Baltimore AMI Implementation: Practical Advice for Success

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1 Baltimore AMI Implementation: Practical Advice for Success Office of Mayor Catherine E. Pugh Jennifer Ludwig Acting Division Chief, Customer Support & Services Baltimore City Department of Public Works Mark Waronker, P.E., PMP Program Manager EMA Inc.

2 Agenda Overview Recommendations Benefits realized Questions

3 Overview of Baltimore City Department of Public Works at Project Start Water meter reading, billing, and maintenance services for Baltimore City and Baltimore County Over 400,000 residential and commercial meters of various sizes and manufacturers Meters manually read with manual entry into handheld devices on a quarterly basis for billing Water meters mostly located in outside vaults with a small percentage of meters inside buildings 30+ year old legacy billing system

4 Program Overview Business Case (Assessment) in 2009 Replace existing metering infrastructure, upgrade meter reading system, replace legacy billing system, develop new business processes AMI/R design efforts began in 2011 Pre-qualification and evaluation process (RFQ) Shortlisting of AMI/AMR system vendors Separate solicitation and procurement of water meters City orders meters and provides to installation contractor AMI/R installation solicitation, technical specs, bid documents (RFP) AMI/R installation project awarded to Itron, Inc., project start date December 2013

5 AMI/R Project Overview Combination of AMI and AMR Baltimore City: 100% AMI Baltimore County: 26% AMI / 74% AMR Fixed Area Network devices 213 devices on City and County-owned buildings, communication towers, water storage tanks, and traffic/light poles Three project phases Start-up, Proof-of-concept, Production Four year project with key milestones

6 POC - City

7 POC - County

8 Changing technology is easy. Changing culture is hard!

9 Recommendation 1: Have a Strong Senior-Level Project Sponsor Rudolph S. Chow, Director, Baltimore City Department of Public Works Challenges: Complex and long-term project (often spanning years) Significant capital investment Direct impact on all water customers Value: Champions the project with City officials, utility leadership, and customers Provides leadership and mentorship to project team Assists the project team in decision making and resolving issues Ensures project and budget are managed appropriately Facilitates cooperation from various City, utility, and contractor representatives

10 Expect the unexpected!

11 Recommendation 2: Follow Project Management Best Practices Challenges: Complex and high-risk project Scope, schedule, budget, and quality must be closely monitored Many project and operational staff will need to be held accountable Risks and Key Performance Indicators (KPI s) need to be identified Value: Provides documentation to support business decisions, deliverables, and accountability Assists in identifying, monitoring, and communicating issues, deliverables, questions/responses, and schedule impacts Assists in maintaining quality standards Project Plan serves as the guide throughout implementation

12 Document, Document, Document!

13 Recommendation 3: Develop Clear and Comprehensive Contract Documents Challenges: High potential for cost and schedule overrun Many people involved in the project with increased potential for staff turnover Project will impact a customer s service and billing Value: Provides accountability and ensures consistency for utility s goals and expectations Holds contractor/vendor to the T&Cs and requirements of the project Decreases likelihood for change orders and cost increases

14 Don t Procrastinate!

15 Recommendation 4: Ensure Operational Ownership of New Systems Challenges: Ownership will be required from multiple divisions (e.g., metering, billing, maintenance, information technology, etc.) Business processes will be redefined Staffing roles and responsibilities will change Staff will need new training Staff engagement of customers will change Value: Provides for appropriate staffing support when needed Ensures new systems are used and supported properly Increases billing accuracy

16 The phone is your friend. Don t be afraid to pick it up!

17 Recommendation 5: Provide Consistent and Timely Communications Challenges: Customers need information as to what they can expect as a result of the project A variety of communication methods are needed to increase customer awareness Customer assistance may be required to complete installations City representatives will receive questions, concerns, and complaints Issues will arise that will need resolution Utility staff will be concerned and/or uneasy with change Value: Assists with customers receiving consistent information from City representatives Assists with completing installations Assists in resolving issues timely Assists with staff understanding changes and their role

18 Miracles are not the new normal

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22 Recommendation 6: Address Infrastructure Issues Challenges: Aging metering infrastructure Aging water distribution infrastructure Network device locations Billing data quality Interface between installation, metering, and billing software Value: Addresses known issues prior to project start to avoid project delays Resources are available to address issues that arise during implementation Allows for better budget planning Opportunity to check, verify, validate meter account information

23 Redundancy in Network Coverage

24 Benefits Realized Greater meter reading and billing accuracy Reduction in estimated bills due to weather events (e.g., snow) and vault access issues (e.g., cars, dogs) Enhanced operational efficiencies Enhanced customer service Enhanced water loss analysis

25 Benefits Realized OLD METER READ FOR BILLING: 04/29/2015 METER CHANGED: 05/09/2015 CUSTOMER CONTACTED DPW: 10/06/2015 DAILY READS: 05/09/ /09/2016 Significant drop in consumption after plumber visit HOURLY READS COMPARISON: 05/13/2015 Leak in progress (blue bar) - Consumption never goes to zero 02/09/2016 After leak resolved (gold bar) - many periods during the day where consumption goes to zero

26 Questions? Office of Mayor Catherine E. Pugh