Cowlitz County approves ARPA-funded water meter upgrade, awards bid to Correct Equipment

The Cowlitz County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved a bid award to Correct Equipment to supply automatic meter-reading components and services for a county water-meter replacement project.

Savannah Clement, with Cowlitz County Public Services, told commissioners the project uses American Rescue Plan Act direct-qualification funds and covers water-consumption and efficiency measures. "This is considered an eligible project for water consumption and efficiency," Clement said. She said the county is planning to replace almost all meters — about 1,000, primarily for residential customers — with warranty-backed meters and radio-frequency automatic meter-reading (AMR) devices.

Clement said the proposal returned a top score after interviews and that the $425,567 figure in the request for proposals reflects full meter replacement pricing; the selected vendor can fit new radio-reading components to some existing meters that were replaced within the last three to five years, reducing overall cost. "The actual price will be reflected when we bring the contract back to the board for execution," she said.

The county presented leak-detection and customer-service benefits as central goals. "Our current system only allows for about 30 to 45 days before knowing there's a leak," Clement said. With AMR readers that can be collected as crews drive by, staff said they expect to pick up readings multiple times a month and notify customers sooner of unusual consumption.

A county staff member identified as Travis explained the procurement choices and expected equipment longevity. He said vendors are offering meter systems designed to allow targeted component replacement instead of wholesale meter replacement in future generations, which the county selected to limit future disruption and cost. "They designed it so that they can just replace the part that is the most crucial part to replace," Travis said.

Clement said the project also includes a customer-facing portal that would let customers check consumption between monthly bills. Commissioners discussed the project at length before the board voted to approve the bid award.

Votes at a glance

- Motion: Approve bid award to Correct Equipment for purchase and installation of meter equipment and AMR components (as presented). Outcome: approved.

Context

Clement said the ARPA direct-qualification funding used for the procurement does not come from the county’s operating budget and is limited to eligible projects. County staff said the bid process drew five respondents and that the top two were interviewed before selecting the apparent highest-scoring proposer. The county will return with a contract showing final pricing and the mix of replacements versus adapters for relatively recent meters.

Ending

Commissioners said staff will follow up with Department of Health guidance and additional cost details as the contract is prepared for signature. The board voted to approve the bid award at the same meeting.