Memorandum

City of Lawrence

Finance Department

TO:	Dave Corliss, Interim City Manager
FROM:	Ed Mullins, Finance Director
Date:	May 26, 2006
RE:	Handheld computer bids

Background

On May 15, 2006, the Finance Department opened bids for six handheld computers for reading water meters.  The current handhelds were purchased over six years and are no longer eligible for maintenance.  The 2006 department budget includes $25,000 for their replacement.

Analysis

The department received a total of six bids.  The lowest bid was from Utility Solutions for six FC200 handheld computers manufactured by Itron.  The department’s current handhelds are also Itron units.  The new units work with our existing meter reading software, thus avoiding the cost of purchasing new software.  The new units have a faster processor and operating system and are capable of storing more meter reads.  In addition, the maintenance of the units is covered the first year for free.

The bid tabulation is shown below:

Company	Bid Amount
National Waterworks	$27,346
Water Products	$19,943
Utility Solutions	$18,772
Heartland Waterworks	$23,447
Midwest Meter	$22,400
Mountain States Pipe	$21,350

Recommendation

The department recommends the low bid from Utility Solutions.