Over the past several years, there has been significant advancement in technology supporting the digital transformation that has been described as the next industrial revolution. This includes artificial intelligence being a primary enabler to drive transformation of industrial operational and maintenance processes with many presentations at conferences highlighting the benefits and opportunities. At the 2020 ARC Advisory Group Conference, it was projected that AI will see an increased adoption over the next 3 years, with adopters experiencing significant savings.

Given this new environment, EPCOR Water is interested in collaborating with a consulting organization that has experience and expertise in this area and its application to a water utility. The focus of this request is on the development and implementation of an advanced control system/s for the support and operation of the Edmonton water treatment plants.

The purpose of this Request for Qualifications (“RFQ”) is to determine if there are Proponents who are capable of partnering with EPCOR in the development and implementation of an advanced control system/s for the support and operation of the Edmonton water treatment plants and to generate a list of prequalified Proponents to participate in a possible future procurement of such system/s.

Based on the review of the RFQ Responses EPCOR may issue a Request for Proposals to Successful Proponents from this RFQ who may then be invited to enter into a Contract(s) for provision of the services described in Schedule A: Scope of Work.

It should be noted that the reply to this RFQ requires specific responses to the items requested. It does not require an overview of the consulting organization’s multiple locations, detailed descriptions of all the areas of expertise, number of staff, safety record, etc. What is required is sharing of specific examples of the application of the Proponent’s expertise and experience gained by the Proponent related to the project in question.

It should also be noted that while EPCOR has experience in control system automation and the development of AI applications, the desire to collaborate with a consulting group recognizes that the current areas of expertise needed are beyond our present knowledge and experience. It is therefore noted that the following description of the proposed process and outcomes, and the Scope of Work described in Appendix 1could be impacted and changed, as those with experience provide feedback and new perspectives. Those changes would be welcomed and are an integral part of what is hoped to be achieved through this RFQ process along with the potential identification of organizations to work with as this project moves from conceptual to detailed design and implementation.