CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Approve the award of Single Source Procurement 26-095, VTSCADA Upgrade, to Trihedral, Inc. for the amount not to exceed $134,040.60 and for a five-year term
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DEPARTMENT: Water Utilities
SUBMITTED BY: Darrell Blenniss, Director
BACKGROUND:
The Water Utilities (Utilities) operates and maintains a large network of water supply and wastewater pumping stations, including the Springbrook Water Reclamation Center. All these critical assets are currently monitored and operated with a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system installed in 1998. The current SCADA system no longer meets the needs of the Water Utilities and requires several third-party software to meet the department’s needs and does not meet cybersecurity requirements. These issues introduce security risks and additional licensing costs.
In 2025, the Water Utilities evaluated five SCADA systems, including GE iFix, VTSCADA, Mitsubishi Iconics, Ignition and Gasvoda’s SCADA system. VTSCADA was the only system that met all the needs of the Utilities without additional third-party software. In addition, VTSCADA offered the use of their SCADA system for six months and training at no charge to the department.
DISCUSSION:
The Single Source is requested for the purchase of the VTSCADA software platform and additional four years of technical support for a five-year term from the date of award until June 30, 2031.
VTSCADA’s annual support fees represent a 46% reduction compared to the support costs associated with the utility’s existing legacy SCADA platform. Furthermore, by committing to extended technical support, the Utilities secured an additional $5,5949.40 in support-fee discounts for the duration of this agreement.
The Water Utilities has identified this as a Single Source because Trihedral is the only manufacturer and supplier of the VTSDADA platform. A Single Source letter from the vendor is attached.
When it comes to SCADA platforms, competitive pricing is no longer determined by initial capital expenditure, but rather by long-term operating expenses, such as developer seat costs and runtime client licensing. VTSCADA runtime and support fees are very competitive with lower longer-term costs than other vendors.
FISCAL IMPACT:
CIP #: WU033 - SCADA Improvements & Upgrades
The requested award will be expensed to the Infrastructure account listed below. The 2026 Budget includes $250,000 for SCADA Improvements & Upgrades. The requested award amount of $87,500 to Trihedral, Inc. is within budget.
|
Accountant Number |
Fund Description |
Total Budget Amount |
|
41251500-551502 |
Water Utilities Fund |
$86,910,285 |