Submitted By: Marie Brooks
presenter
Presentation By: Doug Peebles
end
Department: Electric Utility
STAFF RECOMMENDATION (Motion Ready):
title
Approve the purchase of electric revenue meters from Wesco Distribution, Inc. with an estimated inventory amount of $750,000
end
OCALA'S RELEVANT STRATEGIC GOALS:
Operational Excellence, Quality of Place
PROOF OF PUBLICATION:
Sole source released to the public: 8/8/2022
body
BACKGROUND:
Purchasing electric meters is a routine operating expense for Ocala Electric Utility ("OEU") to accurately measure electricity sold to residential and commercial customers. Meters are held in stock at the city's warehouse and used by OEU for maintenance and new construction. Over the past five years, the city has purchased an average of 2,500 meters annually to support operations. OEU anticipates needing an additional 1,250 for planned development projects requiring new meters.
On August 8, 2022, the City released its Request for Information ("RFI") No. 230038, Sole Source Posting ("SSP") 195 for Honeywell electrical meters. The sole source was posted for fifteen (15) business days per Florida Statute requirements. Wesco Distribution, Inc. is the only authorized distributor of Honeywell electrical meters for the City of Ocala. These meters are proprietary Honeywell products and the only ones that communicate with the advanced metering infrastructure ("AMI") meter data collection software (Connexo NetSense) utilized by OEU.
FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS:
Ocala Electric Utility estimates a need for approximately 3,750 meters during the fiscal year 2023, with escalating prices averaging $200 each. This estimate is based on historical trends in the aging meter population and new development requests for installations. Staff negotiated a reduced bulk purchase price of 35% less than initially quoted. Staff recommends the approval of the purchase of meters at an estimated cost of $750,000 to cover new installation and inve...
Click here for full text