WaterStart RFP – Round 15

WaterStart requests proposals from water technology companies to solve immediate demands for innovation by our members. If you are a company that is ready to prove your ability to scale-up by solving one of the priorities below, please apply!

Drinking-Water Priorities

• Low cost, self-powered condition monitoring for mechanical assets.
• Retrofitted solution for air valves to enable the monitoring of their operation.

Wastewater Priorities

• Alternative Stormwater Storage System.

Smart Water Network Priorities

One of our Members is interested in developing a Smart Water Network. They define a smart water network as having?ONE?solution (if possible) that will integrate currently disparate products, solutions, and systems to enable staff to remotely and continuously monitor and diagnose problems, prioritize and manage maintenance issues, and use data to optimize all aspects of the water distribution network.?

• Utilizing the Itron AMI transmission pathways, gather distribution system data such as Valve Indication, pressure sensors at fire hydrants, water temperature.
• Provide an easier/more direct understanding of pump efficiency and energy cost in real-time and use that data to select pumps.
• Provide a module that will automate maintenance schedules.
• Use the AMI and Daily Operating plan to investigate distribution leaks.
• Provide a module that will allow operations to react to pressure transients.
• Provide a Water-quality investigations Module.
• Provide a ?what-if? distribution system simulations module.
• Create a module to model shutdowns in the distribution system to automate the preparation of a daily pumping plan.

If your company has a technology solution to one of these priorities, we would like to learn more!

Please note, supporting information is available to CHANNELS users. To view these, please register to CHANNELS by following the instructions below.

Deadline for submission: June 1, 2020
Evaluations completed by: July 17, 2020

Summary and Background

WaterStart offers an innovation program for utilities and large consumers dedicated to the implementation of technology that result in more, safer, cheaper water. We are in search of technology providers with novel solutions to specific priorities ready to be proven through large-scale pilots. If you?re a tech company ready to scale-up by working with globally?recognized customers with opportunities to enter new markets by solving imminent challenges in water, please apply!

The priorities listed above represent the collective needs of WaterStart members committed to installing innovative water technology solutions. Proposals should address one or more of these specific priorities. Grants are awarded on a competitive basis and range from $25,000 to $150,000.

How to Respond to this RFP

Step 1: Setting Up a CHANNELS Account

To view more details related to the above priority descriptions and submit a proposal to this RFP, an account with WaterStart?s online knowledge-sharing platform, Channels for Innovation must be created.? To create an account, follow these steps below:

1. Navigate to https://waterstart.com/
2. In the upper-right corner, you will click on ?Become a Member/Login?
3. Fill in basic email and company information to create an account

Once the account is created, access to the Channels for Innovation platform will be available. Through this platform, technology companies will be able to see and reply to all RFP?s that WaterStart releases.

Step 2: Submitting a Proposal on CHANNELS

1. Click on ?RFPs? and open Round 15
2. Click on ?Learn More?
3. Click on ?Submit RFP?
4. Answer the questions and upload any supplemental information. Supplemental information must not exceed 5 pages in length.
5. Click on either ?Save Draft? to complete later, or ?Submit RFP? to submit your response.

Evaluation Criteria

Criteria for judging applications will be based on:

1. Degree of technology?s alignment with listed priority
2. Stage of technology readiness
3. Degree of shared risk
4. Economic development (economic return on investment), examples include; the number of jobs created, licensing agreements, local manufacturing sources, local ?office? established.

This is a unique opportunity for your business to showcase its products and services. Don’t miss out!