10-17-2014 BPU RPT 04 - Laserfiche WebLink

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W A T E R i E N E R G Y L I F E RIVERSIDE PUBLIC UTILITIES 6AW99 Board Memorandum PUBLIC UTILITIES BOARD OF PUBLIC UTILITIES DATE: OCTOBER 17, 2014 ITEM NO: 4 SUBJECT: DISTRIBUTION AUTOMATION PROGRAM — APPROVAL TO AWARD A PURCHASE ORDER TO ONRAMP WIRELESS ISSUE: The issue for Board of Public Utilities consideration is approval of a Professional Services Agreement to OnRamp Wireless for the Total Reach Communications Network. RECOMMENDATION: That the Board of Public Utilities approve a Professional Services Agreement in the amount of $96,437.94 with OnRamp Wireless of San Diego, California, for the OnRamp Total Reach Communications Network. BACKGROUND: On January 18, 2013, the Board of Public Utilities (Board) approved Work Order No. 1309568 in the amount of $960,000 to procure and install equipment as part of the Distribution Automation Program. This phase of the Distribution Automation Program will cover six circuits out of the La Colina substation. The Board memorandum indicated staff would return to the Board for equipment purchase approvals as required for the project. The OnRamp Total Reach Communications Network (OnRamp) is a necessary component of the Distribution Automation Program. Staff presented the OnRamp system to the Information Technology Steering Committee (committee) on August 20, 2014. The committee endorsed this communication technology and recommended the procurement be brought to the Board for approval. Approval is now being requested for the purchase of the OnRamp Total Reach Communications Network to support the first phase of distribution automation in the Canyon Crest area near La Colina substation. There will be a total of four phases to complete this project. This purchase order, if approved, will complete approximately fifteen percent of the program. To improve distribution circuit reliability, wireless fault sensors will be installed on select distribution circuits in the Canyon Crest area as the first phase of the Distribution Automation Program. These sensors will monitor the electric circuits and provide vital real time information when outages occur. The OnRamp Total Reach Communications Network is a specialized solution necessary to communicate outage information from the wireless fault sensors directly to the Utility Operations Center through our existing systems. This real time information will enable dispatchers to send personnel directly to the outage area to begin troubleshooting, thereby reducing the time required to locate the cause and restore service. This is a sole source procurement, since the sensors only communicate through the OnRamp system. Under City Administrative Manual section 02.004.00, the City Manager may waive the formal request for proposal process if the services required are so special and unique as to be provided by only one qualified consultant as documented by a single source memorandum. Here, the services offered by OnRamp Wireless are so special and unique that other vendors are unable to provide a comparable service, which has been documented in a sole source memorandum that has been approved by the City Manager.