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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11 Meter Reading System Agenda Item # _ OWL Staff Report To: Board of Directors From: Mary Chapman, Administrative Services Manager Subject: Consideration of a resolution dispensing with competdive bidding and authorizing the purchase of a new meter reading system Date: March 1, 2002 In 1995, when we were looking to convert to a more automated meter reading system, we considered purchasing a van system with a computer, so the meter readers could ride around the District and collect radio transmitted readings fairly rapidly. The van system collected readings from a further distance than the radio read handhelds. Because of the cost of the conversion (meters and reading technology), we decided that we would begin by implementing the radio handheld technology and consider the more expensive van system in the future. Well, the future is here! Last year, Itron announced it would no longer be supporting our Premier Plus radio read handheld system as of December 31, 2002. We purchased the Premier Plus system in 1995 when we were on the Orcom billing system. NISC also supports Itron meter reading systems. Itron's has a new mobile meter reading system called the Data Pac. It is less expensive than the van system we looked at in 1995. Using the Data Pac, the meter reader will drive throughout the District with a computer located in the passenger seat of the vehicle. The computer collects readings for the entire billing cycle. When the meter reader is done, she downloads the readings to a floppy. The readings are then transferred from the floppy to the PC and subsequently uploaded to the main billing computer. We will still need to manually read commercial electric and water accounts that do not have AMR meters. We still have 600+ commercial electric meters and most of the commercial water meters to convert to AMR. We are working to develop a plan to get the rest of the meters converted. Attached is a breakdown of the cost of the system. I have included $58,000 in the 2002 budget. RECOMMENDATION: That the Board adopt the attached resolution dispensing with bidding and authorize staff to proceed with the purchase and installation of the Itron Data Pac automated meter reading system and associated hardware, software and installation costs. -7 Basic Software and Hardware: Quantity Unit Price Total MV-RS Software for Windows 1 3,763.00 $ 3,763.00 G5R 8MB OMR HHC 2 4,431.00 8,862.00 G5R POD Communication Cradles 2 472.00 944.00 G5R POD Power Supply (3PODS) 1 100.00 100.00 Cabling (estimated) 1 20.00 20.00 Data Pac EXT 1 28,500.00 28,500.00 Read One Pro — Reprogramming devices 2 2,242.00 4,484.00 Subtotal $ 46,673.00 Other Expenses: Sales Tax 3,675.49 Shipping & Handling 400.00 Upgrade PC and printer 2,451.51 Installation & Out of Pocket expenses 4,800.00 Total $ 58,000.00 : UCKEE,II�III D e II _ Public Resolution No. 2002-_ Directing that competitive bidding be dispensed with in connection with the purchase of a new meter reading system WHEREAS, the Administrative Services Department has been implementing various technological solutions to improve its efficiency and response time to the customers; and WHEREAS, support for the District's current automated meter reading system is being discontinued by Itron, Inc. on December 31, 2002; and WHEREAS, there are new meter reading technologies on the market that will read the District's electric and water meters that are substantially more efficient than the current technology being used by the District; and WHEREAS, the District chose in 1999 to move its billing and accounting hardware and software systems from Orcom Systems to National Information Systems Cooperative (NISC); and WHEREAS, the meter reading software that is offered by NISC is more up to date than the software the District has been using and it operates on the hardware that the District desires to acquire; and WHEREAS, Itron offers updated mobile computer meter reading hardware which interfaces with the NISC meter reading software; and WHEREAS, purchasing and installing NISC's MVRS meter reading software and Itron's DataPac hardware package will not require the District to change its billing software, and WHEREAS, purchasing meter reading hardware from another vendor and developing interface software would not be desirable and would be costly to the District; and WHEREAS, upon delivery of the hardware a representative from NISC will come to the District to install the hardware and software, provide staff training and subsequent direct link support of such hardware and software; and WHEREAS, various California court decisions, including Graydon v. Pasadena Development Agency, 104 C.A. 3d 631 (1980), hold that if the subject of a contract is such that competitive proposals would be unavailing or would not produce an advantage and the advertisement for competitive bids would thus be undesirable or impractical, a public agency may dispense with competitive bidding; and WHEREAS, due to the facts set forth above, competitive bidding would be unavailing and would not produce an advantage to the District and the advertising for competitive bids would not produce an advantage to the District and would be undesirable; and WHEREAS, Public Utilities Code Section 20206.4 generally requires that the District seek competitive bids in connection with the purchase of goods; and WHEREAS, the District finds that the computer hardware, software and support services more nearly resembles a special service, for which no competitive bidding is required, as opposed to a "good"; and WHEREAS, the Public Utilities Code Section 16034 and Government Code Section 53060 provide that the District may, without competitive bidding, contract for special services and advice in financial, economic, accounting, engineering, legal, administrative and professional matters if such persons are specially trained and experienced and competent to perform the special services required; and WHEREAS, since NISC would provide a sole source of purchase, installation, training and subsequent support and that the installation and implementation would be smoother and more efficient because of it. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of Directors that it adopts the above stated recitals as its findings. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED BY THE Board of Directors that for the reasons set forth above, the District finds that competitive bids for the purchase of a meter reading system including hardware, software and support services would be unavailing and would not produce an advantage to the District and the advertisement for competitive bids would not produce an advantage to the District and would be undesirable and costly. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the District finds that computer hardware, software and support services more nearly resembles a special service, for which no competitive bidding is required, as opposed to a "good." BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the District shall therefore dispense with competitive bidding for the acquisition of new meter reading hardware and software, and the District staff is authorized to purchase from NISC the necessary hardware and software to operate said system including installation costs and training. PASSED AND ADOPTED by the Board of Directors at a meeting duly called and held within the District on the 6th day of March, 2002 by the following roll call vote: AYES: NOES: ABSENT: TRUCKEE DONNER PUBLIC UTILITY DISTRICT By. Nelson Van Gundy, President, Board of Directors ATTEST. Peter L. Holzmeister, Clerk of the Board