From
Glenda Peterson
Title
Purchase of 25 Uninterruptable Power Supply Systems (UPS) from Paradigm Traffic Systems, Inc. in the amount of $112,500 using the national interlocal agreement with BuyBoard (including a discount of $12,500)
Presenter
Ron McCuller, Public Works Director
Recommended Action
Approve
Analysis
The purchase of the battery backup units will provide an uninterruptable power supply (UPS) to 25 more signalized intersections located on the City's arterial roadway network. During extreme weather events, brownouts and traffic related accidents, power outages interrupt the power suply to the traffic signals. Battery backup units will provide 4 to 6 hours of temporary power to the traffic signals.
Currently there are 65 traffic signals outfitted with the UPS systems. Staff must deploy an additional 25 portable generators to existing traffic signals during weather events, brownouts and traffic related accidents that interrupt the power provided to the traffic signals. These 25 units will allow traffic signal personnel to respond to other critical calls during these type of events.
Chapter 271.102 of the Local Government Code authorizes local governments to participate in a cooperative purchasing program with another local government or local cooperative organization. In lieu of competitive bidding, items and services may be purchased through such agreements as the agreements have already been bid by the sponsoring entity or agency. The City of Grand Prairie has master inter-local cooperative agreements with various entities including BuyBoard.
The BuyBoard is able to save money by pooling the impressive purchasing power of their members, which include hundreds of school districts, municipalities, counties, other local governments, and nonprofits across Texas. They use the power of numbers as leverage to get better prices with the same vendors we use now.
The Buyboard contract (524-17) with Paradigm Traffic Systems, Inc. began Apri...
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