Item 3- Network Perception — original pdf
Backup

Posting Language ..Title Authorize a contract for Network Perception software for Austin Energy with Dragos, Inc., for an initial term of three years with up to two one-year extension options in an amount not to exceed $600,000. Funding: $40,000 is available in the 2024-2025 Operating Budget of Austin Energy. ..Body Lead Department Financial Services Department. Client Department(s) Austin Energy. Fiscal Note Funding in the amount of $40,000 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: Critical Business Need. MBE/WBE: Critical Business Need 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: May 12, 2025 – To be reviewed by the Electric Utility Commission. Additional Backup Information: This contract is to provide Austin Energy with Network Perception software, licenses, and support. The software is used to visualize and audit network configurations, provide security assessments, and ensure regulatory compliance with high, medium, and low impact North American Electric Reliability Corporation assets, including cyber systems that are critical to the operation of the power grid. The North American Electric Reliability Corporation is a non-profit corporation that oversees regional reliability entities including the contiguous United States. The corporation is tasked with developing and enforcing reliability standards on behalf of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Beginning April 2026, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation will implement increased security standards for low- impact assets, requiring the same scrutiny as medium and high-impact assets. This software will be used to facilitate these requirements while reducing the manual input of compliance personnel. Without this contract, Austin Energy risks being non-compliant with the new security standards. Item 3