CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Approve the award of Single Source Procurement 26-181, Sensus Water Meters, to Core and Main for an amount not to exceed $738,276 and for a six-month term
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DEPARTMENT: Water Utilities
SUBMITTED BY: Darrell Blenniss, Director
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
N/A
BACKGROUND:
The Water Utilities (“Utilities”) standardized to Sensus water meters in 2012 following an evaluation of meter performance, accuracy, interoperability, and long-term asset management needs. In 2022-2023, the Utilities, in coordination with the Finance Department, completed the installation of a Sensus Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) system and transitioned to a Sensus Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform for meter reading, data management, and billing integration. The City currently operates more than 45,000 water meters within the distribution system. These meters communicate directly with the Sensus AMI network and are fully integrated with the City’s billing systems.
The Utilities follows the American Water Works Association (AWWA) recommended practice of replacing water meters on a 16-year life cycle. AWWA research and industry guidance show that most residential and commercial water meters begin to experience measurable accuracy degradation after 15-20 years of service. Replacing meters on a planned 16-year cycle ensures accurate billing and revenue recovery, reliable meter performance, reduced maintenance and field service calls, consistent AMI communication, and compliance with industry best practices.
This life-cycle approach also supports long-term asset management by spreading replacement costs evenly over time and preventing large-scale meter failures or sudden systemwide accuracy losses.
This procurement includes 2,541 ¾” - 6” water meters, 497 large meter Omni+ registers and 500 FlexNet SmartPoints.
DISCUSSION:
This Single Source is requested for a one-time purchase of Sensus water meters, registers and SmartPoints.
Procuring water meters from multiple manufacturers would significantly increase both operational costs and system complexity. Each meter manufacturer requires its own unique set of parts, installation tools, programming software, and maintenance procedures. Introducing additional meter types into the system would reduce efficiency by forcing staff to maintain multiple inventories, learn multiple software platforms, and carry specialized equipment for each meter brand.
Furthermore, the City’s existing AMI system is designed to operate with the current meter technology. Other manufacturers’ meters may not be compatible with the AMI network and would not communicate properly without additional hardware, software integrations, or system modifications. This would compromise the performance of the AMI system, reduce data reliability, and increase long-term maintenance and support costs.
For these reasons, continuing to procure meters from Sensus ensures system compatibility, operational efficiency, and cost-effective long-term asset management. Core and Main is the exclusive authorized distributor of Sensus products in Illinois. A Single Source letter is attached.
This Single Source is requested for a six-month term from the date of award to December 31, 2026.
FISCAL IMPACT:
CIP#: WU019, WU020
The purchase of Sensus water meters, registers and SmartPoints will be expensed to the Infrastructure account listed below as part of the Water Utilities’ capital program. A total of $930,000 is budgeted for meter replacements and additions under WU019 and WU020 in the 2026 Budget. The requested award of $738,276 is within budget.
|
Account Number |
Fund Description |
Total Budget Amount |
|
41251500-551502 |
Water Utilities |
$86,910,285 |