Pasadena Water and Power will wire its maintenance yards for electric vehicle charging after the City Council unanimously approved $1.64 million in contracts Monday, July 20, without a word of debate.
The three contracts cover equipment and construction to support the utility's shift to electric medium- and heavy-duty trucks. OpConnect Inc., based in Oregon, will supply a 600-kilowatt DC fast-charging power cabinet and two dual-port dispensers for $282,744. Royal Industrial Solutions of Santa Fe Springs won the electrical switchgear contract at $407,226, beating seven other bidders. Motive Energy Storage Systems of Tustin will handle site preparation, trenching, wiring and installation for $949,474.
All three passed on the consent calendar in one motion by Councilmember Steve Madison. Mayor Victor Gordo had stepped away from the dais during the vote.
The project draws on a $4.615 million EPA Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles grant. Of that, $2.275 million is designated for PWP's zero-emission vehicle and charging infrastructure work, according to the council agenda. The Motive Energy construction contract won't be paid directly from the grant but counts toward the city's required local match. No General Fund dollars are involved.
Solar program gets new delivery method
A fourth item on the same consent calendar affects a larger portfolio of city projects. The council switched its municipally owned solar and energy storage program from "progressive design-build" to standard "design-build" for all current and future sites.
The change means contractors will now submit site-specific technical proposals, conceptual designs, schedules and pricing through competitive solicitations, rather than being brought on early to help shape the project alongside city staff.
In February, the council had authorized progressive design-build for solar installations at five locations: the Lamanda Park, San Rafael, Allendale and Linda Vista branch libraries, plus the maintenance yards' visitor and utility vehicle parking lots. Since then, PWP officials said they refined the scope, identified additional sites and gathered 12 responses to a request for information from industry, according to a staff report. The expanded portfolio made a traditional design-build approach more suitable, the report said.
PWP issued that RFI in May to assess feasibility at 21 municipal sites, including the Pasadena Central Library, branch libraries, municipal parking structures, the Rose Bowl Stadium and the Pasadena Convention Center. General Manager David Reyes called it "an important step in identifying the most effective clean energy solutions for Pasadena" when the utility announced the solicitation.
PWP plans to issue solicitations for the solar and storage projects in July and August using a best-value evaluation. Staff will return to the council for approval of individual design-build contracts after selecting qualified firms, though no specific meeting date has been set.
