Exhibit 1 - Agenda Information Sheet
City of Denton
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AGENDA INFORMATION SHEET
DEPARTMENT: Procurement & Compliance
CFO: Antonio Puente, Jr.
DATE: September 17, 2019
SUBJECT
Consider adoption of an ordinance of the City of Denton, a Texas home-rule municipal corporation,
authorizing the City Manager to execute a contract with Techline, Inc. for LED Control System; providing
for the expenditure of funds therefor; and providing an effective date (RFP 6992 - awarded to Techline,
Inc., in the five (5) year not-to-exceed amount of $2,086,865). The Public Utilities Board recommends
approval (7 - 0).
RFP INFORMATION/BACKGROUND
Since their first installation in Wabash, Indiana in 1880, street lights in a city are considered a necessity for
both the security of its citizens and the safety of its motorists. But, there are unending issues that continue
to plague every street light in every city: 1) they will burn out, and 2) how does that information get relayed
or reported to the utility so the streetlight can be promptly repaired?
A street light that no longer works properly can create a hazard; furthermore, it also can become a point of
irritation for the citizens who rely on street lights to provide a semblance of security for them and their
family in their neighborhood, and to the motorists who rely on the additional light from the streetlights to
be able to safely navigate the City’s thoroughfares and streets. Denton Municipal Electric (DME) relies on
Denton’s citizens to report street lights that have burned out or are malfunctioning in some fashion. It is
known within the utility and the City that the actions needed to identify the location of a single light that is
out, and then calling customer service, or using a web-based reporting tool or service, can be both frustrating
and time-consuming for the citizen. So, a street light outage can go unreported for an extended period until
someone provides that notification to the city or the utility. The fact is a few street light bulbs historically
burn out every week for one reason or another; therefore, several non-working street lights can become
obvious if they are not reported and repaired in a timely fashion. If a light burns all day (known as a day-
burner) the desire for a customer to let the utility know is less urgent than reporting a light out. However,
day burners are energy wasters and contribute to the premature failure of the lamp. As lights burn out and
are not reported, the increased number of burned-out lights becomes noticeable to the citizens. Bi-annually
(2X per year), DME dispatches crews who work overtime hours to ride throughout the entire city, at night,
to identify specific lights that are not working properly. They then prepare service tickets to initiate the
repair or replacement of the streetlight. The two most recent inspections have identified between 300 to
600+ lights that had burned out. The overtime labor costs to drive throughout the city, and identify which
streetlights were out, cost approximately $9,000 for one inspection period and $15,000 on the earlier
inspection period.
City Hall
215 E. McKinney Street
Denton, Texas
www.cityofdenton.com
Since bulbs burn out every day, this process, though labor-intensive but adequate, provides a limited
timeframe of confidence that the highest number of streetlights are kept burning; and, it is not the most
effective use of personnel or overtime. However, currently available technology will provide DME with
more information and notices related to street lights and their operation.
Luminaire status reporting automation – a component of the
smart utility grid – provides for a more efficient method to let DME
know when lights are burned out or are not working properly.
A smart controller looks very similar to the existing, old-style,
photoelectric device currently used by DME. A photoelectric device
on luminaires controls the on/off functionality based on lighting
conditions. An LED Smart Controller offers DME detailed
monitoring and analysis of all street lighting installations
individually throughout the city. Using a Smart Controller (see
image to the left for an example), along with its headend
application, LED lights that are malfunctioning are automatically reported to DME. The associated headend
application provides System Operations (dispatch operations) with transparency of the lighting system
health and much greater control of the street lighting system. The City of Denton will realize several benefits
with concurrent implementation of a proposed LED Light Control system with the new City of Denton LED
retrofit project.
Maintenance Optimization.
Benefit to Denton: DME’s current practice to identify burnt out luminaries is to have Operation and
Construction staff patrol the City, at night, and make note of luminaires that are not working. After the
information is assembled, crews are then dispatched to make necessary repairs. A major issue with this
methodology is an area that was fully lit one night may have non-working luminaires the very next night. A
second path for luminaire notification is DME depending on citizens to report luminaires that are not
working. Currently, a citizen has two methods to do this: 1) by calling customer service to provide the
information to them, and 2) using the web-based application. Even though these methods are tried and true,
they can be exasperating, or hard, to use and do not appear to be user-friendly in this current age of
available new technology and tools.
The automated reporting functionality of a smart controller and control system eliminates the need for
DME crews to patrol the City at night and citizens to call in or go on-line. When a luminaire stops working,
or is not operating “normally”, the smart controller will send a signal to the head end system – which is
monitored by DME’s System Operations personnel who can dispatch maintenance crews to make the
needed repairs – which can be done much sooner than having to rely on the older manual inspection and
notification reporting methodologies. This will lead to a decrease in DME’s response time associated with
making street light repairs. This will also provide a documented record for DME Engineering and
Operational personnel to watch for patterns or system behaviors that may need to be addressed.
Greater control over individual luminaires plus zonal control of a “grouping” of luminaires.
Benefit to Denton: Individual luminaires or zones/areas of luminaires can be programmed, through the
head end system, to turn sections or groups of streetlights on or off at different times. For example, consider
a case where a group is hosting a firework display and wants all the street lights adjacent to the fireworks
venue turned off for the maximum enjoyment of the citizens. Identified luminaires can be turned off during
that fireworks display. When the fireworks display is over, the luminaires are then turned back on to provide
more light for the safety and security of the citizens as they make their way to their automobiles and home.
With LED luminaires, there is no “warm-up” needed for the lights and full brightness is immediately
available.
Smart Controller
Dimming.
Benefit to Denton: With the installation of 4000 K luminaires along major and minor thoroughfares, there
may be areas adjacent to residential areas where these lights could potentially be considered too bright.
Dimming can be a tool used by DME at these locations where a reduction in the light level from the
streetlights is desired. Please note the color temperature of the light would not be changed, but the number
of lumens exiting the luminaire is reduced. Dimming can also provide additional energy savings. All the
LED luminaires being purchased by DME will be capable of dimming.
Engineering Data.
Benefit to Denton: A smart control system provides DME’s distribution engineers with several real-time
distribution systems operation parameters such as voltage, current, power factor, frequency, and energy
use. This data will be used by DME Engineers to understand and monitor the efficiency of not only the
street light system but the distribution system also. As an additional plus, the smart controller can be used
for billing purposes if necessary. This functionality is being used by Burbank, California to bill 5G
telecommunication companies for the energy used by their equipment on Burbank’s street lights.
Internal GPS.
Benefit to Denton: Smart controllers will contain internal GPS units to identify the exact location of street
lights and assure the mapping and billing associated with the street lighting system is accurate. When a
light gets moved, or removed, a report is generated to notify all appropriate personnel of the change. This
capability will become a tool in asset management for DME.
Installation Cost Savings
Benefit to Denton: Labor associated with the installation of a smart controller, or smart photocell, during
the installation of LED luminaires, adds no cost to the overall initial installation of an LED luminaire. If a
smart controller is not installed during the initial installation of the LED luminaire, there likely will be
significant costs later for crews to re-visit every luminaire and install a smart controller.
The Future and Smart Cities
Benefit to Denton: The system recommended by DME to control the LED street lights is 5G technology. 5G
utilizes a higher-frequency band of the wireless spectrum and is considered the future of communication
technology which is seen as the backbone of Smart Cities applications. If desired, DME will continue to
work with Denton’s Information Technology group to size the 5G system’s capacity to support a potential
future implementation of certain Smart Cities applications that could be desirable such as environmental
recording, video, facial recognition, and pedestrian and traffic congestion. DME’s proposed base service
would not include Smart Cities applications; therefore, any Smart Cities applications would be operated
and controlled by Denton’s Information Technology group. The communication system used by DME will
act only as a conduit, or path, to transmit Smart Cities data to the appropriate City of Denton party or
application.
ESTIMATED PAYBACK (LUMINAIRE RETROFIT & LED CONTROL SYSTEM)
Estimated Project Cost:
Retrofit: $3,933,645
Control: $2,802,925
Integrations: $300,000
TOTAL $7,036,570
Annualized Savings1: $643,014 per year
1 Based on a 10-year life-cycle cost including energy savings, materials, and labor of anticipated maintenance for HPS vs. LED
lighting, and labor (OT) reduction due to bi-annual field check of all lighting in City. Material adder included
Requests for Proposals were sent to 848 prospective suppliers of this item. In addition, specifications were
placed on the Materials Management website for prospective suppliers to download and advertised in the
local newspaper. Seven (7) proposals were received, but only four (4) bids meeting specification were
evaluated based upon published criteria including delivery, compliance with specifications, probable
performance and price. Based upon this evaluation, Techline, Inc. was ranked the highest and determined
to be the best value for the City.
PRIOR ACTION/REVIEW (Council, Boards, Commissions)
On September 9, 2019, the Public Utilities Board (PUB) recommended this item to the City Council for
consideration.
RECOMMENDATION
Award a contract with Techline, Inc., for the supply of LED Control System for DME, in a five (5) year
not-to-exceed amount of $2,086,865.
PRINCIPAL PLACE OF BUSINESS
Techline, Inc.
Fort Worth, TX
ESTIMATED SCHEDULE OF PROJECT
This is a five (5) year contract with ten (10) year warranty service for the software and hosting services.
FISCAL INFORMATION
These items/services will be funded from DME Department account 645082645 on an as needed basis. The
budgeted amount for this item is $2,086,865.
EXHIBITS
Exhibit 1: Agenda Information Sheet
Exhibit 2: Pricing Evaluation
Exhibit 3: Ordinance and Contract
Respectfully submitted:
Lori Hewell, 940-349-7100
Purchasing Manager
For information concerning this acquisition, contact: Jerry Fielder, 940-349-7173.
Legal point of contact: Mack Reinwand at 940-349-8333.