CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Approve the award of Change Order #4 to Contract 19-214, Water Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) Project, to Core & Main LP for an additional 365 days (Item 1 of 2)
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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, provides for the integration of Sensus software with the City’s various IT systems and the purchase of equipment and infrastructure that allows for the wireless transmission of water reads.
On September 1, 2020, the City Council awarded Contract 19-214 to Core & Main LP to install AMI hardware, including meter interface units (MIUs) and data collection units (DCUs), AMI head-end, and integration of the City’s meter data management system (MDMS) and associated software for a complete system.
The City Manager approved Change Order #1 adding $13,500 to the contract on March 8, 2021 for the customization of the regional network interface (RNI) billing interface with SunGard. Council approved Change Order #2 on December 21, 2021, extending the contract for 180 days with the term ending June 29, 2022. Council approved Change Order #3 on June 7, 2022 to extend the contract for another 185 days with the term ending December 31, 2022.
DISCUSSION:
Installation of the MIUs was completed throughout 2021, but software integrations into the City systems are ongoing. The current software integration is strictly between the Sensus Regional Network Interface (RNI) and the City’s billing software (Naviline) which allows actual meter reads to be sent wirelessly for monthly customer bill generation and reads upon request from the RNI. No other information or in-depth analysis is readily available (i.e., water consumption for a group of meters) or easily extracted.
The second phase of software integration between the Sensus RNI, Harris Meter Data Management System (MDMS) and Naviline is ongoing. The MDMS provides a platform for long-term meter data storage including reading history, water meter health (i.e. meter malfunctions independent of meter age), automated notifications (i.e. meter not communicating), and advanced analytics, all of which allow staff to better understand the entire system and proactively address issues. Additionally, the Empower customer portal will leverage these integrations to allow customers to view water consumption, make informed decisions, and enable customers to partner with the Water Utility to operate more efficiently. The City will not be able to maximize its investment in Water AMI until the integrations into the Harris MDMS are completed.
Additional integration requirements were uncovered during the planning of the MDMS integration and required additional time beyond original and revised estimates. A change order is requested to extend the contract completion date by 365 days allowing the vendors time to complete the software integrations, testing, and final invoicing, as specified within the contract. Staff will continuously work with the vendors to expedite the completion of the project. No additional funds are required to complete the outstanding work. The revised completion date will be December 31, 2023.
FISCAL IMPACT:
CIP: WU040
Installation of the Water AMI system was budgeted in FY2021 as part of the Capital Improvement Program for which the City completed a bond issuance to reimburse project expenses. The requested change order will not require any additional funds.