REGULAR MEETING OF THE ELECTRIC UTILITY COMMISSION February 10, 2025 6:00 PM AUSTIN ENERGY HEADQUARTERS/SHUDDE FATH CONFERENCE ROOM 4815 MUELLER BLVD AUSTIN, TEXAS Some members of the Electric Utility Commission maybe participating by videoconference. Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely by telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once either in-person or remotely and will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation. To register contact Amy Everhart, at Amy.Everhart@AustinEnergy.com or via phone at 512-322-6087. AGENDA Members: Dave Tuttle, Chair Kaiba White, Vice Chair Ayo Akande Raul Alvarez Lauren Bellomy Cesar Benavides Jonathon Blackburn Randy Chapman Chris Kirksey Cyrus Reed Joshua Rhodes CALL MEETING TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL The first 5 speakers signed up prior to the meeting being called to order will each be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the Electric Utility Commission Regular Meeting on January 13, 2025. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 2. Recommend approval authorizing a contract for a high-volume call answering system for Austin Energy with Aum Tech, Incorporated d/b/a Aumtech, for an initial term of three years with up to two one-year extension options, for a total contract amount not to exceed $1,900,000. Funding: $221,667 is available in Austin Energy’s Operating Budget. Funding for the remaining contract term is contingent upon available funding in future budgets. 3. Recommend approval authorizing a contract for lithium battery storage systems and maintenance for Austin Energy with Eaton Corporation, for an initial term of two years with up to three one-year extension options, for a total contract amount not to exceed $967,500. Funding: $630,000 is available in Austin Energy’s Capital Budget and $67,500 is available in the Operating Budget. Funding for the remaining contract term is contingent upon available funding in future budgets. 4. Recommend approval authorizing a contract for asset management software and support for Austin Energy with PowerPlan, Inc., for a term of five years for a total contract amount not to exceed $9,000,000. Funding: $1,050,000 is available in Austin Energy’s Operating Budget. Funding for the remaining contract term is contingent upon available funding in future budgets. 5. Recommend approval authorizing negotiation and execution of an interlocal agreement with Harris County in support of the …
Item 2 Posting Language ..Title Authorize a contract for a high-volume call answering system for Austin Energy with Aum Tech, Incorporated d/b/a Aumtech, for an initial term of three years with up to two one-year extension options, for a total contract amount not to exceed $1,900,000. Funding: $221,667 is available in Austin Energy’s Operating Budget. Funding for the remaining contract term is contingent upon available funding in future budgets. ..Body Lead Department Financial Services Department. Client Department(s) Austin Energy. Fiscal Note Funding in the amount of $221,667 is available in the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Operating Budget of Austin Energy. Funding for the remaining contract term is contingent upon available funding in future budgets. Purchasing Language: The Financial Services Department issued a Request for Proposals solicitation RFP 1100 DTB3025 for these services. The solicitation was issued on May 6, 2024, and closed on June 20, 2024. Of the eight offers received, the recommended contractor submitted the best evaluated responsive offer. A complete solicitation package, including a log of offers received, is available for viewing on the City’s website. This information can currently be found at https://financeonline.austintexas.gov/afo/account_services/solicitation/solicitation_details.cfm?sid=140600 . MBE/WBE: This solicitation was reviewed for subcontracting opportunities in accordance with City Code Chapter 2-9B (Minority-Owned and Women-Owned Business Enterprise Procurement Program). For the services required for this solicitation, there was no availability of M/WBEs; therefore, no subcontracting goals were established. For More Information: Direct questions regarding this Recommendation for Council Action to the Financial Services Department – Central Procurement at FSDCentralProcurementRCAs@austintexas.gov or 512-974-2500. Respondents to the solicitation and their Agents should direct all questions to the Authorized Contact Person identified in the solicitation. Council Committee, Boards and Commission Action: February 10, 2025 - To be reviewed by the Electric Utility Commission. Additional Backup Information: The contract will provide a high-volume call answering system for power outage calls from Austin Energy customers. In the event of a large power outage, calls can be forwarded to the high-volume call answering system to free up lines ensuring more callers can report an incident through an interactive voice response platform. The system collects and feeds relevant information into Austin Energy’s outage management system and can provide estimated power restoration times to customers. This is part of Austin Energy’s
..Body Posting Language ..Title Authorize a contract for lithium battery storage systems and maintenance for Austin Energy with Eaton Corporation, for an initial term of two years with up to three one-year extension options, for a total contract amount not to exceed $967,500. Funding: $630,000 is available in Austin Energy’s Capital Budget and $67,500 is available in the Operating Budget. Funding for the remaining contract term is contingent upon available funding in future budgets. Lead Department Financial Services Department. Client Department(s) Austin Energy. Fiscal Note Funding in the amount of $630,000 is available in the Capital Budget of Austin Energy. Funding in the amount of $67,500 is available in the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Operating Budget of Austin Energy. Funding for the remaining contract term is contingent upon available funding in future budgets. Purchasing Language: Sole Source. MBE/WBE: Sole source contracts are exempt from the City Code Chapter 2-9B (Minority-Owned and Women-Owned Business Enterprise Procurement Program); therefore, no subcontracting goals were established. For More Information: Direct questions regarding this Recommendation for Council Action to the Financial Services Department – Central Procurement at FSDCentralProcurementRCAs@austintexas.gov or 512-974-2500. Council Committee, Boards and Commission Action: February 10, 2025- To be reviewed by the Electric Utility Commission. Additional Backup Information: The contract will provide Austin Energy with an upgrade to lithium battery storage units and maintenance to the Uninterrupted Power Supply system that provides backup energy to Austin Energy’s System Control Center during power outages, allowing the transition away from aging flywheel storage systems. This upgraded system will ensure critical operations continue to provide support to Austin Energy customers during an outage. Additionally, the lithium batteries will provide long-term savings and environmental sustainability by reducing emissions while ensuring the reliability of Austin Energy’s System Control Center. Eaton Corporation is the only authorized contractor that can provide support and enhancements to the proprietary software on the existing Uninterrupted Power Supply system. Without this contract, Austin Energy will be unable to reduce operational disruptions, enhance energy storage, and support a mission critical location.
..Body Posting Language ..Title Authorize a contract for asset management software and support for Austin Energy with PowerPlan, Inc., for a term of five years for a total contract amount not to exceed $9,000,000. Funding: $1,050,000 is available in Austin Energy’s Operating Budget. Funding for the remaining contract term is contingent upon available funding in future budgets. Lead Department Financial Services Department. Client Department(s) Austin Energy. Fiscal Note Funding in the amount of $1,050,000 is available in the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Operating Budget of Austin Energy. Funding for the remaining contract term is contingent upon available funding in future budgets. Purchasing Language: Sole Source. MBE/WBE: Sole source contracts are exempt from the City Code Chapter 2-9B (Minority-Owned and Women-Owned Business Enterprise Procurement Program); therefore, no subcontracting goals were established. For More Information: Direct questions regarding this Recommendation for Council Action to the Financial Services Department – Central Procurement at FSDCentralProcurementRCAs@austintexas.gov or 512-974-2500. Council Committee, Boards and Commission Action: February 10, 2025 – To be reviewed by the Electric Utility Commission. Additional Backup Information: This contract will provide Austin Energy with PowerPlan software licensing and support which is used for asset management and cost-recovery. PowerPlan is specifically designed to meet the needs of electric utilities and is critical to Austin Energy’s ability to financially manage its assets and provides valuable insights that allow Austin Energy to determine how compliance requirements impact the treatment of assets. PowerPlan, Inc. is the current and sole provider of PowerPlan software maintenance and support and retains exclusive rights to the proprietary source code for the application. Without this contract, Austin Energy would be exposed to compliance risk and unable to maximize financial performance.
..De Posting Language ..Title Authorize negotiation and execution of an interlocal agreement with Harris County in support of the Solar for All Program activities, for the term of March 27, 2025, through the grant period ending August 31, 2029, for a total agreement in the amount not to exceed $31,593,683. Funding in the amount of $31,593,683 is available starting in the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Austin Energy Operating Budget Special Revenue Fund. Lead Department Austin Energy Fiscal Note Funding in the amount of $31,593,683 is available starting in the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Austin Energy Operating Budget Special Revenue Fund. Prior Council Action: October 24, 2024- Council approved an ordinance to accept and appropriate grant funds from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and add three full-time equivalent grant positions to implement the Solar for All residential-serving community and residential rooftop solar program For More Information: Richard Génecé, Vice President, Customer Energy Solutions, Austin Energy, (512)-322-6327; Tim Harvey, Customer Renewable Solutions Manager (512)- 482-5386; Amy Everhart, Local Government Issues Director (512) 322-6087. Council Committee, Boards and Commission Action: February 10, 2025 - To be reviewed by the Electric Utility Commission. February 18, 2025 - To be reviewed by the Resource Management Commission. Additional Backup Information: On December 17, 2024, Harris County received a subrecipient agreement from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for The Texas Solar for All Coalition. Harris County has asked for subrecipient acceptance during the next meetings of the Commissioners Court. Austin Energy as a Coalition Member and as a subrecipient, will be required to execute an interlocal agreement with Harris County to carry out the performance of this award. Subrecipient interlocal agreement is subject to applicable EPA regulatory and statutory provisions, all terms and conditions of the signed agreement for a five-year grant term. The objective of these funds is to accelerate community solar projects in the City of Austin over the next five years. Austin Energy plans to provide financial and technical assistance to low-income and disadvantaged communities to deploy community solar and residential-serving distributed solar energy and storage projects. Solar projects receiving financial assistance from this federal funding may receive assistance for upgrades that maximize the benefits, such as energy efficiency improvements through existing Austin Energy weatherization programming. The expected outcomes include climate and air pollution benefits, equity and community benefits, and market transformation benefits. The intended beneficiaries include households in low-income and disadvantaged communities. The improvements …
..De Posting Language ..Title Authorize expenditures for annual renewals of professional dues and memberships in national and state associations and organizations related to the electric utility industry, in an amount not to exceed $460,000. Funding is available in the Operating Budget of Austin Energy. Lead Department Austin Energy Fiscal Note Funding is available in the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Operating Budget of Austin Energy. Prior Council Action: February 29, 2024- City Council approved expenditures for annual renewals of professional dues and memberships in national and state associations and organizations related to the electric utility industry. For More Information: Tammy Cooper, Deputy General Manager, Regulatory, Communications, Compliance, & Legal Services (512) 505-3901 Council Committee, Boards and Commission Action: February 10, 2025 - To be reviewed by the Electric Utility Commission. Additional Backup Information: The following list identifies and describes professional membership organizations of which Austin Energy is a member. The list includes dues amounts for 2025. 1. Large Public Power Council (LPPC): an amount not to exceed $176,037 LPPC members are focused on providing reliable and affordable electricity for the customers and communities they serve across the country. LPPC consists of 25 of the nation’s largest public power systems, including Austin Energy, City Public Service Energy and Lower Colorado River Authority. LPPC provides forums where public power electric utility professionals exchange information and best practices. LPPC has several committees, task forces, and working groups that address a wide range of issues including federal legislation, environmental rules and regulations, tax implications, cyber security, emerging trends, and electric and energy policy and regulation. LPPC hires professional consultants in each of these areas to assist the organization and its individual members. 2. American Public Power Association (APPA): an amount not to exceed $144,812 APPA is the voice of not-for-profit, community-owned utilities that power 2,000 towns and cities nationwide. APPA represents public power before the federal government to protect the interests of the more than 49 million people that public power utilities serve, and the 93,000 people they employ. APPA advocates and advises on electricity policy, technology, trends, training, and operations. APPA provides an array of services to assist Austin Energy in fulfilling its mission to safely provide clean, affordable, and reliable service. APPA provides detailed analyses of federal legislation related to the electric utility industry, and a full array of advocacy, education, and information services and programs. APPA also coordinates disaster recovery efforts. 3. Texas …
..Body Posting Language ..Title Authorize two contracts for electronic distribution circuit reclosers for Austin Energy with KBS Electrical Distributors Inc. and Priester-Mell & Nicholson Inc., each for initial terms of two years with up to three one- year extension options, for total contract amounts not to exceed $32,500,000 divided equally between the contractors, or the department may choose any contractor that has the available product. Funding: $32,500,000 is available in Austin Energy’s Capital Budget. Lead Department Financial Services Department. Client Department(s) Austin Energy. Fiscal Note Funding is available in the Capital Budget of Austin Energy. Purchasing Language: The Financial Services Department issued an Invitation for Bids solicitation IFB 1100 CPG1001 for these goods. The solicitation was issued on November 4, 2024, and closed on December 10, 2024. Of the four offers received, the recommended contractors submitted the lowest responsive offers. A complete solicitation package, including a tabulation of the bids received, is available for viewing on the City’s website. This information can currently be found at https://financeonline.austintexas.gov/afo/account_services/solicitation/solicitation_details.cfm?sid=141468 . MBE/WBE: This solicitation was reviewed for subcontracting opportunities in accordance with City Code Chapter 2-9B (Minority-Owned and Women-Owned Business Enterprise Procurement Program). For the goods required for this solicitation, there were no subcontracting opportunities. For More Information: Direct questions regarding this Recommendation for Council Action to the Financial Services Department – Central Procurement at FSDCentralProcurementRCAs@austintexas.gov or 512-974-2500. Respondents to the solicitation and their Agents should direct all questions to the Authorized Contact Person identified in the solicitation. Council Committee, Boards and Commission Action: February 10, 2025 - To be reviewed by the Electric Utility Commission. Additional Backup Information: These contracts will provide electronic distribution circuit reclosers for Austin Energy, which are installed on overhead electric distribution lines to detect disturbances, open the electric circuit to allow the disturbance to clear, and reclose the circuit to restore power. Reclosers improve system performance, reduce momentary power outages, improve reliability, and isolate permanent electric faults. The reclosers will be used on an as- needed basis to replace units as they reach their end of life and be used for new project installations. If a contract is not approved, restoration of power during outages would be impacted.
