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Vendors pitch automated meter replacement for Tucumcari: $1.6M project proposed, vendors offer financing and SCADA integration
Summary
A consortium of vendors proposed replacing Tucumcari’s water meters with an AMI system, estimating about $1.6–1.7 million in capital to be financed into a monthly/month-to-month service. Presenters described leak detection, customer portals, SCADA integration and financing options tied to municipal borrowing structures.
Presenters from Sustainability Partners and vendor partners briefed Tucumcari officials on a proposed automatic meter infrastructure (AMI) replacement for the city’s water meters, saying the turnkey project would be financed by the vendor and delivered as a per‑meter monthly service.
Ryan Masson of Sustainability Partners said the consortium — including ResourceWise, UMS (Utility Metering Solutions), Baseform and others — would provide capital, install new ultrasonic meters, and operate software and maintenance under a month‑to‑month payment model. "We provide all the upfront capital for both the materials ... as well as the installation," Masson said.
Presenters gave a preliminary cost estimate for the full installation of roughly $1.6 million to $1.7 million for an inventory the vendors described as a little over 2,500 meters. Under a 15‑year illustrative financing example, Government Capital presented an estimated annual payment of about $162,000, which vendors said would equate to roughly $5.41 per meter per month on the cited meter count. The vendors emphasized the city would not be responsible for the upfront capital; the city would pay the monthly amortized amount under the contract.
Vendors described operational benefits the city could expect: hourly or daily meter reads enabling near‑real‑time leak detection, tamper alerts, customer portals that allow residents to view consumption and set alerts in English or Spanish, and integration paths to SCADA and billing systems. Ray Richardson, senior product specialist, said the system captures reads every 15 minutes and aggregates hourly and daily reads so the city can detect leaks and meter failures within 24 hours rather than waiting the current monthly read cycle.
On integration and billing, presenters said the AMI software can interface with common billing platforms and city systems, and they named Tyler Technologies as one vendor they integrate with. City staff raised existing billing and meter-reading problems: presenters agreed that onboarding, training and a custom integration with the city’s billing system would be required. One city official noted current issues with the existing billing vendor and systems; presenters recommended follow-up to confirm how the new AMI would interface with the city’s Tyler system and any third‑party billing software.
Warranty and contract terms discussed included a manufacturer warranty for meters and a vendor policy to replace failed meters at no cost; vendors said the project is planned with a 20–25 year asset life for amortization purposes, but the suggested service contract would operate month‑to‑month with 30 days’ termination and a buyout for remaining asset value at termination.
Government Capital outlined financing options for municipalities and said terms could be tailored (shorter than 15 years if desired). The firm said funds would be placed in an interest‑bearing escrow during procurement and disbursements would be controlled by the city’s authorization process.
No formal procurement decision, contract award or council vote occurred at the work session. Presenters left contact details and requested follow‑up meetings to provide written proposals, integration details for the city’s billing system, and firm financing terms.
