HomeMy WebLinkAbout9 Consideration of Current Limiting Fuse Purchase Contract1 REL4
TRUCKEE DONNER
Public Utility District
CONSENT
To: Board of Directors
From: Sanna Schlosser
Date: April 15, 2020
Subject: Consideration of Awarding a Contract for the Purchase of Current
Limiting Fuses
1. WHY THIS MATTER IS BEFORE THE BOARD
Board authorization is required for procurements in excess of $15,000.
2. HISTORY
Fault protection is an important aspect of operating our electrical system. A variety of
equipment types are used to isolate electrical faults from other parts of the system and
to protect substation equipment and other facilities. One of the main components of
our fault protection scheme is the fuse.
The predominant type of fuse used is the expulsion fuse. These are tubes with a
stranded wire (element) inside which melts when exposed to too much current, such
as from a fault, passes through the element. When this happens, heat from the
melting element causes gas inside the tube to expand rapidly and blow the fuse open.
Molten metal can also be expelled during this event.
While this type of fuse is reliable, inexpensive, and commonly used, there are other
options available. In 2018, staff began researching current limiting fuses as a
replacement for expulsion fuses as part of our Wildfire Mitigation Plan. Staff
completed a pilot project to install and verify the functionality of these fuses in 2019.
3. NEW INFORMATION
The District's experience with current limiting fuses has been positive and additional
installations are planned for 2020 and beyond. Due to the expense and specialized
nature of these fuses, staff prepared a Request for Bids (RFB) to solicit unit price bids
from qualified vendors to purchase these materials through the end of the year, in an
amount not to exceed $100,000. Future contracts for these materials will be included
in the Annual Procurements package.
The bid package was sent in early March, advertised in the Sierra Sun on March 6,
2020, and the opening was on April 6, 2020. One bid was received from Anixter Inc.,
and this bid was found to be responsive. The bid summary is below.
Bidder
ILocation
Responsive
Anixter, Inc.
lBenicia, CA
lYes
4. FISCAL IMPACT
This item was included the Board Adopted FY20 Budget and sufficient funds exist for
this procurement.
5. RECOMMENDATION
Authorize the General Manager to execute a contract with Anixter Inc. for the
Purchase of Current Limiting Fuses for 2020 in an amount not to exceed $100,000.
Joe Horvath
Electric Utility Director
Michael D. Holley
General Manager