Subject:
Title
Agreement with Badger Meter, Inc. to install an Advanced Metering Infrastructure system for water and reclaimed water utilities. (Companion to Item No. 24)
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Recommended Action:
Recommended Action
Approval of the ranking of firms, award and agreement with Badger Meter, Inc. for the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) project.
• The AMI project will result in a conversion from the County’s analog meters (manually read) that have reached the end of their useful life to an electronic metering network for the County’s water and reclaimed water utilities services. Additionally, this project will integrate existing Automated Meter Reading meters to the new metering network.
• This Agreement is for the furnishing and installation of new, and retrofitted meters, boxes, and lids for approximately 114,000 potable water meters and approximately 14,900 reclaimed water meters.
• The total Badger Agreement amount is $62,845,720.73. This amount includes $5,466,126.00 for network as a service for cellular network connectivity for a period of ten years. The installation phase of this project is expected to be completed within four years.
• This is a companion item to Granicus Item No. 22-0964A; the companion item is an amendment to an existing agreement with VertexOne to incorporate the Software as a Service component which will provide support for the customer interface portal.
• Funding for this project is derived from the Water and Sewer Enterprise Funds. The project is included in the Capital Improvement Plan and was incorporated into the Utilities rate study.
Contract No. 21-0057 P (JJ), Agreement in the amount of $62,845,720.73 from the Notice to Proceed date for four years; Authorize the Chairman to sign and the Clerk of the Circuit Court to attest.
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Strategic Plan:
Practice Superior Environmental Stewardship
3.4 Reduce/reuse/recycle resources including energy, water and solid waste.
Foster Continual Economic Growth and Vitality
4.4 Invest in infrastructure to meet current and future needs.
Deliver First Class Services to the Public and our Customers
5.1 Maximize partner relationships and public outreach.
5.2 Be responsible stewards of the public’s resources.
5.3 Ensure effective and efficient delivery of County services and support.
5.4 Strive to exceed customer expectations.
Summary:
Summary
The AMI project includes installation and network and software integration of one-inch (1”) and smaller meters by a licensed contractor. The Contractor’s proposed AMI Network is required to capture data for all meters within the County’s system. The Contractor’s AMI Network cellular transmitter and software will integrate with the County’s current billing system and will provide a customer interface portal along with “Network as a Service” (NaaS) and “Software as a Service” (SaaS) system support. The (SaaS) system support will be included in a separate amendment to an existing agreement with VertexOne.
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Background Information:
On January 21, 2021, the Purchasing and Risk Division advertised a Request for Proposal on behalf of the Utilities Department for Advanced Metering Infrastructure. Following evaluation of written proposals and conclusion of oral presentations, a recommendation to negotiate with the number one ranked firm, Badger Meter, Inc. was received on August 4, 2021, with final negotiations completed on May 25, 2022.
Pinellas County Utilities (PCU) provides safe drinking water, reclaimed, and sewer service to residents and visitors each day. A significant portion of PCU’s metering infrastructure is past the end of useful life. PCU staff currently manually read meters which requires significant operational costs and results in a bimonthly billing cycle for customers. This project will allow PCU to implement a monthly customer billing cycle and a new customer interface portal which will streamline billing and payments, provide automatic leak notifications, and real-time and more accurate water usage information to customers.
Fiscal Impact:
The contract amount of $62,845,720.73.00 is over a five-year period. This contract is for projects 001601A Water Meter Replacement and 003769A Reclaimed Water Meters in the Capital Improvement Program, Physical Environment function, funded by the Water and Sewer Funds. The total current proposed budget is $72,494,000.00 which includes this contract, staff time, and other project costs.
Staff Member Responsible:
Megan Ross, Director, Utilities
Merry Celeste, Division Director, Purchasing & Risk, Administrative Services
Joe Lauro, Director, Administrative Services
Partners:
N/A
Attachments:
Agreement
Ranking Spreadsheet