Memorandum
City of Lawrence
Utilities Department
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TO: |
Diane Stoddard - Interim City Manager Casey Toomay – Assistant City Manager Brandon McGuire – Assistant to the City Manager |
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FROM: |
Mike Lawless – Deputy Director of Utilities |
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CC: |
Dave Wagner – Director of Utilities Bryan Kidney – Finance Director |
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Date: |
November 4, 2015 |
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RE: |
Negotiate an Engineering Services Agreement for Advanced Metering Infrastructure Assessment, Project UT1507 |
Background
The Lawrence Finance and Utilities Departments provide service to 34,000 metered water accounts read manually or through a remote read system on meter vaults or areas that are difficult to access. Meters are read on a monthly basis by 5 full time meter readers with turn-ons, turn-offs, re-reads, and small meter replacement handled by 5 full time field representatives. A working supervisor oversees the 10 employees and an additional 4 temporary meter readers during the KU rush between the end of May and beginning of August. In an effort to become more efficient and provide better customer service, staff has been investigating Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) systems to enhance customer service, become more efficient in service delivery and provide improved diagnostic capabilities.
Project Details
The systems and technologies to deliver AMI are complex and rapidly changing. Staff is proposing to contract with a qualified consulting firm for professional services to assess the needs of the departments and help couple that with the latest technology in AMI for the water utility. The proposed system will read water meters through a wireless network, provide consumption data on at least a daily basis, provide new diagnostic capabilities for Utility Billing and Utilities Department managers and staff, and enhance customer service.
Project Status
On August 11, 2015, City Commission authorized staff to advertise a Request for Proposals for Advanced Meter Infrastructure Assessment.
On September 11, 2015, staff received proposals from ten (10) interested firms. Proposals were received from Black & Veatch, CMG Consulting, Excergy, HDR, Johnson Controls, SL-serco, Util-Assist, UtiliWorks, Valutech Solutions, and West Monroe.
A review committee consisting of staff from the Finance and Utilities Departments evaluated the proposals. Excergy, UtiliWorks, and Valutech Solutions had the best proposals and were invited to interview with the review committee.
UtiliWorks was selected by the review committee based on the RFP response, their knowledge and presentation during the interview, the project manager, and the positive responses received during reference checks.
Project Funding
The project will be funded from the Department of Utilities 2015 Operations & Maintenance fund.
Action Request
Authorize staff to negotiate an Engineering Services Agreement with UtiliWorks for Advanced Metering Infrastructure Assessment, Project UT1507.