Board approves sole-source telemetry purchase for wells 16 and 18 citing compatibility needs

Staff (S4) told directors that wells 16 and 18 require telemetry/SCADA upgrades and that the district's existing PLCs, radios, and HMI are not broadly compatible with other manufacturers. "This item is not advertised for bids... Staff feel that advertising is not practical as currently testing is the sole source of all state of country putting a 4 district," the presenter said, and described Tesco as the district's existing supplier for PLCs and radio integration.

Staff presented an estimated project amount in the neighborhood of $95,000 to supply panels, radios, engineering and integration work. A board member noted the proprietary nature of the controls and asked whether alternative platforms (for example Wonderware) had been considered; staff replied that Tesco assisted with a prior grant and that the system was already built on the Tesco product, explaining the operational rationale for a single-vendor purchase. The board voted to approve the procurement.