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CONSIDERATION AND AWARDING OF BID 1516-5 FOR THE PURCHASE OF LOCAL REGISTER WATER METERS FOR THE LINE MAINTENANCE DIVISION.
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BACKGROUND: On July 23, 2015 bids were opened on Bid 1516-5 for local register water meters for the Utilities Line Maintenance Division. Funds have been budgeted in the FYE 16 budget for these purchases.
In FYE16, a committee comprised of Public Works staff and Division staff recommended standardizing specifications for turbine, compound and residential cold water meters due to the increasing costs associated with the difficulty of obtaining, inventorying repair parts, and purchasing water meters. The committee recommended acceptance of only Badger, Neptune and Sensus Technologies water meters in the annual cold water meter contract. This option allowed the Division to purchase and implement radio-read meter technology where practical. Local read meters must be physically read by a person. Radio read meters can be read by a receiving computer in a vehicle as it drives by each meter.
Although the radio-read meter technology has proven to be cost-effective for certain installations for the Meter Services section, the cost difference between local read registers and radio-read registers is substantial (approximately $110 per meter). Division staff installs local read water meters ranging in size from 3/4" to 2" in residential developments, and replaces damaged meters, inaccurate meters, and meters exceeding design life on an annual basis. In FYE15, the Division installed 883 local read register water meters and 210 radio-read water meters.
DISCUSSION: Bid 1516-5 proposals were sent to seven (7) suppliers who sell water meters meeting City of Norman specifications and there were two (2) responses. The bid provides for the purchase, on an as needed basis, of approximately 800 residential cold water meters beginning in FYE16; this bid also allows for purchase of small quantities or large size water meters. Bid pr...
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