HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Contract for Water Meter Automatic Meter Reading System RESOLUTION NO. 15-063
RESOLUTION AWARDING CONTRACT FOR
WATER METER AUTOMATIC METER READING SYSTEM
FOR THE CITY OF AMES,IOWA
WHEREAS, the City has been purchasing Elster AMCO mechanical water meters with
mechanical pulse generator registers as part of a multi-year contract, and this has been the standard
meter purchased for residential and small commercial accounts for many years; and,
WHEREAS,these meters are read manually by entering the meter reading into a hand-held
device carried by the City's meter readers; and,
WHEREAS,in January 2013,Elster AMCO informed the City that it would stop producing
the mechanical meters and registers by mid-year 2013, and the last order taken by Elster AMCO for
these type meters was in March 2013; and,
WHEREAS,because Elster AMCO was the last meter manufacturer producing this type of
meter register, a replacement meter reading technology needed to be selected; and,
WHEREAS,an Automated Meter Reading/Advanced Metering Infrastructure(AMR/AMI)
process improvement team was formed consisting of eight members representing a cross-section of
all involved departments; and,
WHEREAS, the team was tasked to recommend a long-term replacement system for both
water and electric meters,as well as to determine a short-term solution for reading water meters that
serves the needs of both the Water and Electric Utilities and also be sure that it fits within the
adopted CIP and Water Fund rate structure; and,
WHEREAS, after comparing the various alternatives against a list of weighted criteria,the
AMR/AMI Team recommended the AMR Walk-by technology as the short-term solution, with a
requirement that it be provided by a vendor that can transition to an AMI Mesh(unlicensed)system
in the future as the long-term solution; and,
WHEREAS, based on this conclusion, staff developed a Request for Proposals (RFP) to
procure an AMR Walk-by system as a replacement for the obsolete mechanical register system,and
RFPs were submitted to four vendors and the City received two responses; and,
WHEREAS,the response that best met all the necessary criteria was submitted by Itron,Inc.,
of Liberty Lake, Washington, to provide the AMR portion for the project; and,
WHEREAS, the City Council is being asked to give approval for procurement of an AMR
Walk-by system, including hardware, software, meters, and installation services for a complete
system, and to approve a contract for the purchase of this system; and,
WHEREAS,this contract includes a provision whereby it may be renewed annually for five
years, as well as an escalation provision which ties the annual increase to the Producer Price Index;
and,
WHEREAS, the estimated cost for the first year of the AMR project is $304,084.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Ames, Iowa,
that authorization for the procurement of an AMR Walk-by System, including hardware, software,
meters, installation, and maintenance services for a complete system is hereby approved, and a
contract for year one of a multi-year agreement with Itron,Inc., of Liberty Lake,Washington, in an
amount not to exceed$304,084, is hereby further approved.
ADOPTED THIS 1 O'h day of February, 2015.
C lija-o
Diane R. Voss, City Clerk Ann H. Campbell, Mayor
Introduced by: Nelson
Seconded by: Corrieri
Voting aye: Betcher, Corrieri, Gartin, Goodman,Nelson, Orazem
Voting nay: None Absent: None
Resolution declared adopted and signed by the Mayor this loth day of February, 2015.