HomeMy WebLinkAboutExcergy 2020-07-07 COU No. 2021-089
AGREEMENT FOR
PROFESSIONAL CONSULTING SERVICES
This Agreement, made and entered into this 7th day of July, 2020 ("Effective Date"), by and
between CITY OF UKIAH, CALIFORNIA, hereinafter referred to as "City" and Excergy, a corporation,
organized and in good standing under the laws of the state of Colorado, hereinafter referred to as
"Consultant".
RECITALS
This Agreement is predicated on the following facts:
a. City requires consulting services related to project management services for the replacement of
the City's Utility Billing Customer Information System (CIS).
b. Consultant represents that it has the qualifications, skills, experience and properly licensed to
provide these services, and is willing to provide them according to the terms of this Agreement.
C. City and Consultant agree upon the Scope-of-Work and Work Schedule attached hereto as
Attachment "A", describing contract provisions for the project and setting forth the completion
dates for the various services to be provided pursuant to this Agreement.
TERMS OF AGREEMENT
1.0 DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT
1.1 The Project is described in detail in the attached Scope-of-Work (Attachment "A").
2.0 SCOPE OF SERVICES
2.1 As set forth in Attachment"A".
2.2. Additional Services. Additional services, if any, shall only proceed upon written agreement
between City and Consultant. The written Agreement shall be in the form of an Amendment to
this Agreement.
3.0 CONDUCT OF WORK
3.1 Time of Completion. Consultant shall commence performance of services as required by the
Scope-of-Work upon receipt of a Notice to Proceed from City and shall complete such services
within sixteen months from receipt of the Notice to Proceed. Consultant shall complete the work
to the City's reasonable satisfaction, even if contract disputes arise or Consultant contends it is
entitled to further compensation.
4.0 COMPENSATION FOR SERVICES
4.1 Basis for Compensation. For the performance of the professional services of this Agreement,
Consultant shall be compensated on a time and expense basis not to exceed a guaranteed
maximum dollar amount of $143,131. Labor charges shall be based upon hourly billing rates
for the various classifications of personnel employed by Consultant to perform the Scope of
Work as set forth in the attached Attachment A, which shall include all indirect costs and
expenses of every kind or nature, except direct expenses. The direct expenses and the fees to
be charged for same shall be as set forth in Attachment A. Consultant shall complete the Scope
of Work for the not-to-exceed guaranteed maximum, even if actual time and expenses exceed
that amount.
4.2 Changes. Should changes in compensation be required because of changes to the Scope-of-
Work of this Agreement, the parties shall agree in writing to any changes in compensation.
"Changes to the Scope-of-Work" means different activities than those described in Attachment
"A" and not additional time to complete those activities than the parties anticipated on the date
they entered this Agreement.
4.3 Sub-contractor Pam. The use of sub-consultants or other services to perform a portion of
the work of this Agreement shall be approved by City prior to commencement of work. The cost
of sub-consultants shall be included within guaranteed not-to-exceed amount set forth in Section
4.1.
4.4 Terms__of Payment. Payment to Consultant for services rendered in accordance with this
contract shall be based upon submission of monthly invoices for the work satisfactorily
performed prior to the date of invoice less any amount already paid to Consultant, which
amounts shall be due and payable thirty (30) days after receipt by City. The invoices shall
provide a description of each item of work performed, the time expended to perform each task,
the fees charged for that task, and the direct expenses incurred and billed for. Invoices shall be
accompanied by documentation sufficient to enable City to determine progress made and the
expenses claimed.
5.0 ASSURANCES OF CONSULTANT
5.1 Indevendent Contractor. Consultant is an independent contractor and is solely responsible for
its acts or omissions. Consultant (including its agents, servants, and employees) is not City's
agent, employee, or representative for any purpose.
It is the express intention of the parties hereto that Consultant is an independent contractor and
not an employee,joint venturer, or partner of City for any purpose whatsoever. City shall have
no right to, and shall not control the manner or prescribe the method of accomplishing those
services contracted to and performed by Consultant under this Agreement, and the general
public and all governmental agencies regulating such activity shall be so informed.
Those provisions of this Agreement that reserve ultimate authority in City have been inserted
solely to achieve compliance with federal and state laws, rules, regulations, and interpretations
thereof. No such provisions and no other provisions of this Agreement shall be interpreted or
construed as creating or establishing the relationship of employer and employee between
Consultant and City.
Consultant shall pay all estimated and actual federal and state income and self-employment
taxes that are due the state and federal government and shall furnish and pay worker's
compensation insurance, unemployment insurance and any other benefits required by law for
himself and his employees, if any. Consultant agrees to indemnify and hold City and its officers,
agents and employees harmless from and against any claims or demands by federal, state or
local government agencies for any such taxes or benefits due but not paid by Consultant,
including the legal costs associated with defending against any audit, claim, demand or law suit.
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Consultant warrants and represents that it is a properly licensed professional or professional
organization with a substantial investment in its business and that it maintains its own offices
and staff which it will use in performing under this Agreement.
5.2 Conflict of Interest. Consultant understands that its professional responsibility is solely to City.
Consultant has no interest and will not acquire any direct or indirect interest that would conflict
with its performance of the Agreement. Consultant shall not in the performance of this
Agreement employ a person having such an interest. If the City Manager determines that the
Consultant has a disclosure obligation under the City's local conflict of interest code, the
Consultant shall file the required disclosure form with the City Clerk within 10 days of being
notified of the City Manager's determination.
6.0 INDEMNIFICATION
6.1 Insurance Liability. Without limiting Consultant's obligations arising under Paragraph 6.2
Consultant shall not begin work under this Agreement until it procures and maintains for the full
period of time allowed by law, surviving the termination of this Agreement insurance against
claims for injuries to persons or damages to property, which may arise from or in connection
with its performance under this Agreement.
A. Minimum Scope of Insurance
Coverage shall be at least as broad as:
1. Insurance Services Office ("ISO) Commercial General Liability Coverage Form
No. CG 20 10 10 01 and Commercial General Liability Coverage — Completed
Operations Form No. CG 20 37 10 01.
2. ISO Form No. CA 0001 (Ed. 1187) covering Automobile Liability, Code 1 "any
auto" or Code 8, 9 if no owned autos and endorsement CA 0025.
3. Worker's Compensation Insurance as required by the Labor Code of the State of
California and Employers Liability Insurance.
4. Errors and Omissions liability insurance appropriate to the consultant's
profession. Architects' and engineers' coverage is to be endorsed to include
contractual liability.
B. Minimum Limits of Insurance
Consultant shall maintain limits no less than:
1. General Liability: $1,000,000 combined single limit per occurrence for bodily
injury, personal injury and property damage including operations, products and
completed operations. If Commercial General Liability Insurance or other form
with a general aggregate limit is used, the general aggregate limit shall apply
separately to the work performed under this Agreement, or the aggregate limit
shall be twice the prescribed per occurrence limit.
2. Automobile Liability: $1,000,000 combined single limit per accident for bodily
injury and property damage.
PAGF 3 OF 7
3. Worker's Compensation and Em to ers Liability: Worker's compensation limits
as required by the Labor Code of the State of California and Employers Liability
limits of$1,000,000 per accident.
4. Errors and Omissions liability: $1,000,000 per occurrence.
C. Deductibles and Self-Insured Retentions
Any deductibles or self-insured retentions must be declared to and approved by the City.
At the option of the City, either the insurer shall reduce or eliminate such deductibles or
self-insured retentions as respects to the City, its officers, officials, employees and
volunteers; or the Consultant shall procure a bond guaranteeing payment of losses and
related investigations, claim administration and defense expenses.
D. Other Insurance Provisions
The policies are to contain, or be endorsed to contain, the following provisions:
1. General Liability and Automobile Liability Coverages
a. The City, it officers, officials, employees and volunteers are to be covered
as additional insureds as respects; liability arising out of activities
performed by or on behalf of the Consultant, products and completed
operations of the Consultant, premises owned, occupied or used by the
Consultant, or automobiles owned, hired or borrowed by the Consultant
for the full period of time allowed by law, surviving the termination of this
Agreement. The coverage shall contain no special limitations on the
scope-of-protection afforded to the City, its officers, officials, employees
or volunteers.
b. The Consultant's insurance coverage shall be primary insurance as
respects to the City, its officers, officials, employees and volunteers. Any
insurance or self-insurance maintained by the City, its officers, officials,
employees or volunteers shall be in excess of the Consultant's insurance
and shall not contribute with it.
C. Any failure to comply with reporting provisions of the policies shall not
affect coverage provided to the City, its officers, officials, employees or
volunteers.
d. The Consultant's insurance shall apply separately to each insured against
whom claim is made or suit is brought, except with respect to the limits of
the insurer's liability.
2. Worker's Compensation and Employers Liability Coverage
The insurer shall agree to waive all rights of subrogation against the City, its
officers, officials, employees and volunteers for losses arising from Consultant's
performance of the work, pursuant to this Agreement.
PAGE 4 Of 7
3. Professional Liability Coverage
If written on a claims-made basis,the retroactivity date shall be the effective date
of this Agreement. The policy period shall extend one year from date of final
approved invoice for this project.
4. All Coverages
Each Insurance policy required by this clause shall be endorsed to state that
coverage shall not be suspended, voided, canceled by either party, reduced in
coverage or in limits except after thirty (30) days prior written notice by certified
mail, return receipt requested, has been given to the City.
E. Acceptability of insurers
Insurance is to be placed with admitted California insurers with an A.M. Best's rating of
no less than A-for financial strength, AA for long-term credit rating and AMB-1 for
short-term credit rating.
F. Verification of Coverage
Consultant shall furnish the City with Certificates of Insurance and with original
Endorsements effecting coverage required by this Agreement. The Certificates and
Endorsements for each insurance policy are to be signed by a person authorized by that
insurer to bind coverage on its behalf. The Certificates and Endorsements are to be on
forms provided or approved by the City. All Certificates and Endorsements are to be
received and approved by the City before Consultant begins the work of this Agreement.
The City reserves the right to require complete, certified copies of all required insurance
policies, at any time. If Consultant fails to provide the coverages required herein, the
City shall have the right, but not the obligation, to purchase any or all of them. In that
event, after notice to Consultant that City has paid the premium, the cost of insurance
may be deducted from the compensation otherwise due the contractor under the terms
of this Contract.
G. Subcontractors
Consultant shall include all sub-contractors or sub-consultants as insured under its
policies or shall furnish separate certificates and endorsements for each sub-contractor
or sub-consultant. All coverage for sub-contractors or sub-consultants shall be subject
to all insurance requirements set forth in this Paragraph 6.1.
6.2 Indemnification. Notwithstanding the foregoing insurance requirements, and in addition thereto,
Consultant agrees, for the full period of time allowed by law, surviving the termination of this
Agreement, to indemnify the City for any claim, cost or liability that arises out of, or pertains to,
or relates to any negligent act or omission or the willful misconduct of Consultant and its agents
in the performance of services under this contract, but this indemnity does not apply to liability
for damages for death or bodily injury to persons, injury to property, or other loss, arising from
the sole negligence,willful misconduct or defects in design by the City, or arising from the active
negligence of the City.
"Indemnify,"as used herein includes the expenses of defending against a claim and the payment
of any settlement or judgment arising out of the claim. Defense costs include all costs
PAGE 5 Of 7
associated with defending the claim, including, but not limited to, the fees of attorneys,
investigators, consultants, experts and expert witnesses, and litigation expenses.
References in this paragraph to City or Consultant, include their officers, employees, agents,
and subcontractors.
7.0 CONTRACT PROVISIONS
7.1 Documents and Ownership of Work. All documents furnished to Consultant by City and all
documents or reports and supportive data prepared by Consultant under this Agreement are
owned and become the property of the City upon their creation and shall be given to City
immediately upon demand and at the completion of Consultant's services at no additional cost
to City. Deliverables are identified in the Scope-of-Work, Attachment "A". All documents
produced by Consultant shall be furnished to City in digital format and hardcopy. Consultant
shall produce the digital format, using software and media approved by City.
7.2 Governing Law. Consultant shall comply with the laws and regulations of the United States, the
State of California, and all local governments having jurisdiction over this Agreement. The
interpretation and enforcement of this Agreement shall be governed by California law and any
action arising under or in connection with this Agreement must be filed in a Court of competent
jurisdiction in Mendocino County.
7.3 Entire_Agreement. This Agreement plus its Attachment(s) and executed Amendments set forth
the entire understanding between the parties.
7.4 Severability. if any term of this Agreement is held invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction,
the remainder of this Agreement shall remain in effect.
7.5 Modification. No modification of this Agreement is valid unless made with the agreement of both
parties in writing.
7.6 Assignment. Consultant's services are considered unique and personal. Consultant shall not
assign, transfer, or sub-contract its interest or obligation under all or any portion of this
Agreement without City's prior written consent.
7.7 Waiver. No waiver of a breach of any covenant, term, or condition of this Agreement shall be a
waiver of any other or subsequent breach of the same or any other covenant, terra or condition
or a waiver of the covenant, term or condition itself.
7.8 Termination. This Agreement may only be terminated by either party: 1) for breach of the
Agreement; 2) because funds are no longer available to pay Consultant for services provided
under this Agreement; or 3) City has abandoned and does not wish to complete the project for
which Consultant was retained. A party shall notify the other party of any alleged breach of the
Agreement and of the action required to cure the breach. If the breaching party fails to cure the
breach within the time specified in the notice, the contract shall be terminated as of that time. If
terminated for lack of funds or abandonment of the project, the contract shall terminate on the
date notice of termination is given to Consultant. City shall pay the Consultant only for services
performed and expenses incurred as of the effective termination date. In such event, as a
condition to payment, Consultant shall provide to City all finished or unfinished documents, data,
studies, surveys, drawings, maps, models, photographs and reports prepared by the Consultant
under this Agreement. Consultant shall be entitled to receive just and equitable compensation
for any work satisfactorily completed hereunder, subject to off-set for any direct or consequential
damages City may incur as a result of Consultant's breach of contract.
PAGE 6 aF 7
7.9 Execution of Agreement.reement. This Agreement may be executed in duplicate originals, each
bearing the original signature of the parties. Alternatively, this Agreement may be executed
and delivered by facsimile or other electronic transmission, and in more than one counterpart,
each of which shall be deemed an original, and all of which together shall constitute one and
the same instrument.When executed using either alternative, the executed agreement shall
be deemed an original admissible as evidence in any administrative or judicial proceeding to
prove the terms and content of this Agreement.
8.0 NOTICES
Any notice given under this Agreement shall be in writing and deemed given when personally
delivered or deposited in the mail (certified or registered) addressed to the parties as follows:
CITY OF UKIAH JIM KETCHLEDGE
DEPT. OF FINANCE PRESIDENT& CEO
300 SEMINARY AVENUE 501 S. CHERRY ST., SUITE 1100
UKIAH, CALIFORNIA 95482-5400 DENVER, COLORADO 80246
9.0 SIGNATURES
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreement the Effective Date:
CONSULTANT
BY: Z�� 1171zvz-0-
n f, Date
PRINT'NAME: G�IN£ I f. C'�/
IRS IDN Number
CITY OF UKIAH
BY: 07-24-2020
MGff SAP GIACOMO Date
CITY MANAGER
ATTEST
07-24-2020
CITY CLERK Date
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ATTACHMENT A - Contract 2021-089
RESPONSE TO UKIAH RFP FOR CIS PROJECT MANAGEMENT SERVICES
B. Project Understanding and Proposed Approach
Our Understanding
Planning and implementing a new CIS project can be one of the most complex endeavors a utility undertakes.The
new technologies, integrations to legacy systems, business process transformation within the utility, and customer
engagement aspects are multifaceted and connected in a way that most operational upgrades are not.Successful
projects follow an excellent project management and integration process due to challenges related to the
inherent complex technology,the lack of depth in many vendors' project services,and the integration points
across other enterprise IT systems. It is extremely important to get started on the right path early in the process.
The City of Ukiah is seeking a skilled, Professional Project Management(PMP)-certified project manager(PM)with
years of utility system integration and implementation expertise to support the procurement and implementation
of a new utility billing CIS system to replace the City's outdated Harris Classic Utility Billing system.The City is
looking for a new CIS solution that incorporates GIS,work order management, manual and hand-held input of
meter reads and ultimately Advanced Metering Infrastructure(AMI) integration.The CIS billing system would also
need to integrate with the City's ERP system,Tyler Munis,for accounting purposes.
Due to the intricacies of replacing a billing system,and the lack of current internal City resources,the City is
looking to release a Request for Proposal (RFP)for a new system (either hosted or non-hosted)that can easily
transition and integrate from manual meter reading to an AMI network using industry standard protocols
resulting in increased operational efficiencies that help to both reduce costs and elevate utility billing customer
service.The City is looking for a Project Management individual or team skilled in diplomatically managing
multiple teams simultaneously, resolving conflicts,and communicating effectively—as well as providing expert
project management tools, methodologies,and bests practices—to effectively and efficiently deliver a successful
CIS solution as scheduled and for the agreed-upon price.The City estimates 12-18 months from start to finish.
Approach to Scope of Work
The following represents Excergy's streamlined approach to simultaneously provide the CIS services desired by
Ukiah as illustrated in figure below.
F— 1. Project Management
2. Functional Requirements/
T Integration Mapping
A
3. CIS Vendor Selection
\"..Procurement DelS
RequirementsK 4. Ongoing Project Management
&Implementation Support
S
Project Management 5. Systems Testing&Acceptance
6. Operational Transition/
Training
Figure 1. Excergy's Streamlined Approach to Deliver the City's Scope of Work
Task 1 — Project Management
One of the primary factors that distinguishes successful CIS projects is the quality of the project management. In
the Excergy model,our PM works very closely with the designated utility personnel and uses our proven process,
methods,and experience to produce a robust,flexible implementation approach.We have found most vendors
do not have the same high level of PM capabilities,and we are very experienced in helping a combined customer-
vendor team execute successfully.
Throughout all project phases,expert project management will be essential to meeting the"iron triangle"
dimensions of cost, quality,and schedule. Project and Program management is a core skill set for Excergy,and we
/excergy
RESPONSE TO UKIAH RFP FOR CIS PROJECT MANAGEMENT SERVICES
pride ourselves on the advanced maturity of our capabilities. Excergy uses the Project Management Institute's
(PMI's) PMBOK® (Project Management Body of Knowledge)and Agile approaches as the basis of our project
management philosophy and methods. Most of our PMs are PMI-Certified Project Management Professionals.
This certification is proof of our commitment to project management as a competency,as well as evidence of
knowledge of project management fundamentals.
Excergy will hold an organizational kickoff session with Ukiah's team to review project scope, requirements,
deliverables,timetable, reporting relationships, project management tools,and a communications plan.We will
discuss sensitivities, issues,and concerns unique to Ukiah that we will address during the project.We will establish
a set of project management and reporting protocols.
The Excergy PM will work with Ukiah personnel to manage the project through the five phases of the project
lifecycle: Initiating, Planning, Executing,Controlling, and Closing. Project Management activities include:
Managing the activities of the team and subcontractors, including risks and issues
Working in close partnership with Ukiah and the CIS vendor to ensure the project's success
Accounting for all deliverables produced by the team
Delivering a quality product on schedule and within budget(size, effort,and cost)
At project initiation,the Excergy PM will review and finalize the project plan elements at a kickoff meeting at City
of Ukiah offices.The kickoff meeting is used to introduce personnel participating in the project, review initial
project plans,start preparation for functional requirements gathering interviews/workshops and
understand/define the system integration mapping(i.e.,Solution Architecture).The Excergy PM will work to
clarify purpose and align systems understanding.The Excergy PM will be responsible for the activities in Table 1
below.
Table 1. Typical Project Management Activities
DESCRIPTION
Scope Ensure that the project plans outline all of the work required to complete the project successfully.
Management Scope management consists of initiation,scope planning, scope definition,scope verification, and
scope change control.
Change Ensure that a baseline project plan is established at project initiation, and that a formal change
Management control process is in place to control changes to the baseline project plan throughout the project
lifecycle.
Integration Ensure that the various elements of the project are properly coordinated. Integration management
Management consists of project plan development, project plan execution,and overall change control.
Cost Ensure that the project is completed within the approved budget. Cost management consists of
Management resource planning,cost estimating,cost budgeting,and cost control.
Procurement Acquire goods and services from outside the performing organization. Procurement support
Support consists of procurement and solicitation planning; solicitation;source selection; and contract
administration and closeout.
Quality Ensure that the project will satisfy the needs for which it was undertaken.Quality management
Management consists of quality planning,quality assurance, quality control,and configuration management.
Ensure timely and appropriate generation,collection,distribution,and storage of project
Reporting information.The project manager also handles reporting and status information management
Management consists of communications planning, information distribution, performance reporting, and
administrative closure.
Resource Ensure that qualified resources are available to perform each task defined in this SOW in
Management accordance with the baseline project schedule.As necessary,the project manager ensures that
resources have been provided with training to establish particular expertise required to perform
��excergy
RESPONSE TO UKIAH RFP FOR CIS PROJECT MANAGEMENT SERVICES
PM ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION
tasks within the SOW.The project manager reinforces the importance of establishing and
maintaining professional working relationships among Utilities and vendor team members,as well
as monitors these relationships.
Time Ensure the timely completion of the project.Time management consists of activity definition,
Management activity sequencing,activity duration estimating,and schedule development and control.
Identify and analyze project risks and respond to those risks.The Excergy approach to risk
management has three components—identification, prioritization,and mitigation. Risks are
Risk identified at project inception and categorized based on probability and impact.A risk mitigation
Management plan is defined to impacts should the risk occur.The risk mitigation plan is continuously re-
evaluated during the project lifetime. Once a risk actually occurs, it is moved to the issue tracking
process.
The Excergy PM will manage the weekly project status cycle for the
City.On a CIS replacement project, it is important to establish a
regular cadence in which progress towards the plan, performance W,,*sutwRem
status, risk management, items of concern,and open action items are
managed regularly and consistently.A written project status report is �-
created by the Excergy PM,with input from the CIS vendor,to provide ■ram
project status to Ukiah personnel and management.A sample report — ■ row,
is shown in Figure 2.
v+n,a Ag.,.,°4„
Excergy compiles status from all parties into a consolidated status
report, updates project action items and risks, and prepares for a City
of Ukiah weekly status meeting.The weekly meeting will be led by the
P1. N=rt WMk(WMkW}8p�
Excergy.The vendor PM or experts are only needed if deeper
NM6su�Ny�,A=��
examination of status or important issues are on the agenda.The
meeting assesses the overall health of the project and directs actions ° � ��•«k,W„kW bN�
as needed. If an action item affects the scope of the project(technical A.,
baseline,schedule,or cost),Change Control documentation will be Figure 2. Sample Weekly
initiated to assure City acceptance of the proposed change. Status Report
The Excergy PM will develop an implementation plan that will support
Ukiah's CIS vision.The objective of this task is to develop a comprehensive implementation plan that defines the
logical sequence for the deployment strategy, project schedule,and support requirements. Implementation
responsibilities will be defined.The draft implementation plan will be reviewed with Ukiah personnel and
finalized.
Part of the PM role we are proposing includes ongoing quality assurance of deliverables from the vendor for all
project phases.The Project Manager will draw from the expertise of the CIS Subject Matter Expert(SME)on an as-
needed basis for these tasks and, in particular, document and subject matter-specific quality reviews of vendor
deliverables.This SME will also be involved in the selection,acquisition,and contracting process and,therefore,
knowledgeable about both the needs of the City of Ukiah and contract requirements.
TASK 1 DELIVERABLES
— Kickoff meeting minutes
— Project Execution Plan (PEP)that defines Project Scope,Organization, Risk and Issue Management,and
Configuration Management
— Status Reports
— PM Tools and Templates
��excergy
RESPONSE TO UKIAH RFP FOR CIS PROJECT MANAGEMENT SERVICES
— Risk/Issue Tracking
— Action Item Tracking
Task 2— Functional Requirements/integration Mapping
This task will develop the functional requirements for Procurement.Through a series of workshops and
interviews, using our knowledge from work on previous project procurements,we gather your Ukiah-specific
functional requirements.The outputs are a functionality matrix and a high-level System Architecture or
integration mapping needed to achieve the business goals and objectives identified in the Business Case or other
needs assessment.This task is composed of two subtasks:
2.1 CIS Functional Requirement& Business Objective Definition
2.2 Develop/Validate CIS Solutions Architecture/Integration Map
Subtask 2.1:Functional Requirement&Business Objective Definition
CIS Process and Functionality Analysis
These sessions will begin immediately after the kickoff.These remote sessions will last approximately three days
and consist of both workshops and individual interviews with key stakeholders. Part of the time is open inquiry;
part of the time deals with our pre-existing knowledge of CIS functionality and what is applicable to your situation.
The workshop areas are:
Customer Service & Customer Accounts
No, New Customer Handling
► Current Customer Handling
No, Customer Data Collection&Verification
► Customer Work Order Generation &Completion
► IT Operations and support of these activities
Meter Reading, Billing& Rate Analysis
► Meter Reading and Exception Processing
► Rate Requirements/Tariff Complexity Analysis/Miscellaneous Charges
► Charging and Billing Exception Processing
► Bill Processing
► Dissemination of Bills through all Media
► IT Operations and support of these activities
Utility Operations
► Inventory(Meter and Non-meter)
► Internal Work Order Generation &Completion as it relates to CIS
► IT Operations and support of these activities
Credit & Collections & Financial Operations
No. Accounting and General Ledger
► Payment Receipt
No. Adjustments
► Credit&Collections Functions
► Bad Debt&Write-off
► A/R Balancing&Reporting
► IT operations and support of these activities
�excergy
RESPONSE TO UKIAH RFP FOR CIS PROJECT MANAGEMENT SERVICES
We will solicit ideas around new and/or improved functionality or processes in all areas above and document
them.
Interviews
In addition to the workshops above,we will conduct 45-to 60-minute interviews with key stakeholders that cover
Customer Service, Billing, IT, Field Services, Purchasing,and Finance.
Functional requirements developed from these workshops and interviews will allow for consideration of both a
hosted and on-premise environment.
Subtask 2.2:Develop CIS Solutions Architecture/Integration Map
Under this subtask, Excergy will develop the project architecture based on the following:
► User data requirements
► User functional requirements
► User process flows
► Automation requirements
► Integration requirements
► Industry best practices
► The Excergy's team's experience
► Implementation considerations and constraints
► Current and near-term future capabilities of commercial CIS technologies
The technology and integrations necessary to achieve a successful CIS implementation will be included in this
solutions architecture. One of the areas that is often not given enough emphasis but is critical to the successful
implementation of CIS initiatives, is the integration with all of the other information systems such as meter
reading,GIS,work management,City website, bill printing, payment processing,and general ledger systems.
Excergy's approach ensures that all of these critical integration points are identified and impacts on other systems
are factored into the strategy.This includes allowance for the use of either a hosted or on-premise approach.
The draft architecture will be reviewed with the Project team during a remote workshop. Excergy will update the
architecture based on this review and prepare a final version.
TASK 2 DELIVERABLES
— CIS Requirements and Solutions Architecture document containing:
o Functional Requirements
o Business Goals and Objectives
o System Context Diagram
o System Component Diagram
— Workshop meeting minutes
— Interview summaries
Task 3—CIS Vendor Selection
This task uses the functional inputs identified in the CIS Roadmap developed in Task 2,and is composed of five
subtasks:
3.1 Assist with Creation of RFP and Distribution to Appropriate Vendors
3.2 Prepare RFP Response Evaluation Tool
3.3 Evaluate Vendor Responses
��excergy
RESPONSE TO UKIAH RFP FOR CIS PROJECT MANAGEMENT SERVICES
3.4 Make Recommendations on Vendor Responses
3.5 Assist with Vendor Negotiations & Contracting
Subtask 3.1:Assist with Creation of RFP and Distribute to Vendors
Excergy will provide value-added support to Ukiah in the procurement process.This assistance can be invaluable
in structuring the most beneficial contract for the City,and past experience has demonstrated that we've been
able to save significant dollars in the procurement and negotiating process with utility software vendors.
Excergy will provide the Functional Requirements developed previously along with the Solutions Architecture in a
format that meets the City's procurement needs. Excergy will then work with Ukiah's procurement and legal staff
to prepare the RFP package,which will incorporate the appropriate instructions to bidders as well as general and
specific terms and conditions.After the RFP is circulated for comments, Excergy will assist Ukiah with necessary
addendums.
Based on the experience of many utilities,we recommend that a draft contract be incorporated in the RFP.This
streamlines the procurement process,gives Ukiah greater negotiating leverage,and can result in considerable
savings.Through participating in numerous contract negotiations,we have learned how to establish enforceable
contract provisions that protect the utility.We will help Ukiah prepare the draft contract. Important contract
considerations include:
► Pricing protection. Definitive prices set for each exchange and for other ancillary services.To deploy a CIS
system with strong cost controls,we recommend a phased project approach with defined exit points and
fixed prices as appropriate.Should significant concerns arise in the initial discovery phase of the contract,
these exit points provide strong motivation for the CIS vendor to provide top notch service.
► Product and service warranties. Extended warranties and system failure provisions may be important.
► Performance standards.Accurate bills;defaults and opportunities and requirements to cure.
► Component and final system acceptance criteria and payment provisions. Payments are made for confirmed
working installations.
► Service level agreements. If Ukiah opts for software management services.
Excergy will also provide input on the selection of qualified vendors to be invited to the RFP process.
Subtask 3.2:Prepare RFP Response Evaluation Tool
We will support Ukiah's selection team in establishing weighted evaluation criteria including responsiveness to
functional requirements,total life-cycle cost,and qualifications of the respondents.
By using established Excergy templates for proposal evaluation and risk assessment, Excergy will help Ukiah
develop score sheets for the RFP with scoring criteria and weights for requirements.Scoring criteria reflects
criticality,type,and relevance of the requirements.Weights reflect the relative importance or value of the
requirements with respect to the other proposal criteria,such as pricing and schedule.
A key area of the vendor proposal evaluation is the establishment of critical qualification or vendor pass/fail gates.
Excergy will help the City identify these critical requirements within the RFP specifications.Another key area of
vendor proposal evaluation is the assessment of risks.The risk assessments typically cover technology risks
(bleeding edge or obsolescence);quality of delivery;vendor company viability and commitment to industry and
product; project cost and schedule;ongoing maintenance and support; quality of installation;and hiring practices
used. Excergy's vendor proposal evaluation process includes methodical assessments of these risks.
The use of the existing Excergy evaluation methodology and framework ensures a disciplined,fair,and consistent
evaluation process that is fully documented,traceable,and defensible—providing substantial credibility to the
Ukiah City Management, Utility Board,or any regulatory agency.
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Subtask 3.3:Evaluate Vendor Responses
As part of the selection process,we will guide Ukiah's evaluation team in a thorough review of the proposals. In
your evaluation of responses, Ukiah's review team should not be prematurely influenced by price;we will inspect
pricing tables to make sure that they are complete and responsive. If there are a sufficient number of proposals,
we expect to create a short list. Excergy will help develop and prepare demonstration scripts and lists of questions
to make sure vendors focus on Ukiah's major concerns in their presentations.We will attend the vendor
demonstrations and assist in responding to follow-up information requests.
Should Ukiah staff decide to visit selected sites where the short-listed vendors have implemented systems,
Excergy will help arrange the visits and prepare questions and agendas.
We will assist the City in evaluating the proposals based on the written documents,vendor presentations,
references,and additional due diligence(e.g., "problem"deployments). Excergy will analyze the life-cycle costs
associated with each proposal and facilitate the project team's final selection. Excergy will provide a summary
score sheet that combines the detailed proposal evaluations,the reference checks and interviews,and the risk
assessments.
Subtask 3.4: Make Recommendations on Vendor Responses
Consistent with the solicitation framework,selection criteria,and results of interviews and demonstrations
developed previously, Excergy will summarize and present the scoring and rank order of the responses based on
the established standards for final selection. It is expected that the City will then reach a conclusion as to the
successful respondent based on Excergy's facilitation around scoring.
Subtask 3.5:Assist with Vendor Negotiations & Contracting
Excergy will support Ukiah's negotiations with the selected vendor,from establishing a negotiations strategy
through negotiations and contracting.This effort involves the following activities:
No. Develop vendor negotiation strategy
► Conduct initial preparation of negotiations
► Support Scope of Work and contract negotiation including SLAB
► Execute Vendor Contract
Contract documents would be finalized by Ukiah procurement and legal personnel, but Excergy would provide
necessary assistance in that process.
TASK 3 DELIVERABLES
— Creation and issuance of RFP
— Recommended list of Vendors to receive RFP
— Vendor qualification criteria
— Vendor proposal evaluation scoring and risk assessment
— Vendor shortlist vendor interview/demo evaluation results
— Vendor proposal cost comparisons
— Vendor recommendations
— Vendor proposal evaluations and vendor selection summary
— Vendor negotiation strategy
— Inputs to and comments on contract,SOW, pricing,commercial,and technical specifications with the selected
vendor
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Task 4—Ongoing Project Management and Implementation Support
Excergy's proven Integrated Delivery Methodology(ID MTM)drives efficient development and execution of the
Ukiah project—enabling you to attain more success, less waste and achieve greater results on this technology
project. IDM is based on decades of implementation success at hundreds of successful projects and melds the
right amounts of key technical services with industry best practices and knowledge obtainable only through
decades of implementation and integration experience.Our IDM's holistic process blends state of the art project
management,technology expertise, business savvy,and personnel motivation to create a high performing project.
Key elements include:
► Project Management. Based on a combination of industry best practices including Project Management
Institute and Agile approaches and tempered through decades of successful project experience.
► Technology Expertise: Excergy's personnel are experts on utility technologies, how to maximize strengths
and minimize weaknesses,and how to effectively integrate new and legacy systems into a cohesive whole.
In the Delivery Phase,the Excergy PM will continue to work with Ukiah and vendor personnel to assure that the
CIS project is delivered in accordance with requirements established previously and following the practices
described in detail in Task 1.
Task 5—Systems Testing and Acceptance
A graduated,thorough,and robust test program is needed for Ukiah's CIS project to be successful. Excergy will
assure that the CIS vendor provides a thorough test program that addresses all requirements and the needs of the
City. Excergy subject matter experts will review vendor test plans,scripts and results, providing input where
deficiencies are identified.The CIS vendor will be expected to follow a proven test methodology as follows:
► Unit and Functional Testing of the CIS to make sure it meets all functional requirements
► System Integration Testing to verify proper integration to other Ukiah systems
► End-to-End Testing to verify that all systems work together seamlessly
► User Acceptance Testing with Ukiah personnel operating the system to verify all Ukiah business process
needs are met
Excergy will recommend final acceptance and Go Live turnover using the new system only after all testing has
been satisfactorily completed and Ukiah users feel comfortable with operating the system.
TASK 5 DELIVERABLES
— Review of Vendor Overall Field Test Strategy Document
— Reviewed test plans, procedures, results documentation
Task 6—Operational Transition/Training
Excergy will work with CIS vendor to assure that they have developed an Operational Transition/Training Plan.
Excergy has assisted other utilities in the adoption and operation of new CIS technology, including going through
the"go-live" process.As such,significant lessons learned, and risk reduction strategies will be incorporated into
the review of the vendor's Plan.
Training on operation and maintenance of the new system will be a key component of the Plan. Excergy will
assure that the training plan addresses all aspects of CIS operation and that the training is delivered by qualified
individuals in a manner that meets the need of Ukiah operations personnel.
The"Go Live'transition from the previous CIS to the new CIS is a very important aspect of this overall Plan.
Excergy will assure that this has been thoroughly planned and documented and includes a back-out plan to return
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to the existing system should problems occur in the transition process.then assist Ukiah in the implementation of
the Plan.
After a successful "Go Live," it is necessary to continue to closely monitor the system to assure it is operating
effectively through a billing cycle. Excergy will assure that the CIS vendor stays engaged through this time of
monitoring and final transition.All significant issues identified during this period must be resolved by the vendor
prior to final payment and release
TASK 6 DELIVERABLES
— Review of Transition/Training Plan
— Review of Training documentation
— Review of"Go Live" Plan
— Review issues identified in Transition Monitoring
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C. Project Team
Excergy's mission is to provide the right team of focused experts on each project we pursue—highly skilled senior
consultants,comprised of experts in their fields,who understand the unique drivers,responsibilities,and needs of
our clients.To best deliver the scope of services detailed in Section B,we are proposing three experienced
consulting experts:Joel Westvold,John Beichman,and Patrick Noonan. Mr.Westvold, PMP,will serve as the
Excergy Project Manager for the City of Ukiah and will utilize the technical expertise of Mr. Beichman and Mr.
Noonan throughout the project.All work will be delivered via these Excergy personnel; no outside subconsultants
or subcontractors will be needed or are proposed herein.
Table 2 below outlines the experience each brings to this engagement and their specific qualifications as related to
those the City listed in Section 4.0 of the RFP. Full resumes are provided in Appendix A, Resumes.
Table 2. Excergy Team Meets City Qualification Requirements
ExperienceKey • • Qualifications
• MBA and Bachelor of Science in Chemical 0 Bachelor's Degree(related field)
Pro
ject ManagerEngineering 0 5-8 years PM Experience
Joel Westvold,PMP
• PMI-Certified PMP;Project Management course
0 PMP Certification
instructor at several national conferences;several
professional development courses including six Sigma and other Quality courses 0 Team Management Skills
• 20 years of PM experience;35 years of utility experience 0 Conflict Management Skills
• Served as Program Manager supporting utility IT and OT systems planning,acquisition, 0 Time Management Skills
implementation and integration projects involving AMI,MDMS,CIS and related 0 Communication Skills
technologies for 50+clients 0 Strong Familiarity with PM Tools,
• Led implementation of an award winning AMI project that involved the installation of Methods&Best Practices
over 800,000 electric meters,the network to communicate with the meters and
integration of the technology with utility systems to gain the most financial benefit and
efficiency possible
• Master of Science in Information Resource 0 Bachelor's Degree(related field)
CIS SME Management 0 5-8 years PM Experience
• • 30+years of experience leading or supporting 20+ ❑ PMP Certification
CIS strategy and selection engagements and fully
immersed in the both utility best practices and the CIS application marketplace ❑x Team Management Skills
• Significant management consulting,application selection and CIS implementation 0 Conflict Management Skills
project management expertise,including development of business use cases for 0 Time Management Skills
requirements,selection and purchasing strategy as well as process mapping and 0 Communication Skills
development,integration test planning,QA and steering team coaching 0 Strong Familiarity with PM Tools,
• Skilled at working with Executives and client teams to determine both functional and Methods&Best Practices
technical requirements
• 25+years of experience providing technical and 0 Bachelor's Degree(related field)
management consulting services for AMI,CIS,GIS, 0 5-8 years PM Experience
I and related utility technology initiatives ❑ PMP Certification
15+years of experience providing solution
architecture,system integration,and testing for utilities including Santa Clara/SVP,Fort 0 Team Management Skills
Collins,SoCalEd,Halifax Water,and Tacoma Public Utilities system implementations 0 Conflict Management Skills
• Provided business process design,testing,solution architecture,and project 0 Time Management Skills
management services for IT,OT,&GIS maintenance process design and 0 Communication Skills
implementation;and IT/OT/GIS integration business architecture with CIS,CAD,EAM, 0 Strong Familiarity with PM Tools,
TLM(transformer load management)for 30+projects Methods&Best Practices
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D. Experience and References
Excergy is driven by a belief in the transformative power of utility technology to make people's lives more
meaningful,sustainable,and enjoyable.We have a thorough understanding and sensitivity to unique utility needs
and drivers,and our client-specific methodology combines to reduce utility risk,enhance business operations,and
maximize technology benefits.
We provide expert consulting and system integration/implementation services on a wide range of technologies,
business, and customer engagement topics and internal change management challenges that utilities face today.
Our particular business focus is electric,gas,and water municipal utility projects—from feasibility studies,strategic
plans, business cases,vendor selection,and all phases of the system implementation life cycle. Our unique
Strategy, Planning,and Implementation expertise spans from
initial needs assessment and technology roadmaps,to vendor
Requests for Proposal (RFP), all the way through to successful
implementation and "go-live"of a holistic and integrated
systems(Figure 3). Excergy personnel have implemented or
integrated virtually every major utility information technology
system in the past 25 years,including Customer Information • •-
System (CIS),Advanced Meter Infrastructure(AMI), Enterprise Stakeholder System Integration
Asset Management(EAM), Meter Data Management System Engagement Project Management
(MDMS),Geographic Information System (GIS), Mobile
. . Ent erp rise Test&Acceptance
Workforce and Work Management System (MWFM/WMS), '
Architecture Deployment
Outage Management System (OMS),and Customer Portal and Vendor Selection Management
Communications. We understand the entire utility"system of
systems." Figure 3. Excergy's Specialized Utility Services
Utility& CIS Expertise
With an average of 25 years or experience, Excergy professionals have guided many utilities on their technology
and business journeys.Giving thorough consideration to stakeholder objectives, legacy technologies, regulatory
drivers,strategic goals, incumbent staff, processes,and practices,our staff develops analyses that achieves lasting
value for all stakeholders.We've deployed dozens of utility projects, have won several "Project of the Year"
awards, have been brought in to rescue troubled projects for various utilities,and were asked by industry leaders
to write the book on implementation best practices.
Excergy has extensive experience in the"meter-to-cash"systems of CIS,AMI/AMR,and MDMS,as well as the
other utility IT/OT systems.Through these projects we have gained a complete and thorough understanding of
the technologies, integrations, business processes,and utility personnel aspects required to meet the scope and
goals of the City of Ukiah's CIS project.
For the customer billing system, Excergy's CIS/Customer Experience practice manager is a member of the
proposed team. He has 30 years of information technology,application implementation,and system integration
experience in a variety of industries. In particular,over the last 22 years, he has acquired extensive experience as
an implementer and consultant providing business, project management,and technical services to the utility CIS
market as a project manager,solution architect,and process analyst.
Our team's specific CIS competencies include:
► Developing multi-year project plans for multiple CIS implementations
► Writing functional and technical specifications for modifications to CIS systems including modifications for
delinquency,charge calculation, bill print,service orders, notes, meter reading,and several modifications
specifically in support of deregulation requirements
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► Writing functional and technical specifications for interfaces between CIS systems and multiple other
applications including ITRON handhelds, Interactive Voice Response(IVR),Cash Remittance Processors,
Oracle financials General Ledger,Oracle financials Accounts Payable,and third-party invoice printing and bill
presentment providers
► Managing the contractual and budgetary process between CIS vendors and their clients;developing data
conversion from legacy CIS systems to new CIS;developing and testing of modifications to CIS systems
performed both by vendors and third-party system implementers; managing the development and testing
of interfaces to and from CIS including the development of integration test plans;and the CIS defect and
issue tracking processes
► Developing AS-IS and TO-BE process mapping for all CIS related functional areas at multiple clients.
Vendor Neutral
Excergy's approach balances innovation with pragmatic business acumen.We are familiar with virtually all current
and emerging CIS technologies as well as ancillary products and services.We are scrupulously vendor neutral and
vendor independent and have no"partnership"arrangements or relationships with any vendors or other firms.As
indicated in our past experience with many similar projects,our selection processes have resulted in multiple
vendors chosen for our clients, indicating the unbiased nature of our methodology.This assures the Ukiah that our
recommendations are the very best for your needs and requirements.
Related Project Experience
We have fine-tuned methodologies over many engagements to produce Q 0 o„ ac
world-class tools and processes that have led to an unmatched record of y0mT „o C�
successful project outcomes.We have performed a wide variety of OR o S0
operational technology and information technology projects for dozens of
public and investor-owned utilities across North America as shown in �Q91 9 0' q�l0Q 0
Figure 4. —� Q,Ea0�i0
Table 2 below lists the most applicable vendor procurement and system Figure 4. Excergy Client Locations
implementation projects our team has completed in the last 5 years.As
requested, project details for three of the most applicable are provided following the table.We are happy to
provide client references upon request.
Table 3. Excergy Experience in Last 5 Years
Chesterfield County PUD (VA) ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ I ■ I I AUS Infinity
City of Fort Collins (CO) ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ I Banner i
City of Greenville (TX) ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Tyler I
City of Newport News(VA) ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ SAP i
City of Santa Clara/SVP(CA) ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Harris North Star I
Consolidated Edison of New York ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ I Custom i
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CM
7Huntsville
• .. •al Water Comm. (NS) ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ I ■ SAP
ties ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ SAP
Rural Electric Ass. (CO) ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ I ■ ■ ■ Harris, Cayenta
Merced Irrigation District(CA) ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ S&S enQuesta
Otter Tail Power Company(MN) ■ ■ ■ ■ I I ■ I I ■ Harris, Cayenta
Tacoma Public Utilities ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ SAP
Project Descriptions
Merced Irrigation District—Vendor Selection/Procurement&Implementation
Merced Irrigation District(MID)with 9,500 electric meter is the 25th largest public utility in California,supplying
electric service to commercial, industrial and residential customers in Eastern Merced County. In 2017, Excergy
was contracted to assist MID with vendor selection for contracts involving AMI and MDMS as well overall project
management oversite of AMI and Customer Information System (CIS)vendor selection, procurement and
implementation.Scope includes requirements definition, existing and to be IT infrastructure identification,and
vendor compatibility to ensure the vendors selected will meet the requirements for MID. Excergy serves as the
program/system integrator for the entire project,which is currently in the design and build phases with initial
functional testing coming soon.Systems go live is expected in the first quarter of 2021.
Green Mountain Power—CIS&AMI Services
Green Mountain Power(GMP) is an electric utility in Vermont serving 260,000 customers. Excergy's John
Beichman performed services for the full duration of the project from CIS function and fit selection (Oracle CC&B),
business process mapping, business case development, implementation quality assurance,system integration test
plan,and executive advisor to the steering committee.John's work at GMP started with the strategic discussion
around the viability of continuing with an existing CIS or moving to a different CIS application. He worked with the
GMP team and management to determine both functional and technical requirements,consulted on the full
selection process, including development of business use cases for requirements,selection and purchasing
strategy,and guided the team through the decision process itself. He stayed on with the implementation through
the resultant phases doing process mapping and development, integration test planning,QA and steering team
coaching. Project included extensive use of Oracle's SOA products for integration,as well as deployment of MDMS
(Oracle)and full AMI (Elster) rollout.
Otter Tail Power Company—CIS Project Services
Otter Trail Power Company is an investor-owned electric utility that provides electricity for 130,000 residential,
commercial,and industrial customers in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota.Their CIS replacement
project(Harris Cayenta)is currently underway. Excergy's John Beichman performed initial services around
business process mapping and executive advising. He is also serving as the third-party quality assurance and
steering team advisor monitoring the implementation project. Other Excergy personnel provided Organizational
Change Management advisory services for this project from alignment assessment through planning and support
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RESPONSE TO UKIAH RFP FOR CIS PROJECT MANAGEMENT SERVICES
for implementation and testing. Project in progress;on time,on budget through Selection,Contracting,Analysis&
Discovery Phase,Testing.
Huntsville Utilities(AL)—AMI Business Case, Vendor Selection, &Implementation
Huntsville Utilities(HU)serves 320,000 electric,water,and gas customers. Excergy was contracted to assist HU
with creating the feasibility/business case for AMR/AMI as well as vendor selection for contracts involving AMI,
MDMS,and the Meter Installation Vendor(MIV).The project includes requirements definition and analysis of
benefits,existing IT infrastructure, meter populations,and vendor compatibility to ensure the vendors selected
will meet the requirements for Huntsville. Excergy guided HU through procurement evaluation and contract
negotiations for Landis+Gyr(AMI);Sensus(metering);Smart Grid Solutions/Aclara (Meter Installation);
Omnetric(MDMS).We were also selected as the program/system integrator for the entire project,which is
currently under deployment with an early 2020 completion date.
Tacoma Public Utilities(WA)—AMI Smart Grid Solution and Data Analytics Services
Tacoma Public Utilities(TPU) is the largest department in Tacoma City government,with an annual budget of
—$1.2 billion and 1,378 employees. Excergy personnel are providing technical consultation, program management,
and systems implementation services for their AMI solution acquisition and deployment. Excergy's scope of work
included business case update and validation; program/project management; procurement support;systems test
plan/acceptance testing; implementation of multiple project components, including AMI, MDM,SAP CIS,Web
Portal;Change Management Plan/Execution; Project Reporting;Transition/Training; Deployment Management;
and Business Process Transformation. Excergy was also selected to develop the Data Analytics operations at TPU
including governance,organization structure,vision,and use case development.
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E. Fee Proposal
Excergy proposes to perform the enclosed Scope of Work for a not to exceed fee of$ 143,131 including expenses,
as shown in Table 4.
Table 4. Not to Exceed Project Fee, Hours by Task, Staff Rates
Project Executive Prind
Manager Consultant Itanj
Joel . . John Beichman Patrick Noonan,
0• 0• 00
Task 1- Project Management 92 7 7 106
$ 18,308 $ 1,498 $ 1,393 $ 21,199
Task 2-
Functinoal Requirements/Solutions 4 31 53 88
Architecture $ 796 $ 6,634 $ 10,547 $ 17,977
Task 3-
RFP,Vendor Selection&Contract 40 51 4 95
Negotiations $ 7,960 $ 10,914 $ 796 $ 19,670
220 9 9 238
Task 4- Project Management-Delivery $ 43,780 $ 1,926 $ 1,791 $ 47,497
Task 5- System Testing&Acceptance 9 18 53 80
$ 1,791 $ 3,852 $ 10,547 $ 16,190
Task 6- Operational Transition &Training 7 22 31 60
$ 1,393 $ 4,708 $ 6,169 $ 12,270
Total Hours 372 138 157 667
Labor Price $ 74,028 $ 29,532 $ 31,243 $ 134,803
Reimbursable Expenses $ 5,552 $ - $ 2,776 $ 8,328
Total Price $ 79,580 $ 29,532 $ 34,019 $ 143,131
Expenses
Travel expenses will be submitted for reimbursement on an actual and reasonable basis,and are estimated to be
$8,328,which will be invoiced monthly,at cost. Excergy does not charge for time spent traveling. Per diems are
not charged; however, if the City prefers per diems over actual expenses,we are happy to oblige.
Excergy will seek to minimize expenses through the use of government contractor rates and teleconferences
whenever possible.
Hourly Fee Schedule
Excergy's current hourly rate fee schedule is provided in Table 5 below. Note the Fully Burdened Labor Rates listed
below include all direct labor rates, benefits,taxes,overhead,general and administrative costs,any other indirect
costs and fee/profit.The rates exclude project travel costs such as airfare,train, lodging,tips,employee meals,
auto rental,auto rental fuel, personal vehicle mileage,airport parking,and taxi service,which will be billed at cost.
Table 5. Excergy 2020 Hourly Rate Schedule
Role USD Bill Rate
Executive Consultant $ 214.00
Senior Program Manager $ 214.00
Master Solution Architect $ 214.00
Principal Consultant $ 199.00
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RESPONSE TO UKIAH RFP FOR CIS PROJECT MANAGEMENT SERVICES
Role USD Bill Rate
Project Manager $ 199.00
Solution Architect $ 199.00
Software/Test Engineer $ 184.00
Consultant $ 184.00
Associate Consultant $ 169.00
Analyst $ 154.00
Admin $ 139.00
1. Billing rates for subsequent years will automatically be adjusted annually by 3.0
percent(3%)on a compound basis.
2. Billing rates will be automatically adjusted and increased by twenty-five percent
(25%)for all time charges directly associated with the preparation and delivery
of expert testimony.
Taxes
These rates and estimates are exclusive of taxes.The taxes relating to applicable services are the sole
responsibility of the City of Ukiah.
Assumptions
The following general assumptions apply to this project plan:
► Excergy's pricing to implement this Scope of Work is based on a timely start and timely completion of tasks
and subtasks.
► The City will handle any contractual matters with the selected CIS vendor.
► City personnel are available to support the project as needed for workshops, meetings,etc.
► Deliverable documents will be in Microsoft Office, including MS-Word, PowerPoint, Excel, MS-Project,Visio
and Adobe PDF.
Billing and Payment Terms
Excergy will invoice the City of Ukiah monthly for actual labor and expenses incurred on the required tasks.
Payment terms are net thirty(30)days. Excergy reserves the right to charge one and one-half(1.5%) percent per
month,or the maximum rate permitted by law,whichever is greater,on any balance remaining unpaid after thirty
(30)days.
Contract Terms and Conditions
Terms of this proposal remain valid for 90 days from date of submittal. Excergy Corporation reserves the right to
negotiate any terms and conditions of the written agreement relating to this Scope of Work for the City of Ukiah.
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F. Proposed Project Schedule
E«em/&proposed pr]oect work schedule is provided as Figure 5 below.Weacknowledge that actual dates and
milestones will be adjusted when pr]oect planning is complete.
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� � , � � � . � � � _ _ , _ _ _ _ � _ = ; n ; gjq / RmR ■ „ P I|
Figure 3Proposed Project Schedule
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G. Exceptions
Excergy Corporation has reviewed the Scope of Services provided in Section 3 of the RFP, Insurance Requirements
for Consultants provided in Attachments A and B of the RFP,and draft Agreement for Professional Consulting
Services provided in Attachment A of the RFP,and takes no exceptions.
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RESPONSE TO UKIAH RFP FOR CIS PROJECT MANAGEMENT SERVICES
Appendix A: Resumes
This section contains the full resumes of the following proposed key resources:
► Joel Westvold
► John Beichman
► Patrick Noonan
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11'K r g y
Mr. Joel Westvold brings a unique perspective to addressing Smart Grid issues
.IOEL WESTVOLD, PMP
facing utilities based upon his experience in implementing programs at utilities and PROGRAM MANAGER
providing technology solutions to utility customers to meet their Smart Grid needs. Education
With 35 years of experience, Joel has served in a senior management capacity for Executive MBA
a large electric utility and as management executive with a technology solutions University of Washington,
provider to the utility industry. While working for Portland General Electric, Joel led Seattle (2005)
a team that implemented an award winning AMI project that involved the
installation of over 800,000 electric meters, the network to communicate with the B.S., Chemical Engineering
meters and integration of the technology with utility systems to gain the most Oregon State University(1983)
financial benefit and efficiency possible. In his role with technology provider, Certified Project Management
Sensus, Joel led teams of Engagement Directors and Project Managers in the Professional, Project
delivery of nearly a hundred Smart Grid projects, including an area of focus on Management Institute
several large projects of over 1 million meters/endpoints. Joel's passion is doing
everything possible to see clients succeed in their Smart Grid projects. He brings Several professional development
a number of skills ranging from project management,engineering expertise,strong courses including six Sigma and
people management, and communications at all levels within the organization. other Quality courses
Area of Expertise
Work History I Project Experience > Program Management
Excergy Corporation -2015 to Present > Corporate Management
Executive Consultant/Program Manager > Smart Metering
Greenville Electric Utility System, TX. Program Manager and Executive > Utility Consulting
Consultant for Systems Integration, Analytics, Meter Installation and Deployment > System Integration &
of AMI for 14,000 electric meters and water meters in the future. Implementation
Halifax Regional Water Commission, Nova Scotia, Canada. Program Manager Certificates and Awards
and Executive Consultant for Systems Integration,Analytics, Meter Installation and Qualified as a Leadership for
Deployment of AMI for 85,000 water meters. Scope managed also includes Excellence Instructor
Organizational Change Management, Business Process, and Vendor
Management activities. Certified as a Lead Nuclear
Quality Auditor per 10CFR50,
Tacoma Public Utilities, WA. Executive Consultant developing a Business Case Appendix B
Narrative to justify water and electric AMI deployment program.
Huntsville Utilities. Program Manager for AMI Deployment of 187,000 electric Presentations & Publications
meters, 92,000 water modules and 49,000 gas modules. The project involves > "Successful Utility Project
physical deployment activities and Procurement/Vendor Selection, System Management—The Art and
Integration, Business Process and Organizational Change Management support. Science,"Co-instructor,
DistribuTECH 2O18 and 2019
Contra Costa Water District, CA. Project Manager for AMI technology evaluation
and strategy development. > "Smart Metering 101 and
Advanced Smart Metering,"Co-
City of Santa Clara, Silicon Valley Power, CA. Program Manager for Systems instructor, EUCI March 2018
Integration, Meter Installation Vendor Selection and Deployment of AMI for 50,000
electric meters. Scope managed also includes Organizational Change > "Overcoming Challenges in AMI
Management and Business Process activities. at Silicon Valley Power,"presenter, DistribuTECH 201 2O16
Merced Irrigation District, CA. Program Manager for AMI, CIS, and MDMS > "Update on Sensus Services
procurement and deployment for a 10,000 electric meter customer utility. Offerings," Sensus Users
Portland General Electric. Executive Consultant for a project to provide an Conference, November 2013
analysis of Day 2 AMI opportunities to be formulated into a technical roadmap for
future implementation. Scope included DMS elements.
Santa Clara Valley Water District, CA. Project Manager for IT Strategic Plan
development.
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Seattle City Light. Supported the AMI deployment of over 400,000 electric meters through the development and
maintenance of an overall project plan/schedule.
Sensus USA—2010 to 2015
Senior Director, Customer Engagement
Management responsibility for a group of Engagement Directors overseeing the delivery of Large Utility AMI
projects including Southern Company, Philadelphia Electric, NV Energy, Portland General Electric, Sask Power,
SMECO,Albuquerque Water, and others. Provided executive consulting to those utility clients to assure that their
decision making process was sound and supported achievement of business objectives. Direct engagement
responsibility for the Award winning 1.2M electric meter/150,000 gas endpoint NV Energy AMI deployment
providing expert consulting to NV Energy senior management and assisting in the program management of the
deployment effort from a Smart Grid/AMI technology vendor perspective. Also managed a group of over 50
Sensus Project Managers in the delivery of Smart Grid/AMI projects of all sizes for water, gas and electric utility
customers. This included development of a standardized approach to project delivery to.enable efficient and
effective implementation of projects. Management responsibility for the development and growth of the Sensus
services business, providing Managed IT Services, Professional Consulting Services, Project Management,
Training, and Technical Support Services.
Portland General Electric—2006 to 2010
AMI Director
Management responsibility for the deployment of an 825,000 electric meter AMI project. Responsibilities included
evaluating technology and deployment offerings, negotiation of contracts with technology and deployment
providers, coordinating regulatory approval of the project, assembling and managing a team responsible for meter
deployment, internal and external communications, network deployment, system acceptance testing, and
integration of the AMI system with other utility systems and business processes This project was completed on
schedule and within overall budget and derived the benefits committed to the Public Utilities Commission. The
project also received the 2010 Utilimetrics Award for the Large Project of the Year. Also led the effort to develop
an industry users group to share technical issues facing utilities implementing Smart Grid/AMI solutions and
served as the first President of the organization.
Portland General Electric—2004 to 2006
Ethics and Compliance Manager
Developed and implemented PGE's Ethics and Compliance program, managing a small team of professionals
that tracked compliance efforts and investigated potential ethics violations.
Portland General Electric— 1989 to 2004
Various Nuclear Management Positions
Held Project Management, Quality Assurance, Nuclear Oversight and Regulatory Affairs management positions
within PGE, finishing with management of large decommissioning projects associated with Spent Nuclear Fuel
storage and nuclear waste disposal at the Trojan Nuclear Plant.
Sacramento Municipal Utility District— 1986 to 1989
Associate Engineer, Nuclear
Engineering and Quality Assurance responsibilities in the operation of Rancho Seco Nuclear Power Plant.
Department of Defense, Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard— 1983 to 1985
System Test Engineer
Responsible for testing of nuclear systems on submarines based in Pearl Harbor.
JOEL WESTVOLD
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Xj
excergy
JOHN C. BEICHMAN
CIS SME
Mr. John Beichman has 30 years of information technology, application
implementation, and system integration experience in a variety of industries Education
providing direction and vision-driven leadership in a team-oriented setting. A.B. (Honors), Harvard
He has demonstrated a strong ability to understand business needs, find University, 1978
technical solutions and successfully implement those solutions. Articulate in M.S., Information Resource
presentations, public speaking and conversation, he grasps big picture Management, Syracuse
situations and easily separates them into smaller manageable segments, University 1983
exercising a balanced approach to complex situations. He has acquired
experience as an implementer and consultant providing business, project
management, and technical services to the utility CIS market as a project Area of Expertise
manager, solution architect, and process analyst serving the CIS CIS and billing
marketplace. Specific CIS competencies include: Bill design & Electronic
bill presentment
> Developed multi-year project plans for multiple CIS implementations Utility Customer
> Wrote functional and technical specifications for modifications to Experience Strategy
CIS systems including modifications for delinquency, charge Utility Call Centers
Business & IT Plans
calculation, bill print, service orders, notes, meter reading, and Change Management
several modifications specifically in support of deregulation Business Analysis
requirements Project Quality
> Wrote functional and technical specifications for interfaces between Assurance
IT Strategy
CIS systems and multiple other applications including ITRON > Technology Evaluation
handhelds, Interactive Voice Response (IVR), Cash Remittance and Deployment
Processors, Oracle financials General Ledger, Oracle financials Business Requirements
Accounts Payable, and third party invoice printing and bill presentment Identification
providers Process Improvement
Strategic Planning
> Managed the contractual and budgetary process between CIS Major System
vendors and their clients; the development of data conversion from Implementations Project
legacy CIS systems to new CIS; the development and testing of Management
modifications to CIS systems performed both by vendors and third-party Cross-Functional Team
system implementers; managed the development and testing of Leadership
interfaces to and from CIS including the development of integration > Team Motivation
test plans; and the CIS defect and issue tracking processes > Staff Management
> Developed AS-IS and TO-BE process mapping for all CIS- Industry Experience
related functional areas at multiple clients Includes:
Work History / Project Experience Utilities: Electric, Gas,
Water, Green Power,
Excergy Corporation-February 2015 to Present Municipal and IOU
Executive Consultant, CIS/CX/FIS Practice Director Non-profit
Provide consulting services to utilities in the areas of back office services Manufacturing both
including CIS, Consumer Experience, and Financial Information Systems. Discrete and Process
Suite 401 Consulting, LLC Waterville, Maine-2010 to 2015
Sole Proprietor
Provide management, technology and project consulting services to
various clients including:
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Otter Tail Power, Fergus Falls MN: Delivered process mapping training and services delivery in
preparation for CIS selection and implementation. Provided management consulting to both steering and
project teams. Currently providing QA services.
EMTEC/First Advantage, Indianapolis, IN, Atlanta, GA & St. Petersburg, FL: Project manager and
functional solution architect for a multi-million dollar multi-source invoicing integration project for a 350M
financial services company post M&A. Work involved business process mapping, executive level advising,
project management including oversight of off-shore development resources and quality assurance for
system integration.
Green Mountain Power, Burlington VT: Provided oversight and quality control on selection of software
for DOE funded Smart Grid Projects. Lead business process mapping training and service
delivery in preparation for new Smart Grid systems' implementation. Provided management consulting
to steering team, quality control oversight, wrote integration test plan, oversaw and provided transition
services change of project leadership team, developed integrated project plan across multiple vendors,
developed system test and performance test plans.
GAS RECOVERY SYSTEMS (GRS), Livermore, California—2002 to 2007
Served as Chairman and Independent Director/Trustee for this landfill based gas and electric power
producer with 28 generation plants producing 124 megawatts of green power in 8 U.S. states with over
$55M in annual revenues. He was Entrusted with business liaison operations and strategic activities
associated with environmentally sensitive / highly regulated power plants. Spearheaded collection of
acquisition debt payments required to support cash flow. Provided approval authority for annual and multi-
year operational / capital budgets as well as establishing audit committee and granting agreement on all
audited financial reporting and taxes.
REKADOM, INCORPORATED, Waterville, Maine— 1998 to 2003
As Founder and President he provided implementation and consulting services for electric, gas, water,
municipal and investor owned utilities serving 3 countries and 10 U.S. states with annual revenue in excess
of $3.OM. He provided CIS executive level consulting services and/or project management at AIIEnergy,
LLC, Charlotte County Utilities, Citizen's Gas & Coke Utility, City of Provo Power & Water, Jamaica Public
Service Company, Lee County Electric Co-operative, Philadelphia Suburban Water, Public Service of New
Mexico, TNPE, Inc., and Toronto Hydro Electric System.
SOLE PROPRIETOR, Waterville, Maine— 1997 to 1998
Delivered Information Technology and project management consulting services as a business liaison
operating between multiple parties to plan and execute system integrations for a utility client, generating
over$240K in revenue.
BANGOR HYDRO-ELECTRIC (wholly owned subsidiary of Emera, Inc.), Bangor, Maine— 1994 to1997
For this provider of electrical / utility services to more than 110,000 customers, performed as the project
manager for the implementation of a new CIS and oversee general technology changes that drove a 5 year
technological plan. Partnered with a business project manager and served as liaison to strategize on
projects. Created cross-functional IT and business project team of 12 initial core individuals, growing to a
peak of 28 including contractors and vendor personnel. Mr. Beichman delivered critical project milestones
while keeping within the $7M budget despite a grossly underestimated vendor project cost proposal,
decreased employee costs over $250K annually as a result of automating billing for a large industrial
customer base, reduced inaccurate meter reading over 90% and avoided re-bill activities due to automating
the meter reading system with data integration into the customer information system, and saved over$160K
per year due to eliminating walk-in payments at remote offices.
.JOHN C. BEICHMAN
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PATRICK J. NOONAN, GISP
Patrick Noonan has 25 years of experience providing technical and SOLUTION ARCHITECT
management consulting services for geographic information systems (GIS),
AMI and other information technology initiatives. He is an expert in providing IT
and management consulting services for geospatial and related technology Education
project implementations. His expertise includes providing solution architecture, M.S., Geography
strategic planning, business process, testing program management, training, University of South Carolina
implementation and integration services to utilities and municipal organizations
nationwide. His experience includes business process design for GIS B.S., Economics and
maintenance and implementation, AMI and OMS; as well as data conversion Geography
and conflation, including specifications, design, management, data modeling University of California, Santa
and database design, as well as Water utility conflation/conversion and Barbara
program management. Patrick has conducted software development lifecycle
testing and training program development and management for large, multi- Areas of Expertise
interface project implementations, and has coordinated product vendor, testing
vendor, end user testing, and deployment roll-outs for large multi-year IT > IT Strategic Planning
programs. > Systems Architecture
Design
Work History 1 Project Experience > Testing and Training
Excergy Corporation—2016 to Present > Project Management
Principal Consultant/Solution Architect > Business Process Modeling
and Optimization
Mr. Noonan is responsible for expanding the firm's GIS capabilities and service > GIS Program
offering and for developing testing and training programs to support project Implementation
implementations. He is also responsible for IT architecture specific to Smart
Meter operational technologies. Representative projects include:
Certifications
Tacoma Power,WA. Project manager and GIS SME. Captured use cases and
developed a geospatial roadmap & governance plan to support the utilities Certified Geographic Information
migration and evolution from GESW and OMS to Esri and ADMS. Systems Professional (GISP),
#91783
Intermountain Rural Electric Association (IREA), CO. Solution architect
supporting the implementation of a graphic work design solution that is Publications &
integrated with its Esri ArcGIS. Presentations
Merced Irrigation District, CA. Test engineer and solution architect > "Challenges to
responsible for overseeing the integration and user acceptance testing for Implementing an Enterprise
MID's electric AMI meter replacement project. GIS Landbase
Chelan County Public Utilities District, WA. Helped analyze and provide Maintenance Program,"
recommendations to help finalize the County's IT/OT strategic roadmap. GIS in the Rockies,
September 2016
City of Fort Collins Utilities, CO. Project Manager and GIS SME. Captured > "Enterprise GIS Best
geospatial data,desktop utilization, mobile usage, and integration requirements Practices," GIS in the
to develop a 10-year strategic technology roadmap comprised of six business Rockies, September 2009
releases. Later served as enterprise architect to capture integration > "Digital Plan Submittal City
requirements between CIS, AMI, Asset Management, ADMS, and GIS of Charlotte/Mecklenburg
applications. Also previously served as test engineer for Maximo— Data Splice County." ESRI Users
asset and work management application deployment. Conference Proceedings,
Silicon Valley Power, CA. System architecture and test engineering to identify July 2003.
, "Water Data Model
AMI MeterConnect components and determine required testing to support a Development within
soft launch of SVP's AMR to AMI migration. Charlotte-Mecklenburg
Halifax Water, Canada. Test engineer responsible for developing, Utilities." ESRI Users
administering, documenting, and troubleshooting test cases for the utilities AMI Conference Proceedings,
project implementation. July 2003.
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ElectriCities, NC. IT Roadmap creation to identify strategies, gaps, projects, and technologies to support
ElectriCities services footprint over the next five-ten years. Project is considering how to include "disruptive
technologies" such as Distributed Energy Resources, Cyber Security, etc. as part of overall IT strategy.
Cyient Inc. &Southern California Edison—2011 to 2015
Business Architect and Senior Technical Consultant
Mr. Noonan was responsible for maintenance, analytics, and reporting solutions for the companies centralized
GIS project, including business process design, requirements, design, and support during implementation. He
served as a conduit between customer and offshore technical team and as a catalyst for Iandbase strategy and
maintenance implementation to support utility GIS using Map 3D, GESW, and Esri platforms with Oracle Spatial
DB. Specific engagements include:
Southern California Edison, CA. Phase I — Business Architect for Cyient team to assist with data conflation
and consolidation requirements, database design, system interface and application design, and with system
and user acceptance testing.
Southern California Edison, CA. Phase II — Senior Business Analyst working for SCE responsible for
Iandbase maintenance, CIS meter mapping automation, and GIS web viewer programs including business
requirements, artifacts to support system requirements, business process, integration, system, and user
acceptance testing, deployment rollout, training, and ongoing program support.
PJN Consulting, Inc. —2001 to 2016
President and Principal
Xcel Energy, MN. GIS architecture assessment to identify strengths and weaknesses of the utility's existing
enterprise GIS program. Overthirty recommendations were presented by Mr. Noonan for improving the utilities
GIS architecture.
Southern California Edison, CA. Solution architect and senior business consultant for multi-year GIS
implementation project to re-conflate utility data to single data repository and then utilize new and legacy
applications for data maintenance.
Gwinnett County, GA. Business process and pilot project implementation for electronic plan submittal service
offering to development community to expedite plan design review.
Orange County, NC. System integration process mapping for integrated land records system between
multiple County departments.
City of Charlotte, NC. Developed a three year strategic plan for enterprise GIS program development and
managed implementation of several of the initiatives that were identified.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities, NC. Project consultant for starting GIS program transforming organization
from paper and CAD records management to centralized GIS database.
City of Indianapolis, IN. Developed a four year Strategic Plan for the City's GIS Team to identify strategic
objectives and establish budgeting requirements.
Convergent Group/UGC Consulting— 1995 to 2001
Senior Technical Consultant and Project Manager
Mr. Noonan served as a senior member of the Public Sector Client Services Division and as a subject matter
expert in GIS and land records management. His experience included project management, cost benefit
analysis, GIS conversion specifications, database modeling and design, data conflation, GIS application
requirements, business process design, and user needs assessments and requirements gathering. Key clients
included Mecklenburg County, Charlotte, NC; Grand Valley REGIS, Kent County, MI; City of Grand Rapids, MI;
City of Indianapolis/Marion County, Indianapolis, IN.
PATRICK J. NOONAN
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RESPONSE TO UKIAH RFP FOR CIS PROJECT MANAGEMENT SERVICES
Appendix B: Additional Information
While not part of the proposed scope of services requested in the RFP,we are providing a description of our
holistic project approach that many of our customers choose to follow during CIS implementation. Excergy
believes it is important to consider not only the technology but also the people and process aspects of the
implementation.This information is provided to assist the City in understanding our full capabilities to support
your CIS Project Management engagement.
Business Process Transformation
With the implementation of a new technology,the processes used by the utility may need to change to most
effectively take advantage of this technology.These changes will likely improve the efficiency of the City and have
a positive impact on customer service.
Excergy approaches business process transformation by first conducting a business process impact assessment to
identify the existing organizations, business processes,and systems that will be impacted by the selected CIS
software implementation.This assessment initiates the appropriate business process reengineering activities to
prepare for the CIS solution.
Once the assessment is complete, Excergy employs a three-stage implementation to effectively transform the
utility's business processes.The first stage prepares for the CIS vendor workshops and produces estimated to-be
business process models for the project and its impacted technologies and business.The second stage produces
additional models that were not needed for the vendor workshops and produces a complete set of materials.The
third phase refines these models based on the Design/Build Phase of the project and development activities that
occur as the vendor design decisions are finalized.
In the first and second stages of Business Process work, Excergy facilitates business process assessment sessions
with the utility to identify the day-to-day business processes that will be affected by the CIS project. Initially,the
sessions address the"as-is"or current business practices,and then produce a baseline set of"to-be"future state,
new CIS technology enabled, business processes.To accomplish this, Excergy uses our reference models,vendor
information,and past experience to facilitate these sessions.Gaps are identified between each CIS enabled
business process and the utility's existing business processes.
Our reference models provide a baseline"to-be"state for the process workshops and are organized by the major
process groupings,such as:
► Manage customer interactions and customer service.
► Schedule,assign, perform,and close fieldwork specifically related to customer service.
► Provide back-office support.
The goal of the workshop sessions is to assess the following:
► If the CIS enabled business processes accurately reflect the utility's goals and vision and to ensure alignment
with the culture,organization,and any other applicable constraints(such as the governing body).
► At a high-level,the major known gaps, benefits,and risk areas associated with the future state,CIS enabled,
business processes.
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RESPONSE TO UKIAH RFP FOR CIS PROJECT MANAGEMENT SERVICES
Stakeholder Engagement& Communications
Of the many lessons learned in CIS projects over the past decade,one of the most
important is how critical it is to plan, manage,and engage stakeholders to build
understanding and align expectations. For municipal utilities,effective engagement is not o
only essential to successful project implementation, but also aligns with and enhances the
historic relationship between the utility and the community it serves. Excergy staff sm;„
Enq,�m"c Cusf
managed the research and development of APPA's Smart Grid Customer Engagement
Essentials.We also received recognition from the Department of Energy as best-in-class
for ARRA smart grid communications efforts.This work combines with our planning and
implementation experience for effective strategy and efficient implementation.
Both internal and external stakeholders need to be engaged to address the needs of the community and support
successful project implementation.Working with staff, Excergy consultants assess overall stakeholder
endorsement levels and methods used,then develop engagement strategies leveraging—and perhaps
expanding—those methods.
The goal of stakeholder engagement is to effectively inform and engage the supporters while minimizing the
impact of resistors, by offering factual responses to concerns and options to meet their needs. For example,there
are three known topics of concern that must be addressed in CIS projects: (1) price/rates; (2) privacy and data
security; (3)data accuracy.Although public resistance to CIS projects is minimal, recent experiences indicate that
utilities must be prepared and address these issues nonetheless.
Excergy develops clear plans for Stakeholder Engagement/Communications that leverage existing utility practices
and address both strategy and tactical implementation.
Organizational Change Management
The transformative nature of technology projects requires that staff adjust work processes and routines to
effectively use the systems and realize the significant benefits both internal and external to the organization.This
change needs to be handled efficiently and effectively thereby reducing staff apprehension and providing the
tools they need to succeed.This task supports successful project implementation through internal OCM.
Effective OCM is grounded in basic human psychology,starting with addressing each individual's question,
"What's in it for me?" Once that is addressed,there is receptivity to building the knowledge necessary to influence
attitudes and support behavior change,such as a new way of performing job duties. For example, in the case of
CIS projects, reassignment of certain staff(e.g.,customer service and billing personnel) based on the new
technology capabilities is an issue that must be forthrightly addressed early in the process.
Over the past few years,effective OCM has been recognized as a critical success factor for technology project
implementation.The job of change management is to fundamentally move people as efficiently and effectively
from the current state to high performance in the new environment.
Excergy works with utilities to develop an OCM approach that includes practical and effective activities designed
to support the transition of people and processes to realize the benefits of the new technology.This OCM plan
provides strategies and details tactics that maximize performance prior to, during,and after the technology
implementation.
Excergy uses a proprietary Alignment Optimization methodology,which is based on Nobel Prize-winning work on
how individuals and teams make effective decisions and take coordinated action.This technology-enabled
consulting methodology—combined with traditional consulting and facilitated workshops—creates both a unified
vision and a powerful drive toward effective implementation.
Experience shows that having a clear and unified vision for a technology project from the outset greatly enhances
project success.
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