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full rfp documentation & guidelines

1. on or before 02 00 p m July 24 2015 The use of e mail is encouraged All inquiries should be marked URGENT INQUIRY RFP ADVANCED METERING INFRASTRUCTURE AMI SYSTEM If the questions requests for clarifications or suggestions pertain to a specific section of the RFP the page and section number s must be referenced If a respondent discovers any significant ambiguity error conflict discrepancy omission or other deficiency in this RFP the respondent should immediately notify the City Clerk Treasurer in writing of such error and request modification or clarification of the RFP document The buyer assumes no responsibility for verbal representations made by its officials or employees unless such representations are confirmed in writing and incorporated into the RFP Proposers must inform themselves fully of the conditions relating to the proposal Failure to do so will not relieve a successful proposer of his or her obligation to furnish all services required to carry out the provisions of this contract The contractor in carrying out the work must employ such methods or means as will not cause any interruption of or interference with the work of any other contractor 3 3 Anticipated Schedule The following is the current schedule as defined by the City of Minden City of Minden AMI RFP 7 Action Anticipated Date Release and Issuance of the RFP July 10 2015 RFP Inquiries Deadline July 24 2015 Pro
2. O Intent Subject meter specifications are designed to establish minimum guidelines for selecting an extremely critical metering device Areas of concern to be evaluated in the selection process include but are not limited to ease of installation operational features and benefits readability and future system maintenance expense A design which reflects longevity of proper operation in all elements and high degree of sustained accuracy within the entire range of the meter assembly is to be considered mandatory Enhanced accuracy levels and performance are desired and will not be compromised 4 8 1 1 2 2 3 4 6 8 and 10 Turbine Meter Specifications A Scope These specifications set forth the minimum acceptable design criteria and performance requirements for Turbine type cold water meters including the following potential service applications and general considerations City of Minden AMI RFP 23 e Intended where a moderately wide flow range is anticipated e Measurement of water usage for typical billing applications e Measurement intended for typical commercial and industrial applications e Measurement of low flow usage above OMNI C2 Meter threshold levels e Measurement of constant medium to extended high flow usage B Conformance To Standards The meter package shall meet or exceed all requirements of ANSI AWWA Standard C701 for Class II turbine meter assemblies Each meter assembly shall be performance tested
3. City of Minden Request for Proposal For Advanced Metering Infrastructure System For Electric and Water Utilities Proposals must be delivered to Michael Fluhr City Clerk Treasurer City of Minden LA 520 Broadway Minden LA 71055 Proposal Due August 14 2015 2 00 PM To Whom It May Concern You are invited to submit your Request for Proposal RFP for the purchase of ADVANCED METER INFRASTRUCTURE SERVICES for the City of Minden s Electric and Water Department Specifications are attached hereto and are considered part of the RFP package Request for Proposal will be received by the City Clerk Treasurer at 520 Broadway Minden until August 14 2015 at 2 00 pm Request for Proposals will be publicly opened and read by the City Clerk Treasurer at 2 00 pm August 14 2015 at City Hall Cypress Room 520 Broadway Minden LA 71055 You are welcome to attend The City of Minden reserves the right to accept or reject any or all received Request for Proposal Should you have any questions regarding this RFP please contact Michael Fluhr 318 377 2144 or mfluhr mindenusa com erk Treasurer City of Minden AMI RFP 2 Advertised in the Minden Press Herald Invitation to Request for Proposals The City of Minden Louisiana is accepting sealed Request for Proposals RFP for Advanced Metering Infrastructure System to serve the current and projected needs of the City The City intends to seek the most cost effective
4. a Display of meters transformers and AMI communications assets b Configurable layers filters and color coding to differentiate meters e g by communication status c Incorporate utility GIS layers to view on same map d View assets with events on map A Customer Web Portal i ii The software shall be accessible to customers using PC web browsers Internet Explorer or Firefox or mobile web browsers from major manufacturers The software shall allow the customer to initialize an account using address account number and amount of the last payment received Initializing a customer account shall require no involvement of City staff everything should be done through e mail City of Minden AMI RFP 19 B i ii ii iv vi vii iii The software shall allow the customer to set up an e mail user name and a password of a specific length iv The software shall allow the customer to retrieve or re set their forgotten password via the previously established email Hosting The proposer should have an options to host the AMI software on server hardware at a remote secure data center The proposer will provide upgrades the AMI software to Latest Releases Including all security patches and updates The proposer will maintain a web portal access to the AMI software The proposer will submit a daily file containing consumption reads and all available alarms collected by the network including exception rep
5. Each meter assembly shall have a separate UL Underwriters Laboratories Listed and FM Factory Mutual approved external fi re service strainer as a part of the meter package The strainer s screen shall have a minimum net open area of at least four 4 times the pipe opening and be a V shaped stainless steel screen for the purpose of obtaining a full unobstructed flow pattern The strainer body shall be coated iron with stainless steel fasteners capable of maintaining the following static pressure ratings and physical dimensions City of Minden AMI RFP 29 MAXIMUM CENTERLINE TO COMPACT OVERALL STANDARD OPERATING STRAINER BASE LENGTH OVERALL LENGTH PRESSURE Not to Exceed Not to Exceed 4 175 PSIG 4 3 4 33 51 7 8 6 175 PSIG 5 3 4 45 67 5 8 8 175 PSIG 6 3 4 53 TI 10 175 PSIG 8 1 2 68 90 K Straightening Vanes A straightening vane assembly is mandatory and shall be positioned directly upstream of the measuring element The straightening vane assembly shall be an integral component of the measuring chamber L Connections The meter assemblies shall have flanges of the Class 125 round type flat faced and shall conform to ANSI B16 1 for specified diameter drilling and thickness M Certifications And Markings All sizes of meter packages shall be UL Underwriters Laboratories Listed and FM Factory Mutual approved as being accepted for use on fi re service lines and domest
6. information necessary to properly evaluate a particular proposal Failure of a vendor to respond to such a request for additional information or clarification may result in rejection of the vendor s proposal 6 5 Responsiveness Proposals should respond to all requirements of this RFP to the maximum extent possible Vendors are asked to clearly identify any limitations or exceptions to the requirements inherent in the proposed system Alternative approaches will be given consideration if the approach clearly offers us increased benefits 6 6 Rejection of Proposal Proposals that are not prepared in accordance with these instructions to vendors may be rejected disqualified If not rejected the City of Minden may demand correction of any deficiency and accept the corrected Proposal upon compliance with these instructions to proposing vendors City of Minden AMI RFP 41 6 7 Bid Modifications Any bidder may modify their bid by written or fax communications up to two days prior to the closing time The written or fax communication should not reveal the bid price as this will not be known until the sealed bid is opened 6 8 Late Submissions Regardless of cause late qualifications will not be accepted and will automatically be disqualified from further consideration It shall be the Vendor s sole risk to assure delivery at the designated office by the designated time Late qualifications will not be opened and may be returned to the Vendor at t
7. 3 17 Evaluation of Proposal 3 18 Rights of Parties 3 19 Proven System 3 20 Installation Aspects 4 AMI SYSTEM OVERVIEW 4 1 Communications Method 4 2 Data Collection Network 4 3 Endpoints Units 4 4 System Control Computer and Software 4 5 Meter Data Management Software 4 6 Water Meter Specifications 4 10 4 11 Electric Meter Specifications 4 12 Acoustic Leak Detection 4 13 Endpoint Installation 5 PROPOSAL FORMAT 5 1 Executive Summary 5 2 Company Information 5 3 Project Management Implementation and Conversion City of Minden AMI RFP 5 4 Maintenance and Support 5 5 Training and Education 5 6 References 5 7 Cost Proposal 6 PROPOSAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS 6 1 Request for Proposal Format 6 2 Bulletins and Addenda 6 3 False or Misleading Statements 6 4 Clarification of Proposal 6 5 Responsiveness 6 6 Rejection of Proposal 6 7 Bid Modifications 6 8 Late Submissions 6 9 Acceptance of Proposal 2 Introduction 2 1 Project Overview The City of Minden s primary objective is to contract with a qualified vendor to provide and install an Advanced Metering Infrastructure AMI System for Electric and Water Utilities This RFP will cover a system wide fixed network implementation The City of Minden wishes to obtain a system that provides the best long term value over the system lifetime while providing hourly readings 24 readings per day for 20 years For reliability and meter reading integrity the Proposer s
8. The purpose of this information is to provide coordination and communication between the buyer and proposer installer for the work If the schedule changes for whatever reason an updated daily schedule shall be forwarded Twenty Four 24 Hour Customer Access During Installation Process For ninety 90 days after buyer has been notified of a given installation by date proposer must respond on a 24 hour per day basis to calls from the buyer or from the customer associated with that installation concerning leaks loss of service low pressure and other problems associated with installation Proposer must respond within thirty 30 minutes receiving the call and arrive at customer s premises ready to correct any problems within thirty 30 minutes of receiving the call City of Minden AMI RFP 37 F Response to Complaints Should the proposer or its installation contractor receive a call or complaint from a customer or the buyer regarding installation the proposer contractor shall immediately log the call including caller s name address account number if available date and time of call nature of problem and the action taken Copies of all call logs shall be forwarded to the buyer Contract Manager not less than once per day G Improper Installations The proposer contractor shall be responsible for replacing any meter MIU or appurtenances improperly set and for correct any damage to couplings threads unions or meters by use
9. endpoint has detected an excessive flow rate Endpoints shall have an alarm indicating the endpoint failed to successfully read the water register Endpoints shall have an alarm that indicates the endpoint successfully read the water register but the register indicated an error condition for example a stuck encoder wheel City of Minden AMI RFP 15 4 4 Endpoints shall have an alarm that indicates the endpoint has detected that the register has been changed without a proper installation Endpoints shall have an alarm that indicates the battery is near the end of life Endpoints must be available in both single port and dual port configuration Both single and dual port endpoints must be capable of delivering hourly reading intervals Describe any limitations on the 20 year battery warranty when operating in dual port configuration and while delivering hourly reading history Endpoints shall transmit reading data at least six 6 times per day to ensure up to date reading data for all meters on the system without user intervention Describe how much hourly reading history is included in each transmission Endpoints shall transmit both Endpoint ID and Register ID to ensure that accounts are properly billed after register changes occur in the field Endpoints which transmit only the Endpoint ID will not be accepted Endpoints shall be capable of detecting and transmitting a cut wire condition between the register and endpoint Endp
10. meter assemblies and exceeds AWWA C700 Residential Standard Each meter assembly shall be performance tested to ensure compliance The meter package shall meet or exceed all requirements of NSF ANSI Standard 61 Annex F and G City of Minden AMI RFP 21 C Maincases The meter maincase shall be of epoxy coated ductile iron composition The epoxy coating shall be provided as standard fusion bonded and adhere to NSF for nonleaded regulation compliance D Performance The meter assembly shall have performance capability of continuous operation up to the rated maximum flows as listed below without affecting long term accuracy or causing any undue component wear Maximum headloss through the meter strainer assembly shall not exceed those listed in the following table per meter size E Operating Characteristics ETER SIZE LOW FLOW OPERATING RANGE PRESSURE LOSS 95 Min 98 5 101 5 Not to Exceed 1 1 2 75 GPM 2 to 150 GPM 6 7 PSI 150 GPM 2 1 0 GPM 2 5 to 200 GPM 7 0 PSI 200 GPM 2 without 1 0 GPM 2 5 to 200 GPM 4 4 PSI 200 GPM strainer F Measuring Chamber The measuring chamber shall consist of a measuring element removable housing and all electronic register The measuring element shall be mounted on a horizontal stationary stainless steel shaft with sleeve bearings and be essentially weightless in water The measuring element comes integrated with the advanced Floating Ball Technology desig
11. of the requested information within your Proposal may result in rejection disqualification 4 No negotiations decisions or actions shall be executed by the proposer as a result of any discussions with any City of Minden official employee and or consultant Only those transactions provided in written form from the City of Minden may be considered binding Also the City of Minden will honor only written and signed transactions from proposers 5 The costs of preparation and delivery of the bid proposal are solely the responsibility of the Proposer No payments shall be made by the buyer to cover costs incurred by any proposer in the preparation of or the submission of a proposal in response to this RFP or any other associated costs 6 The contents of each vendor s proposal including technical specifications for hardware and software and hardware and software maintenance fees shall remain valid for a minimum of 120 calendar days from the proposal due date 7 Please note that the City of Minden may not purchase all the applications or all the equipment listed in this Request for Proposal 8 The City of Minden will be awarding a contract to a single vendor for all core applications Vendors are allowed to provide a proposal that includes subcontractors but the City of Minden will be entering into a single agreement with one vendor acting as a Prime The Prime contractor will be responsible for the timeliness quality and deliverables prov
12. schedule covering complete measuring chamber exchange Intent Subject meter specifications are designed to establish minimum guidelines for selecting an extremely critical metering device Areas of concern to be evaluated in the selection process include but are not limited to ease of installation operational features and benefits readability and future system maintenance expense A design which reflects longevity of proper operation in all elements and high degree of sustained accuracy within the entire range of the meter assembly is to be considered mandatory Enhanced accuracy levels and performance are desired and will not be compromised 4 6 8 and 10 UL Listed and FM Approved Fire Service Meter Specifications A Scope These specifications set forth the minimum acceptable design criteria and performance requirements for cold water meters Fire Service type consisting of a Class II turbine type meter and a ductile iron strainer assembly This meter assembly is intended where an extremely wide flow range is required and where measurement of both domestic and fire service water usage is desired Conformance To Standards The meter package shall meet or exceed all requirements of AWWA Standard C703 for Class II The measuring shall be so configured to capture all flows as specified without the requirement of an automatic valve Each meter assembly shall be performance tested to ensure compliance Each meter package
13. the capability to analyze the stored hourly reading data Is the data stored in an ODBC compliant database for example Microsoft SQL or similar Can the utility access the data within the database for other applications beyond what is provided by the Proposer The system shall have the ability to export data to 3rd party software applications via CMEP XML direct database interface or similar The system proposer shall place no restrictions on exporting data to 3rd party software applications Describe any installations where interface to a 3rd party software platform has been achieved City of Minden AMI RFP 16 ii ii iv ii ii iv The Head End Control Computer must provide data security and reliability Describe the Control Computer architecture and underlying database and any provisions for ensuring that data is not lost once received by the Control Computer The data management software shall have user defined queries to analyze consumption patterns and system alerts Pre defined analytics are acceptable as long as users can also manually adjust query parameters based on preferred values The system diagnostic software shall include a mapping interface to graphically report Endpoint and collection system equipment location and performance The mapping interface shall be capable of reporting the following parameters Signal to Noise Ratio average for each endpoint Hourly Read Interval Success percentage over 30 da
14. warranty includes a replacement battery describe the process for testing diagnosing and replacing the endpoint battery List any costs for connection splicing equipment required to replace the battery City of Minden AMI RFP 14 lil ii ii ii Is this warranty nationally published or is the warranty being provided on a case by case basis To avoid obsolescence the endpoints must utilize a configurable architecture that allows new technologies to be implemented How does your system allow for new technologies to be implemented using the current hardware Can your endpoints be updated and or reconfigured over the air The endpoint must be capable of being received by either a handheld receiver mobile receiver or fixed network receiver without special configuration or remanufacture The endpoint must transmit the meter reading and a unique endpoint ID number The endpoint must be capable of time synchronized reading to enable the water entering the system to be reconciled against the water that is consumed to aid in identifying system leaks The endpoint must be capable of hourly reading the meter 24 readings per day and transmitting the readings to the utility every 4 hours 6 transmissions per day minimum How often are hourly readings transmitted by the endpoints Is the system designed to have all meters delivering hourly readings at all times or is the system limited to a certain number of meters operating
15. 12 This includes ANSI C12 1 Code for Electricity Metering ANSI C12 10 Physical Aspects of Watthour Meters and ANSI C12 20 0 2 and 0 5 Accuracy Class 31 Metering ANSI C12 18 2002 Protocol Specification for ANSI Type 2 Optical Port C12 19 1997 Utility Industry End Device Data Tables Meter shall be sealed and tested ANSI Standards Proposer should list supplier and product names of all meters that they interface and recommend The Proposer should provide a list of meters that are currently operable or will be operable within 6 months of the date of your bid submission Proposer should provide meter accuracy curves and specifications for solid state meters that they interface Forms 1S 2S 2S 320A 3S 4S 12S and 25S meters must be available AMI Communication module must be under cover of AMI Meter Proposer must clearly state which functions e g PQ voltage etc are supported by each of the meters offered B Commercial and Industrial C D Electric Meters i AMI Functionality The Utility will use under cover solid state meters for C I applications For polyphase meters this means there will be a mix of upgrades to recently purchased meters and the purchase of new complete AMI meters The AMI Proposer should clearly list which meter brands are supported and which of the following specification clauses are met Meters must support all functionality with two way communication a
16. City of Minden AMI RFP AMI system and polyphase meters must be capable of supporting KWh kVARh and KVAh consumption and daily peak kW kVAR and KVA demand and PF readings Meters should support load profile storage for 5 15 30 and 60 minute intervals Meters should have a storage capacity of 30 days for 4 channel 15 minute data Meters must have a local display of consumption and demand This should include choices for instantaneous demand billing cycle peak demand or both Meters should have the capability of output relays to support switching or alarming to customer Meters must provide a count of momentary sags and swells by phase Proposer must provide specifications of event capture including time date duration magnitude and programmability number of events and availability of history Proposers must support retrieval of the meter Proposer s event logs Proposers must provide details of meter s functions and specifications for tamper detection Proposers must describe process required to modify data retrieved from meters For example if voltage quantities or kWh profile data is desired from a meter to evaluate load characteristics for a one month period what steps are required to retrieve this new temporary data Meters and AMI system must support outage detection and restoration Proposer should provide details and specifications determining what events are considered as outages how events ar
17. Software must allow the utility to elect whether failure of a validation test is automatically corrected noted and accepted or rejected for manual review ii Validation routines should be highly configurable without the need to write code or create scripts iv The AMI Software must perform the following validation on all data sets a High low analysis The AMI Software must check the reported value for the reading is within a percentage threshold of the historic average for the meter taking into account seasonal variance b Gap identification The AMI Software must identify gaps in the data set where no data has been received for a configurable number of days and perform the following estimations on them i Historic average extrapolation estimations ii Linear interpolation extrapolation estimations c Site specific validation The AMI Software must support site specific validations to be added to the system at a later date v The AMI Software must perform the following analysis on all data sets a Vacant consumption analysis The AMI Software must lists meters that are currently vacant but have reported consumption since the cut date b Restricted use analysis The AMI Software must identify high consumption during restricted times City of Minden AMI RFP 18 Vi Vil Vill The AMI Software must identify gaps in the data set where no data has been received for a configurable number of days and perform the following
18. a V shaped configuration for the purpose of maintaining a full unobstructed flow pattern The strainer body shall be a coated ductile iron fusion bonded epoxy identical to that of the meter s maincase All fasteners shall be stainless steel capable of maintaining the following static pressure ratings and physical dimensions METER SIZE MAXIMUM OPERATING CENTERLINE TO OVERALL LENGTH PRESSURE STRAINER BASE Not to Exceed 1 1 2 200 PSIG 2 5 16 13 2 200 PSIG 2 5 16 17 2 without 200 PSIG 2 5 16 10 strainer K Straightening Vanes A straightening vane assembly is mandatory and shall be positioned directly upstream of the measuring element The straightening vane assembly shall be an integral component of the measuring chamber L Connections Flanges for the 1 1 2 and 2 size meter assemblies shall be of the 2 bolt oval flange configuration M Certifications And Markings All sizes of meter packages shall display the sizes model manufacturer name and direction of flow Such display shall be cast on the side of the meter maincase N Guarantee And Maintenance Program Meters shall be guaranteed against defects in material and workmanship for a period of one 1 year from date of shipment In addition the meter supplier shall submit nationally published literature clearly outlining its factory maintenance program and current price schedule covering complete measuring chamber exchange
19. b conferencing training e Scheduled year end processes training 5 6 References Provide references for a minimum of five 5 completed government installations that use the proposed system in a comparable environment Where possible at least one such reference should be in the state of City of Minden AMI RFP 40 Louisiana The information should include municipality name address contact name telephone number date of installation and a list of applications 5 7 Cost Proposal Please provide all costs for the proposed system 6 Proposal Terms and Conditions 6 1 Request for Proposal Format Proposals must be made in strict accordance with the Request for Proposal format provided herein 6 2 Bulletins and Addenda Any bulletins or addenda to the Proposal specifications issued during the period between issuance of the RFP and receipt of proposals are to be considered covered in the Proposal and in awarding a contract they will become a part thereof Receipt of bulletins or addenda shall be acknowledged by vendors in their proposal cover letter 6 3 False or Misleading Statements If in our opinion a proposal contains false or misleading statements or references that do not support a function attribute capability or condition as contended by the vendor the entire proposal shall be rejected 6 4 Clarification of Proposal We reserve the right to obtain clarification of any point in a vendor s proposal or to obtain additional
20. bly detect and describe what various frequencies are indicative of Range i Indicate the recommended range and spacing between sensors on pipes of various materials e g ductile iron concrete asbestos plastic ii List the default assumptions made about the pipe materials in the distribution system if not provided Data storage i Describe the number of days of leak detection sampling data are retained in the ALD the MIU if used and the DCU City of Minden AMI RFP 34 ii vi Environmental tolerance i Provide the specifications for the housing Units must be waterproof and submersible The detector unit shall meet IP68 environmental rating specifications Communication technology 1 ii ii Describe the proposed communication technology from the detectors that is whether the proposed units connect to multi port MIUs in parallel with meters use separate dedicated MIUs or incorporate transmitter receivers Describe the proposed wiring connection if applicable between MIUs and ALDs e g 3 wire cable potted or in line connectors and provisions to ensure physical and data integrity Provide the maximum length of cable between the MIU and the ALD If the ALD requires its own antenna describe the antenna and its mounting options and recommendations Communications The ALD sensor should support two way communication with the MIU and or the head end system Indicate what functions are pr
21. c power is purchased from SWEPCO and distributed to approximately 13 029 residents or 6 333 electric connections There are about 5 587 water units Minden employs a mayor council form of government The total operating budget is approximately 31 000 000 The number of full time employees for the City is 150 in 22 departments 3 General Conditions 3 1 Reservations The buyer reserves the right to reject any or all RFP responses or any part thereof and or to waive formalities if such action is deemed to be in the best interest of the buyer However items listed as strictly enforced shall be so enforced The buyer is requiring a proposal for all necessary components to acquire a Fixed Base AMI project The Proposer must include all components and be willing to supply any component of the RFP which the buyer in its sole discretion shall award the buyer will accept only those components that are deemed to be in its best interest The buyer understands that product choice will affect other components ex meters and registers etc and as such requires that all components awarded under this RFP shall be from the same Proposer The buyer reserves the right to cancel any contract if in its opinion there be a failure at any time to perform adequately to the stipulations of these conditions and the RFP which is attached and made part of this document or in case of any attempt to willfully impose upon the buyer materials or products or workmanship wh
22. cribe in detail its proposed system for ensuring that all data pertaining to installation is correctly recorded during installation and that all data transferred to the CCS is accurate Proposer shall describe procedures for eliminating any opportunities for a meter or MIU to be associated in the control computer or the CCS with the wrong address or account number K _Installation Field Testing Control Hardware and Software A separate software program and server or control computer may be used to manage field installations of MIUs and manage portable field test units interrogators programmers If so provide details of this software and hardware in this section L Interface to AMI Control Computer Describe the mechanism and procedure for downloading and uploading data from the portable field unit control computer to the AMI control computer and or any other information system e g a work order management system normally used in the maintenance of the AMI system City of Minden AMI RFP 38 M Warranty All installation work including materials used in the installation performed under this contract shall be guaranteed against defects in workmanship for a period of one 1 year from the date of installation acceptance 5 Proposal Format Please include the following items in the order listed below Cover Letter Table of Contents Executive Summary Company Information Application Software Hardware Information Project Managem
23. d by in house employees Subcontractors will not be accepted 3 17 The Evaluation of this Proposal Shall be Weighed as Follows Price 25 Meets the System Qualifications 40 Local Service and Support 25 Quality of the RFP Response 10 3 18 Rights of Parties The buyer retains the right to award or not award the contract or any portion herein to the party most qualified in the buyer s sole discretion Responding firms shall have the right to withdraw their response City of Minden AMI RFP 11 in the event that selection is not made within 40 days or final contracts are not negotiated In this event the buyer will have the right to choose from other subcontractors or re list the work as outlined 3 19 Proven System The proposed Fixed Base AMI technology manufacturer must have produced a fixed base system that has been in commercial use for a minimum of five years and must have a substantial number of completed water and or electric fixed base systems currently deployed Of the deployed systems the manufacturer must have at least five 5 combined water and electric account utilizing its technology To ensure the reliability of the system proposed the manufacturer must have in service an acceptable number 100 000 or more of AMI endpoint transmitters of the proposed equipment type 3 20 Installation Aspects The Buyer requires that the turnkey installation package includes 1 Installation of new water and electric meters and correspond
24. dicate whether the ALD devices are expected to be permanently fixed or whether the Proposer expects them to be periodically relocated within the distribution system ALD Detector Units i Describe the proposed monitoring units ii Describe their installed location e g on service lines near meters on valves in the distribution system etc iii Explain how they are mounted secured in place e g strap U bolt magnet etc iv Indicate if the units are designed more for permanent installation or periodic relocation Installation procedure i Describe the process for installing programming initializing and calibrating the devices Correlation i Indicate if the proposed ALD system incorporates correlation techniques to pinpoint the location of leaks If so describe the expected location precision Sampling protocol i Indicate how often the leak sensor samples the vibration on the line on which it is installed ii Indicate the duration of each sampling period iii Indicate what the system retains and what percentage of the sampling readings is retained over the period iv Describe the various levels of reliability of data versus the duration of monitoring Transmit interval i Provide the normal interval of data reporting from the ALDs ii Provide the number of daily transmissions required to send daily information Frequency sensitivity i Indicate the range of frequencies the ALD is able to usa
25. e I Maximum Operating Pressure The meter assembly shall operate properly without leakage damage or malfunction up to a maximum working pressure of 200 pounds per square inch psig J Strainers The meter strainer shall be integral and cast as part of the meter s maincase The strainer s screen shall have a minimum net open area of at least two 2 times the pipe opening and be a V shaped configuration for the purpose of maintaining a full unobstructed flow pattern The strainer body shall be a coated ductile iron fusion bonded epoxy identical to that of the meter s maincase All fasteners shall be stainless steel capable of maintaining the following static pressure ratings and physical dimensions METER MAXIMUM OPERATING CENTERLINE TO OVERALL LENGTH PRESSURE STRAINER BASE Not to Exceed 1 200 PSIG 2 5 16 13 2 200 PSIG 2 5 16 17 3 200 PSIG 4 1 8 19 4 200 PSIG 4 3 4 23 6 200 PSIG 5 3 4 27 8 200 PSIG 6 3 4 30 1 8 10 200 PSIG 8 1 2 41 1 8 K Straightening Vanes A straightening vane assembly is mandatory and shall be positioned directly upstream of the measuring element The straightening vane assembly shall be an integral component of the measuring chamber L Connections Flanges for the 1 1 2 and 2 size meter assemblies shall be of the 2 bolt oval flange configuration The 3 4 6 8 and 10 size meter assemblies shall ha
26. e Proposer 3 7 Warranty All equipment accessories and component parts shall be guaranteed by the proposer to be free of defects in workmanship and design and to operate as specified and intended The manufacturer s standard warranty or a minimum one year warranty whichever is greater shall be given to the buyer at time of acceptance The effective date of the warranty shall be the date of acceptable delivery by the buyer COPIES OF THE MANUFACTURER S WARRANTY SHALL BE INCLUDED WITH EACH RFP RESPONSE If within the guarantee period any defect or signs of deterioration are noted which in the opinion of the buyer are due to faulty design and installation workmanship or materials upon notification the successful proposer at their expense shall repair or adjust the equipment or parts to correct the condition or they shall replace the part or entire unit to the complete satisfaction of the buyer These repairs replacements or adjustments shall be made only at such time as will be designated by the buyer as least detrimental to the operation of the business Proposer must be capable of processing warranty claims 3 8 Interpretation Should any proposer have any questions as to the intent or meaning of any part of this RFP he should contact the buyer in time to receive a written reply before submitting his response 3 9 Errors in Proposals Proposers or their authorized representatives are expected to fully inform themselves as t
27. e managed and what history of data is available 32 ii iii iv vi vii j Meters and AMI system must support net metering functionality for select locations All functionality must be provided with revenue accurate measurement k Proposers offering meters and system functionality capable of prepaid metering are preferred Please describe your plans for this functionality including an implementation time schedule 1 Meters must comply with specifications defined in the current version of ANSI C12 This includes ANSI C12 1 Code for Electricity Metering ANSI C12 10 Physical Aspects of Watthour Meters and ANSI C12 20 0 2 and 0 5 Accuracy Class Metering ANSI C12 18 2002 Protocol Specification for ANSI Type 2 Optical Port C12 19 1997 Utility Industry End Device Data Tables Meter shall be sealed and tested ANSI Standards m Forms 6S 36S 8S 9S and 15S 16S must be available n The Proposer should provide a list of meters that are currently operable or will be operable within 6 months of the date of your bid submission o Proposer must clearly state which functions e g PQ voltage etc are supported by each of the meters offered p AMI Communication module must be under the glass of the AMI Meter q Proposer should provide meter accuracy curves and specifications for solid state meters that they intend to supply Demand Response DR amp Home Area Networks HAN The AMI Proposer shall speci
28. eed those listed in the following table per meter size E Operating Characteristics METER LOW FLOW OPERATING INTERMITTENT PRESSURE LOSS SIZE 95 Min RANGE FLOWS Not to Exceed 98 5 101 5 98 5 101 5 1 1 2 25 GPM 5 to 160 GPM 200 GPM 6 9 PSI 160 GPM ZA 25 GPM 5 to 160 GPM 200 GPM 4 3 PSI 160 GPM 3 5 GPM 1 0 to 400 GPM 500 GPM 3 2 PSI 400 GPM 4 15 GPM 1 5 to 800 GPM 1000 GPM 6 4 PSI 800 GPM 6 1 5 GPM 3 0 to 1600 GPM 2000 GPM 5 5 PSI 1600 GPM 8 2 5 GPM 4 to 2700 GPM 3400 GPM 4 PSI 2700 GPM 10 3 5 GPM 5 to 4000 GPM 5000 GPM 4 5 PSI 4000 GPM City of Minden AMI RFP 26 F Measuring Chamber The measuring chamber shall consist of a measuring element removable housing and all electronic register The measuring element shall be mounted on a horizontal stationary stainless steel shaft with sleeve bearings and be essentially weightless in water The measuring element comes integrated with the advanced Floating Ball Technology design The measuring chamber shall be capable of operating within the above listed accuracy limits without calibration when transferred from one maincase to another of the same size The measuring shall be so configured to capture all flows as specified above without the requirement of an automatic valve G Direct Magnetic Drive System The direct magnetic drive shall occur between the motion of the measuring element blade positi
29. ent Implementation and Conversion Maintenance and Support Training and Education References Cost Proposal SON OO LAOS IV 0s BO 5 1 Executive Summary This section should be limited to a brief narrative highlighting the vendor s proposal The summary should be free of technical language and should illustrate the benefits and possibilities offered by the vendor It should be between one 1 and five 5 pages long There should be no cost quotes in this section 5 2 Company Information Vendor must provide the following information about the vendor s company that demonstrates its stability and ability to support the commitments set forth in the RFP The vendor should outline the company s background including How long the company has been in business A brief description of the company size and organization Number of customers in Louisiana Texas Mississippi Total number of customers Company organizational chart Number of employees by department 7 Customer Services Sales amp Marketing Research and Development Administration Description of research and development approach and process e Financial data including the most recent audited financial statements oo ate ate x City of Minden AMI RFP 39 5 3 Project Management Implementation and Conversion 1 The City of Minden will provide a designated project manager and expects the proposer to do the same 2 Include a preliminary implementat
30. equired collection infrastructure required for system operation The study must identify any and all areas that are not covered in the propagation study The Proposer shall provide and install any additional data collection equipment receivers collectors required after endpoint deployment to achieve the coverage depicted in the RF propagation study What provisions does the Proposer provide to ensure that the Utility will not have to purchase additional collector infrastructure due to system underperformance Preference shall be given to systems which require the least amount of collection infrastructure while still providing overlapping coverage for redundancy Describe the ability of the system to provide overlapping coverage for a single meter The system selected must have a 20 year operational life span What warranties are offered on the Infrastructure Is this warranty nationally published or is the warranty being provided on a case by case basis To avoid obsolescence and to allow for new technologies to be implemented the infrastructure must utilize a configurable architecture that is capable of being updated and or reconfigured remotely How does your system allow for new technologies The Utility wishes to maintain a Fixed Base Support and Extended Maintenance contract with the system Proposer Outline specifically what is covered by the proposed Fixed Base Support and Extended maintenance contract Does the contract include e
31. estimations on them a Historic average extrapolation b Linear interpolation extrapolation c Custom The AMI Software must allow select meters to be combined into a virtual meter to enable district water usage management Virtual meters may have any number of contributing meters with the ability to apply multipliers to their consumption The AMI Software must allow the user to create groups of meters based on attributes or on an ad hoc basis for reporting purposes E Meter Data Reporting MDR i ii lil iv The AMI Software must provide standard reporting to include the following information List with all Meters amp associated readings List with all Billing Meters amp associated readings Meters Failing Validation Report Zero Consumption Report Continuous Consumption Report Vacant Consumption Report to support soft shut off and vacant building issues Meters with Estimated Intervals Report High Usage Report Reverse Flow Event Report Leak Events Report Tamper Report Zero Consumption Report m Outage Reports mee pa aANT The AMI Software must have the ability to alert appropriate personnel of certain triggered alarms Users must be able to define and add new items or assets and add reports for those items or assets Users must be able to define and add new attributes for items and assets and add reports for those attributes The AMI Software must provide a geo spatial map view that includes
32. fy details for Demand Response HAN product offerings and how the communications to field devices is achieved Demand Response System is intended to control commercial and residential loads including irrigation pumps water heaters air conditioners heat pumps and pool pumps LC System must use the two way communications network of the associated AMI system Home Are Networking is intended to be a platform to encourage consumers to be more aware of energy usage patterns and conservation Additionally this is intended to be another communication path to the end consumer Please describe available methods of utilizing HAN and achieving the utility s goals Please include the following information in the description of the DR HAN capabilities Please provide a detailed information of current HAN List of products supported Effects of DR and HAN on network designs Describe any HAN gateway designs and options Support over the air firmware upgradeability DR HAN communications protocol City of Minden AMI RFP 33 4 12 Acoustic Leak Detection System Proposer shall include in their proposal acoustic leak detectors ALDs including all hardware software installation training etc to enable Buyer to operate a continuous leak monitoring system on its distribution system pipes A Deployment Strategy i Describe the recommended deployment strategy for Buyer that is the basis for the optional proposal described herein ii In
33. hall be the sole source of the City of Minden AMI RFP 5 different components of the system deriving if possible from one manufacturer water meters electric meters endpoints meter reading equipment and meter reading software and provide a turnkey system offering to the utility The Proposer shall provide and install all of the hardware and software that together comprise the proposed AMI system This includes meters meter registers in the case of retrofits meter interface units wire and wire connectors data collection units handheld programmers if necessary AMI control computers a meter reading database or meter data management system MDMS and related software and interfaces The proposal must include all costs for network deployment and data collector unit installation configuration testing and training All site preparation and installation costs must be reflected in the data collection unit pricing Respondents must provide at least five 5 references of water and electric combo utilities using the proposed system that has been installed or supported by the respondents for over 2 years Include how long the system has been in operation the total size of the utility and how many endpoints are currently deployed 2 2 About the Buyer The City of Minden or the BUYER is a municipal corporation located in Minden Louisiana in the parish of Webster The buyer operates electric water and sewer utilities Electri
34. he expense of the Vendor or destroyed if requested 6 9 Acceptance of Proposals The contents of the proposal of the successful bidder will become at our option a contractual obligation if a contract ensues Failure of the successful bidder to accept this obligation may result in cancellation of the award Proposals submitted are offers only and the decision to accept or reject is a function of quality reliability capability reputation and expertise of the proposing vendors The City of Minden reserves the right to terminate the selection process at any time and to reject any or all proposals The City of Minden reserves the right to accept the Proposal that is in its judgment the best and most favorable to the interests of the City of Minden and to the public to reject the low price Proposal to accept any item of any Proposal to reject any and all Proposals and to waive irregularities and informalities in any Proposal submitted or in the Request for Proposal process provided however the waiver of any prior defect or informality shall not be considered a waiver of any future or similar defect or informality Proposing vendors should not rely upon or anticipate such waivers in submitting their Proposal City of Minden AMI RFP 42
35. ic water use For such applications the meter shall have a UL FM listed and approved strainer immediately upstream of the inlet flange The meter shall have an identification tag affixed indicating such acceptance and the strainer shall also bear such acceptance symbols and markings on the casting N Guarantee And Maintenance Program Meters shall be guaranteed against defects in material and workmanship for a period of one 1 year from date of shipment In addition the meter supplier shall submit nationally published literature clearly outlining its factory maintenance program and current price schedule covering complete measuring chamber exchange O Intent Subject meter specifications are designed to establish minimum guidelines for selecting an extremely critical metering device Areas of concern to be evaluated in the selection process include but are not limited to ease of installation operational features and benefits readability and future system maintenance expense A design which reflects longevity of proper operation in all elements and high degree of sustained accuracy within the entire range of the meter assembly is to be considered mandatory Enhanced accuracy levels and performance are desired and should not be compromised 4 11 Electric Meter Specifications A Residential Electric Meters i AMI Functionality The Utility will use new under cover solid state meters for residential applications The AMI Proposer should c
36. ich are in the opinion of the buyer of unacceptable quality Any action taken in pursuance of this stipulation shall not affect or impair any rights or claim of the buyer to damages for the breach of any covenants of the contract by the successful Proposer The buyer also reserves the right to reject the RFP and or any Proposer who has previously failed to perform adequately after having been awarded a prior contract Should the successful Proposer fail to furnish any item or items or to City of Minden AMI RFP 6 complete the required work included in the RFP the buyer reserves the right to withdraw such items or required work from the operation of the RFP without incurring further liabilities on the part of the buyer thereby All items furnished must be completely new and free from defects unless specified otherwise No other items will be accepted under the terms and intent of the contract 3 2 Questions Requests for Clarification and Suggested Changes The contact designated and identified below is the sole point of contact for the buyer regarding the RFP from the date of issuance until the selection of the successful Proposer Proposers are invited to submit written questions and requests for clarifications regarding the RFP The questions requests for clarifications or suggestions must be in writing and received by Michael Fluhr City Clerk Treasurer P O Box 580 Minden La 71055 Phone 318 377 2144 Email mfluhr mindenusa com
37. ided by any subcontractors under the Prime contractor s agreement 3 6 Deviations to Specifications Proposals provided with deviations from stated specifications will automatically be rejected On all required items the Proposer shall indicate clearly the product brand and model number In addition all deviations from the specifications must be noted in detail by the proposer in writing at the time of the submittal of the formal RFP response The absence of a written list of specification deviations at the time of submittal of the RFP response will hold the proposer strictly accountable to the buyer to the specifications as written Deviations not submitted as required by the above will be grounds for rejection of the material and or equipment when delivered In such cases where a manufacturer s name or brand is specified consideration of other brands will be made only if the said alternate brand is comparable and compatible with or can successfully be substituted for the brand requested It is the responsibility of the proposer to pre qualify products or City of Minden AMI RFP 9 services that may deviate from the written specifications Failure to pre qualify alternative products or services prior to opening of the RFP will be cause for elimination of the product s and service s from consideration Items that are listed as Strictly Enforced shall not be considered for substitution and shall result in immediate disqualification of th
38. ign criteria and performance requirements for Compound type cold water meters including the following potential service applications and general considerations e Intended where a wide flow range is anticipated e Measurement of water usage for critical billing applications e Measurement intended for typical commercial and industrial applications requiring lower flow sensitivities e Measurement of low flow usage below OMNI T2 Meter threshold levels e Measurement of constant low to medium flows up to high flow usage B Conformance To Standards The meter package shall meet or exceed all requirements of ANSI AWWA Standard C701 and C702 for Class II compound and turbine meter assemblies Each meter assembly shall be performance tested to ensure compliance The meter package shall meet or exceed all requirements of NSF ANSI Standard 61 Annex F and G C Maincases The meter maincase shall be of epoxy coated ductile iron composition The epoxy coating shall be provided as standard fusion bonded and adhere to NSF for nonleaded regulation compliance D Performance The meter assembly shall have performance capability of continuous operation up to the rated maximum flows as listed below without affecting long term accuracy or causing any undue component wear The meter assembly shall also provide a 25 flow capacity in excess of the maximum flows listed for intermittent flow demands Maximum headloss through the meter strainer assembly shall not exc
39. in hourly reading mode Is hourly reading mode standard or an option Endpoints shall transmit prior reading intervals in each transmission for redundancy What is the ability of the system to prevent data loss in the event transmissions are not received for several days or the data collection units are not operational for a period of time How long can a data collector be down before hourly reading intervals are no longer available from the endpoints The utility must be able to communicate directly to the endpoint to obtain current information Customer service personnel require remote access to current meter information within 1 minute Can the endpoints be polled for their current reading How long does it take for the meter to respond Describe how the 2 way network functions including the time it takes for changes to occur on the endpoint after sending a 2 way command Endpoints shall have a user configurable leak detection alarm Leak detection must be configurable with a leak flow threshold parameter and a leak flow intervals parameters number of continuous intervals required to trigger a leak alert Endpoints shall have a user configurable reverse flow alarm Reverse flow detection must be configurable with a Reverse flow threshold parameter and a reverse flow intervals parameters number of continuous intervals required to trigger a reverse flow alert Endpoints shall have a user configurable broken pipe alarm to indicate the
40. ing and all electronic register The measuring element shall be mounted on a horizontal stationary stainless steel shaft with sleeve bearings and be essentially weightless in water The measuring element comes integrated with the advanced Floating Ball Technology design The measuring chamber shall be capable of operating within the above listed accuracy limits without calibration when transferred from one maincase to another of the same size The measuring shall be so configured to capture all flows as specified above G Direct Magnetic Drive System The direct magnetic drive shall occur between the motion of the measuring element blade position and the electronic register The OMNI direct drive system with Floating Ball Technology is designed to extend service life enhance low flow sensitivity and provide extended flow capacity and overall accuracy of the meter assembly Any and all additional intermediate magnetic or mechanical drive couplings are not acceptable City of Minden AMI RFP 24 H Electronic Register The meter s register is all electronic and does not contain any mechanical gearing to display flow and accurate totalization The electronic register includes the following partial list of features e AMR resolution units fully programmable e Pulse output frequency fully programmable e Integral data logging capability e Integral resettable accuracy testing feature e Large easy to read LCD display e 10 year battery life guarante
41. ing water endpoints Activation of new endpoints Electronically transfer new meter data to the billing system Utility Billing Software Provide or capture GPS data from meter location Sa i OS oD Digital photograph of meter reading before and after installation City of Minden AMI RFP 12 4 1 4 2 4 AMI System Overview Communications Method A B To protect and guarantee frequency interference levels over the 20 year life span of the system FCC Part24 or Part 90 approved primary use licensed spectrum is required Preference shall be given to systems using higher transmit power for signal reliability What is the normal endpoint transmit power What effect does the transmit power have on the battery warranty Describe the RF modulation used by the Endpoints narrow band spread spectrum etc What are the advantages of this type of modulation Is this modulation off the shelf or is it designed specifically for AMI applications Can the transmissions be easily decoded by commercially available RF equipment Data Collection Network A ii iii iv ii Proposer must provide an official RF Propagation Study from a licensed RF engineer or engineering firm that displays exact location and height of all data collection equipment and coverage patterns The system as designed must provide for a meter read over a 4 day window for at least 98 5 of all meters in the service area The study must identify all r
42. ion schedule for all applications including the required time for system and application training program testing and conversion 3 Conversion is expected for utility billing and financial software system information and anything currently being utilized on the current system 5 4 Maintenance and Support The City of Minden prefers 24 7 unlimited telephone support If 24 7 telephone support is available price proposals should clearly indicate total recurring costs for that support option If after hours support is only available at an hourly rate this should be clearly indicated 1 Please describe all support services for hardware and software including Hours of availability Access via toll free 800 number Call tracking system Priority code system used to help distinguish the level of urgency for each call Internet web site support How customers are notified of urgent software issues and how to resolve them 2 List regional representatives and specify the closest one to the City of Minden 3 Provide information about periodic system enhancements and updates 5 5 Training and Education Systems and application software training is key to systems selection and implementation All training must be conducted on site System administrator training as well as user training should employ a train the trainer approach Address the following e Available software and hardware training e Ongoing educational opportunities e Available we
43. ipe battery life and unit of measurement The register must be hermetically sealed with a heat tempered glass cover and be tamper resistant The register shall not be removable from the measuring sensor The register shall utilize a magnetic coupling technology to connect to a touch read radio read or fixed base meter reading system in either an inside or pit set installation City of Minden AMI RFP 20 4 7 Measuring Element The measuring element shall be made of a noncorrosive lead free glass fiber reinforced composite alloy material A battery powered magnetic flow sensor utilizing silver silver chloride electrodes will be utilized to measure the velocity of the water which is linearly proportional to the volume The measuring element will have no moving parts and will be specific for each size External Housing The register and measuring element will be an integrated unit housed within a thermal plastic or brass external casing This integrated unit will not be removable from the external housing The systems shall have the size and direction of water flow through the system imprinted on the external housing Pressure Capability System shall operate up to a working pressure of 200 pounds per square inch psi without leakage or damage to any parts The accuracy shall not be affected by variation of pressure up to 200 psi Performance Warranties In evaluating bid submittals warranty coverage will be considered All Proposers are req
44. learly list which meter brands are supported and which of the following applications are met Please provide a brief description how the following is achieved City of Minden AMI RFP 30 a Meters must support all functionality with two way communication City of Minden AMI RFP Meters must support KWh consumption and daily kWh and kW peak demand readings Meters should support load profile storage for 45 days worth of 15 minute profiles Meter must be able to support remote reconfiguration to 15 30 and 60 minute intervals 2MB Internal Memory of Single Phase Meter Meters must have a local display of consumption Meters must stay in time sync with each other Meters should automatically detect availability and value of voltage at the meter to within 1 Remotely and safely disconnect load limit or reconnect 200 Amp or other ratings if available from AMI Proposer service at select locations anywhere in The Utility s service territory The disconnect function must include the ability to remotely arm the meter for reconnection with a local switch button or infrared element required to finalize reconnection It is preferred that The Utility has the ability to remotely configure these meters to allow this switch to be bypassed per the needs of the Utility s customers Meters must provide a count of momentary sags and swells The Proposer should provide specifications of event capture including time sta
45. mp duration and magnitude and programmability number of events and availability of history Proposers must provide details of meter s functions and specifications for tamper detection Proposers must describe process required to modify the data that is stored and or retrieved from meters For example if The Utility elects to convert a meter from a mode where all energy consumption forward and reverse is measured as power delivered to a mode where delivered and received quantities are each displayed and or recorded what steps are required to activate this change Can it be done remotely Meters and AMI system must support outage detection and restoration The Proposer should provide details and specifications determining what events are considered as outages how events are managed and what history of data is available Meters and AMI systems that can detect phase of service are preferred Meters and AMI system must support net metering functionality for select locations Meters must be able to retain transmit and locally display separate registers for received and delivered kWh Functionality must be provided with revenue accurate measurement Proposers offering meters and system functionality capable of prepaid metering are preferred Please describe your plans for this functionality including an implementation time schedule Meters must comply with specifications defined in the current version of ANSI C
46. n The measuring chamber shall be capable of operating within the above listed accuracy limits without calibration when transferred from one maincase to another of the same size The measuring shall be so configured to capture all flows as specified above G Direct Magnetic Drive System The direct magnetic drive shall occur between the motion of the measuring element blade position and the electronic register The OMNI direct drive system with Floating Ball Technology is designed to extend service life enhance low flow sensitivity and provide extended flow capacity and overall accuracy of the meter assembly Any and all additional intermediate magnetic or mechanical drive couplings are not acceptable H Electronic Register The meter s register is all electronic and does not contain any mechanical gearing to display flow and accurate totalization The electronic register includes the following partial list of features e AMR resolution units fully programmable e Large easy to read LCD display e 10 year battery life guarantee I Maximum Operating Pressure The meter assembly shall operate properly without leakage damage or malfunction up to a maximum working pressure of 200 pounds per square inch psig City of Minden AMI RFP 22 J Strainers The meter strainer shall be integral and cast as part of the meter s maincase The strainer s screen shall have a minimum net open area of at least two 2 times the pipe opening and be
47. nd cannot be repaired for 3 to 4 days 4 3 Endpoint Units Antenna should have the capability of being remotely mounted A i ii ii For non pit applications The endpoint electronics must be hermetically sealed in a high density polyethylene HDPE enclosure that is waterproof and provides operating temperature range of 22 F to 165 F 30 C to 740 For pit or vault applications The endpoint shall be water submersible capable of operating in 100 condensing humidity and provides operating temperature range of 22 F to 165 F 30 C to 740 The endpoint antenna shall be designed to be installed through the industry standard 134 inch hole in a pit lid cast iron meter boxes with cast iron pit lid with no degradation of transmission range The antenna will be capable of mounting to various thicknesses of pit lids from 1 2 to 1 34 inch Preference will be given to systems which can connect to meters without wire cutting or splicing Describe connection method between endpoint and register Is the battery sealed inside the unit or external Endpoints shall provide a 20 year warranty while delivering hourly readings 24 readings per day Describe any limitations in battery warranty which would result from delivering 24 readings per day Does the endpoint battery warranty include a replacement battery or will a complete endpoint be furnished in the event the endpoint battery fails within the warranty period If the
48. o the conditions requirements and specifications before submitting their response Failure to do so will be at the proposer s own risk and cannot secure relief on the plea of error Neither law nor regulations make allowances for errors by either omission or commission on the part of the proposer In case of error in extensions or price in the bid the unit price shall govern It shall be the responsibility of the proposer to make sure that his response arrives at the proper place and time as required in the RFP The buyer takes no responsibility for a response mailed to the wrong place or for a response received late due to error or delay caused by the Postal Service The proposer should allow himself ample time and opportunity when hand carrying a response to the proper place so that the response will be received on time 3 10 Federal and State Laws All items equipment products accessories and services supplied by the proposer shall comply with all Federal and State standards applicable and effective on the date of acceptance All items must meet or exceed all existing Federal State and Local health safety lighting emissions and noise standards City of Minden AMI RFP 10 3 11 Tax Implications The buyer shall pay no sales use consumer and like taxes when applicable The proposer shall be responsible for securing at its sole expense any other necessary approvals assessments or required zoning changes The buyer shall be re
49. of improper tools or cross threading by a contractor installer Any water service lines meter couplings meter valves service fittings irrigation lines sprinkler heads meter boxes or lids damaged during excavation or installation shall be repaired and water tested PRIOR to any backfill or pouring of sidewalk or concrete pad All existing landscaping ground cover grass plants shrubs and or trees which are damaged during construction shall be replaced with the same type or approved variety within 48 hours H Material Scrap Disposal All debris resultant from the proposer s excavation or construction operation shall be removed from each installation site the same day at the proposer s expense No excess materials shall be dumped on private property or deposited into the storm drains or sewer All materials removed shall be disposed of outside of the street rights of way which shall be left with a clean and finished appearance The selected proposer shall be responsible for collecting and storage on City s property of all scrap meters and shall provide full accounting by size and type I Leaks after Installation The proposer contractor shall be responsible for correcting any leaks at the valves couplings or service lines that could reasonably be attributed to the meter installation if reported by the buyer or customers within ninety 90 days of installation J Installation Control and Audit Procedures Proposer shall des
50. oint shall not continue to transmit the last good reading after a cut wire condition exists Describe how the system detects and reports cut wire conditions Endpoints shall store and transmit their GIS Coordinates for system diagnostic purposes Alternately the system must allow for GIS Coordinates to be stored in the Head End for diagnostic purposes If GIS coordinates must be collected separately during installation costs to collect store and present GIS Coordinates via the Fixed Base software must be reflected in the system proposal Endpoints shall be capable of transmitting 8 register wheels from the meters proposed Endpoints shall be capable of transmitting meter resolution as fine as 0 01 US Gallon for meters up to 1 inch and as fine as 10 US Gallons for meters up to 8 inch To avoid obsolescence and to allow for new technologies to be implemented the endpoint must be capable of being updated and or reconfigured over the air System Head End Control Computer and Software A B Describe the Control Computer hardware Describe failover and disaster recovery provisions built into the Control Computer architecture What is the scalability of the Head End software and Control computer Does the proposer have any references of similar sized or larger utilities successfully using the system The Head End Control Computer shall store at least 13 months of hourly reading history for all meters in the system Describe
51. omes integrated with the advanced Floating Ball Technology design The measuring chamber shall be capable of operating within the above listed accuracy limits without calibration when transferred from one maincase to another of the same size The measuring shall be so configured to capture all flows as specified above without the requirement of an automatic valve G Direct Magnetic Drive System The direct magnetic drive shall occur between the motion of the measuring element blade position and the electronic register The OMNI direct drive system with Floating Ball Technology is designed to extend service life enhance low flow sensitivity and provide extended flow capacity and overall accuracy of the meter assembly Additional intermediate magnetic or mechanical drive couplings are not acceptable H Electronic Register The meter s register is all electronic and does not contain any mechanical gearing to display flow and accurate totalization The electronic register includes the following partial list of features e AMR resolution units fully programmable e Pulse output frequency fully programmable e Integral data logging capability e Integral resettable accuracy testing feature e Large easy to read LCD display e 10 year battery life guarantee I Maximum Operating Pressure The meter assembly shall operate properly without leakage damage or malfunction up to a maximum working pressure of 175 pounds per square inch psig J Strainers
52. on and the electronic register The OMNI direct drive system with Floating Ball Technology is designed to extend service life enhance low flow sensitivity and provide extended flow capacity and overall accuracy of the meter assembly Any and all additional intermediate magnetic or mechanical drive couplings are not acceptable H Electronic Register The meter s register is all electronic and does not contain any mechanical gearing to display flow and accurate totalization The electronic register includes the following partial list of features e AMR resolution units fully programmable e Pulse output frequency fully programmable e Integral data logging capability e Integral resettable accuracy testing feature e Large easy to read LCD display e 10 year battery life guarantee I Maximum Operating Pressure The meter assembly shall operate properly without leakage damage or malfunction up to a maximum working pressure of 200 pounds per square inch psig J Strainers The meter strainer shall be integral and cast as part of the meter s maincase The strainer s screen shall have a minimum net open area of at least two 2 times the pipe opening and be a V shaped configuration for the purpose of maintaining a full unobstructed flow pattern The strainer body shall be a coated ductile iron fusion bonded epoxy identical to that of the meter s maincase All fasteners shall be stainless steel capable of maintaining the following static pressu
53. orts such as zero Consumption Reads non responding meters including traceability to the meter location when the utility provides the meter location codes The proposer will provide 24x7x365 server and network monitoring using diagnostic software tools The proposer will provide secure off site vaulting of encrypted backup tapes containing one year of history for auditing purposes The proposer will provide a disaster recovery solution via data replication to a fault tolerant data center with 1 business day or less recovery time 4 6 5 8 1 Residential Meter Specifications A Type Solid state battery operated electromagnetic flow measurement system plastic or brass and or positive displacement meters with a hermetically sealed glass covered electronic register with a programmable 9 digit display This meter assembly is intended where measurement of both domestic and fire service water usage is desired meter lay length must equal existing lengths Conformance To Standards Must meet or exceeds to American Water Works Standard C 700 and C 710 as most recently revised with respect to accuracy and pressure loss requirements or other appropriate American Water Works Standard Must be compliant with NSF ANSI Standard 61 Annex F and G Register The register must be an electronic device encapsulated in glass with 9 programmable digits utilizing a liquid crystal display LCD It will have indicators for flow direction empty p
54. ovided by two way communication including time synchronization for correlating technology If this includes re programming the ALD device indicate what parameters may be reprogrammed and under what circumstances If the ALD communicates with a data collection unit indicate the frequency band and techniques incorporated to ensure data integrity prevent interference and prevent data loss Data retrieved from the ALDs should be transmitted automatically to the leak detection analysis software application without the need of user intervention Confirmation reports of successful transmission or lack thereof should be provided to Buyer The ALD shall be approved for operation under any applicable FCC rules M ALD ID number i Explain the unique electronic serial number for identification that is transmitted with other information for each sensor Indicate whether the ALD units are tracked within the software for the AMI system N Power Supply 1 Indicate whether the ALD is powered by the MIU has its own internal power supply or both Indicate the extent to which the ALD has an impact on the life of the MIU battery if an external MIU is used to power it Indicate the expected life of the ALD battery is whether it is replaceable City of Minden AMI RFP 35 O ALD control computer i Describe the ALD head end system if different from the AMI head end system P Leak Detection Analysis Software i Describe all the reports p
55. posal Submission Deadline 02 00 P M CST Aug 14 2015 Proposal Evaluation completed Aug 28 2015 Anticipated City Council Award Sept 07 2015 Award Contract Sept 07 2015 Project Begin TBD Project Completion TBD 3 4 Submission of Proposals Proposers must furnish all information necessary to evaluate the bid proposal Offers that fail to meet the mandatory requirements of the RFP will be disqualified Verbal information provided by the Proposer shall not be considered part of the Proposer s response Proposers must submit the original and two 2 printed copies of their Proposal one 1 electronic copy and supporting materials by August 14 2015 02 00 P M CST Send to Michael Fluhr City Clerk Treasurer P O Box 580 Minden La 71055 Phone 318 377 2144 Email mfluhr mindenusa com Clearly mark remitting Proposal SEALED PROPOSAL Advanced Metering Infrastructure System 3 5 Proposal Requirements City of Minden AMI RFP 8 This section outlines the information that must be included in your proposal Vendors should review this list to ensure that their proposals include all requested information prior to submission 1 The proposal must be signed and dated by a representative of the vendor s company who is authorized to negotiate contracts 2 Vendors submitting proposals should allow for normal mail or delivery time to ensure timely receipt of their Proposal 3 Failure to include any
56. pping e g Google maps or Google Earth iii If the former indicate how the data for this map is provided and integrated into the application for Buyer X Repair and background noise tracking i City must be able to use the application software to track where leaks have been repaired ii Describe whether the system allows for units with frequent false positives and leak history to be easily identified lil If so describe this feature Buyer should be able to use the software to track when those repairs were made Buyer should be able to use the software application to track and filter out non leak noise sources Y Lost water estimates i Application software should provide an indication of the amount of lost water from identified leaks such as high medium or low and provisions to track and analyze such information City of Minden AMI RFP 36 4 13 Z i Alerts The application software should generate messages alerts notifications and reports via e delivery to a phone or email account alerting the user of changes in the status of a sensor including changes in signal or unit out of service AA Historical data i The application software or service database must keep historical data BB Coordinate export formats i The application must generate reports exportable in csv or MS Excel format and in KML or other coordinate format to be used with GIS systems and mapping applications such as Google Ear
57. re ratings and physical dimensions METER MAXIMUM OPERATING CENTERLINE TO OVERALL LENGTH SIZE PRESSURE STRAINER BASE Not to Exceed 1 2 200 PSIG 2 5 16 13 2H 200 PSIG 2 5 16 15 1 4 3 200 PSIG 4 1 8 17 4 200 PSIG 4 3 4 20 6 200 PSIG 5 3 4 24 8 200 PSIG 6 3 4 30 1 8 10 200 PSIG 8 1 2 41 1 8 K Straightening Vanes A straightening vane assembly is mandatory and shall be positioned directly upstream of the measuring element The straightening vane assembly shall be an integral component of the measuring chamber City of Minden AMI RFP 27 4 10 Connections Flanges for the 1 1 2 and 2 size meter assemblies shall be of the 2 bolt oval flange configuration The 3 4 6 8 and 10 size meter assemblies shall have flanges of the Class 125 round type flat faced and shall conform to ANSI B16 1 for specified diameter drilling and thickness Certifications And Markings All sizes of meter packages shall display the sizes model manufacturer name and direction of flow Such display shall be cast on the side of the meter maincase Guarantee And Maintenance Program Meters shall be guaranteed against defects in material and workmanship for a period of one 1 year from date of shipment In addition the meter supplier shall submit nationally published literature clearly outlining its factory maintenance program and current price
58. rovided by the system to the Buyer and indicate whether the Proposer will provide monitoring analytical and interpretive services ii Indicate whether software is provided locally as a web based hosted solution or other form Q Data storage i Indicate where leak and noise information from Buyer s ALDs would be stored Indicate how many months of data from each ALD device are stored R Data security i Indicate the provision to limits access to the data to authorized users and all other steps to protect data integrity S Data analysis i Indicate to what extent data analysis is performed automatically to provide real time monitoring for leaks T Reports i Describe the standard reports to be provided to Buyer as part of the monitoring service U Leak prioritization i The analysis application must rank possible leaks in order of which most closely resemble leaks and suggest prioritization of which possible leaks need to be investigated first Describe these capabilities V Sensor history display i Analysis software must display the historical data for a particular ALD sensor in graphical format easily understandable by the Buyer user W Leak location map i The analytical application must provide the Buyer user a map to show possible leak locations ii Is Buyer expected to provide background maps including a map of the Buyer s distribution system mains or does the system use common background ma
59. shall meet or exceed all requirements of NSF ANSI Standard 61 Annex F and G Maincases The meter maincase shall be of an epoxy coated iron composition The epoxy coating shall be provided as standard fusion bonded and adhere to NSF for non lead regulation compliance Performance The meter assembly shall have performance capability of continuous operation up to the rated maximum flows as listed below without affecting long term accuracy or causing any undue component wear The meter assembly shall also provide a 25 flow capacity in excess of the maximum flows listed for intermittent flow demands Maximum headloss through the meter strainer assembly shall not exceed those listed in the following table per meter size City of Minden AMI RFP 28 E Operating Characteristics METER LOW FLOW OPERATING INTERMITTENT PRESSURE LOSS SIZE CEY O RANGE FLOWS Not to Exceed 98 5 101 5 98 5 101 5 4 75 GPM 1 5 to 1000 GPM 1250 GPM 6 4 PSI 1000 GPM 6 1 5 GPM 3 0 to 2000 GPM 2500 GPM 6 7 PSI 2000 GPM 8 2 5 GPM 4 to 3500 GPM 4700 GPM 5 PSI 3500 GPM 10 3 5 GPM 5 to 5500 GPM 7000 GPM 7 PSI 5500 GPM F Measuring Chamber The measuring chamber shall consist of a measuring element removable housing and all electronic register The measuring element shall be mounted on a horizontal stationary titanium shaft with sleeve bearings and be essentially weightless in water The measuring element c
60. solution based on the representative criteria contained in the RFP Submittals received by the due date will be publicly opened on August 14 2015 at 2 00 pm in the Cypress Room located at City Hall 520 Broadway Minden LA 71055 The results will be publicly read aloud The City reserves the right to waive informalities in the bids and reject any or all bids for any reason whatsoever at the sole discretion of the City The successful bidder will be notified in writing Please contact Michael Fluhr City Clerk Treasurer Minden City Hall 520 Broadway P 0 Box 580 Minden LA 71058 0580 Phone 318 377 2144 Fax 318 371 4200 or mfluhr mindenusa com with any questions or to receive a proposal specification package RFP packages are also available at www mindenusa com and www bidexpress com Michael Fluhr City Clerk Treasurer To be advertised July 10 2015 July 17 2015 July 24 2015 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 INTRODUCTION City of Minden AMI RFP 3 2 1 Project Overview 2 2 About the Buyer 3 GENERAL CONDITIONS 3 1 Reservations 3 2 Questions Clarifications Changes 3 3 Anticipated Schedule 3 4 Submission of Proposal 3 5 Proposal Requirements 3 6 Deviations to Specifications 3 7 Warranty 3 8 Interpretation 3 9 Errors in Proposal 3 10 Federal and State Laws 3 11 Tax Implications 3 12 Service Manuals 3 13 Service 3 14 Equipment Specifications 3 15 Qualified Proposers 3 16 Ongoing Service Requirements
61. sponsible for personal property taxes and real estate taxes on the project The proposer shall be responsible for all taxes measured by the proposer s income 3 12 Service Manuals The successful proposer shall supply the buyer with two copies hard copy and electronic copy of the operation and service manual at the time of project acceptance 3 13 Service Proposers shall list the name and address of the nearest authorized service location Proposers must provide service phone number and describe the hours of duty 3 14 Equipment Specifications Proposed equipment must meet the specifications and guidelines as stated herein 3 15 Qualified Proposers Only It is the intention of the buyer to value service components after the sale as due and valuable consideration in this bid As a provision of this requirement all proposers shall meet the minimum requirements as follows 1 The proposer must be the factory authorized distributor for the AMI system proposed and be capable of processing the warranty claims for the buyer 2 The proposer must have an on staff factory trained AMI support specialist with the sole responsibility of providing AMI system support and sales 3 16 Ongoing Service Requirements Proposer must provide a detailed service plan for the ongoing AMI support Service plan must detail options for providing service and technical support and meter inventory over the product usage period Support services also need to be provide
62. th Endpoint Installation A Endpoint and Network Installation Contract Management Proposer shall manage installation of meters and transceivers The Proposer shall a Specify the installation methods b Train the installation service providers c Manage the installation performance d Provide daily real time project status updates via Project Management Software e Provide photographic evidence of retired and new meters at each installation address Scope of Work Proposer shall describe its proposed installation approach to managing the network meter and endpoint installations All meters shall be replaced and placed back into service as soon as possible No service shall remain out of service without prior approval Provide a complete workflow for end to end installation process Installation Sequence Proposer shall conduct installations by groups of accounts e g routes Groups should be based on geographic proximity as determined by the buyer in discussion with proposer Unless approved in writing by the Buyer Proposer shall complete at least 90 percent of the installations in one group before commencing installation on the next group Installation Schedule City and proposer shall establish an overall schedule for installation of each phase of the project By 7 30 AM on the first business day of each week proposer will provide buyer a schedule of where work is planned for that day and each subsequent day of that week
63. to ensure compliance The meter package shall meet or exceed all requirements of NSF ANSI Standard 61 Annex F and G C Maincases The meter maincase shall be of epoxy coated ductile iron composition The epoxy coating shall be provided as standard fusion bonded and adhere to NSF for nonleaded regulation compliance D Performance The meter assembly shall have performance capability of continuous operation up to the rated maximum flows as listed below without affecting long term accuracy or causing any undue component wear The meter assembly shall also provide a 25 flow capacity in excess of the maximum flows listed for intermittent flow demands Maximum headloss through the meter strainer assembly shall not exceed those listed in the following table per meter size E Operating Characteristics METER LOW FLOW OPERATING INTERMITTENT PRESSURE LOSS SIZE 95 Min RANGE FLOWS Not to Exceed 98 5 101 5 98 5 101 5 1 1 2 75 GPM 1 25 to 160 GPM 200 GPM 6 9 PSI 160 GPM 2 1 0 GPM 1 5 to 200 GPM 250 GPM 7 0 PSI 200 GPM 3 1 5 GPM 2 5 to 500 GPM 650 GPM 5 1 PSI 500 GPM 4 2 0 GPM 3 0 to 1000 GPM 1250 GPM 8 7 PSI 1000 GPM 6 2 5 GPM 4 0 to 2000 GPM 2500 GPM 8 2 PSI 2000 GPM 8 4 GPM 5 to 3500 GPM 4700 GPM 5 1 PSI 3500 GPM 10 5 GPM 6 to 5500 GPM 7000 GPM 7 2 PSI 5500 GPM F Measuring Chamber The measuring chamber shall consist of a measuring element removable hous
64. to identify locations of account geographically City of Minden AMI RFP 17 C Meter Data i The AMI Software shall provide the ability to process hourly time stamped meter reading taken from all water meters and verify the percentage of reads received for particular areas and or selected meter routes This data must then be exposed to various configurable parameters set such as high low parameters to assure the accuracy of the data ii The AMI Software must be able to search for records matching specified information iii The AMI Software must provide the following data to the utility on a daily basis for monthly billing applications a Hourly time stamped meter reading taken from all water meters for monthly billing purposes b Hourly usage consumption readings for resolution of customer billing disputes and improved customer service c Alarm data received Leak reverse flow broken pipe non read non numeric read for identification of customer site problems iv The AMI Software must be able to support demand read capability to the meter v The AMI Software must provide the capability to store all meter data information obtained from the base station s for 13 months D Meter Data Analytics MDA i The AMI Software must provide configurable validation routines with parameters defined at the meter group or population level Parameters must accommodate seasonality different settings for different dates ii The AMI
65. uired to submit their most current nationally published warranty statements for water meter maincases registers and measuring chambers H Operating Characteristics ETER SIZE LOW FLOW OPERATING RANGE PRESSURE LOSS 95 Min 98 5 101 5 Not to Exceed 5 8 x 3 4 0 03 GPM 0 11 to 35 GPM 2psi 15 GPM 3 4 S 0 03 GPM 0 11 to 35 GPM 2psi 15 GPM 3 4 0 03 GPM 0 11 to 35 GPM 2psi 15 GPM 1 0 11 GPM 0 4 to 55 GPM 2psi 25 GPM Certifications And Marking All sizes of meter packages shall be UL Underwriters Laboratories Listed approved as being accepted for use on fire service lines and domestic water use For such applications the meter shall be identified indicating such acceptance 11 2 Residential Meter Specifications A Scope These specifications set forth the minimum acceptable design criteria and performance requirements for Turbine type cold water meters used in residential settings incl positive displacement meters including the following potential service applications and general considerations e Intended where a moderately wide flow range is anticipated e Measurement of water usage for typical billing applications e Measurement intended for typical commercial residential and industrial applications e Measurement of constant low to extended high flow usage Conformance To Standards The meter package shall meet or exceed all requirements of AWWA Standard C701 for Class II turbine
66. ve flanges of the Class 125 round type flat faced and shall conform to ANSI B16 1 for specified diameter drilling and thickness M Certifications And Markings All sizes of meter packages shall display the sizes model manufacturer name and direction of flow Such display shall be cast on the side of the meter maincase N Guarantee And Maintenance Program Meters shall be guaranteed against defects in material and workmanship for a period of one 1 year from date of shipment In addition the meter supplier shall submit nationally published literature clearly outlining its factory maintenance program and current price schedule covering complete measuring chamber exchange City of Minden AMI RFP 25 O Intent Subject meter specifications are designed to establish minimum guidelines for selecting an extremely critical metering device Areas of concern to be evaluated in the selection process include but are not limited to ease of installation operational features and benefits readability and future system maintenance expense A design which reflects longevity of proper operation in all elements and high degree of sustained accuracy within the entire range of the meter assembly is to be considered mandatory Enhanced accuracy levels and performance are desired and will not be compromised 4 9 1 1 2 2 3 4 6 8 and 10 Compound Meter Specifications A Scope These specifications set forth the minimum acceptable des
67. xtended maintenance on the data collection units and overall network Does the contract include labor to repair or replace damaged or defective data collection units City of Minden AMI RFP 13 lil ii What is the response time of the proposer or proposer representative to repair damaged or defective data collection units The utility wishes to minimize the stocking requirements of the system components Are collection devices collectors receivers built specifically for the utility or universal Are the frequencies on these devices hard coded or configurable per utility via software defined radios Describe the primary data collection units receivers collectors backhaul communications system Ethernet fiber etc What is required to maintaining the backhaul system Primary data collection units receivers collectors shall be capable of retaining at least 30 days of hourly reading intervals from all meters in their coverage area in the event that backhaul is lost or becomes unavailable for a period of time All data collection hardware receivers collectors etc shall have on board battery backup in the event of primary power interruption How long will data collection devices continue to operate on battery power if primary power is lost Describe battery backup for each type of device proposed What provisions are built into the system to prevent hourly data history loss in the event that a data collector fails a
68. ys for each endpoint Raw transmit success percentage over 30 days for each endpoint Transmission latency of each endpoint Alarm conditions The system diagnostic software shall be capable of generating reports tables and text files which contain the following criteria at a minimum Endpoint Installation Date Endpoint Signal To Noise ratio average over 30 days Endpoint Raw transmit success over 30 days percentage of transmissions received Endpoint Read Interval Success percentage of hourly readings successfully received average over 30 days Alarm condition 4 5 Meter Data Management Software A i ii iii iv ii ii Basic capabilities The AMI Software shall comply with prevailing industry standards and should run on a Windows compatible computer The AMI Software must exist as a browser based application that runs on a server The AMI Software must support single and dual register meter information What is the scalability of the AMI software and Control computer Does the Proposer have any references of similar sized or larger utilities successfully using the system Import Export capabilities The AMI Software must be able to export data to Microsoft Excel and Adobe PDF formats The AMI Software must interface to the utility s CIS billing software The meter reading data communicated to the CIS system shall be provided in an ASCII flat file format The AMI Software must support GPS type data

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