CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Approve the award of Sole Source Procurement 25-248, Sensus AMI Software, to Core and Main LP for an amount not to exceed $613,765 and for a four-year term
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DEPARTMENT: Water Utilities
SUBMITTED BY: Darrell Blenniss, Director
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
N/A
BACKGROUND:
Core & Main LP, an authorized distributor of Sensus USA, Inc., supplies the equipment and infrastructure for the wireless transmission of water meter data and provides for the integration of Sensus software with the City’s various IT systems.
Since 2021, the Water Utilities has used Sensus' advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), including hardware and software, to remotely read over 45,000 customer meters.
On October 13, 2023, the City Council awarded Contract 23-269, Sensus Licensed RNI Software as a Service (SaaS), to Core and Main LP to migrate the licensed AMI software to a SaaS model (cloud software) and the purchase and implementation of additional software applications, including pressure profile monitoring and leak detection. The procurement included the first year of software application fees.
DISCUSSION:
The Sensus SaaS provides numerous benefits including constant system monitoring to ensure 99.99% availability and reliability of water reads and system information. The SaaS model also applies advanced analytics to real-time data, assisting with the goal using predictive maintenance to reduce water downtime and create more efficient maintenance protocols. To continue dedicated system monitoring, technical support, analytics and uninterrupted data access, annual fees are required. This purchase is requested to purchase the annual fees for the Sensus AMI software applications.
The Water Utilities has identified the purchase as a Sole Source procurement because Core & Main - Illinois is the exclusive authorized distributor of Sensus products and services in the area. If the Sole Source were not approved, the Water Utilities would need to identify and procure a new AMI solution, which would be time-consuming, costly, and may not provide the same benefits as the current system.
The term of the contract will be from September 14, 2025 to September 14, 2029.
FISCAL IMPACT:
CIP #: N/A
The requested award will be charged annually over a four-year term to the Software and Hardware Maintenance account listed below. The 2025 cost is in line with the budget, which includes $143,448 for expenses related to AMI. Staff will include annual maintenance costs for future years within the respective budget cycles.
|
Account Number |
Fund Description |
2025 Proposed Budget |
|
41101500-531312 |
Water Utilities |
$398,328 |