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Council approves sole‑source SCADA upgrade contract for water system, staff cites proprietary legacy programming
Summary
The council unanimously approved a sole‑source contract with Sofa Electric to replace aging SCADA hardware and software for Upland's water system; staff said the current system is about 20 years old and the contract for Phase 1 will cost just over $2 million from Water Bond capital funds.
The Upland City Council on Aug. 11 unanimously approved a sole‑source contract award to Sofa Electric for Phase 1 of an upgrade to the city's Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system that monitors wells, pumps, reservoirs and other water infrastructure.
Staff presentation: Acting utilities manager Norberto Ferreira and engineering manager Bob Critchfield described the current SCADA installation as roughly 20 years old, beyond the typical 7–10 year refresh cycle, with growing compatibility and cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Ferreira said a modern SCADA supports real‑time alarms, automated chemical dosing, regulatory records and predictive maintenance.
Scope and procurement: Phase 1 will replace hardware and software elements including programmable logic controllers, SCADA server software, radios and antennas, instrumentation and flow meters. Staff recommended a sole‑source award to Sofa Electric because the company designed and has continuously maintained the city’s system for more than 20 years; staff said the system includes proprietary programming and institutional knowledge that makes a like‑for‑like replacement via the original vendor the most expedient option.
Cost and funding: Staff estimated the Phase‑1 project cost at just over $2,000,000 and said funding is available in the Water Bond capital projects account; no additional operating funding was requested. Staff said Phase 2 will be a future utilities‑building upgrade to support the new equipment and staff operations.
Council action: The council voted unanimously to award the contract to Sofa Electric and authorized staff to proceed with Phase 1. Council discussion included questions about alternatives and the tradeoffs of a design‑then‑bid approach versus a single‑vendor upgrade; staff said a full redesign would require a two‑step process (design then bid) and would delay replacement and raise implementation costs.
Ending: Staff and the vendor were present and answered council questions; council members emphasized the need to move forward because the current control system is past its expected service life.
