Advanced metering infrastructure procurement and project management

Key takeaways

A West Coast utility struggled with high water loss rates as well as an outdated infrastructure and customer information system (CIS). The utility identified advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) as a way to modernize its system with analytics.
The utility partnered with E Source to spearhead the procurement process and choose the right vendors and technologies to support its specific solution requirements.
Working together, E Source and the utility evaluated potential vendors and negotiated contracts with the final selections to prepare for the deployment phase of the AMI implementation.

The challenge

A California water utility serving more than 30,000 customers struggled with water loss because of its outdated infrastructure. The community experienced the highest water loss rates in the entire state, so the utility sought an AMI implementation to properly track and monitor water leaks. Additionally, the utility’s lackluster CIS led to operational inefficiencies. The utility desperately needed analytics to modernize its system.

The solution

The utility partnered with E Source to start the AMI process and feel confident in choosing vendors. Taking the lead, the E Source team provided structured project management to make sure that all project components were executed in a timely, organized fashion and completed to the project definition and expectations.

E Source also walked the utility through the daunting procurement process, helping with every step—from writing requests for proposals to managing the detailed selection process for the overwhelming number of responses received. The team helped the utility identify the appropriate technologies, add-on applications, and data integrations, equipping it to choose the best vendors to meet its needs.

The results

With a specific type of solution in mind, the utility turned to E Source’s expert guidance to find the right vendors to support its desperately needed infrastructure improvements. The E Source team was committed to determining which vendors and technologies best supported the project and made sure all vendor contract negotiations resulted in terms that were as favorable to the utility as possible.

With the procurement process finalized, the utility and E Source are looking forward to confidently moving into the deployment phase of the AMI implementation.