TO: Honorable Mayor & Members of the North Port Commission
FROM: A. Jerome Fletcher II, ICMA-CM, MPA, City Manager
TITLE: Approve the First Amendment to Contract No. 2024-20 for Advanced Water Meter System Contract for an Addition to Exhibit C with Ferguson Enterprises, LLC.
Recommended Action
Option 1: Approve the First Amendment to Contract No. 2024-20 for Advanced Water Meter System Contract for an Addition to Exhibit C with Ferguson Enterprises, LLC.
City Commission Options
Option 1: Approve the First Amendment to Contract No. 2024-20 for Advanced Water Meter System Contract for an Addition to Exhibit C with Ferguson Enterprises, LLC.
• Pros: Approving this Amendment will allow utilities to receive a prorated amount for a meter still under warranty.
• Cons: There are not any foreseen cons with approving this amendment.
Option 2: Deny the First Amendment to Contract No. 2024-20 for Advanced Water Meter System Contract for an Addition to Exhibit C with Ferguson Enterprises, LLC.
• Pros: Maintains the existing fee schedule and contract terms.
• Cons: The Utilities Department would be unable to apply the remaining warranty value of qualifying legacy automated meter reading (AMR) meters toward compatible advanced meter infrastructure (AMI) meters. This would require full replacement purchases, increased project costs, and delay continued AMI conversion.
Background Information
On September 23, 2025, the City of North Port and Ferguson Enterprises, LLC entered into Contract No. 2024-20 Advanced Water Meter System for the purchase of an advanced water meter system, including meters and software. The original agenda item for Contract No. 2024-20 was approved by the City Commission on September 23, 2025, and was listed as a consent agenda item for the City Commission Regular Meeting.
The approved contract supports replacement of older meters and conversion of newer water meters in the field to AMI endpoints so that data collection can be automated rather than physically collected by meter readers. The AMI project is intended to improve data collection efficiencies, help quickly identify and address unusually high water use due to potential breaks, improve customer service, allow a customer portal with consumption control and alerts, and support water conservation through continual monitoring.
The original procurement timeline is outlined below:
Ø February 15, 2024: Utilities solicited Request for Proposal (RFP) 2024-20 - Advanced Water Meter System.
Ø March 18, 2024: The original due date for proposal submission was extended to March 25, 2024, to accommodate answering all addenda questions submitted by potential vendors.
Ø March 25, 2024: Three (3) proposals were submitted and evaluated by staff.
Ø April 15, 2024: The ranking and evaluation committee met to discuss the proposals submitted, with Ferguson Enterprises being chosen to start negotiations with.
Ø June 13, 2024: A negotiation meeting was held with Ferguson Enterprises, LLC to finalize pricing and services.
Ø July 24, 2024: Notice of Intent to award RFP No. 2024-20 to Ferguson Enterprises, LLC was issued.
Amendment No. 1 is being requested to add line-item credits to the contract for the qualifying legacy Automated Meter Reading (AMR) meters to be warrantied and exchanged for credits to purchase the new AMI meters. Previously, a failed AMR endpoint that remained under warranty was replaced with like-kind AMR equipment. The introduction of the AMI Mach 10 meters within the recently awarded AMI contract, created a mismatch, as legacy components cannot be integrated with the new meters, and standard credit allowances did not align. The proposed amendment establishes a transition program that allows the remaining prorated warranty value of qualifying legacy AMR meters to be applied as a credit toward the purchase of compatible AMI meters.
Amendment No. 1 to Contract No. 2024-20 replaces Exhibit C, Fee Schedule, in its entirety while all other terms of the original agreement remain unchanged and in full force and effect.
Amendment No. 1 to Contract No. 2024-20 Advanced Water Meter System has been reviewed by the City Attorney and is legally correct as to form.
Amendment No. 1 to Contract No. 2024-20 Advanced Water Meter System has been provided to the City Clerk’s office on September 28, 2026, for signatures, subject to City Commission approval.
Strategic Plan Pillar
Infrastructure & Facilities Integrity
Financial Impact
Approval of the amendment will not increase the City’s financial obligations under Contract No. 2024-20. Approval of this amendment provides replacement cost savings by introducing age-based warranty credits for qualifying legacy AMR meters and replacement of AMI meters, which significantly reduces the cost of purchasing new AMI meters. These reductions represent meaningful savings and cost avoidance for the Utilities Department, particularly as older registers qualify for credits. All purchases will continue to be subject to approved budget appropriations, and all work performed under this contract will follow the City’s procurement processes to ensure proper oversight and compliance with applicable policies. These costs are budgeted for in account 420-6063-536.63-00 Project # U25AMI.
|
ProCoderR900i v4 Upgrade Program |
City’s Current Replacement Price |
Amended Replacement Price |
Net Savings Per Each Replacement |
|
Age 1-4 |
$ 285 |
$ 172 |
$ 113 |
|
Age 5-7 |
$ 285 |
$ 185 |
$ 100 |
|
Age 8-10 |
$ 285 |
$ 199 |
$ 87 |
|
Age 11-13 |
$ 285 |
$ 226 |
$ 60 |
|
Age 14-16 |
$ 285 |
$ 242 |
$ 44 |
|
Age 17-19 |
$ 285 |
$ 260 |
$ 25 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
5/8" x 3/4" Mach 10 Meter with 3' Neptune Quick Connect |
City’s Current Replacement Price |
Amended Replacement Price |
Net Savings Per Each Replacement |
|
Age 1-4 |
$ 215 |
$ 173 |
$ 42 |
|
Age 5-7 |
$ 215 |
$ 185 |
$ 30 |
|
Age 8-10 |
$ 215 |
$ 200 |
$ 15 |
Procurement
Advanced Water Meter System project was procured pursuant to Section 2-405 of the City of North Port Procurement Code - Competitive Sealed Proposal Process.
Attachments:
1. First Amendment
2. Contract
3. RFP and Addenda
4. Submittal by Ferguson Enterprises, LLC
Prepared by: Michelle Tipp, Utilities Senior Business Manager
Department Director: Michael Vuolo, Acting Utilities Director