TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THRU: Jarad Hildenbrand, City Manager
FROM: Christopher Cash, Public Works Director
1. Subject
title
Authorize purchase of four traffic signal cabinets and one controller from Econolite Control Products, Inc. and a Centracs Software Maintenance Agreement from Econolite Systems, Inc., as a sole source procurement
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2. Summary
The maintenance of the city’s 158 traffic signals requires the purchase of parts, including major components such as traffic signal cabinets and controllers. Econolite Control Products, Inc., and Econolite Systems, Inc., provide hardware and software necessary to achieve consistency and compatibility with the city’s existing traffic signal infrastructure. These vendors are the only providers of their respective products and services. Therefore, a sole source procurement is justified.
3. Recommended Action
recommendation
Approve the sole source purchase of four traffic signal cabinets and one controller from Econolite Control Products, Inc. and a Centracs Software Maintenance Agreement from Econolite Systems, Inc. for a total of $113,969.
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4. Fiscal Impact
The expense for this purchase is $113,969 and will be funded through Traffic Signal Controller Changeout (255073) and Biennial Traffic Signal Coordination (255094) respectively:
270-5704-87101-255073 Traffic Signal Controller Changeout $93,500
263-5704-87101-255094 Biennial Traffic Signal Coordination $20,469
Total $113,969
5. Strategic Plan Goals
Goal 5: Improve Infrastructure, Mobility, and Technology
6. Discussion and Background
Traffic signal cabinets serve two primary functions: to protect sensitive electrical components from exposure and provide capacity to house traffic signal hardware needed to expand functionality. Traffic signal controllers are the “brains” of a signalized intersection and are used to operate the selection and timing of traffic movements in accordance with the varying demands of traffic as registered with the controller unit by detectors. Maintaining serviceable condition of field traffic signal equipment, including cabinets and controllers, is critical for ensuring a safe and efficient transportation system.
Equally important is the maintenance of advanced traffic control software. The city uses Centracs software installed in the Traffic Management Center’s workstations as a tool to monitor, manage and optimize traffic signals.
Staff have successfully taken advantage of various opportunities, including federal/state grants and Measure M2 grant funding, to upgrade aging traffic signal controllers and will continue to do so moving ahead. However, there remains several intersections that, due to lack of regional significance and other factors, are ineligible or unlikely to be funded through these external grant sources. As a result, some legacy equipment requires replacement through other funding methods. In April 2023 the City Council approved the purchase of four traffic signal cabinets for replacement and installation at various intersections throughout the City. As part of this ongoing effort to replace older equipment, four traffic signal cabinets are recommended for purchase at the following signalized intersections:
1. Santiago Boulevard and Meats Avenue
2. Santiago Boulevard and Serrano Avenue
3. La Veta Avenue and Bedford Road
4. Prospect Street and Bond Avenue
The traffic signal controller will be kept in stock and deployed if an existing controller malfunctions or is destroyed in a collision. Moreover, the purchase of a one-year Software Maintenance Agreement will ensure the city will receive a software upgrade to the current version of Centracs, periodic software maintenance updates, and technical support for City staff.
Econolite Control Products, Inc. and Econolite Systems, Inc. are subsidiaries of Econolite Group, Inc. (Econolite). City staff uses Econolite products and software on a daily basis. To achieve consistency and compatibility with existing signal infrastructure, staff recommends the purchase of four traffic signal cabinets and one controller from Econolite Control Products, Inc. and a Centracs Software Maintenance Agreement for a one-year period from Econolite Systems, Inc. These subsidiaries are part of Econolite, which is the sole provider and distributor of Econolite products in California, therefore warranting a sole source procurement.
The total amount of the procurement and installation is not to exceed $113,969. To minimize expenses, the installation (replacement) of the traffic signal controller cabinets will be performed by either staff or the city’s on-call traffic signal maintenance contractor.
7. ATTACHMENTS
• Econolite Quote
• Single Source Letter from Econolite