CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Approve the award of Sole Source Procurement 23-287, GE Lentronics MPLS System, to GE Grid Solutions, LLC for an amount not to exceed $221,939.88
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DEPARTMENT: Electric Utility
SUBMITTED BY: Brian Groth, Director
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
N/A
BACKGROUND:
The Electric Utility (Utility) utilizes the GE Lentronics multiplexer technology at all 16 electric substations and two municipal facilities. The multiplexer technology allows for multiple circuits of relay protection and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) to utilize just two fiber strands. In the event of a fiber break or hit, the traffic is automatically rerouted to ensure reliable communication for system protection.
In June 2013, GE Grid Solutions, LLC was approved as a Sole Source for the communication portion of the Electric Utility's (Utility) 138kV Line 1600 protection upgrade.
As part of Capital Improvement Project EU044, the Utility is in year three of five of upgrading the existing JMUX system with JPAX. JPAX is a Multiprotocol Label Switching System (MPLS) that will work in conjunction with the existing JMUX system and allow the Utility to move to an IP based system from the current serial communications with limited interruption of substation relay protection and SCADA communications.
DISCUSSION:
This Sole Source is requested for the continued JPAX MPLS System upgrades. The Utility will be purchasing seven JPAX units to be installed in 2024.
The Utility has identified this purchase as a Sole Source because GE Grid Solutions, LLC is the sole provider of the hardware and software needed for the GE MPLS JPAX System. There are no other vendors that allow for interoperability options with the existing JMUX system. In addition, the upgrade path will allow the Utility the flexibility of keeping the existing system up thereby limiting SCADA communication outages. The JMUX and JPAX are the only systems that will allow the Utility to ...
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