposal closing date and time.

Proposers are responsible for errors and omissions in their proposals. No error or omission shall diminish the Proposer’s obligations to the City.

A submittal may be withdrawn at any time through the Procurement portal prior to the closing date or by written request of the submitter.

The City may reject any or all proposals with no penalty. The City may waive immaterial defects and minor irregularities in any submitted proposal.

This RFP and Proposer’s response, including promises, warranties, commitments, and representations made in the successful proposal once accepted by the City, are binding and incorporated by reference in the City’s contract with the Proposer.

The Consultant works as an independent contractor. The City will provide appropriate contract management, but that does not constitute a supervisory relationship to the Consultant. Consultant workers are prohibited from supervising City employees or from direct supervision by a City employee. Prohibited supervision tasks include conducting a City of Seattle Employee Performance Evaluation, preparing and/or approving a City of Seattle timesheet, administering employee discipline, and similar supervisory actions.Contract workers shall not be given City office space unless expressly provided for below, and in no case shall such space be provided for over 36 months without specific authorization from the City.The City will not provide space in City offices for performance of this work. Consultants will perform most work from their own office space or the field.

Seattle Municipal Code Chapter 20.45 (SMC 20.45) requires consideration of whether Proposers provide health and benefits that are the same or equivalent to the domestic partners of employees as to spouses of employees, and of their dependents and family members. The Consultant Questionnaire requested in the Submittal instructions includes materials to designate your equal benefits status.

The Mayor’s Executive Order and City ordinance require the maximum practicable opportunity for successful participation of minority and women-owned subcontracts. All proposers must agree to SMC Chapter 20.42, and seek meaningful subconsultant opportunities with WMBE firms. At a certain threshold, the City requires a plan for including minority- and women-owned firms, which becomes a material part of the contract. The Plan must be responsive in the opinion of the City, which means a meaningful and successful search and commitments to include WMBE firms for subcontracting work. The City reserves the right to improve the Plan with the winning Consultant before contract execution. Consultants should use selection methods and strategies sufficiently effective for successful WMBE participation. At City request, Consultants must furnish evidence such as copies of agreements with WMBE subconsultants either before contract execution or during contract performance. The winning Consultant must request written approval for changes to the Inclusion Plan once it is agreed upon. This includes changes to goals, subconsultant awards and efforts.WMBE firms need not be state certified to meet the City's WMBE definition. The City defines WMBE firms as at least 51% (percent) owned by women and/or minority. To be recognized as a WMBE, register on the City’s Online Business Directory. Federally funded transportation projects require a Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE) program; for that program, firms must be certified by the Washington State Office of Minority and Women Business Enterprises (OMWBE).

Any special insurance requirements are provided as an Attachment. If attached, provide proof of insurance and additional insured endorsement policy language to the City before Contract execution. The apparent successful Proposer must promptly provide proof of insurance to the City upon receipt of the notice of intent to award.Consultants are encouraged to immediately contact their Broker to begin preparation of the required insurance documents, if the Consultant is selected as a finalist. Proposers may elect to provide the requested insurance documents within their Proposal.

The State of Washington’s Public Records Act (Release/Disclosure of Public Records): Under Washington State Law (reference RCW Chapter 42.56, the Public Records Act) all materials received or created by the City of Seattle are considered public records. These records include but are not limited to bid or proposal submittals, agreement documents, contract work product, or other bid material. The State of Washington’s Public Records Act requires that public records must be promptly disclosed by the City upon request unless that RCW or another Washington State statute specifically exempts records from disclosure. Exemptions are narrow and explicit and are listed in Washington State Law (Reference RCW 42.56 and RCW 19.108).Bidders/proposers must be familiar with the Washington State Public Records Act and the limits of record disclosure exemptions. For more information, visit the Washington State Legislature’s website at http://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=42.56.If you have any questions about disclosure of the records you submit with your bid, contact the Procurement Contact named in this document.Marking Your Records Exempt from Disclosure (Protected, Confidential, or Proprietary)As mentioned above, all City of Seattle offices (“the City”) are required to promptly make public records available upon request. However, under Washington State Law some records or portions of records are considered legally exempt from disclosure and can be withheld. A list and description of records identified as exempt by the Public Records Act can be found in RCW 42.56 and RCW 19.108.If you believe any of the records you are submitting to the City as part of your bid/proposal or contract work products, are exempt from disclosure you can request that they not be released before you receive notification. To do so you must complete the City Non-Disclosure Request Form (“the Form”) provided by the City (see page 4 on the Consultant Questionnaire) and very clearly and specifically identify each record and the exemption(s) that may apply. (If you are awarded a City contract, the same exemption designation will carry forward to the contract records.)The City will not withhold materials from disclosure simply because you mark them with a document header or footer, page stamp, or a generic statement that a document is non-disclosable, exempt, confidential, proprietary, or protected. Do not identify an entire page as exempt unless each sentence is within the exemption scope; instead, identify paragraphs or sentences that meet the specific exemption criteria you cite on the Form. Only the specific records or portions of records properly listed on the Form will be protected and withheld for notice. All other records will be considered fully disclosable upon request.If the City receives a public disclosure request for any records you have properly and specifically listed on the Form, the City will notify you in writing of the request and will postpone disclosure. While it is not a legal obligation, the City, as a courtesy, will allow you up to ten business days to file a court injunction to prevent the City from releasing the records (reference RCW 42.56.540). If you fail to obtain a Court order within the ten days, the City may release the documents.The City will not assert an exemption from disclosure on your behalf. If you believe a record(s) is exempt from disclosure you are obligated to clearly identify it as such on the Form and submit it with your solicitation. Should a public record request be submitted to Purchasing for that record(s), you can then seek an injunction under RCW 42.56 to prevent release. By submitting a bid document, the bidder acknowledges this obligation; the proposer also acknowledges that the City will have no obligation or liability to the proposer if the records are disclosed.Requesting Disclosure of Public RecordsThe City asks bidders and their companies to refrain from requesting public disclosure of bids until an intention to award is announced. This measure is intended to protect the integrity of the solicitation process particularly during the evaluation and selection process or in the event of a cancellation or re-solicitation. With this preference stated, the City will continue to be responsive to all requests for disclosure of public records as required by State Law. If you do wish to make a request for records, visit https://www.seattle.gov/public-records/public-records-request-center.

Familiarize yourself with the City Ethics code: http://www.seattle.gov/ethics/etpub/et_home.htm. For an in-depth explanation of the City’s Ethics Code for Contractors, Vendors, Customers and Clients, visit: http://www.seattle.gov/ethics/etpub/faqcontractorexplan.htm. Any questions should be addressed to Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission at 206-684-8500.No Gifts and Gratuities.Consultants shall not directly or indirectly offer anything (such as retainers, loans, entertainment, favors, gifts, tickets, trips, bonuses, donations, special discounts, work, or meals) to any City employee, volunteer or official, if it is intended or may appear to a reasonable person to be intended to obtain or give special consideration to the Consultant. An example of this is giving sporting event tickets to a City employee who is also on the evaluation team of a solicitation to which you submitted or intend to submit. The definition of what a “benefit” would be is broad and could include not only awarding a contract but also the administration of the contract or evaluating contract performance. The rule works both ways, as it also prohibits City employees from soliciting items from Consultants.Involvement of Current and Former City Employees.The Consultant Questionnaire within your submittal documents prompts you to disclose any current or former City employees, official or volunteer that is working or assisting on solicitation of City business or on completion of an awarded contract. Update that information during the contract.Contract Workers with over 1,000 Hours.The Ethics Code applies to Consultant workers that perform over 1,000 cumulative hours on any City contract during any 12-month period. Any such employee must abide by the City Ethics Code. The Consultant is to be aware and familiar with the Ethics Code accordingly.No Conflict of Interest. Consultant (including officer, director, trustee, partner or employee) must not have a business interest or a close family or domestic relationship with any City official, officer or employee who was, is, or will be involved in selection, negotiation, drafting, signing, administration or evaluating Consultant performance. The City shall make sole determination as to compliance.Campaign Contributions (Initiative Measure No. 122)Elected officials and candidates are prohibited from accepting or soliciting campaign contributions from anyone having at least $250,000 in contracts with the City in the last two years or who has paid at least $5,000 in the last 12 months to lobby the City. See Initiative 122, or call the Ethics Director with questions.

The City may require background checks for the Consultant, as well as some or all of their employees and contracted workers who may perform work under this Agreement. The City reserves the right to require such background checks at any time. The City has strict policies regarding the use of background checks, criminal checks, and immigrant status for contract workers. The policies are incorporated into this Agreement and available for viewing on-line at http://www.seattle.gov/purchasing-and-contracting/social-equity/background-checks.

Background checks will be required for workers that will perform the work under the contract resulting from this solicitation. The City may require background checks for the Consultant, as well as some or all of their employees and contracted workers who may perform work under this Agreement. The City reserves the right to require such background checks at any time. The City has strict policies regarding the use of background checks, criminal checks, and immigrant status for contract workers. The policies are incorporated into this Agreement and available for viewing on-line at http://www.seattle.gov/purchasing-and-contracting/social-equity/background-checks.

Hyperlinks and URLs to web sites or references to attachments may not be used in documents submitted in response to this solicitation, unless specifically requested in the submittal requirements. The City is not obligated to evaluate, review, or score any information submitted in the form of a hyperlink or URL. Information and documentation requested for the evaluation process must be submitted in the format indicated in the solicitation instructions.

State a firm fixed price, to include all direct, indirect, and overhead expenses, including travel and lodging expenses, incurred by the Consultant to perform the Work.Do not include contingency or assumptions in your cost proposal. Instead, you may include a separate breakdown for out-of-scope costs, including scope of work, hours and any assumptions for the City to consider in your proposal.The City may request additional clarification or a breakdown of the hours and costs with the top-ranking proposers.