Water, Sewer, and Electric SCADA Master Plan

The Town of Clayton, North Carolina (the “Town”) invites qualified professional engineering firms to submit Statements of Qualifications (“SOQs”) to develop a Water, Sewer, and Electric Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) Master Plan and, at the Town’s option, to provide related implementation support services.

The Town owns and operates water, wastewater, and electric utilities serving a rapidly growing community in Johnston County. Each utility relies on SCADA and related operational technology (OT) to monitor and control critical infrastructure, yet these systems have developed incrementally — project by project, vendor by vendor, and department by department.

The Town seeks a single, coherent plan that establishes where its SCADA and OT environment should be over a ten-year horizon, what it will cost, how it should be governed, and in what sequence investments should be made.

The engagement is structured in two parts:

• Part A – SCADA Master Plan (base scope). Assessment of the current state, definition of a future-state architecture, gap analysis, standards framework, and a prioritized, cost-loaded implementation roadmap for water, sewer, and electric systems.
• Part B – Implementation Support Services (optional). Follow-on services authorized by individual task orders at the Town’s sole discretion, including detailed standards, design, procurement support, construction-phase services, cybersecurity implementation, and training.

Part A Tasks

• Task 1 – Project Management and Initiation
• Task 2 – Field Investigations and Inventory
• Task 3 – Current-State Assessment (Water, Sewer, and Electric)
• Task 4 – Electric SCADA and Grid Modernization Assessment
• Task 5 – Future-State Vision and Alternatives Analysis
• Task 6 – Gap Analysis and Prioritization
• Task 7 – Standards Framework
• Task 8 – Implementation Roadmap and Capital Improvement Plan
• Task 9 – Master Plan Report and Presentations

All deliverables shall be provided electronically in native editable formats and searchable PDF. Drawings shall be provided in Visio or like format and PDF; spatial data in Esri-compatible formats; and inventories and cost models in Microsoft Excel with formulas intact.

The Town anticipates that Part A will be completed within 12 months of Notice to Proceed.

Out of Scope

• Equipment purchase, installation, or construction, except as specifically authorized by a Part B task order.
• Electric system load forecasting, capacity planning, or protection coordination studies, except as needed to evaluate automation feasibility.
• Enterprise IT systems (ERP, AMI head-end replacement) other than integration requirements and interfaces.

This solicitation is issued under the qualifications-based selection requirements of N.C. Gen. Stat. § 143-64.31. Fee or cost information shall not be included in any SOQ and will not be considered in selection. Compensation will be negotiated with the highest-ranked firm.

Submission

Submit one searchable PDF file to rlivingston@townofclaytonnc.org no later than **5pm EST on Wednesday December 2nd, 2026**. The email subject line shall read: “SOQ – Water, Sewer, and Electric SCADA Master Plan – RFQ No. 700-2027-WR-03 – [Firm Name].” All late proposals will be deemed non-responsive.

The entirety of the SOQ shall not exceed 40 single-sided pages at 8.5 × 11 inches, with no font smaller than 11 point (10 point permitted in tables and graphics).

Evaluation (100 points)

• Project understanding and technical approach, including identification of critical issues and mitigation: 30
• Qualifications and experience of key personnel, including OT cybersecurity and electric distribution automation expertise: 25
• Firm and team experience on comparable water/wastewater and electric SCADA master plans: 25
• Project management, schedule, capacity of key personnel, and quality control: 10
• References and past performance, including evidence that prior plans were implemented: 10

Shortlisted firms may be invited to an interview. Interview scores, if held, will determine final ranking; SOQ scores are used for shortlisting only.

The selected firm will be expected to execute the Town’s standard Professional Services Agreement (*Attachment B*).