TOWN STAFF REPORT RECCOMENDATIONS
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Consider approving purchase of Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) System for a price not to exceed $319,000.00; and take appropriate action (Kyle Flanagan, Deputy Director of Public Works)
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STAFF: Kyle Flanagan, Deputy Director Public Works
BACKGROUND:
The Town of Westlake utilizes Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system for the control, monitoring, and alarming services in the Water Distribution, Wastewater Collection, and the control of School Zone Lighting systems. These are essential services that are the responsibility of the Town and include required data points necessary for quality control and reporting to TCEQ, as well as the billing processes to our customers and our wholesale water and sewer providers. The SCADA system ensures that pumps turn on when intended and valves are open to allow water to pass through. The system ensures School Zone Lights activate when intended and notifies Town personnel when systems are not working correctly. The current legacy SCADA software platform is 20 years old and has not been supported by the manufacturer for many years, making the system vulnerable to failure and cyber-attacks. The current system offers little to no reporting capabilities to the Town’s operators and is limited in the number of alarms can be set and who can receive them.
The current system communicates through a radio control system that requires line of sight communication; this setup has required the Town to put radio SCADA sites at Westlake Academy, Fidelity Investments, and the Vaquero Maintenance Building. Public Works is seeking to reduce the number of sites it maintains and requires access to as the current communication configuration to lift stations and other facilities must run through Fidelity Investments, Vaquero Maintenance Building, and the Westlake Academy. Gaining access to these facilities during emergencies and after hours creates obstacles for Public Works and a distraction for WA and Fidelity. Trees and new development have created line of site issues and plague the current system with communication issues, as the radios must be facing one another to communicate status and events.
The current SCADA integrator (contractor) is a two-man operation that must relied upon for repairs and changes to the system. The vendor is based out of south Fort Worth and charges a flat rate of $155.00 per hour. He services multiple entities, so emergencies with other agencies are often occurring at the same time and results in a slow his response.
Prime Controls has more than 12 area technicians that can assist 24/7 and more than 50 in their DFW water group. Below is a fee table based on time of day for routine services as well from Prime Controls.
MON-FRI 8am-5pm is $110.00 per hour
MON-FRI stay on job after 5pm is $143.00 per hour
Emergency after hours calls are $173.00 per hour
The current SCADA platform only allows access to system and alarms for one operator at a time and has no concurrent licensing for multiple operators. The proposed VTSCADA platform allows for all operators to access and receive alarms allowing for redundancies within our system.
DISCUSSION:
Operationally, Public Works would like to consider the installation a 2-phased approach to the installation and activation of an new SCADA system, which will allow for resiliency and improvements for reporting and data collection. The proposed upgrades included in phase 1 are a Human Machine Interface (HMI) and communications network upgrade.
Phase 2 is replacing existing hardware that is obsolete or at end of life with Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) in remote sites.
Phase 1 and Phase 2 will both be completed within a 6-month time period.
This software will allow for the Town to have reports that will be utilized for modeling, TCEQ, Water Development Board, and comparisons/reconciliations to Fort Worth Wholesale Billings.
The proposed equipment will communicate cellularly. There is a reoccurring monthly cost of around $20 per site for 9 sites or approximately $2,200.00 annually. This is based off estimates the vendor has verbally provided and will be confirmed in writing. The carrier is First Net and this is considered a First Responder service.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The one-time fee for installation and hardware of the SCADA system is $319,000.00, which will be paid for from retained earnings in the Utility Maintenance & Repair Fund. The unaudited current fund balance is $614,088. This outlay will not affect current water and sewer rates. Use of retained earnings will require a budget amendment to appropriate the dollars into the FY2023-2024 budget.
A reoccurring cost of approximately $2,200 will be added to the operational Utility Fund for the annual costs associated with the cellular communication and an annual software maintenance agreement fee for $2,700, included in origami software pricing for 1year, will be added to the FY 25 Operational Utility Fund for the FY25 budget year and perpetually afterwards.
All costs associated with the SCADA system upgrade will be confined to the enterprise funds listed above and will not impact the General Fund balance or the general fund budget.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends approval of the purchase of the SCADA system for a price not to exceed $319,000.00.
TOWN COUNCIL ACTION/OPTIONS: (Council reads motion)
1) Motion to approve the purchase of the SCADA system from Prime Controls for a price not to exceed $319,000.00.
2) Motion to amend with the following stipulations (please state stipulations in motion)
3) Motion to table
4) Motion to deny