CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Approve the award of Bid 23-195, Electric Utility Transformer Recondition/Rebuild, to Power Electronics and Emerald Transformer PPB LLC for an amount not to exceed $300,000 and for a one-year term
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DEPARTMENT: Electric Utility
SUBMITTED BY: Brian Groth, Director
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
N/A
BACKGROUND:
Due to supply chain issues which have resulted in extended lead times and increased prices for transformers, the City of Naperville - Electric Utility (Utility) investigated and implemented alternatives to procuring new transformers including utilizing its own workforce to perform light refurbishment work, altering construction standards to serve more homes off one larger transformer, and identifying additional vendors to bid on new transformer procurements. These alternatives have been implemented by the utility to ensure new customers can be added to the system in a timely manner and that reliable power can sustainably be delivered to existing customers.
In its refurbishment pilot, the Utility focused on repairing units that were removed from service due to damage, failing an asset inspection or customer calls. This pilot was successful in that transformers were returned to the Utility in under 12 months at a cost significantly lower than that of a new transformer. These refurbished transformers were immediately redeployed to the field, replacing transformers that were identified by field inspections, customer calls and the Utility's asset management work group as at risk for imminent failure. Replacing transformers before failure reduces unplanned system outages and reduces the cost of refurbishment because the transformer does not need to be rewound.
In July 2023, upon successful completion of the pilot program, the City issued Bid 23-195, Electric Utility Transformer Recondition/Rebuild, to identify contractors willing to inspect, recondition or rebuild single phase, pole and pad mount transformers...
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