1.1 Scope: The City of Columbus, Columbus Water & Power, Director’s Office is receiving proposals until October 16, 2026, at 1:00 PM Eastern Time for the Wholesale and Suburban Water and Sewer Contract Modernization and Negotiation Support project. Columbus Water & Power is seeking professional consulting services to assist with the comprehensive modernization of its wholesale and suburban utility service agreements. The selected consultant will serve primarily as a strategic advisor, project manager, and stakeholder engagement specialist throughout the modernization effort. Proposals are to be submitted only through Bonfire at https://columbus.bonfirehub.com/login. Hard copies or emails will not be accepted. All questions concerning this RFP are to reference the project name and be sent to DPUCapitalRFP@columbus.gov. No phone calls concerning questions about the RFP will be accepted. The last day to submit questions is October 7, 2026. Responses will be posted on Bonfire at https://columbus.bonfirehub.com/login as an addendum. A pre-proposal meeting will not be held. Notice of published addenda will be posted on the City’s Vendor Services website and the addenda will be posted on Bonfire at https://columbus.bonfirehub.com/login. The selected Consultant will attend a scope meeting anticipated to be on/about three weeks after proposals are due. If the Consultant’s Project Manager is not available for the scope meeting, the Consultant is to designate an alternate to attend in their place. 1.2 Classification: All proposal documents (Request for Proposal, reference documents, addenda, etc.) will be available for review and download on Bonfire at https://columbus.bonfirehub.com/login after the RFP is advertised. Firms must meet the minimum requirements stated in the RFP for a proposal to be considered for contract award. 1.3 Bonfire: If you do not have an account with Bonfire and you would like to review project information or submit a proposal, you will need to register for an account. Go to https://columbus.bonfirehub.com/login in order to sign up. There is no charge to establish an account with Bonfire or to submit proposals on City of Columbus projects through Bonfire.