City Council Agenda Report
Meeting Date: August 18, 2026
From: Todd Dusenberry, General Manager of Public Utilities Department: Public Utilities
Submitted by: Adriana Ramos, Principal Management Analyst Subject
Statement of Work with Advanced Utility Systems, a division of N. Harris Computer Corporation Recommendation
A. Approve and authorize the City Administrator to execute a Statement of Work with Advanced Utility Systems, a division of N. Harris Computer Corporation, in substantially the same form as submitted, to provide technical support for the setup and implementation of Vernon Public Utility’s existing Fiber Services with Infinity Customer Information System Version 5.0 software, in an amount not-to-exceed $57,375; and
B. Authorize a contingency amount of 10% (or $5,738) to cover any unforeseen expenses and grant authority to the City Administrator to approve and execute amendments up to the contingency amount, if necessary.
Background
The Vernon Public Utilities (VPU) customer billing system, operated by Advanced Utility Systems, a division of N. Harris Computer Corporation (Advanced), runs on the Infinity Customer Information System (CIS). The system is essential for VPU’s Customer Service division, supporting billing for all electric, water, and natural gas utility services. It also accommodates the City’s Time-of-Use (TOU) tariffs for Vernon’s residential customers and its large commercial and industrial electric customers. For over a decade, the Advanced Infinity CIS has provided reliable and accurate billing data, as evidenced by approximately 3,000 utility bills issued monthly to the City’s residents and businesses.
On November 7, 2023, the City Council approved a Master Scope of Work Agreement with Advanced to conduct a data conversion and upgrade the existing Infinity CIS billing platform to Version 5.0. In October 2025, VPU successfully completed its multi-year customer billing system upgrade project with Advanced.
VPU has used the legacy Eden financial software system (Eden), developed by Tyler, as its billing platform for fiber-optic and dark fiber services since 2007. However, support for Eden is set to conclude in March 2027, as Tyler plans to transition this system to its modernized Munis software suite. With the upcoming phase-out and end of product support for Eden in March 2027, VPU is pursuing the implementation of a new fiber service through the Infinity CIS platform. This will enable the utility to invoice customers for all four of its core services (electric, water, natural gas, and fiber) through a single platform.
The proposed Statement of Work (SOW) with Advanced outlines the development and configuration of Infinity CIS interfaces for existing VPU systems, along with any necessary modifications to meet the utility’s requirements. Given that VPU is introducing a new utility service into its CIS, the successful configuration of the fiber service will involve several components.
From a financial perspective, this includes general ledger accounting, new account strings, accounts receivable, and financial reporting. Advanced will also set up four subcategories under the fiber service to differentiate between the various service types: residential internet, business internet, municipal dark fiber, and business dark fiber. In addition, the SOW includes other important configurations, such as creating new fiber accounts, setting billing frequencies, configuring rates and transaction codes, tracking delinquencies, printing bills, and handling connection and disconnection requests. While VPU has chosen not to migrate historical fiber billing data to ensure the project remains cost-effective, Advanced is responsible for basic data conversion and uploading existing fiber account data under this SOW.
The proposed SOW with Advanced is exempt from competitive bidding and competitive selection pursuant to Vernon Municipal Code (VMC) Sections 3.32.110(A)(2) and 3.32.110(B)(1), respectively, because the necessary platform upgrades, software, and support services are only available from Advanced. Moreover, the Infinity CIS Version 5.0 platform and the Representational State Transfer Application Programming Interface (REST API) currently used by VPU’s Customer Service Division are compatible only with Advanced proprietary software.
Engaging a separate CIS provider solely for fiber services would lead to significantly higher costs and operational issues, primarily due to the need for a separate data conversion process and the implementation of an additional billing platform. Additionally, VPU staff would need extra time to become familiar with a new billing system, diverting their attention and resources from daily tasks, thereby adversely impacting overall efficiency and service to customers.
Therefore, VPU staff recommend that the City Council approve the SOW with Advanced for a total amount not-to-exceed $57,375. Additionally, staff recommend a contingency of 10% percent (or $5,738) for unforeseen expenses related to project implementation. City Council approval is required pursuant to VMC Section 3.32.030(B), as during the last 12 months, the City has paid or awarded Advanced a total of $524,298.57.
The proposed Statement of Work with Advanced has been reviewed and approved as to form by the City Attorney’s Office.
Strategic Plan Goals
Goal 6: Optimize Public Utility Operations to Ensure Affordable Services Fiscal Impact
The fiscal impact is not to exceed $63,113, including the 10% contingency. Sufficient funds are available in the Electric Fund, Administration, Capital Outlay, Account No. 055-050-580-660000 for the current fiscal year.
Attachments
1. Statement of Work with Advanced Utility Systems, a division of N. Harris Computer Corporation