AGENDA
MCFARLAND CITY COUNCIL
MCFARLAND SUCCESSOR AGENCY
MCFARLAND PUBLIC FINANCE AUTHORITY
MCFARLAND IMPROVEMENT AUTHORITY
MCFARLAND PARKING AUTHORITY
SPECIAL MEETING
CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS December 22, 2022
103 W. SHERWOOD AVE, MCFARLAND, CA 4:30 PM
In Person Meeting
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CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Sally Tafoya
ROLL CALL:
Mayor, Sally Tafoya
Mayor Pro Tem, María T. Pérez
Council Member/Board Member, Saul Ayon
Council Member/Board Member, Ricardo Cano
Council Member/ Board Member, Amador Ayon
CITY OF MCFARLAND
STAFF REPORT
TO: Honorable Mayor and Council Members
FROM: Kenny Williams, City Manager
Mario Gonzales, Public Works Director
DATE: December 22, 2022
SUBJECT: Report, Discuss, and Possible Approval of resolution No.2022-0147, A Resolution of the City Council of the City of McFarland authorizing the City Manager to enter into a services agreement with Alexander’s Contract Services, Inc. to perform monthly meter reading services for the purpose of utility billing.
SUMMARY:
As the city continues to see growth, the public works department has experienced an increased number of service orders regarding water meters. Due to the rise of service orders and city growth, we would like to contract Alexander’s Contract Services, Inc (ACS) to provide a water meter reading service to the city of McFarland. ACS has over 50 years of experience and manages over 12,000,000 meters. ACS personnel are highly trained to read meters accurately and monitor meter issues. ACS will significantly reduce the number of re-reads and mis-reads, reduce errors in data processing, and expedite the field acquisition to the billing through cloud smart server technology. This technology is web based and accessible on any device to view reports and make urgent decisions more efficient. ACS readers will provide certified reads, photo back-up for tampering and theft identification, provide proof of accuracy to reduce or potentially eliminate re-reads and mis-reads, provide city staff operation reports and ability to identify and manage problem accounts, and improve the overall performance in meter operation.
Currently, the water operators and finance staff take an average of 7 days to complete meter reads and re-checks. ACS will take 3 days to complete the water meters reads and provide the Finance Department with consistent reads, for billing. This will allow the finance staff to reduce their workload and improve efficiency. ACS will reduce the workload for the city’s water operators and help alleviate some of Water Department staffing concerns. Overall, the meter reading services will allow the city’s water operators to focus on emergency and non-emergency calls for services such as water leaks, water pressure issues, and maintenance.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Water Enterprise Fund - Approximately $52,800.00 annually for a three (3) year contract term. This contract amount has been incorporated in the fiscal year 2022-23 adopted budget.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends the City Council discuss and possibly adopt a resolution authorizing the City Manager to enter into a professional services agreement with Alexander’s Contract Services, Inc. to perform monthly meter reading services for the purpose of utility billing.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Resolution of the city council of the city of McFarland authorizing the City Manager to enter into a professional services agreement with Alexander’s Contract Services, Inc. to perform monthly meter reading services for the purpose of utility billing.
2. Professional Services Agreement.
3. Alexander’s Contract Services, Inc. services and products.
RESOLUTION NO. 2022- 0147
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MCFARLAND
AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO ENTER INTO A PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH ALEXANDER’S CONTRACT SERVICES, INC. TO
PERFORM MONTHLY METER READING SERVICES FOR THE PURPOSE OF
UTILITY BILLING
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of McFarland wishes to enter into an agreement with Alexander’s Contract Services, Inc. to perform monthly meter reading services; and WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of McFarland believes it is necessary to outsource the City’s water meter reading process for consistent reads to assure timely billing; and WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of McFarland wishes to authorize the City Manager to enter into a professional services agreement with Alexander’s Contract Services, Inc.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, by the City Council of the City of McFarland that it hereby finds and determines as follows:
1) The foregoing recitals are true and correct.
2) The City Manager is hereby authorized and directed to execute the professional services agreement with Alexander’s Contract Services, Inc. to perform monthly meter reading services for the purpose of utility billing.
3) The City Clerk shall certify to the passage and adoption of this resolution. 4) This resolution is effective immediately.
I hereby certify that the foregoing is a full, true and correct copy of the resolution of the City Council of the City of McFarland at a meeting held on Thursday, December 22, 2022, moved by Councilmember __________________and seconded by Councilmember ___________________, duly adopted and passed by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
___________________________
________________________ Sally Tafoya, Mayor
Francisca Alvarado, City Clerk
1 CITY OF McFarland PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT
This PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”) is made and entered into as of ______,202__ by and between City Of McFarland, a municipal corporation with its principal place of business at 401 W. Kern Ave. McFarland, CA 93250 (the “City”), and Alexander's Contract Services, Inc., a California corporation, with its principal place of business at 8655 Morro Road, Suite C, Atascadero, CA 93422 (the “Contractor”). The City and Contractor are sometimes individually referred to as a “Party” and collectively as the “Parties” in this Agreement.
RECITALS
City is a public agency and is in need of professional monthly meter reading services for the purpose of utility billing (the “Project”).
Contractor is duly licensed and has the necessary qualifications to provide such services.
The Parties desire by this Agreement to establish the terms for City to retain Contractor to exclusively provide the services described herein.
AGREEMENT
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS AGREED AS FOLLOWS:
1. Scope of work. Contractor shall provide the City with the services and equipment and personnel necessary to, on a monthly basis, read each of the City's water meters and report the resulting readouts to the City electronically. As of the date of this Agreement, there are approximately ____ water meters owned, operated, or managed by the City in need of service under the Project (“Meters”). The Parties understand and acknowledge that during the term of this Agreement, the number of Meters in need of service may fluctuate. The Parties further understand and acknowledge that any such fluctuation will not alter the terms and provisions of this Agreement, including but not limited to Contractor's obligation to read and report upon each Meter. In the event the total number or location of any Meters has changed, the City will upload, electronically, an updated list of all Meters to be read such that it is accessible to Contractor by 5:00 p.m. PST on or about the 20th day of the prior month. Contractor shall notify the City by email when Contractor is ready for electronic transmission of data. The reading dates for Contractor to complete the Meter reading process will, for a given calendar month, be from the close of business on the ____ to the ____ day of the month. Contractor will make available all results of the Meter readings via electronic transmittal to the City no later than 5:00 p.m. PST on the ____ day of the month in which the meters are read.
Holidays and weather will be taken into reasonable consideration if Contractor requires additional time to complete the reading process, provided that Contractor gives the City at least forty-eight hours' advance notice of such delay. The City agrees that Contractor will be the exclusive provider of the services contemplated by this Agreement.
2. Personnel and Equipment.
a. Contractor will provide necessary personnel, vehicles, and computerized Meterreading equipment as needed to read all of the City's Meters and to process the resulting readings for use in and by the City's billing system(s). Contractor shall 2 provide all Meter readouts in an electronic format acceptable to the existing software and equipment of City.
b. Contractor shall adequately supervise all personnel under Contractor's supervision, and shall ensure that all personnel engaged in the work for City shall be qualified to perform such services.
3. Compensation.
a. The City shall compensate the Contractor for services rendered under this Agreement at the rate of $1.30 per Meter for manually read meters per calendar month in which the Meter is read by Contractor. In addition, the City will pay the Contractor the annual sum of $6,000.00, which will be billed monthly, at a rate of $500.00, processed with each monthly bill for Agreement services at the same time as all Meter reading data is submitted to the City. Contractor may adjust rates and fees annually based upon the Consumer Price Index - All Urban Consumers San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward (the “CPI-U”). The Contractor may request a rate increase in excess of the CPI by notifying the City, in writing, of the requested increase by July 1st of each year and providing a written statement of the basis for the requested increase (such as labor or equipment costs), including calculations and records supporting the proposed rate and fee increase, to be considered in City's sole discretion
b. In addition to any CPI-U price increase pursuant to Section 3(b), the City will pay the following Fuel Escalation charges to Contractor:
i. If and when the price per gallon of Regular Grade Gasoline (“Gasoline”) is between $5.50 and $6.00, inclusive, the manually read meter read will be increased by 1%, rounded down to the nearest penny.
ii. If and when the price per gallon of Gasoline is between $6.01 and $6.50, inclusive, the manually read meter read will be increased an additional 1% above the read in subsection (c)(i) rounded down to the nearest penny.
iii. If and when the price per gallon of Gasoline is between $6.51 and $7.00, inclusive, the manually read meter read will be increased an additional 1% above the read in subsection (c)(ii) rounded down to the nearest penny.
iv. If and when the price per gallon of Gasoline is between $7.01 and $7.50, inclusive, the manually read meter read will be increased an additional 1% above the read in subsection (c)(iii) rounded down to the nearest penny
v. If and when the price per gallon of Gasoline is between $7.51 and $8.00, inclusive, the manually read meter read will be increased an additional 1% above the read in subsection (c)(iv) rounded down to nearest penny. vi. If and when the price per gallon of Gasoline goes down, the manually read meter read price will decrease to the rates set forth in the above 3 escalation clause. Should the price per gallon of Gasoline be below $5.50, no fuel escalation charge shall be applied.
For the purposes of calculating the fuel escalation charges in this section, reference shall be made to the US Energy Information Administration website (https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/pet_pri_gnd_dcus_sca_w.htm) as the benchmark for the price of Gasoline using the following filters: (i) Area (California); (ii) Period (Weekly). The first day of the billing month for which the website shows data for Gasoline will be used as the benchmark price for such billing month. c. Contractor shall not charge the City for an additional attempt to read any Meter which (1) is not readily available to the Contractor on the first attempt in accordance with Section 5, (2) is not found by the Contractor on the first attempt or (3) is re-read by the Contractor to verify accuracy or to correct errors. d. Contractor will submit invoices to the City via mail once each month. Within thirty (30) days after receipt of each invoice, the City shall verify the accuracy of the invoice, correct the charges where appropriate, and make payment to Contractor in an amount equal to the amount of such invoice as verified or corrected by the City. No payment made by the City prior to completion and acceptance of the Project shall be construed as evidence of acceptance of any part of the Services.
Contractor shall not stop or delay performance of Services under this Agreement on account of payment disputes with City.
e. If City disagrees with any portion of a Contractor-submitted billing, the City shall promptly notify Contractor of its determination, and the City and the Contractor shall first attempt to resolve the disagreement through informal processes. City's payment of any amounts shall not constitute a waiver of any disagreement, claim, or remedy of the City. The City shall promptly pay all amounts not in dispute.
4. Meter Reading Rate of Error. Contractor represents that the error rate during any given Meter reading monthly cycle shall not exceed one percent (1%) percent of the total number of manual water meters required to be read during that cycle. Upon notice from the City, Contractor shall take all steps necessary to correct any error and report the corrected reading to the City in a timely manner, and in no event later than the beginning of the next reading cycle. The City may deduct a penalty per Meter equal to the per Meter contract price from Contractor's invoice for misread errors over and above one percent (1%) of the total number of manual water meters read during an applicable monthly cycle. For the avoidance of doubt, meters that Contractor is unable to read or finds unusually difficult to read, as described in Section 5, will not be counted as errors for purposes of this Section.
5. Access to Meters.
a. Contractor will report in writing to the City, at the time the results of Meter reading is reported to the City, all of the Meters which Contractor is unable to read or finds it unusually difficult to read for any reason whatsoever. Examples of unavailable or inaccessible Meters include, but are not limited to, meters than cannot be read as a result of issues with City infrastructure or equipment, situations in which access to Meters is denied or made impossible because of 4 the location of vehicles or equipment parked nearby, the placement of obstacles over or near a Meter that Contractor cannot reasonably remove or clear, a meter that may have been paved over, or the destruction of or significant damage to a Meter such that its readings, if any, are likely to be unreliable. b. Contractor shall use reasonable efforts to make one re-read of a Meter which has been temporarily obstructed. Any Meters that Contractor cannot read after making one reasonable attempt to re-read per individual Meter within a given reading cycle, shall, once reported to the City by Contractor in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, become the responsibility of the City for the remainder of that reading cycle. Contractor shall have no responsibility to read such meters during that reading cycle until such time as the City has provided normal access and notified Contractor that access is restored. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Contractor must attempt to re-read all such Meters during the next monthly reading cycle regardless of whether the City has notified Contractor that it should expect access to such Meters to be restored.
6. Maintenance Reports. Contractor will on a monthly basis and no later than the time at which Contractor reports the results of that monthly reading cycle, supply the City with a current monthly computer generated list of each Meter in need of maintenance and of any maintenance which, in the opinion of Contractor, needs to be done by the City to its water distribution system so that Contractor may perform its duties and services under this Agreement in a timely and accurate manner. Contractor represents that it is familiar with the City's water distribution systems and equipment. Contractor further represents that, as of the date of execution of this Agreement, it has determined that the condition of the City's systems and equipment shall not prevent Contractor from performing its obligations under this Agreement.
7. Identification of Meter Readers/Customer Complaints. a. Contractor shall ensure that all employees, agents, and personnel engaged in Meter reading services shall be prominently identified as such through the use of uniforms or other distinctive means of identifying the individual(s) as a Meter reader. The parties agree that the standard uniform currently in use by Contractor’s employees as of the date of this Agreement will satisfy this Section
7. b. In the event that the City receives complaints or inquiries from its customers concerning Meter readings, Contractor agrees to cooperate with the City and will take use its reasonable best efforts to furnish information to the City to assist in its responses and to remedy any reasonable complaints, upon the City's written request.
8. Maintenance of Records. Books, documents, papers, accounting records, and other evidence pertaining to costs incurred shall be maintained by Contractor and made available for inspection by the City at all reasonable times during the contract period and for four (4) years from the date of final payment under this Agreement.
9. Term. The term of this Agreement shall be three (3) years from the date of execution (“Initial Term”) and shall automatically renew for two (2) additional one (1) year terms unless earlier terminated as provided in this Section 9 or in Section 18. Written notice by 5 one Party of their intent to terminate this Agreement following the Initial Term shall be provided to the other Party not less than 60 days prior to the start of any additional one (1) year term, which will otherwise renew automatically after the Initial Term.
10. Delays in Performance. Neither City nor Contractor shall be considered in default of this Agreement for delays in performance caused by circumstances beyond the reasonable control of the nonperforming party. For purposes of this Agreement, such circumstances include but are not limited to, abnormal weather conditions; floods; earthquakes; fire; epidemics; war; riots and other civil disturbances; strikes, lockouts, work slowdowns, and other labor disturbances; sabotage or judicial restraint. Should such circumstances occur, the non-performing party shall, within a reasonable time of being prevented from performing, give written notice to the other party describing the circumstances preventing continued performance and the efforts being made to resume performance of this Agreement.
11. Compliance with Law.
a. Contractor shall comply with all applicable laws, ordinances, codes, and regulations of the federal, state, and local government. b. If required, Contractor and the City shall cooperate in obtaining and maintaining all permits required by federal, state and local regulatory agencies. c. If applicable, Contractor is responsible for all costs of clean up and/ or removal of hazardous and toxic substances spilled as a result of the services or operations performed under this Agreement.
12. Standard of Care. Contractor's services will be performed in accordance with generally accepted professional practices and principles and in a manner consistent with the level of care and skill ordinarily exercised by members of the profession currently practicing under similar conditions.
13. Assignment and Sub Contractor. Contractor shall not assign, sublet, or transfer this Agreement, or any rights under or interest in this Agreement, without the written consent of the City. Any attempt to so assign or so transfer without such consent shall be void and without legal effect and shall constitute grounds for termination. Subcontracts, if any, shall contain a provision making them subject to all provisions contained in this Agreement. Nothing contained herein shall prevent Contractor from employing independent associates and subcontractors as Contractor may deem appropriate to assist in the performance of services hereunder.
14. Independent Contractor. Contractor is retained as an independent contractor and is not an employee of City. No employee or agent of Contractor shall become an employee of City.
15. Insurance. Contractor shall not commence work under this Agreement until it has provided evidence satisfactory to the City that it has secured all insurance required under this section. In addition, Contractor shall not allow any subcontractor to commence work on any subcontract until it has secured all insurance required under this section.
6 a. Commercial General Liability.
i. The Contractor shall take out and maintain, during the performance of all work under this Agreement, in amounts not less than specified herein, Commercial General Liability Insurance, in a form and with insurance companies reasonably acceptable to the City.
ii. Coverage for Commercial General Liability insurance shall be at least as broad as Insurance Services Office Commercial General Liability coverage (Occurrence Form CG 00 01) or equivalent coverage and shall cover liability arising from premises, operations, products-completed operations, and personal and advertising injury.
iii. The policy shall give City, its officials, officers, employees, agents and City designated volunteers additional insured status.
iv. The general liability program may utilize either deductibles or provide coverage excess of a self-insured retention, subject to written approval by the City, and provided that such deductibles shall not apply to the City as an additional insured.
b. Automobile Liability.
i. At all times during the performance of the work under this Agreement, the Contractor shall maintain Automobile Liability Insurance for bodily injury and property damage including coverage for owned, non-owned and hired vehicles, in a form and with insurance companies reasonably acceptable to the City.
ii. Coverage for automobile liability insurance shall be at least as broad as Insurance Services Office Form Number CA 00 01 covering automobile liability (Coverage Symbol 1, any auto).
iii. The policy shall give City, its officials, officers, employees, agents and City designated volunteers additional insured status.
c. Workers' Compensation. To the extent Contractor has employees at any time during the term of this Agreement, Contractor shall maintain worker’s compensation insurance for all persons employed directly by Contractor to carry out the work contemplated under this Agreement. Contractor shall require all subcontractors to obtain and maintain, for the period required by this Agreement, workers' compensation coverage of the same type and limits as specified in this section.
d. Professional Liability (Errors and Omissions). At all times during the performance of the work under this Agreement the Contractor shall maintain professional liability or Errors and Omissions insurance appropriate to its profession, in a form and with insurance companies reasonably acceptable to the City and in an amount indicated herein.
7 e. Minimum Policy Limits Required.
i. The following insurance limits are required for the Agreement, which may be met through a combination of primary and excess or umbrella policies:
f. Policy Provisions Required.
i. Contractor shall provide the City at least thirty (30) days prior written notice of cancellation of any policy required by this Agreement, except that the Contractor shall provide at least ten (10) days prior written notice of cancellation of any such policy due to non-payment of premium. ii. The Commercial General Liability Policy and Automobile Policy shall each contain a provision stating that Contractor's policy is primary insurance and that any insurance, self-insurance or other coverage maintained by the City or any named insureds shall not be called upon to contribute to any loss.
iii. The retroactive date (if any) of each policy is to be no later than the effective date of this Agreement. Contractor shall maintain such coverage continuously for a period of at least three years after the completion of the Insurance
Commercial
General Liability $1,000,000 Each Occurrence Limit
$1,000,000 Personal & Advertising Injury Limit
$2,000,000 Annual Aggregate Limit
$2,000,000 Products-Completed Operations Limit
Automobile
Liability
$1,000,000 combined single limit each accident
for bodily injury and property damage.
Worker’s
Compensation &
Employers Liability
Workers Compensation insurance shall be
provided as required by any applicable law or
regulation. Employer’s Liability insurance shall be
provided in amounts not less
than:
$1,000,000 each accident for bodily injury by
accident
$1,000,000 each employee for injury by disease
$1,000,000 policy limit for bodily injury by disease
Professional
Liability
$2,000,000 per claim and annual aggregate
(including claims expenses)
8 work under this Agreement. Contractor shall purchase a one (1) year extended reporting period A) if the retroactive date is advanced past the effective date of this Agreement; B) if the policy is cancelled or not renewed; or C) if the policy is replaced by another claims-made policy with a retroactive date subsequent to the effective date of this Agreement. iv. All required insurance coverages, except for the professional liability coverage, shall contain or be endorsed to include waiver of subrogation in favor of the City, its officials, officers, employees, agents, and volunteers or shall specifically allow Contractor or others providing insurance evidence in compliance with these specifications to waive their right of recovery prior to a loss. Contractor hereby waives its own right of recovery against City, and shall require similar written express waivers and insurance clauses from each of its subcontractors.
v. Coverage shall apply separately to each insured against whom claims are made or suits are brought, except with respect to the limits of liability.
Further the limits shall not relieve the Contractor from liability in excess of such coverage, nor shall it limit the Contractor's indemnification obligations to the City and shall not preclude the City from taking other actions available to the City under this Agreement or applicable law. g. Qualifying Insurers. All policies required shall be issued by acceptable insurance companies, as determined by the City in its reasonable discretion, and shall be from a company or companies with a current A.M. Best's rating of no less than A:VII and admitted to transact in the business of insurance in the State of California, or otherwise allowed to place insurance through surplus line brokers under applicable provisions of the California Insurance Code or any federal law. h. Additional Insurance Provisions.
i. If at any time during the life of the Agreement, any policy of insurance required under this Agreement does not comply with these specifications or is canceled and not replaced, City has the right but not the duty to obtain the insurance it deems necessary and any premium paid by City will be promptly reimbursed by Contractor or City will withhold amounts sufficient to pay premium from Contractor payments. In the alternative, City may cancel this Agreement.
ii. The City may require the Contractor to provide complete copies of all insurance policies in effect for the duration of the Project. iii. Neither the City nor any of its officials, officers, employees, agents or volunteers shall be personally responsible for any liability arising under or by virtue of this Agreement.
i. Subcontractor Insurance Requirements. Contractor shall not allow any subcontractors or subcontractors to commence work on any subcontract until they have provided evidence satisfactory to the City that they have secured all insurance required under this section. Policies of commercial general liability insurance provided by such subcontractors or subcontractors shall be endorsed 9 to name the City as an additional insured. If requested by Contractor, City may approve different scopes or minimum limits of insurance for particular subcontractors or subcontractors.
16. Indemnification.
a. Contractor shall indemnify and save harmless the City and its representatives from and against all losses and claims, demands, suits, actions, payments, and judgments arising from personal injury or otherwise, brought or recovered against the City or its agents, employees, or representatives, proximately caused by the negligence or willful misconduct of the Contractor, its agents, servants or employees, in the execution of the contracted work, including any and all expense, legal and otherwise, incurred by the City or its representatives in the defense of any such claim or suit.
b. For purposes of this Section 16, (i) the City will advise Contractor of any incident that may lead to a loss, claim, demand, suit, action, payment and/or judgment prior to formally seeking indemnification from and/or seeking to be held harmless by Contractor; and (ii) the City will give Contractor at least ten (10) days to provide the City with pictures and/or other mechanisms of proof that any such loss, claim, demand, suit, action, payment, and/or judgment was not proximately caused by the negligence or willful misconduct of the Contractor, its agents, servants or employees, in the execution of the contracted work.
17. Interpretation and Enforcement. This Agreement shall be interpreted in accordance with the laws of the State of California. Each provision of this Agreement is a material provision, and the failure of a party to perform any provision shall be the basis for voiding the entire Agreement or for pursuing an action at law for such breach. Any party may waive or excuse the failure of the other party to perform a provision of this Agreement, provided that any such waiver shall not preclude the enforcement of this Agreement upon any subsequent breach. If any party brings an action relating to or arising out of this Agreement, the prevailing party shall be entitled, as additional damages, to reasonable attorneys= fees and costs incurred in that action. Any lawsuit relating to or arising out of this Agreement shall be filed only in courts located in the County of Kern, State of California, and the parties consent to the jurisdiction of those courts for the resolution of that lawsuit.
18. Termination.
a. This Agreement may be terminated by the City, if Contractor fails to perform satisfactorily any of the terms and conditions of the Agreement within ten (10) days following receipt of written notice from the City specifying the manner in which Contractor has failed to perform satisfactorily. In the event of termination of the Agreement under this paragraph, the City shall provide Contractor with written notice of the effective date of termination. Contractor shall cease work upon the effective date of termination and shall not incur further expenses in connection with the services. Contractor shall not be entitled to compensation from the City for services performed or expenses incurred after the date of termination. However, Contractor shall be entitled to compensation for services performed satisfactorily prior to the date of termination. 10 b. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, City and Contractor shall each have the right to terminate this Agreement upon ninety (90) days written notice to the other party. In the event of termination of the Agreement under this paragraph, Contractor shall within ten (10) days after the date of termination, provide the City with a final statement. Upon receipt by the City of this final statement, the City shall pay Contractor in the amounts and in the manner required by this Agreement.
19. Documents. Except as otherwise provided in Section 18 (“Termination”) above, all original field notes, written reports, Drawings and Specifications and other documents, produced or developed for the Project shall, upon payment in full for the services described in this Agreement, be furnished to and become the property of the City.
20. Notice. Any notice or instrument required to be given or delivered by this Agreement may be given or delivered by depositing the same in any United States Post Office, certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, addressed to:
CITY: CONTRACTOR:
_________________________ Alexander’s Contract Services, Inc. _________________________ 8655 Morro Road, Suite C
_________________________ Atascadero, CA 93422
21. Third Party Rights. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to give any rights or benefits to anyone other than the City and the Contractor.
22. Entire Agreement. This Agreement represents the entire understanding of City and Contractor as to those matters contained herein, and supersedes and cancels any prior or contemporaneous oral or written understanding, promises or representations with respect to those matters covered hereunder. Each Party acknowledges that no representations, inducements, promises, or agreements have been made by any person which are not expressly incorporated herein, and that any other agreements shall be void. This is an integrated Agreement.
23. Severability. In the event that any provision of this Agreement is held to be void, voidable, or unenforceable, the remaining portions of the Agreement shall remain in full force and effect.
24. Successors. This Agreement shall be binding upon and shall inure to the benefit of the successors in interest, executors, administrators and assigns of each party to this Agreement.
25. Modification. No modification or amendment of this Agreement, or waiver of any right contained in this Agreement, shall be effective unless set forth in a writing signed by the parties.
26. Time of Essence. Time is of the essence for each and every provision of this Agreement.
[SIGNATURES ON FOLLOWING PAGE]
[Signature Page to City of _________ Professional Services Agreement] In WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have executed this Agreement as of the date first written above.
City of McFarland
Date:
Alexander’s Contract Services, Inc.
Tim Alexander, President
Date:
Alexander’s Contract Services, Inc. 0
Alexander’s Contract Services, Inc.
Services and Products
Alexander’s Contract Services, Inc.
8655 Morro Road, Suite C
Atascadero, CA. 93422
805-461-3458 (phone)
805-461-1263 (fax)
www.alexander-co.com
Alexander’s Contract Services, Inc. 1
1) Alexander’s Contract Services Profile and Experience ACS Profile and Experience
Alexander’s Contract Services (ACS) has provided meter reading services to municipalities, water districts and other local entities since 1967. ACS started reading meters in 1968 and currently manages over 12,000,000 meters annually in cities from California to Virginia.
We started reading meters in 1967 for the City of Yucaipa, California.
Later many cities in Central California were added to the client list.
Alexander’s expanded into computerization of the meter reading process in the early 1980’s. About that time the product was expanded to begin using AMR touch read services for many of the cities in Sacramento County.
Alexander’s has their own team of programmers and designers for software product development and support. In 2003,
we began an in-house software project to incorporate the many years of experience into a streamlined wireless and mobile solution. This solution provides the flexibility to allow the customer to implement and manage any meter reading
demand from one location.
ACS understands the problems that occur in the field during the data acquisition process and have spent many years designing innovative products to improve upon basic meter reading gathering methods and processes to ensure business success within the utility. That is why the benefits of our powerful Cloud Smart Server Technology (CSST) meter reading software, ultra-rugged handhelds and trained professional meter readers bring unparalled accuracy and efficiency results to many utilities in the US.
ACS has approximately 160 employees in regional offices and crew locations in California, Illinois, Utah, Texas, Virginia and Florida. Our California crews are based in Sacramento County, Atascadero and the Irvine area. Sales and Support offices are located in Chicago, Illinois and Salt Lake City, Utah. ACS is headquartered in Atascadero on California’s central coast.
ACS Sample of Client Implementation and Services
ACS has documented experience with utilities throughout the US, Canada and Central America and is project managing many others at the present time. ACS has recently implemented the Cloud SST meter reading product and read services at City of Santa Monica, CA, the City of Virginia Beach, VA, City of St. Petersburg, FL and the City of Seal Beach, CA. A partial list of the contract service clients and Cloud SST meter reading system implementation and support accounts include:
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City of Bryan, TX – 2011 (meter reading services)
City of Temple, TX – 2012 (meter reading services and rerouting services) City of Bartow, FL – 2014 (meter reading services)
Sacramento County Water – Elk Grove, CA – 1995 (meter reading services) Irvine Ranch Water District – Irvine, CA. – 2009 (meter reading services) City of Corona, CA – 2010 (meter reading services and soft services) City of Paso Robles, CA – 1981 (meter reading services) City of San Clemente, CA – 2006 (meter reading services) City of Montecito, CA – 1991 (meter reading services)
Belize Water Services, Belize – 2010 (meter reading system) East Bay Municipal Utility District, Oakland, CA – 2014 (meter reading system) Atascadero Mutual Water - Atascadero, CA – 1978 (meter reading services) Eastern Municipal Water District, Perris, CA – 2014 (meter reading services) Las Virgenes Municipal Water District – Calabasas, CA – 2015 (meter reading services) Carpenteria Valley Water District, CA – Carpenteria, CA – 2009 (meter reading services) City of Suffolk, VA – 2016 (meter reading services)
City of Virginia Beach, VA – 2017 (meter reading services) City of Whittier, CA – 2017 (meter reading services)
City of Fort Meade, FL – 2018 (meter reading services)
City of Norfolk, VA – 2018 (meter reading services)
City of Santa Monica, CA – 2018 (meter reading services) City of St. Petersburg, FL – 2019 (meter reading system) City of Seal Beach, CA – 2021 (meter reading services)
ACS meter readers and service technicians make use of the powerful ACS Cloud Smart Server Technology (CSST) meter reading system that was developed to address the issues that are most important to utilities, namely; accuracy, innovation, efficiency, timeliness of data to billing and cost effectiveness. . The mobile handheld and web-based software guides the meter reader throughout the day’s work flow process and strictly ensures accountability, accuracy and reliability in the meter reading data captured and returned to the client. 2) Meter Reading Services and Flexible Scheduling
Alexander’s has been providing utilities with meter reading services since 1968. With each of our utility customers, read quantities and schedules are provided to our service crew supervisors prior to reading and billing schedules. ACS crews are managed in such a way that increased quantities of meters are easily handled.
Whether the utility requires a single meter reader or many to address the needs of their meter reading or soft services, ACS can meet the need. Also, ACS understands that the numbers of meters to be read at a utility may fluctuate over the course of the contract. ACS has experienced this type of change in a number of read services including cities like Temple and Bryan, Texas, Irvine Ranch Water District, CA, Eastern Municipal Water, CA and the City of Corona, CA. There are a number of factors that allow the ACS workforce to be flexible:
• Multiple Utilities Using ACS Meter Readers - ACS has regional resources in Northern and Southern California, Texas, Florida, Illinois and Virginia that allow for shifting human resources from utility to utility depending upon the meter reading work demand.
• All ACS Meter Readers are Familiar with the Field Hardware, Software and Processes – Each ACS meter reader throughout our national network, as well as field supervisors and managers are thoroughly capable of using the Alexander’s Contract Services, Inc. 3
ACS software and data capture hardware in each utility. The processes used to gain the highest level of accuracy and efficiency is driven by this software and hardware, so as meter readers are moved into a utility, or removed from a utility work assignment due to increase or decrease of meter quantities, they are very familiar with all processes, software and hardware to accomplish the task in any utility serviced by ACS. • ACS Field Managers can be inserted into Read Work Schedule – All of the ACS Field Managers that supervise the reading crews are extremely knowledgeable regarding read processes, hardware and software. 3) ACS Cloud SST Meter Reading Product Accuracy and Efficiency The ability of ACS to provide superior performance in meter reading data collection through experienced and conscientious field personnel is enhanced greatly by the use of the ACS Cloud Smart Server Technology meter reading product. Since the Cloud SST product is web based, constant communication and notification can be provided to client management via email and text message regarding the status of read and the various unread and misread conditions coming from the field.
ACS makes use of many hardware technologies to collect data in the field. We use the latest technology that incorporates cameras, GPS receivers, 802.11 wireless or cellular
communication to capture all pertinent information and deliver it in seconds via a secure cellular or Wi-Fi connection. Whether the utility has manual, touch read or radio reads, the ACS crews are very capable in collecting the reads and delivering the data in a timely manner to the utility’s back-end system for billing.
All field data is made live on the client’s secure database portion of the Cloud Smart Server from the first read to the last.
Data is provided in “real-time” since ACS crews use wireless rugged handheld technology in the field to transfer data to the web server. This simple solution allows for the client to respond to early reading exceptions as they occur. Mis-reads, unreads and problem meters can be quickly addressed as the information is passed from the field to the office.
The web based reports populate from the beginning of the read cycle and become complete upon the last meter read in the cycle. Cloud SST comes with dozens of standard reports, yet customized reporting is available by request of each ACS client.
When a reading cycle is complete, an email or text message can be sent to an authorized customer manager or staff member at the utility. There are many automated notifications that are triggered by different reading events, and all reports can be accessed from the client’s CSST web site. This allows for the most efficient sharing of data possible between client’s key personnel, supervisors and managers.
The ACS Cloud SST meter reading product will easily provide a seamless interface with the client’s utility billing system.
There will be no requirement to alter any of the existing interface formats for the upload and download files as related to the billing system.
Once the client completes the upload of the data file to the CSST, an email and/or text message is sent to the appropriate ACS supervisor notifying them of the upload. The supervisor can immediately receive and begin reading the file in the field. This same message can be sent to any number of the client’s management team.
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Since the ACS Smart Server product is interactive, any approved client staff member will be able to log onto the website and see live data regarding the reading process. Among other activity, the staff member will be able to affect some of these features:
• Status of the current reading cycle.
• Reports listing all meters including readings outside the acceptable range (high/low limits) • Certified Photo Reads on exceptional reads where a photo has been taken to ensure accuracy of the read and proximity to the meter.
• The ability to review Certified Photo Reads and approve for billing or resend electronically to the field for reread.
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Upon 100% completion of the meter reading, review of reports and exceptions, the supervisor can then process and transfer the file to the billing system. New cycles can be loaded to the Cloud SST for upcoming read scheduling.
Wireless Reread Management
ACS makes use of the Cloud SST meter reading product to electronically process rereads from the field via wireless connectivity. ACS Supervisors review possible rereads as they occur in the read process, before they arrive at the utility’s billing site. Supervisors determine the nature of the exception, verifying the Photo taken and actual reading. They will visit the meter if necessary or assign those rereads to a meter reader electronically to review well in advance of the data transfer deadline of that day. Using the Cloud SST technology, Certified Photos, GPS points and wireless connectivity between the handhelds and the web server, ACS provides 99.98% or greater accuracy regarding reads and rereads to all of our clients.
Meter ID Locks
ACS’s Cloud SST meter reading product provides superior accuracy due to its ID lock solution programmed into the handheld application. The handheld meter reading application does not allow the meter reader to view the previous read or meter ID number making it nearly impossible for a meter reader to enter an erroneous read.
When the ACS meter reader reads a meter, the read must be within the high/low limits set by the billing system. If the read is outside of this range, the reader must enter the meter’s ID number that is only found on the meter in question.
Once the proper ID number is entered to the unit, it will unlock and show the reader the previous read and the ID number for that single meter only. At this point the reader is prompted to reread the meter taking the previous read into consideration.
This simple function transforms to accuracy in the collection of meter reads in the field by the ACS meter reader and it guarantees that each read is authentic. The proprietary technology handheld application also requires a photo to be taken of the meter and GPS points are collected to ensure and provide irrefutable proof that the meter reader is at the correct meter taking the correct read. Because this activity can be seen by the supervisor as the meter reader collects the data, the supervisor can immediately respond electronically to all potential rereads and correct error reads prior to being transferred to the utility’s billing system.
Certified Read Feature
With the ACS Cloud SST meter reading software every questionable read is guaranteed to be authentic. The ACS meter reader utilizes the full benefit of this product while collecting the meter reads in the field. Cloud SST software collects and cross references supplementary data to insure an authentic read has occurred while at the meter in the field. By collecting this supplementary data at the time of the meter reading, all doubt regarding any questionable read not being authentic is removed.
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The “Certified Read” feature guides the meter reader to capture the date, time, GPS coordinates and a photo right at the meter.
The benefits of this feature are enormous to the client end user. Certified Reads help to:
• Gain customer confidence
• Eliminate estimated reads
• Reduce customer inquiries
• Reduce billing mistakes
• Produce Certified Reports
• Substantiate billing data
• Certify meter tampering, neglect or abuse
• Validate meter reader comments
Operational Structure and Benefits of the Cloud SST Product The Cloud SST can be accessed by any internet accessible device by the client through very strict and secure login processes. Devices such as a desktop PC, Laptop, iPad or Smartphone can be given access to the web server. This allows each utility manager to monitor activity regarding rereads, exceptions, trouble meters, and performance of the ACS crews as the reads take place each day. Each user of the system is given unique credentials that are designed with access to functions within the system for which they are authorized.
The ACS Cloud Smart Server Technology products take traditional and inefficient meter reading operations to a high level of efficiency and accuracy that resolves the utility’s business needs in the areas of timely reads, high level of accuracy in reads and the efficient reporting from the field of problems encountered during the read process. This adds to business productivity, savings and success.
4) Soft Services and Field Problem Identification
ACS Value Added Soft Services Available to Utilities
ACS can provide utilities with a number of additional services that provide value to the meter reading and field operations including:
• Customer Service - Represents basic work-orders to reread, hang door hangers, turn on/turn off meters, as well as, leak and stuck meter investigations. This service also includes meter field audits following AMI implementation which surveys the condition of the meter and surrounding area, and, collects a manual read for periodic read comparison audit of the electronic read.
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• GPS Coordinates - The collection of GPS coordinates for meters or any other specified object within the city with sub meter accuracy and delivering these coordinates ready to use in the utility’s GIS database
• Advanced Certified Photo Reads - The collection of critical reads at the meter with irrefutable verification based upon Photo, GPS coordinates, Date, Time and ID Match in Single High read cases. Multiple photos can be taken to identify surrounding problems that relate to severe maintenance requirements, hazards or potential issues. The Photo, GPS Coordinates, Date and Time are provided to the client via the web-server based software.
• Meter Account, Route and Cycle Resequencing – Geographical and time motion study using ACS proprietary software to organize the utility’s meter reading routes for a higher level of read efficiency. This service is applied to the utility’s electronic route files with hard copy route sequence books provided for meter reader reference.
• Liability & Conservation Study - A detailed study of each meter within the utility to assess the liability the meter may impose on its citizens. In addition, system condition and potential elements directly effecting water conservation may be studied.
Identifying Field Problems – Immediate Report
ACS meter readers are trained to identify issues regarding meters and meter readings and to report issues that are observed in the field. They are required by the Cloud SST handheld technology to add notes and comments when exceptions exist with meter reads. Each of the meter readers are trained in ACS “Soft Services” processes which entail “Hang Tags”, “Hazard, Safety and Conservation” Surveys, Meter Maintenance and Problem Awareness and Meter Tampering and Illegal Connections. Having this background and experience, the ACS crews are perfectly suited to report extenuating situations in the field to the utility management through the electronic technology of the Cloud SST product.
As the utility management review ongoing data that is being populated on the Web Server throughout the course of the day’s reading activity, they will be able to be alerted to problems in the field as they occur. This electronic process can expedite maintenance; tampering and issue resolve response to the utility’s problem meters in the field as they are happening. It also give photo, GPS, date and time stamp information that is nicely packaged in a form that can be transferred electronically to the utility’s customer.
Additional Tests
ACS crews are very familiar with the additional tests that are performed on the meter to determine stopped, damaged or leaks etc. ACS also trains the reading crews in methods of soft service support for the client. This includes, hazard and conservation surveys, hang tags, GPS point gathering, Certified Photo reads, and maintenance troubleshooting and meter inspection reporting. All ACS handhelds track and alert the meter reader to “Low”, “Zero”, “High”, “Double High” exceptions. Meter readers react immediately to observe and report minor problems (via electronic notes and comments), or by phone to the supervisor if serious. ACS meter readers can perform tests on audit alerts that indicate “low” or stopped as required by the utility.
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“ACS’s commitment to accurate monthly water meter readings is incredible! Their staff is very professional and their support is top notch! Allowing them to read our water meters, we are able to dedicate more resources to meter maintenance and reducing water loss. We are very pleased with the service from Alexander’s and highly recommend using them!”
Heather Mikulas
Utility Business Office Manager
City of Temple TX
5) Comments from Three of our Clients
“The City of Bartow has been very pleased with Alexander’s meter reading services. Alexander’s was awarded the meter reading contract and they hit the ground running without a single transition issue. Their Certified Read program is very efficient and has saved the city time and money in its meter reading operations. Their product is user friendly and ACS’s professional staff provides reliable service and accurate reads for our Water, Electric, Demand and Solar meters”
Karen J. Hielscher, CPM
Customer Accounts Supervisor – City of Bartow, FL
“ACS has an innovative way of collecting reads,
through the Cloud SST wireless features and effective
“ID Match” program... ACS’s commitment to obtaining
accurate monthly meter reads is amazing! We are
very pleased with the service from Alexander’s and
highly recommend their product and services to
other utilities looking for the same results.”
Gina Jackson
Customer Service Manager,
Irvine Ranch Water District, CA
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6) What Sets Alexander’s Contract Services Apart from Other Contract Vendors High Level Accuracy and Billing Timeliness - All of ACS innovative concepts have greatly improved the consistency of timeline, read accuracy and communication within our clients meter reading programs. These innovations greatly reduce the errors in data processing of meter reading, and expedite the field acquisition to billing aspect of meter reading. We strive for faster and more accurate conversion of the raw meter reading data to formal bill. Along the way, the handheld and Smart Server software work to eliminate the exceptions that slow the reading process down and hinder the ability for timely billing of the customer.
ACS technology is geared around the concept of mobility in the field and the programmatic guidance of the meter reading process at each meter. The CSST system orchestrates the accuracy and validation of read through a simple requirement of field data validation on valid meters, and guides the meter reader to provide added verification through collection of Certified Read Photos, GPS, ID Match and comments when a questionable read arises. This creates accountability, while being executed in a mobile environment using reliable tools such as ultra-rugged handhelds. ACS crew supervisors and utility managers can be connected to the process through mobile devices such as a smartphone, tablet or laptop. Management of the system via various personnel is fully connected, no matter the mobile nature of the field work.
Advantages to the Utility:
• Consistent billing timing.
• Significantly reduced Re-reads or Mis-reads.
• Overall read success rate of greater than 99.98%.
• Expedited alert of field issues.
• Cloud Smart Server Technology accessibility from any internet capable PC, laptop, smartphone or tablet.
Highly Trained Reading Personnel and Managers – Alexander’s quality customer service plan starts with training.
Alexander’s Contract Services trains every employee initially on safety regulations, rules and procedure, customer relations, and, specific requirements of the customer as discussed in the pre-planning meeting. Employees are carefully monitored by our operations manager and crew chief during training. Once the employee passes these training courses, they are ready to go to the field. Even then, constant monitoring and feedback is given to the employee during read activity.
The Cloud SST software has the ability to monitor issues and status of read occurring in the field and supervisors can monitor in “real time” environments, the quality and metrics of the reading effort taking place with each field employee.
Alexander’s experienced crew managers, who have developed high levels of accuracy and efficiency in read performance, are used in the training and monitoring of the readers in the field. Feedback and continued instruction is extremely important. New hires have a shadow supervisor to walk and instruct until previously trained concepts are well performed and understood by the employee. Safety, read accuracy, incident reporting and proper professional presentation to the clients is emphasized with the employee. This is how Alexander’s achieves the highest degree of quality and customer service in their meter reading services.
Ongoing training and refresher instruction usually occurs twice each month within the crew. The safety portion of this program is an approved course designed by the Alexander’s Inc. Insurance provider and has 26 course subjects. The course is repeated each year. A twice monthly “Training Huddle”, where the client’s staff or management team is invited to participate, provides the crew supervisor the opportunity to:
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• Refresh safety and procedure concepts and instruct on the 26 week safety course. • Discuss challenges or opportunities.
• Review requirements for appropriate dress, conduct and presentation requirement of meter readers. • Communicate variation or confirmation of the client’s policy and read request. • Restate ACS corporate policies and review Cloud SST product features and usage. • Review routing requirements for improved reading efficiency.
Advantages to the Utility:
• Insured safety and proper treatment of utility and customer property. • Reassurance that experience, process, and proper decision making is used by ACS readers. • Reduction of management worries in finding, hiring, training and grooming the most experienced crews Certified Photo Reads – Gather photos of the meters in cases where extenuating situations exists due to double high water, negative read, tampering, faulty meter, meter maintenance requirement, hazard, water conservation, location surveys. Certified Reads will be included as a standard features of ACS services for Negative Reads, Double High and Zero Consumption values. Certified Reads will assist in assuring the most accurate reads provided to the utility.
Advantages to the Utility:
• Certified Reads will provide irrefutable proof of read accuracy. • Certified Reads are available to utility’s staff to confirm or resolve meter issues in field. • Photos give back-up for tampering and theft identification in field. • Reduces and practically eliminates re-reads and mis-reads. • Creates a high level of meter reader accountability at the meter. • Improves overall performance in meter reading operations success. • Certified Read Certificates can be used by utility’s staff to manage problem accounts.
Wireless Field to Server Communications – The ACS Cloud SST meter reading product provides expedited data communications from the field to the server in a real-time environment, creating efficiency and the ability to respond to reread and field issues instantaneously by the client management personnel.
Advantages to the Utility:
• Get information on problem meters as they are visited and read by ACS crews. • Data is sent to Web Server as it is collected.
• The utility can see progression and performance of meter reading collection from start to finish. • Email and SMS Messages can be sent to the utility’s staff to alert of completion of reads and issues during the course of the daily reading process.
• Less risk of missing billing schedules.
• Re-reads and Mis-reads can be dealt with while the meter reader is in the route in the field. • Certified Reads are transferred to web server immediately allowing the utility to review and assist their customers immediately with problems.
Transparent Cloud SST File Interface to the Utility’s Billing System – The ACS Cloud SST product creates completely compatible upload and download interface files matching exactly the Datamatic input/output specifications that are currently being used by the utility with their billing system.
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Advantages to the Utility:
• No need for the utility’s IT department to make any changes to current file interfaces to accommodate the ACS Cloud SST upload and download files
• The utility’s billing system files can be directed to the same folders for upload and download as is currently in place.
• No additional training on file transfer or processing will be required with the utility’s operators. • No changes to daily operator processes will be required in providing ACS with routes data, or, collecting completed read data to files for the utility’s billing system.
The Utility Staff Can Access Cloud SST Program from Any Internet Accessible Device- The powerful Cloud SST Web Server and Reports (including the Certified Photo Reports) can be accessed by utility staff and management via secure credentials using mobile tools such as a rugged handheld, laptop, Smartphone or tablet from any mobile location.
Advantages to the Utility:
• Staff and Managers can view data, reports, photos and monitor meter reading activity during the course of the day from personal smartphones, tablets, laptops etc.
• Review of data can be made at home before or after normal working hours by the utility’s staff. • Decisions that are urgent in nature regarding field issues can be handled more efficiently and quickly with realtime data access.
Wireless Reread Management – Electronic processing of rereads from the field via wireless connectivity. The ACS supervisor can head off problem rereads prior to billing as they occur in the read process, determining whether they are sent back to devices in the field for recheck, or, approving reads for billing at the PC.
Advantages to the Utility:
• Be aware of problem reads or potential issues as the data is collected in the field. • The utility can be assured that read data collected will be correct and accurate prior to creating a billing file at the end of the day.
• Serious problems at the meter are known at the point of reading and can be dealt with immediately. This provides the highest level of customer support and response that exists in the utility industry. • The utility is assured that the combination of excellent professional experience and innovative and consistent technology will drive the elimination of field problems and read inaccuracy. • The utility billing administration personnel will have more time to work on productive billing functions, rather than dealing with redundant and time consuming re-read exceptions.
Meter ID Verification and ID Unlock – ACS meter readers are guided by the handheld application to not simply take a reading, but verify that the read is correct and that the meter reader is at the correct meter. Meter readers are also trained to immediately report (through real-time electronic data transfer) serious meter problems including theft identification and tampering. In cases where there are extenuating reads (Double High, Stopped Meter, No Consumption, Negative Read etc..) the Meter ID verification process requires the meter reader to input the Meter ID located on the physical meter before the Meter ID is unlocked and verified on the handheld.
Advantages to the Utility:
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• Be aware of serious meter problem reads or potential issues as the data is collected in the field. • The utility can be assured that the ACS meter reader is made accountable to collect meter readings for the correct meter and at the correct location.
• The utility will be experiencing, as all other ACS clients have experienced – The most accurate and reliable read data that can be collected through technology and experienced field personnel.
Android and Mobile 6 OS Platform Options – ACS has created application options for both the Mobile 6 and Android OS environments. The system backend remains the same, yet the features that each one of these products bring are made available for meter reading and the client. Mobile 6 is the preferred OS on most ultra-rugged handhelds today, and the ACS program can take advantage of hardware features such as GPS, Bar Code, RFID, Bluetooth, WWAN (Cellular Networks), 802.11 Wireless, Camera, Signature Capture, Printing etc… Alexander’s believes that our products create an improved client satisfaction due to prompt and accurate data, unparalleled customer service from our staff and innovation unmatched in meter reading data acquisition.
Advantages to the Utility:
• The utility has the option to use products for their own meter readers to collect and transfer collected read data from the field to the ACS Cloud Web Server and take advantage of the same value added technologies and processes used by the ACS meter readers.
• Utility management and meter reading crews may use existing Android phones to access the reading data as provided by the ACS Cloud SST.
• The utility can consult with ACS to assist in other areas where print or bill receipts are required, email interface to field personnel is required, GPS studies, as well as hazard and conservation field studies are required.
Alexander’s Contract Services Inc.
Headquarters
8655 Morro Rd. Suite C
Atascadero, CA 93422
Tel: 805-461-3458
Fax: 805-461-1263
www.alexander-co.com
Sales and Service Offices
Salt Lake City, Utah
Bill Van Wagoner
Tel: 805-461-3458 x500
Cell: 801-864-5024
[email protected]
Chicago, Illinois
Justin Hibshman
Tel: 805-461-3458 x401
Cell: 805-503-0218
[email protected]