REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Action on an Agreement with SEL Engineering Services, Inc. to Provide Protection Engineering Support Services for Substation Upgrades
Report
BACKGROUND
The City's Electric Utility, dba Silicon Valley Power (SVP), has been utilizing Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories' (SEL) protective relays for approximately 15 years. SEL is a leading provider of relays, programmable logic controllers, and communications networking equipment. This technology provides proprietary and complex logical programming that can prevent blackouts and enables SVP to improve power system reliability, stability and safety. For the same time period, SVP has engaged separately with SEL Engineering Services, Inc. to provide SVP with a complete turnkey protection engineering solution. As the complexity of our distribution system has increased, staff has identified several substation relays and programmable automation controllers upgrades that will be addressed through the proposed attached agreement.
DISCUSSION
SEL Engineering Services, Inc. is a licensed professional engineering firm which has been retained by the City for the past 15 years to provide engineering consulting services on the implementation of a specialized protective relay logic programming system in SVP substations.
Based on SEL Engineering Services, Inc.'s experience and proprietary protection logical programming designed within SVP Substations' relay equipment, staff recommends that the City retain SEL Engineering Services, Inc. to continue providing engineering consulting services for the following facilities: Parker Substation, Fairview Substation, Oak Junctions Substation, South Loop Expansion Project, Scott Receiving Station, Homestead Substation, Esperanca Substation and Northern Receiving Station. Sole sourcing the Agreement is in accordance with Santa Clara City Code Section 2.105.330 (e) (2) - General services - contracting procedures. This section provides for a sole source co...
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