SUBJECT/RECOMMENDATION:
Title
Approve a purchase order to Rexel USA, Inc of Dallas, TX for the purchase of Allen Bradley products and related services in an annual not-to-exceed amount of $450,000.00 with the option for two, one-year renewals at the City’s discretion pursuant to Clearwater Code of Ordinances Section 2.563(1)(d), Non-competitive purchase (impractical), and authorize the appropriate officials to execute same. (consent)
Body
SUMMARY:
Since at least 2015, the City has standardized Allen-Bradley programmable logic controllers (PLCs) across all six of its water reclamation facilities, water treatment facilities, 44 wells in its well field, and all city water interconnects. This standardization has been critical to maintaining operational consistency across the City's utilities infrastructure.
Rexel USA Inc. is the exclusive distributor authorized to sell Allen-Bradley products and related services within our geographic region. As the City's PLCs age and need replacement or maintenance, this contract will ensure the continued availability of essential parts and equipment for these systems.
Switching to another brand of PLCs would be highly impractical and cost prohibitive. The City would not only face the significant cost of purchasing new hardware but would also need to hire specialized programmers to reprogram every PLC across its facilities. We would also need to train the technicians and Scada specialists on the new programming software. This would create substantial financial and operational burdens. The current Allen-Bradley systems provide seamless integration with our Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems, which coincides with the current PLC software training that our Technicians have already completed.
The initial contract term is from October 1, 2024 through September 30, 2025, with the option for two, one-year renewals.
APPROPRIATION CODE AND AMOUNT:
Budgeted funds for FY25 are available in Public Utilities’ cost centers, cost code 550400 Operating Supplies. Enterprise funds will be used for the $450,000.00
Funding for future fiscal years (FY26 through FY27) will be requested within contract calendar and spending limits.
STRATEGIC PRIORITY:
Establishing this contract meets the City’s strategic objective of Environmental Stewardship by ensuring our plants and facilities are always operational and running at peak capacity and performance, guarding against potential spills that could negatively impact our surrounding estuaries and community. It also satisfies the strategic objective of High Performing Government by providing a high level of service to our residents and maintaining vital infrastructure.
