2026-09 Smart Meter Installation Only Project

CITY OF ACWORTH, GEORGIA
INVITATION FOR BIDS
IFB Number 2026-09
SMART METER INSTALLATION SERVICES
Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) Deployment
Contact: Angie Luna
Phone: (770) 974-5233
Email: aluna@acworth-ga.gov
Address: 4415 Center Street
Acworth, Georgia 30101
Bid Due Date: Wednesday, May 6, 2026 by 2:00 p.m. ET
Pre-Bid Meeting: Monday, May 4 2026 at 2:00 p.m. ET

City of Acworth | IFB 2026-09 | Smart Meter Installation Services
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
1. Background Information ............................................................................................................................ 4
2. Scope of Work ........................................................................................................................................... 5
2.1 Meter Installation Services .................................................................................................................. 5
2.2 Network Infrastructure Installation ....................................................................................................... 6
2.3 Project Management and Coordination ............................................................................................... 7
2.4 Work Order Management .................................................................................................................... 7
2.5 Inventory Management and Storage ................................................................................................... 7
2.6 Customer Communication and Scheduling ......................................................................................... 7
2.7 Safety Requirements ........................................................................................................................... 8
3. System Information ................................................................................................................................... 9
4. Project Requirements .............................................................................................................................. 10
4.1 Deployment Schedule ....................................................................................................................... 10
4.2 Phasing .............................................................................................................................................. 10
4.3 Performance Metrics ......................................................................................................................... 10
4.4 Prevailing Wage and Labor Requirements ....................................................................................... 11
4.5 Bonding Requirements ...................................................................................................................... 11
4.6 Quality Assurance and Audit Inspection............................................................................................ 11
4.7 Meter Acceptance Criteria ................................................................................................................. 11
4.8 Billing Cycle Coordination ................................................................................................................. 11
4.9 Licensing Requirements .................................................................................................................... 12
4.10 Special Account Handling ............................................................................................................... 12
4.11 Meter Swap File and Daily Install File ............................................................................................. 12
5. Proposal Requirements........................................................................................................................... 14
A. Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................ 14
B. Company Overview ............................................................................................................................. 14
C. References .......................................................................................................................................... 15
D. Meter Installation Approach ................................................................................................................ 15
E. Infrastructure Installation Approach .................................................................................................... 16
F. Safety Program ................................................................................................................................... 16
G. Supporting Materials ........................................................................................................................... 16
6. Evaluation Criteria ................................................................................................................................... 17
7. Schedule ................................................................................................................................................. 18
Pre-Bid Meeting ....................................................................................................................................... 18
8. Terms and Conditions ............................................................................................................................. 19
8.1 E-Verify Compliance .......................................................................................................................... 20
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City of Acworth | IFB 2026-09 | Smart Meter Installation Services
9. Insurance Requirements ......................................................................................................................... 21
9.1 Commercial General Liability Insurance ............................................................................................ 21
9.2 Automobile Liability Insurance ........................................................................................................... 21
9.3 Workers' Compensation and Employers' Liability ............................................................................. 21
9.4 Umbrella/Excess Liability................................................................................................................... 21
9.5 Additional Insured .............................................................................................................................. 21
10. Bid Submission Instructions .................................................................................................................. 22
10.1 Delivery of Bids ................................................................................................................................ 22
10.2 Bid Package Contents ..................................................................................................................... 22
10.3 Format Requirements ...................................................................................................................... 22
10.4 General Instructions ........................................................................................................................ 23
Exhibit A - Bid to Perform ........................................................................................................................... 24
Exhibit B - Bid Response Form .................................................................................................................. 25
Exhibit C - Reference Form ........................................................................................................................ 27
Exhibit D - Electric Meter Inventory ............................................................................................................ 28
Exhibit E - Contractor Affidavit under O.C.G.A. 13-10-91(b)(1) .............................................................. 29
Exhibit F - E-Verify Contractor Exemption Affidavit ................................................................................... 31
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City of Acworth | IFB 2026-09 | Smart Meter Installation Services
1. Background Information
This Invitation for Bids (IFB) is issued by the City of Acworth, Georgia (hereinafter referred to as "THE
CITY" or "City of Acworth") to solicit competitive bids from qualified contractors for smart meter installation
services in support of the City's Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) deployment.
The City of Acworth's existing Itron drive-by meter reading system is approaching end-of-life. The City has
elected to migrate to a modern AMI platform to achieve significant operational and customer service
advantages. The AMI deployment will establish the infrastructure foundation for improved load analysis,
proactive outage management, enhanced customer engagement through usage visibility, and future
distribution automation capabilities.
The City of Acworth's service territory encompasses portions of the City of Acworth as well as areas
within Cobb and Bartow Counties. The distribution system consists of approximately 101 miles of line,
with 54 miles underground and 47 miles overhead. The City currently serves approximately 7,200 electric
meters across residential, commercial, and other customer classes.
The City is separately procuring the AMI solution (meters, network infrastructure, and head-end system)
through a companion procurement (IFB 2026-03). This IFB 2026-09 is specifically for the professional
installation services required to deploy the selected AMI solution, including meter changeout services and
network infrastructure installation.
Bids are being solicited only from responsible and established contractors known to be experienced and
regularly engaged in the work of electric meter installation and AMI infrastructure deployment. Selection
will consider contractor qualifications, experience, references, project approach, safety program,
schedule, crew management, and cost reasonableness.
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City of Acworth | IFB 2026-09 | Smart Meter Installation Services
2. Scope of Work
The City of Acworth is seeking bids from qualified contractors to provide comprehensive smart meter
installation services for the deployment of approximately 7,100 electric AMI meters and associated
network infrastructure across the City's service territory. The scope of work encompasses the following
major categories:
2.1 Meter Installation Services
The Contractor shall remove existing Itron AMR meters and install new AMI meters at all active service
locations identified by the City. Current meter counts by customer class are as follows:
Customer Class Meter Count Service Details
Residential 6,500 Single-family and multi-family
residential service
Commercial 710 Small and medium commercial
accounts
Total 7,210 Per Addendum 2 meter address list
The breakdown of electric meter forms to be replaced is detailed in Exhibit D. Key meter form categories
include:
Meter Type Approximate Quantity
Form 2S (Self-Contained, Class 200) 6,685
Form 2S (Class 320) 66
Form 9S (Instrument-Rated, includes 8S/9S) 148
Form 12S 152
Form 16S 66
Form 3S/4S 23
Form 1S 5
Other (14S, 15K, 16K, 2K, 36S) 18
Unclassified / Descriptive Only 47
Total 7,210
Key meter installation requirements include:
* The Contractor shall perform all meter changeouts in accordance with CAT2 uniform
specifications.
* Prior to the installation of each new electric meter, the Contractor shall perform a jaw tightness
test while on-site using a mechanical tool that engages the jaws of the meter socket and indicates
a gap or significant loss of jaw pre-load.
* The Contractor shall capture GPS coordinates for each meter location in decimal degrees format
(latitude/longitude) using the WGS84 datum, to a minimum of 5 decimal places, with horizontal
accuracy of no greater than 3 meters.
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City of Acworth | IFB 2026-09 | Smart Meter Installation Services
* GPS metadata shall include, at minimum: timestamp of capture, horizontal accuracy (in meters),
and datum reference (WGS84). GPS data shall be delivered in a format compatible with standard
GIS platforms (e.g., CSV, Shapefile, or GeoJSON) as agreed upon during project coordination.
* The Contractor shall collect photographs before and after the installation of each meter and
provide collected data to the City.
* New meters will utilize plug-and-play technology; the Contractor will not be required to program or
initialize meters on-site.
* Meters shall be commissioned within 3 business days of being installed.
* The installation vendor shall make at least 3 attempts to install a meter before creating a failure
status.
* Saturday installations are permitted. No after-hours or Sunday installations.
* Apartments and multi-family units are individually metered.
* The Contractor shall provide daily install files compatible with the City's CIS/billing system format,
as defined during project coordination meetings.
Socket Conditions and Responsibilities
The Contractor is responsible for identifying and documenting socket conditions at the time of meter
exchange. Minor conditions encountered during the normal course of a standard meter exchange, such
as corroded or pitted jaws, loose jaw tension, or minor weathering, are the Contractor's responsibility and
shall be included in unit pricing.
Conditions beyond the scope of a standard meter exchange-such as burned, melted, or structurally
damaged sockets; evidence of tampering or diversion; missing or broken socket covers; water intrusion;
or any condition requiring a licensed electrician-are the City of Acworth's responsibility. The Contractor
shall not proceed with installation on any socket presenting a safety concern. The Contractor shall
document and photograph the condition, report it through the work order management system, and
proceed to the next scheduled installation.
In the event of an emergency such as an active electrical hazard, fire risk, or exposed energized
components, the Contractor shall immediately contact the City of Acworth for emergency response.
2.2 Network Infrastructure Installation
The Contractor shall install all AMI network infrastructure equipment, including but not limited to
collectors, gateways, routers, repeaters, and associated communication devices as specified by the
selected AMI vendor. Specific infrastructure requirements include:
* Installation of network communication devices (collectors/gateways) at locations determined by
the AMI vendor's network design and propagation study.
* Mounting, powering, and commissioning of all network devices in accordance with manufacturer
specifications.
* Installation of any required antennas, cabling, and backhaul connectivity components.
* Coordination with the City's electric operations team for pole-mounted or structure-mounted
installations.
* Testing and validation of each installed network device to confirm communication with the AMI
head-end system.
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City of Acworth | IFB 2026-09 | Smart Meter Installation Services
The AMI vendor will provide detailed network design specifications, equipment quantities, and installation
requirements. The specific number and type of network devices will be determined by the AMI vendor
selection process and communicated to the installation contractor prior to deployment.
2.3 Project Management and Coordination
The Contractor shall provide a dedicated Project Manager for the duration of the project who shall serve
as the primary point of contact with the City. The Project Manager shall:
* Manage all installation operations from the planning phase through final meter commissioning.
* Provide weekly status reports including meters installed, success rates, failures, rework, and
schedule adherence.
* Coordinate deployment scheduling with the City's operations staff and the AMI vendor.
* Attend regular project coordination meetings as scheduled by the City.
* Manage the daily install file process and communication procedures with the City.
2.4 Work Order Management
The Contractor may use their own work order management system for managing daily installations. The
system shall be accessible by City staff to check installation status in real-time. The City requires a
minimum of four (4) concurrent user access licenses. The Contractor shall provide reports showing:
* Number of meters installed per day.
* Details on successful installs, failures, and re-tries.
* Customer or meter issues and failed installations.
* Socket condition reports and referrals.
* GPS data collection status and quality metrics.
2.5 Inventory Management and Storage
The Contractor shall:
* Receive shipments of meters directly from the AMI vendor or the AMI vendor's distributor.
* Be responsible for securing their own storage facility and staging site for inventory and office
space.
* Be responsible for taking custody of, protecting, and accounting for all stored assets.
* Be responsible for replacing any missing or damaged assets while in the Contractor's custody.
* Provide all equipment necessary for staging site management and installation activities (e.g.,
storage containers, pallet jacks, scrap bins, vehicles, tools).
* Be responsible for disposing of all material from worksites, including but not limited to waste,
packaging, scrap, and electronic waste.
* Return all removed meters to a location designated by the City in an organized and documented
manner.
2.6 Customer Communication and Scheduling
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City of Acworth | IFB 2026-09 | Smart Meter Installation Services
The City will be responsible for providing initial customer notification materials (postcards, mailers, door
hangers). The City will work with the Contractor to facilitate appointment scheduling and call center
services as needed. The Contractor shall:
* Coordinate with the City to establish customer communication procedures and deployment
notification schedules.
* Contact each individual customer on-site prior to meter changeouts where applicable.
* The City will communicate with customers when access to the meter is required.
* The City will provide support for customer opt-outs or refusals.
* The Contractor shall use the typical 911 process for any customer threats.
2.7 Safety Requirements
The Contractor shall:
* Comply with all safety and training rules for the State of Georgia, including OSHA requirements.
* Provide all safety equipment for their personnel.
* Ensure all installation personnel possess required training and certifications for electric meter
installation work.
* Develop and maintain a site-specific safety plan for the project.
* Report all safety incidents to the City within 24 hours of occurrence.
* Maintain responsibility for determining safe installation methods; however, safety is a factor that
the City expects to be addressed comprehensively by the Contractor.
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City of Acworth | IFB 2026-09 | Smart Meter Installation Services
3. System Information
The City of Acworth utilizes the following core business systems that support its meter-to-cash operations.
The installation contractor should be aware of these systems as they relate to data exchange, integration,
and project coordination:
System Vendor/Platform
Automated Meter Reading (AMR) Itron (current, to be replaced)
Customer Information System (CIS) Edmunds GovTech
Geographic Information System (GIS) ESRI ArcGIS
The City currently performs meter reading using Itron drive-by AMR technology. Meter readers travel
established routes collecting meter data via mobile radio frequency (RF) equipment. The City operates on
a monthly billing cycle with four (4) billing cycles and reads occurring approximately every 28-32 days.
Two meter readers currently perform all reads for the approximately 7,200 meters.
The City is currently conducting a comprehensive field audit of its distribution system. This audit is
expected to be completed within approximately three months and will cover all primary infrastructure,
transformers, overhead and underground facilities, and secondary systems on overhead circuits. The
audit will not include meter-level data, as meter location data will be captured via GPS during the AMI
installation process.
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City of Acworth | IFB 2026-09 | Smart Meter Installation Services
4. Project Requirements
4.1 Deployment Schedule
The City anticipates the AMI deployment will begin as early as Q3 2026, with the full transition of
approximately 7,200 electric meters to be completed within a 6-month deployment window. The City
understands that the start date may need to be adjusted and is flexible. The priority is a 6-month
deployment window once the project begins.
The preferred deployment plan is as follows:
Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6
Deploy % 10% 15% 20% 20% 20% 15%
Monthly Total 720 1,080 1,440 1,440 1,440 1,080
Cumulative 720 1,800 3,240 4,680 6,120 7,200
The installation will be contiguous (premise-to-premise) rather than sporadically located throughout the
service territory. The City does not anticipate any shutdown periods during the deployment. Bidders
should indicate their anticipated start date and confirm the 6-month completion commitment from that
point.
4.2 Phasing
The deployment shall be executed in phases as follows:
* Phase 1 - Network Infrastructure: Installation of all AMI network communication devices
(collectors, gateways, routers) prior to the commencement of meter installations. The Contractor
shall coordinate with the AMI vendor to establish network coverage before meter deployment
begins.
* Phase 2 - First-Article Meters: An initial deployment of approximately 500-1,000 meters to
validate installation processes, data flow, commissioning procedures, and work order
management workflows.
* Phase 3 - Full Deployment: Systematic installation of remaining meters across all service
territory, following established routes and billing cycles.
* Phase 4 - Closeout and Remediation: Resolution of all failed installations, rework items, data
reconciliation, and final project documentation.
4.3 Performance Metrics
Performance-based metrics will be established during contract negotiations and will address the following
areas:
* Daily and weekly installation throughput targets.
* First-pass success rate benchmarks.
* Quality assurance benchmarks, including potential damage rates.
* Documentation completeness requirements.
* GPS data quality and accuracy standards.
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