CITY MANAGER AUTHORITY PROCUREMENT AWARDS
ACTION REQUESTED:
title
Approve the award of Single Source Procurement 26-128, SEL Equipment, to A Star Electric, Inc. for an amount not to exceed $96,288.40
body
DEPARTMENT: Electric Utility
SUBMITTED BY: Brian Groth, Director
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
N/A
BACKGROUND:
Schweitzer Engineering Labs, Inc. (SEL) designs, manufactures and supports products that the Electric Utility (“Utility”) uses in electrical substation and distribution applications such as SEL meters, relays, fault indicators, communications and RTU equipment for protection and control of Utility assets.
The Utility currently has several thousand fault indicators installed in transformers that are used by field personnel to identify the location of faulted cable during an outage event. The Utility has standardized fault indicators manufactured by SEL, and has over the last 20 years, installed approximately 4,000 devices in the field.
DISCUSSION:
This single source procurement is requested for a one-time purchase of SEL-AutoRANGER Fault Indicator.
The Utility standard is to install fault indicators on new transformers as they are put into the field. Recently, a program to replace non-functioning or obsolete indicators on existing equipment has begun and has driven a need to purchase additional fault indicators for the warehouse to distribute to the field crews performing the corrective maintenance work. This request is to supply the work crews and to maintain adequate stock in our warehouse.
The SEL AutoRanger functionality that the City has been applying for over 20 years, has been included into Utility troubleshooting processes. Intermixing different technologies and different operations could complicate troubleshooting steps and techniques, which in turn would extend power outage duration.
The volume of work required to replace and standardize existing fault indicators was greater than initially anticipated; therefore, after this purchase, and following further review and evaluation, a future contract will be developed to support ongoing purchases and ensure consistency in equipment and operations moving forward.
The Utility has identified this purchase as a single source because SEL is the sole manufacturer of these products, which have been in use for the past 20 years. A Star Electric is the only authorized manufacturer’s distributor for SEL products. SEL also provides a 10-year warranty on all equipment.
If the SEL-AutoRANGER Fault Indicator is not purchased, crews will have a harder time finding underground cable problems. This can make outages last longer because staff must spend more time searching for the fault. This is also the device the Electric Utility currently uses, so keeping the same equipment helps maintain consistency. Using different types of fault detectors can cause confusion for crews and make training, maintenance, and safe operation more difficult.
The anticipated delivery date is July 13, 2026, based on an approximate six-week lead time.
FISCAL IMPACT:
CIP#: N/A
SEL fault indicators are expensed to the Operating Supplies account listed below. The Electric Utility included $700,000 in the 2026 budget for various warehouse supplies, including SEL fault indicators. At the point of purchase, these items will be expensed to the Operating Supplies account listed below. As these items are put in the field, if they are used to support capital upgrades, the expense will be included in a quarterly transfer to ensure it is recorded against the proper project. The award requested can be accommodated within the 2026 budget.
|
Account Number |
Fund Description |
Total Budget Amount |
|
40101300-541407 |
Electric Utility Fund |
$700,000 |