Council action is requested to issue a one (1) year contract, with two (2), one-year renewal periods for Water Meters and Parts with Badger Meter for the Water Department.

Council action to issue a contract.

The Water Department is upgrading the type of meters provided in this RFP from mechanical to solid state meters. These solid state meters provide several technological advances over their mechanical counterparts. Instead of utilizing a mechanical apparatus to measure the flow, these meters will use ultrasonic soundwaves to measure the rate at which water is flowing through the meter. By eliminating the mechanical apparatus of the meter you eliminate moving parts that can wear out over time causing the meter to become inaccurate. Another added benefit is the addition of information and alarm notifications displayed on the meter register. These meters can provide the customer with the rate of flow at any given time in addition to usage data. There will also be several alarms provided on the display including a “Leak” alarm. The leak alarm will be displayed if the meter registers uninterrupted usage of water over an extended period of time. With a quick glance at the meter, the customer can be alerted to a leak on the premise plumbing and possibly save them from having to pay for a large amount of water running down the drain on future water and sewer bills. This technology provides the most accurate metering over a broader range of flows which in turn, ensures fair and correct billing for all customers and will help to reduce the amount of water that goes unmetered every month for the utility.

Water meters are necessary to determine the amount of water delivered to each residential and nonresidential service locations.

The Procurement Division issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for this commodity on May 27, 2020. The RFP was published through the Public Purchase e-procurement website, which notified one-hundred eleven (111) potential respondents; Fifty (50) accessed the RFP. Seven proposals were received in response to the solicitation: Badger Meter, Inc., Blue Springs Winwater, Core & Main, Durkin Equipment Company, Master Meter, Inc., Neptune Technology Group, Inc., and United systems & Software, Inc. These proposals were reviewed by a panel of City staff members and scored based on several criteria including price, warranty, performance, compatibility and past experience. The proposal submitted by Badger Meter, Inc. was determined to be the best proposal submitted. Neptune Technology Group, Inc. failed to submit pricing information and Master Meter did not submit pricing for the majority of the meters requested so those proposals were deemed non-responsive. The bid tabulation is attached.

Fiscal Impact. The fiscal impact to the City is $375,000.00. Funding is included in the fiscal year 2020/21 adopted budget, page 158, Water Department Operating Budget account number 4821-5405.