Commission waives formal procurement to hire contractor for final lift‑station software updates after sharp drop in alarm calls

Winter Garden commissioners unanimously approved waiving the formal procurement process and awarded a contract to Process Control Services LLC to complete software and equipment updates at 44 remaining sanitary‑sewer lift stations for a total cost of $113,734.45.

Why it matters: City staff presented data showing a large reduction in communications alarms following earlier upgrades and said completing the remaining updates will further reduce overtime costs and false alarms for on‑call staff.

What staff reported - Prior to the first round of upgrades (July 1–Aug. 1), staff reported 5,868 communication failures across the city’s lift stations. - After Process Control Services completed updates to 57 lift stations (work completed Aug. 31), the city recorded 1,423 communication failures from Sept. 1 to Sept. 19; staff said only five alarms came from the updated stations (three were software‑update notifications), indicating substantial improvement. - Staff estimated the updates will save approximately $90,000–$100,000 in overtime costs by reducing false alarms and overnight emergency calls. - The proposed contract of $113,734.45 included $5,975.55 for antenna purchases.

Why the waiver Staff recommended the waiver because the same contractor previously completed upgrades on 57 stations and had delivered measurable improvement; completing the remaining stations with the same vendor avoids duplicate onboarding and maintains continuity.

Action and next steps Commissioners voted to waive formal procurement and award the work to Process Control Services LLC. Staff will proceed with the upgrades and monitor alarm rates and overtime savings; the city will report back on results as part of operations reporting.

Ending The commission framed the vote as an operational action to reduce recurring overtime and improve system reliability; staff will track the post‑upgrade performance and savings.