RFP for Professional Consulting Services for Utility Organizational Readiness, Billing and Data Integrity, Water and Sewer Rate Study, and System Development Fee Study

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

RFP# 10-26-0001

The City of Lexington is seeking professional consulting services for Utility Organizational Readiness, Billing and Data Integrity, Water and Sewer Rate Study, and System Development Fee Study.

The City of Lexington invites proposals from experienced consulting firms or multidisciplinary teams to support Project ALIGN, a forward-looking utility organizational readiness and financial strategy initiative. The selected consultant will help the City strengthen the systems, processes, policies, organizational structure, financial practices, data controls, and management tools needed to remain responsive as service demands, infrastructure needs, customer expectations, technology, and regulatory requirements evolve.
The engagement includes utility operational and organizational assessment, end-to-end process mapping, policy and SOP development, centralized utility billing and data integrity, water meter reading and billing controls, a focused sanitation billing review for trash and recycling, third-party billing and data exchange controls, a comprehensive water and sewer rate study, a system development fee study, stormwater billing and financial analysis, and implementation support. For Stormwater, the City is particularly interested in a billing and fee framework that is equitable, administratively workable, legally supportable, understandable to customers, and sustainable over time. The City seeks a team that can connect financial analysis with the day-to-day processes that create customer accounts, deliver utility service, generate bills, exchange data, allocate costs, and support management decisions.
The City expects an implementation-oriented engagement. Recommendations should be translated, where appropriate, into usable reports, queries, reconciliations, process maps, policy drafts, SOPs, financial models, data cleanup assistance, training, and transition steps rather than a report-only product.
Project ALIGN is intended to prepare the City’s utility and support functions for the next stage of organizational and financial maturity. The City is seeking an independent, practical review of how work is organized, how information moves, how financial decisions are supported, and how customer and development activity becomes utility service and billing.
The project is not a financial statement audit, forensic investigation, or individual employee performance review. The consultant should identify and preserve practices that are working well, identify opportunities to improve consistency or scalability, and help the City establish a more documented, resilient, and responsive operating model.
The City’s management objective is to verify that authorized revenues are applied consistently, ensure account and billing data remain accurate, place responsibilities and controls where they can be sustained, understand the cost and revenue requirements of the water and sewer utilities, update system development fees in accordance with applicable law, and establish a clear basis for future management and governing-board decisions.

Submittals will be accepted via digital upload only to the link provided in the RFP document until Monday, November 2, 2026, 4:00pm

Deadline for questions will be Monday, October 26, 2026, 5:00pm

Response to Questions/Addendum Issued (If needed) Wednesday, October 28, 2026 (Addendum issued by 5:00pm if needed)

The Request for Proposals (RFP) document and any Addenda issued can be downloaded at the following link:

Link for RFP Document and Addenda: https://cloud.lexingtonnc.gov/s/G8ZzWWhcejodjBL

It is the responsibility of the proposer to make sure you have the latest version of all materials including addendums downloaded from the link provided.
All inquiries and questions about this RFP must be submitted in writing by email to Purchasing Officer, Britt Smith bssmith@lexingtonnc.gov

Issuance of this Request for Proposals does not commit the City of Lexington to award a contract, to pay any costs incurred in preparation of a proposal or to procure or contract for related services or supplies.

The City of Lexington encourages all businesses, including DBE, minority, and women-owned businesses to respond to all Requests for Proposals.
The City of Lexington reserves the right to waive any informalities, to reject any and all responses to the Request for Proposals, and to accept any responses which in its opinion may be in the best interest of the City of Lexington.