PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF ELECTRIC SERVICE PROVIDED BY LIBERTY UTILITIES

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF ELECTRIC SERVICE PROVIDED BY LIBERTY UTILITIES

DEADLINE: August 14, 2025

DATE OF ISSUE: July 16, 2025

Purpose

The City of Ozark, Missouri (hereafter referred to as "the City") is seeking statements of qualifications from qualified consulting firms or independent evaluators to conduct a comprehensive Performance Evaluation of Electric Service Provided by Liberty Utilities, the investor-owned electric utility currently serving the City. The objective of this evaluation is to assess Liberty Utilities’ performance in meeting the City’s expectations related to reliability, responsiveness, customer service, rate impacts, and long-term planning, and to inform future decisions regarding utility service provision and oversight.

B ackground

Through a franchise agreement with the City, Liberty Utilities is the exclusive provider of electric service to residential, commercial, and industrial customers within City limits. Liberty serves approximately 10,000 electric meters within the City of Ozark. The City has received citizen feedback and developed internal concerns regarding electric service reliability, transparency of rate structures, infrastructure investment, and customer communication practices.

The City intends to perform a formal, independent evaluation to establish a data-driven baseline of current service quality and identify potential opportunities for improvement or alternative service delivery models.

Schedule

The following is the schedule of events which anticipated by the City for the implementation and completion of selecting the firm/consultant to provide the requested services as outlined in the Statement of Scope. The City may, in its discretion, revise the schedule of events at any time as may be in its best interests:

Submission Requirements

The City will evaluate each submittal for full compliance with the RFQ instructions. The selection process will consist of evaluation by a selection committee, an interview process, and a negotiation of contract. The objective of the evaluation will be to recommend the most qualified firm/consultant who is most responsive to the herein described needs of the City. Submissions which are responsive to the RFQ will be further evaluated based on, but not limited to the following criteria:

1. Firm Background Information – Name, address, workforce size, capabilities, and relevant professional affiliations.
2. Key Personnel – list personnel responsible for project delivery. Include specialized experience, technical competence, and relevant work on similar projects.
3. Relevant Project Experience – list at least three (3) similar projects the firm has completed; include client name, location, size, date of completion, photos/maps, and services performed.
4. Project Approach and Proposed Timeline - Include a schedule of tasks and an estimated duration of each task.
5. Provide at least three (3) references from previous clients of related work with the firm within the past five (5) years.
6. Cost proposal including estimated hours, labor rates, and reimbursables.

The City reserves the right to conduct pre-award discussions with any or all responsive and responsible proposers who submit submissions determined to be reasonably acceptable of being selected for award. Proposers shall be accorded fair and equal treatment with respect to any opportunity for discussion and revision of submissions; and such revisions may be permitted after submission of qualifications and prior to award.

Project Scope

The selected consultant shall provide a performance evaluation that includes but is not limited to:

1. Reliability and Outage Analysis
   1. Review and analysis of outage frequency (SAIFI) and duration (SAIDI)
   2. Assessment of Liberty Utilities’ maintenance, inspection, and vegetation management practices.
   3. Benchmarking against industry standards and peer utilities.
2. Rate and Cost Structure Review
   1. Review of Liberty’s current rate structure for all customer classes.
   2. Comparison with regional and state-level utility rates.
   3. Analysis of cost drivers, pass-through charges, and transparency.
3. Customer Service Performance
   1. Review of Liberty’s responsiveness to customer inquiries and complaints.
   2. Assessment of customer satisfaction metrics and public engagement.
   3. Review of dispute resolution procedures.
   4. Evaluation of Liberty Utilities’ communication and coordination with the City regarding compliance with dark sky ordinances, including street and outdoor lighting policies. Identify any gaps in Liberty’s cooperation or support in implementing the City’s dark sky goals.
4. Capital Investment and Infrastructure Planning
   1. Evaluation of recent and planned infrastructure investments.
   2. Assessment of substation, distribution, and grid modernization initiatives.
   3. Review of long-term capital plans and alignment with Ozark’s growth.
5. Regulatory and Legal Framework
   1. Overview of the City’s rights and obligations under Missouri law.
   2. Analysis of service territory regulations and franchise agreements.
6. Alternatives and Recommendations
   1. High-level evaluation of potential alternatives (e.g., municipalization, co-op partnerships, third-party negotiations).
   2. Strategic and actionable recommendations based on findings.

Questions

Any questions relative to interpretation of this RFQ shall be sent electronically to Cliff Spangler at For security reasons, you must enable JavaScript to view this E-mail address. in ample time before the period set for the receipt and opening of submissions. Any interpretation made to prospective proposers will be expressed in the form of an amendment to the RFQ which, if issues, will be conveyed to all prospective proposers not later than five (5) days prior to the date set for receipt of submissions via the City of Ozark website, www.ozarkmissouri.com .

It will be the responsibility of the proposer to contact the City prior to submitting a proposal to ascertain if any amendments have been issued, to obtain all such amendments, and to acknowledge amendments with the submissions.

Submittal Instructions

Have documents submitted by 3:00 PM on August 14, 2025. Any submittals received after the stated time and date will not be considered. It shall be the sole responsibility of the proposer to have their RFQ received by the City on or before the due date and time indicated.

Qualifications submittals shall be emailed and should marked with the subject line:

“REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS: #2025-08-14”

Proposals submitted by e-mail are not to be considered received until a confirmation has been sent by the City. The confirmations subject line will read, “Confirmation Receipt – Ozark RFQ #2025-08-14” It is the responsibility of all proposers to verify receipt of submittals. All submittals must be valid for a minimum period of ninety (90) days from the close of this RFQ.

Send submittals and/or questions to Cliff Spangler at For security reasons, you must enable JavaScript to view this E-mail address. .