Agenda Information Sheet
DEPARTMENT: DME
CM/ ACM: Howard Martin, 349-8232
Date: February 13, 2017
SUBJECT
Title
Consider recommending approval to award a first amendment change order request of $85,000 to the original contract amount of $366,000 via RFP 5821 with Clevest Solutions, Inc. in accordance with the quote provided from Clevest Solutions, Inc. This change order brings the existing contract amount to a new total of $451,000. Change Order contract amendments are allowed per Local Government Code Rule §252.048(d) which allows up to a 25% increase in a contract amount.
Body
BACKGROUND
Denton Municipal Electric’s System Operations in an effort to utilize City resources as efficiently and effectively as possible must be able to electronically send work orders to field crews who are performing repair or maintenance work on the utility’s distribution and transmission systems. In the summer of 2015, after consultation and input from multiple City Departments, DME selected the Clevest Mobile Workforce Management (MWFM) software system to replace an existing Microsoft Access database work order system that had become antiquated, unstable, and past its serviceable application life.
DME has been monitoring and tracking our field trucks through use of manual placement of an icon by our System Operators on the Responder Outage Management Graphical User Interface (GUI). During the implementation of the Clevest MWFM software, DME experienced an incident which identified a safety issue with the manual process, and the need to seek a solution, related to and in response to improving employee safety while field work is being performed by multiple personnel in close proximity across our service area. Fortunately, no one was injured in this incident; however, it did pinpoint the need to track, in near real time, Operation and Maintenance vehicle locations during day-to-day business and emergency outage restoration events. This need can be resolved through the implementation of an Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) system to track vehicles and, in near real time, report their location to System Operations graphically on our electrical system map showing the current state of the distribution system.
An AVL system utilizes similar wireless technology used by mobile cellular phones to track vehicles and report their location to a head-end system where the vehicle location is displayed on the Clevest MWFM user interface. Some devices planned for use provide the added benefit of a Wi-Fi hotspot. The WiFi capability will improve connectivity of field crews across multiple wirelessly connected devices and further assist with DME’s move into a more efficient and effective paperless workflow.
DME investigated and reviewed three different AVL proposals before finally deciding on the Clevest AVL system. The advantages of using Clevest included:
1. The Clevest AVL system will fully integrate to the Clevest MWFM system as it is an extension of the product that Denton currently owns.
2. The Clevest AVL will have lower initial and continuing costs, less complexity of integration and implementation, and will ensure that less confusion between products if two different systems were chosen to be integrated.
Not only will AVL help with safety of DME’s field crews, it will improve the overall performance of the DME fleet by optimizing the routing and crew locations for DME.
OPTIONS
1. Recommend awarding the amendment of the contract for the purchase of an automated vehicle location system and mobile workforce management software solution to Clevest Solutions, Inc. for an additional contract change order amount of $85,000.
2. Not recommend awarding the amendment to purchase an automated vehicle location system to Clevest Solutions, Inc. and provide staff direction on what other actions to take.
RECOMMENDATION
DME recommends the change order amendment to purchase the automated vehicle location system and mobile workforce management software solution from Clevest Solutions, Inc. for an additional $85,000. This value included a 10% amount for integrations or contingencies for required actions that may be discovered during implementation beyond the original scope, plus the additional $85,000 for the purchase of an automatic vehicle location system, which also includes a 10% contingency for additional changes to the AVL deployment.
Clevest Solutions, Inc. is a provider of mobile workforce automation software for utilities. Clevest is also an ESRI Gold Partner. Clevest has implemented solutions in many utilities across the country including Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative in Bastrop, TX, Connexus Energy in Ramsey, MN and the City of Calgary, Alberta.
ESTIMATED SCHEDULE OF PROJECT
Following approval for this project in 2015, this project began in December 2015. Following the approval for the change from the Public Utility Board on January 23, 2017 and the subsequent approval from the Denton City Council on February 7, 2017, it is anticipated the automatic vehicle location project will begin in March 2017.
PRIOR ACTION/REVIEW (Council, Boards, Commissions)
The initial approval to originally award Clevest Solutions, Inc. came from a unanimous vote from the Public Utility Board on August 10, 2015 and the subsequent unanimous approval came from the Denton City Council on September 1, 2015.
FISCAL INFORMATION
The purchase of the mobile workforce solution software will be funded from account number 603581500.1365.3980.
STRATEGIC PLAN RELATIONSHIP
The City of Denton’s Strategic Plan is an action-oriented road map that will help the City achieve its vision. The foundation for the plan is the five long-term Key Focus Areas (KFA): Organizational Excellence; Public Infrastructure; Economic Development; Safe, Livable, and Family-Friendly Community; and Sustainability and Environmental Stewardship. While individual items may support multiple KFAs, this specific City Council agenda item contributes most directly to the following KFA and goal:
Related Key Focus Area: Public Infrastructure
Related Goal: 2.3 Promote superior utility services and facilities
EXHIBITS
1. Exhibit 1
Respectfully submitted:
Phil Williams
General Manager, DME
Prepared by:
Jerry Fielder, P.E.
Division Engineering Manager - Distribution
Denton Municipal Electric