CITY OF SEATTLE
NOTICE TO CONSULTANTS
Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for

Utility-wide Economic Consulting Services
SPU RFQ/Contract #SU0-18-026-S

 Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) is requesting qualifications from qualified consulting firms to provide economic analysis, policy evaluation and strategic planning across the utility’s three lines of business—water, drainage and wastewater, and solid waste. Work products will vary in nature, but the Consultant should be prepared to draft written memos substantiating findings and conclusions, synthesize data from raw sources, consolidate recommendations in written form and prepare audience appropriate charts and graphs to support presentations either by the Consultant or staff. Consultant work will be necessarily collaborative in nature, working one-on-one or in a team format with various SPU staff members from the Corporate Policy and Governmental Relations Division, the General Manager’s Office, Finance and Rates and SPU’s three lines of business.

Consultant work will support executive-level decision making, strategic thinking and positions as well as inter-departmental and inter-governmental negotiations, policy, capital planning and asset management functions. Work products will be based on reliable data sources utilizing industry standard methods and techniques for analyzing complex economic and management issues in the context of a public utility. The Consultant should be prepared to develop accurate appraisals of complex problem sets in a short period of time. Conclusions and recommendations should be based on facts and observations and result in unimpeachable analysis to support staff decision-making. Communication with staff can and will occur within and outside normal business hours and the Consultant should be prepared to spend time working with multiple SPU employees in different contexts to accomplish goals set out in the Scope of Work. For the purposes of this solicitation, the Consultant should anticipate working closely with Corporate Policy and Government Relations to fulfill the requirements of the contract.

SPU plans to award a $300,000 Consultant contract with a 3-year duration beginning in November 2018 and ending in November 2021 with an option to extend to 5 years and $500,000 total.

Interested consultants are encouraged to review the RFQ, background documents, and any RFQ addenda online at https://www.ebidexchange.com/seattle. Note that you are required to complete a free registration to view, print or save documents posted on this website and to view contact information for other consultants who have downloaded documents from this website.

The deadline for submitting Qualifications is 2:00 PM, Monday, August 27, 2018, at the 50^th Floor, Seattle Municipal Tower, 700 Fifth Avenue, P.O. Box 34018, Seattle, WA 98104-4018.

SPU PRE-SUBMITTAL CONFERENCE: A pre-submittal conference will be held on Monday, August 13, 2018, in Conference Room SMT 4901 (49th Floor) of the Seattle Municipal Tower Building, 700 Fifth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104 from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM. Seattle Public Utilities will review the scope of work, consultant expectations, and answer questions from the prospective bidders. Time will be allocated for prospective bidders to network with each other and discuss teaming arrangements. Although attendance at this meeting is not mandatory, attendance is highly encouraged.

Written questions related to this RFQ are encouraged and shall be directed to Lisa Hill, Contract Administrator & SPU’s designated contact person, at lisa.hill@seattle.gov . In order to facilitate preparation of responses to questions, please submit questions by no later than 2:00 PM on Wednesday, August 15, 2018. All responses to questions will be issued to all RFQ recipients in the form of an addendum to this RFQ. Addenda will be posted at https://www.ebidexchange.com/seattle.

The City of Seattle is an Equal Opportunity Employer and selection of the Consultant is subject to applicable laws and ordinances regarding equal opportunity employment.