25G - AGMT METER INFRASTRUCTURE - Laserfiche WebLink

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Client Name: City of Santa Ana I AMI FEASIBILITY REPORT C1 The AMI system includes the replacement or modification of substantially every City customer meter. This portion of the program is a large field installation and logistics project. The use of a proven partner to assist with the meter replacement and MTU installation tasks reduces this risk and, through proper management of meter and equipment inventory, customer notification, coordination with billing dates, etc., the risks can be managed and the deployment turned into a well -coordinated program. ❑ The entire program that is envisioned by the City and described in this Black & Veatch report, both requires significant Cit/,s resources, involvement, and alters some business processes and job classifications within the organization. The business process redesign and organizational structure change needs special and careful attention. As with all large and complex projects, it is imperative that if the City is to proceed with the AMI system implementation the executive level of the City must be supportive of this initiative since large capital investment and resources are required for a successful implementation. 11.6 COMMUNICATIONS PLAN A comprehensive customer and stakeholder communications plan is essential. Very hard lessons have been learned in the electric utility industry, where a number of projects have been derailed, significantly delayed, or left utilities with poor public reputations as a result of poor communications strategies. Buy -in from stakeholders, both internal and external, is vital to the success of AMI projects, and City's eventual communications plan must consider all potential stakeholders. One critical item for which realistic expectations should be set is that no matter how proactive the City is, there will be individual customers/constituents who may react negatively to AMI, with little to no logical or valid technical basis for their positions. The concerns of these constituents must nevertheless be taken seriously and dealt with professionally. A facet missing from many utility communications plans is exactly how these types of concerns will be handled and who will handle them. Focusing on value that the customers will receive from the AMI project has proven a good approach to communicate the benefits from improved water metering and the ensuing service enhancements. 11.6.1 Privacy Privacy and security are likely to be important to a segment of residents at the outset of project implementation. This concern needs to be addressed and data made immediately available to the public prior to project initiation in order to improve the customer service experience. There is an opportunity for the City to balance any concerns about data security with the real improvement in customer privacy from the elimination of the periodic manual meter reading requirement for access to the customer's property. BLACK & VEATCH I Project Roadmap 25G-177 59