RFP 6888 Utility Billing Upgrade Project Management & Implementation Support Services

Location:	Tennessee
Posted:	Mar 11, 2026
Due:	Apr 8, 2026
Agency:	City of Johnson City
Type of Government:	State & Local
Category:	R - Professional, Administrative and Management Support Services
Publication URL:	To access bid details, please log in.

Attachment Preview

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Utility Billing Upgrade Project Management

And Implementation Support Services

RFP #6888

Due Date and Time:

Wednesday, April 8, 2026 , 2:00 P.M ET

(at which time it will be publicly opened)

City of Johnson City

Purchasing Department

209 Water Street

Johnson City, TN 37601

(423) 975-2711

RFP #6888 Page 2 of 25

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) #6888

Utility Billing Upgrade Project Management

and Implementation Support Services

City of Johnson City, Tennessee

INTRODUCTION

The City of Johnson City, Tennessee (“City”), through the Johnson City Water & Sewer Services

Department, is soliciting proposals from qualified firms to provide professional project

management and implementation support services for the upgrade of the City’s existing utility

billing system, LocalGovernment, to the Windows-based version NextGen platform.

The City will be upgrading from LocalGov’s Zortec platform to its Window’s based version,

NextGen platform, as its utility billing solution. This Request for Proposal #6888 is only for

implementation/upgrade support and project management services on behalf of the City of

Johnson City and does not include the purchase, licensing, or procurement of this outlined

software.

BACKGROUND

The City of Johnson City is currently utilizing LocalGov’s legacy utility billing system, Zortec, which

was originally developed in the 1980’s with various upgrades over the years. Due to the age and

limitations of the City’s existing billing system, several utility billing functions rely on manual

processes and coordination across multiple departments within the City of Johnson City, including

Water & Sewer Services, Public Works, Information Technology, and Finance.

The calculation of Water and Sewer Department bills and other billing-related activities is

performed using reports and lists generated from the current system and supplemented through

spreadsheets, email communications, information stored on a shared network drive, and physical

paper files that often involves manual calculations by the personnel involved in the recurring

process. These processes require significant cross-departmental coordination and careful

sequencing to ensure accuracy and continuity of operations.

As the City transitions to the NextGen software, the Windows-based platform of LocalGov, the

implementation effort will require a structured and well-managed approach to coordinate system

configuration, data readiness, testing, training, and operational transition while maintaining

ongoing billing activities and minimizing any impact on customers. The City is seeking an

implementation partner to provide dedicated project management, planning, and coordination

services to guide the upgrade process in a manner that preserves billing accuracy, continuity of

service, and the customer experience, without diverting City staff from their day-to-day

operational responsibilities.

RFP #6888 Page 3 of 25

The following billing activities are currently supported through the processes described above

and must be carefully managed throughout the implementation:

• Utility Billing & Adjustments

• Water & Sewer Account Connections and Disconnections

• Water & Sewer Meter Reading

• Water & Sewer Meter Checks

• Payments and Deposits

• Solid Waste Services

• Stormwater Fees

The selected firm will be expected to lead and support project governance, scheduling, risk

management, communication, and change management efforts, ensuring coordination among

Citywide departments, and the vendor—LocalGovernment, facilitating a successful, timely

transition from Zortec to NextGen.

UTILITY BILLING ENVIRONMENT OVERVIEW (INFORMATIONAL)

The following information is provided to assist proposers in understanding the size and

operational complexity of the City of Johnson City’s utility billing environment. These figures are

approximate and provided for informational purposes only.

• Active utility accounts: 45,000

• Average number of monthly bills issued: 52,000

o Paper bills: 42,000

o E-bills: 10,000

o The City currently processes and prints paper bills in-house but anticipates

outsourcing print and mail services following the successful utility billing software

upgrade

• Key Personnel involved in the UB Process

o Water & Sewer

▪ Billing: CSRs (6), Supervisor

▪ Meter Reading: Meter Readers (2), Head Meter Reader, Supervisor

▪ Division Manager

o Public Works

▪ Solid Waste: CSRs (2)

▪ Office Manager

▪ Storm Water: Data Entry (2), System Maintenance

▪ Division Manager, Assistant Director

o Finance

▪ Cashiers (4.5)

▪ Collections Supervisor

▪ Assistant Director, Director

o Information Technology

▪ IT Specialists (2)

▪ Director

• Meter reading imports

o Routes and data loaded daily, Monday – Friday, excluding holidays

o Data is downloaded from meter reading handheld devices to Neptune NSight

software

RFP #6888 Page 4 of 25

o Data is then exported from Neptune NSight to UB software, Zortec

• Billing cycles and frequency

o 22 Cycles

o Calculated daily Monday – Friday, excluding holidays

• Payment Processing

o Teller is used to process various payment types including cash, check, and

credit/debit card transactions in-house. Teller is also used to process miscellaneous

revenue (MRs) from other departments that do not involve the handling of actual

payments (deposits from remote sites, ACH payments received, etc.)

o BIS/i3Verticals is a third-party payment processing vendor used for various

credit/debit card and check transactions in person, online, and via IVR phone system

o Future State: An online platform utilized by LocalGov, will be used for UB payment

processing upon upgrade to NextGen.

• System Integration

o Current ERP system is Oracle Fusion Cloud

o Utility payments are manually updated to the current UB Software, Zortec, nightly

o Utility billing activity does not interface with the ERP and must be manually

submitted (billings, adjustments, etc.) daily

o Payment data from Teller is automatically interfaced to ERP, as well as to OpenGov,

the current property tax software

o Stormwater GIS data is manually submitted into UB using water meter routes as a

point of reference and tracked separately using Excel spreadsheets. This is a multi-

step process that includes multiple workflows to maintain, there is no interface with

current UB.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

The primary objectives of this project are to:

• Provide dedicated project management leadership for the NextGen software

implementation

• Establish and maintain a comprehensive project plan and schedule

• Coordinate activities among City departments and the vendor

• Identify, manage, and mitigate implementation risks

• Support organizational change management and staff readiness

• Ensure a controlled, timely, and successful transition to the new system

SCOPE OF SERVICES

Includes project management, implementation support, data migration assistance, testing,

training, change management, go-live, and post-implementation support.

The selected firm shall provide comprehensive project management and implementation

oversight services, including but not limited to:

• Project governance structure and project management methodology

• Development and maintenance of a detailed project plan, schedule, and milestones

• Coordination and facilitation of meetings with City stakeholders and the vendor,

LocalGovernment

RFP #6888 Page 5 of 25

• Provide project status updates in meetings with City Administration and City

Commissioners, when necessary

• Risk identification, issue tracking, and mitigation planning

• Oversight and coordination of system configuration activities

• Data migration planning and coordination (technical execution performed by others)

• Testing coordination, validation planning, and issue resolution tracking

• Training planning, scheduling, and coordination

• Change management and organizational readiness support

• Go-live planning, transition coordination, and stabilization support

The selected firm will serve as the primary project management resource, ensuring alignment

among all parties while minimizing disruption to ongoing utility billing operations.

REQUIRED PROPOSER RESPONSE FORMAT

Proposals should be submitted using the following format:

1. Cover Letter

2. Executive Summary

3. Firm Qualifications & Experience (LocalGov/NextGen experience strongly preferred, but

not required)

4. Relevant Project Experience

5. Proposed Project Management Approach & Methodology

6. Project Team & Key Personnel

7. Project Schedule & Milestones (including risk management approach)

8. Change Management & Training

9. Cost Proposal (project management of implementation services only)

10. References

11. Exceptions or Assumptions

12. Required Forms:

a. Proposal Agreement Form

b. Insurance Checklist

c. General Insurance Appendix Form

SAMPLE IMPLEMENTATION TIMELINE

Proposers shall describe how they will actively manage, monitor, and control the project,

schedule, dependencies, risks, and stakeholder coordination throughout each phase of the

implementation.

Total estimated duration: 9–12 months.

Phases include planning, configuration, data migration, testing, training, go-live, and

stabilization.

Phase

Estimated Duration

Project Initiation & Planning

4 weeks

System Review & Configuration Support

6 – 8 weeks

This is the opportunity summary page. It provides an overview of this opportunity and a preview of the attached documentation.

RFP 6888 Utility Billing Upgrade Project Management & Implementation Support Services

Attachment Preview

See also