Report Prepared by: Leah Brown, Water Conservation Specialist, Public Works Department
Title
SUBJECT: Amend Contract with Superion for an Application Programming Interface to Assist with Meter Data Upload
REPORT IN BRIEF
Request approval of the Add-On Quote to amend the contract with Superion (formerly SunGard) for an Application Programming Interface (API) to update Water Meter data daily.
RECOMMENDATION
City Council - Adopt a motion approving the Add-On Quote with Superion in the amount of $16,280 for API development to update meter data automatically every night; and, authorizing the City Manager or Assistant City Manager to execute the necessary documents.
Body
ALTERNATIVES
1. Adopt the motion as recommended by staff; or,
2. Return to staff to revise; or,
3. Deny.
AUTHORITY
Chapter 3.04 of the Merced Municipal Code, relating to purchases over thirty thousand dollars for contractual services.
CITY COUNCIL PRIORITIES
As provided for in the 2017-18 Adopted Budget
DISCUSSION
The first phase of the water meter upgrade project was complete in April 2017 with the roll out of metered billing for all customers previously on a flat rate. Currently, staff is working on the second phase, which involves upgrading the existing 10,100 already metered customers to the new cellular Advanced Meter Reading (AMR) transponder system.
During the process of upgrading our existing meters with the new transponders, we found that the transfer of data from Superion to the Beacon System must be manually updated by an Accounting Technician. Since the manual process can take up to two hours to process, which includes the inability to use the system this process is currently only being done once a week. This means that customers have delay in accessing their accounts on the Beacon System to monitor water usage until this manual process is done weekly. The API will speed up the process by creating an electronic file of changes made to the metered accounts in the Superion software and update the Beacon System with the changes on a daily basis.
This API will eliminate the manual process, saving staff time and making it easier for the customers to see their water usage without any delay. The API will be set to run each night after the nightly Utility Billing update so as not to interrupt any daily processes.
The API will take approximately six months to develop. After completion, the API will enhance our ongoing meter and customer change process leading to more efficient operations and greater customer satisfaction.
IMPACT ON CITY RESOURCES
The cost of this API development is $16,280. The funds are available in the Water Meter Project #108068.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Add-On Quote from Superion