Exhibit 1 - Agenda Information SheetCity of Denton
_____________________________________________________________________________________
AGENDA INFORMATION SHEET
DEPARTMENT: Procurement & Compliance
ACM: David Gaines
DATE: June 8, 2021
SUBJECT
Consider adoption of an ordinance of the City of Denton, a Texas home-rule municipal corporation,
authorizing the City Manager, or their designee, to execute a Professional Services Agreement with TRC
Engineers, Inc., for the administration of communication companies requests to attach wired and wireless
joint use services to City of Denton infrastructure, as set forth in the contract; providing for the expenditure
of funds therefor; and providing an effective date (RFQ 7328 - Professional Services Agreement for
administration services awarded to TRC Engineers, Inc., for one (1) year, with the option for four (4)
additional one (1) year extensions, in the total five (5) year not-to-exceed amount of $50,000.00). The Public
Utilities Board recommends approval (4 - 0).
INFORMATION/BACKGROUND
Denton Municipal Electric (DME) evaluates impacts to the electric distribution overhead infrastructure of
pole attachments from communication companies that want to attach cables, antennas, and other equipment
to DME-owned distribution poles. These attachments are called “joint use” and access to DME assets is
required per the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (Effective August-2-1996), the Pole Attachment Act, 47
U.S.C, 224 (Effective January-3-2012) and Local Government Code: Chapter 283 (Effective September-1-
1999) for wired, and per SB1004 (Effective 9-1-2017) for wireless. All requests are reviewed and evaluated
in accordance with the DME Pole Attachment Standards; DME Construction Standards; the National
Electric Safety Code (NESC); and other applicable laws, regulations, or standards. There are two separate
review processes that follow based on the type of request, wired or wireless. Currently, DME engineering
staff perform all reviews of the attachment requests (submitted forms, plans, and loading calculations).
Wired requests are submitted through NJUNS (National Joint Use Notification System), and billed before
the application is reviewed. The attaching assets are then identified in DME’s GIS system, for any
discrepancies, followed by a visual field inspection. Final comments are made in NJUNS.
Wireless requests follow a different process since these require an electric service to power them. Wireless
applications are sent via email to DME engineering staff, once received a design layout, for the service, is
created. The submission must also go through the City of Denton’s Development Review Committee
process for approval of the node structure and electrical service. Planning, design, and construction
discussions with DME Engineering Supervision are done before a final design is accepted and the project
is then billed and then released for construction.
On average DME reviews 25 joint use-related projects per month which account for approximately 110
manhours of staff time per month. This translates to around $4,900, per month, ($59,000 per year) of DME
engineering costs. Due to increased development around Denton and the deployment of 5G, the number of
City Hall
215 E. McKinney Street
Denton, Texas
www.cityofdenton.com
joint use project reviews is expected to increase over the next several years. More service providers are
expected to deploy wired and wireless attachments in the City; and, it is anticipated the number of joint use
reviews will increase to 40 to 50 per month. Currently, DME has two employees who dedicate time to the
administration and evaluations of joint use projects; one for wired attachments and one for wireless
attachments. One 5G provider has already announced plans to install as many as 230 or more 5G wireless
nodes. More providers are anticipated to be in line to deploy in Denton. As more 5G service providers begin
deploying in the City of Denton, the “joint use” process will encompass more than half of the identified
Engineering staff’s time and resources. Based on these values, the cost of DME staff providing this service
to these for-profit entities will increase to over $118,000 annually.
Under the proposed contract the engineering firm will take over all functions and processes associated with
joint use for the DME. The contractor will receive and review all applications for wired and wireless joint
use attachment requests and check for completeness and accuracy, as well as provide assistance throughout
the application process. Pre- and post-construction inspections will be conducted to ensure all
communication attachments are installed correctly and accurately and do not impose on existing DME, or
communication, assets. Once all fieldwork is complete the contractor will provide the necessary as-built
plans and documentation required so the attachment can be recorded into DME’s Geospatial Information
System. The contractor will assist in the tracking and documentation, status reporting, billing and invoicing,
and any make-ready engineering design of each joint use request.
Under this contract, the engineering firm performing the evaluations will bill the requesting company
directly for the joint use assessments. The contractor will manage all functions, with DME oversight. All
fees proposed by the contractor have been found to be similar to the same levels this contractor charges
other utilities such as CPS (San Antonio) and Oncor (Dallas). A contract for these services will be a near-
zero cost to DME with administrative costs estimated at $13,000 annually. The only exception could be a
possible, very infrequent, need to pay for additional services not covered under the contract. Since the
contractor will bill the attachment requester directly, no financial transactions will occur with the City;
however, the City of Denton will still receive the annual joint use attachment fees as per the Pole Attachment
Agreement. It is anticipated to save approximately $105,000 annually of the cost normally expended by
DME Engineering.
DME recommends contracting the required services associated with joint use administration and
evaluations. This will help develop a more uniform process for “joint use”, which will benefit utilities
choosing to do business with the City of Denton. The contract would include the services required for
attachment review and perform necessary post-installation inspections. Additionally, a contractor would
eliminate the need for DME to potentially hire additional full-time employees as the number of requests
grows, and free up time for staff to work on other assignments and projects
Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for joint use professional services was sent to 356 prospective firms,
including 15 Denton firms for these services. In addition, the RFQ was placed on the Materials Management
website for prospective suppliers to download and advertised in the local newspaper. Three (3) statement
of qualifications (SOQ) were received. The SOQ’s were evaluated based upon published criteria including
past performance, experience and qualifications, and schedule. Based upon this evaluation, the
recommended award is to TRC Engineers, Inc. and is determined to be the most qualified firm for the City.
NIGP Code Used for Solicitation: 969-(Service Only)-Professional Services,
Higher Education & 925-(Service Only)-
Engineering Services, Professional
Notifications sent for Solicitation sent in IonWave: 356
Number of Suppliers that viewed Solicitation in IonWave: 25
HUB-Historically Underutilized Business Invitations sent out: 31
SBE-Small Business Enterprise Invitations sent out: 88
Responses from Solicitation: 3
PRIOR ACTION/REVIEW (COUNCIL, BOARDS, COMMISSIONS)
On May 24, 2021, the Public Utilities Board (PUB) recommended this item to the City Council for
consideration.
RECOMMENDATION
Award a contract with TRC Engineers, Inc., for the administration of wired and wireless joint use services
to the City of Denton, in a one (1) year, with the option for four (4) additional one (1) year extensions, in
the total five (5) year not-to-exceed amount of $50,000.
PRINCIPAL PLACE OF BUSINESS
TRC Engineers, Inc.
New York, NY
ESTIMATED SCHEDULE OF PROJECT
This is an initial one (1) year contract with options to extend the contract for four (4) additional one (1) year
periods, with all terms and conditions remaining the same.
FISCAL INFORMATION
These products and services will be funded through the using department’s budget on an as-needed basis.
The City will only pay for services rendered and is not obligated to pay the full contract amount unless
needed.
EXHIBITS
Exhibit 1: Agenda Information Sheet
Exhibit 2: Evaluation Sheet
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: Marcella Lunn at 940-349-8333.