Town board discusses $5 million water‑meter RFP, leak detection and optional customer portal
Loading...
Summary
Board members reviewed competing proposals for a water‑meter replacement RFP that differ chiefly in leak‑detection approaches, discussed an optional customer portal with an upfront cost cited as $148,000, and set a target to decide in February after staff follow‑up and vendor interviews.
Speaker 4 delivered the town's water‑meter RFP update, saying the solicitation window has closed and that the proposals differ primarily in leak‑detection methodology. "The biggest difference between the two I would have to say is the methodology behind leak detection," Speaker 4 said, noting one vendor offers ultrasonic detection in every meter while another uses ultrasonic in some meters and mounts leak detection on mains.
The board discussed whether to include an optional customer portal. Speaker 4 cited an upfront portal cost spoken as "148,000 upfront" and described ongoing maintenance fees; other speakers questioned adoption rates. "They don't provide a portal because in their past experience, it's just not readily adopted," Speaker 5 said, adding many customers do not use such portals. Speaker 4 said the portal can be enabled later if desired: "get the software and flip a switch."
Board members also discussed vendor alerting capability: several vendors can push email alerts to customers when unusual usage is detected, which the board characterized as a workable alternative to a full portal. Speaker 5 said most vendors include alerting options that use customer contact information.
On cost and schedule, Speaker 4 summarized the program-level estimate as substantial, spoken in the meeting as "So, again, it's $5,000,000. It's over time," and asked members to review technical details with staff (Elaine, Bob and Cody) before the next meeting. The board discussed practical next steps: vendors were given roughly three weeks to respond, the town expects about four vendors to submit, and members recommended identifying two board members to participate in interviews. The group targeted a February decision and noted the first Monday in February is the only regular meeting that month.
What happens next: board members were asked to meet with staff and review the vendor materials over the next two weeks; a sub‑panel will conduct interviews and report back, with the goal of returning to the full board for a vote in February.
