Meeting_Body
OPERATIONS, SAFETY, AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE COMMITTEE
APRIL 18, 2019
Subject
SUBJECT: VITAL RELAYS FOR THE METRO BLUE LINE
Action
ACTION: APPROVE CONTRACT AWARD
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
CONSIDER:
A. FINDING that there is only a single source of procurement to obtain Metro Blue Line Train Control Vital Relays to support Rail Wayside System Maintenance. The Board hereby authorizes purchase of the Vital Relays for the sole purpose of duplicating and replacing system equipment already in use; and
(REQUIRES 2/3 VOTE OF THE BOARD)
B. AUTHORIZING the Chief Executive Officer to award a 24-month sole source, fixed price Contract Number OP58657000 to Twinco Mfg. Co., Inc. for an amount not to exceed $2,862,833.53 inclusive of sales tax, subject to resolution of protest(s), if any.
Issue
ISSUE
The Metro Blue Line (MBL) Train Control Vital Relays and the bases are of a proprietary design and Twinco Mfg. Co., Inc. is the sole manufacturer of the drop-in relays which are compatible with the existing relay base. Metro Wayside Maintenance has nearly exhausted their inventory of spare vital relays.
Background
BACKGROUND
The Vital Relays are installed by Metro Wayside Maintenance in Train Control Rooms along the Metro Blue Line and have been in service since July of 1990. This State of Good Repair project (SOGR) is to ensure that LA Metro has a sufficient stock of replacement vital relays to keep the Train Control system on the MBL operational.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
This procurement is to obtain replacement relays for the Vital Relays used in the Train Control system for train detection, cab signaling, switch control, and signal lighting. The Vital Relays that will be procured are replacements for equipment installed at 16 locations along the Metro Blue Line (MBL). Existing vital relays have reached the end of their useful life and Wayside Systems has nearly exhausted their inventory of spare vital relays. Furthermore, the manufacturer no longer manufactures this model of vital relay.
This procurement requires the manufacturer to establish a manufacturing line to create and test approximately 1,100 relays that will be added to Wayside System’s spare part inventory. With this replenished inventory of new Vital Relays, Wayside Systems will be able to perform maintenance in accordance with our Wayside Systems Signal Preventative Maintenance Plan and keep the MBL signaling system in a state of good repair.
Determination_Of_Safety_Impact
DETERMINATION OF SAFETY IMPACT
Approval of the recommendations will have a positive impact on the safety of the rail system by helping to ensure compliance with the original equipment manufacturers (OEM) recommended replacement cycle. Maintaining the rail system in a State of Good Repair will reduce the mean time between failures (MTBF), reduce the mean time to repair (MTTR) after failure, and promote safe and reliable train operations.
Financial_Impact
FINANCIAL IMPACT
There is no FY19 budget impact for this action. The budget is part of the FY20 proposed budget subject to board adoption in May 2019. It is part of the FY20 project milestones and related cash flow scheduled for completion within the Life-of-Project (LOP) budget for Project 205108, Metro Blue Line Re-signaling Rehabilitation. The cost of purchasing this equipment is anticipated to be spread out over two fiscal years, FY20 and FY21. The equipment has a lead time of 38 weeks from NTP, and Metro would not make the first payment to Twinco until the initial shipment of vital relay equipment is received. If NTP is given in April 2019, the initial shipment of equipment would be approximately November 2019. The final payment would be in FY21. Assuming a contract value of $2,862,833.53, staff anticipates paying 40% (approximately $1.15M) of the cost or total value in FY20 and 60% (approximately $1.71M) in FY21. The funds for this equipment is in Cost Center 8510 (Construction Procurement) under Project 205108.
Since this is a multi-year capital project, the Chief, Program Management, will be responsible for budgeting costs in future fiscal years.
Impact to Budget
The funding sources for this project are a State of California Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP) Grant, and local Prop A 35%. Use of these funding sources currently maximizes the allowable funding allocation given approved funding provisions and guidelines.
Implementation_of_Strategic_Plan_Goals
IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS
Recommendation supports strategic plan goal 1, to improve the quality of Metro’s transit network, and assets, and take steps to manage demand on the entire network. This project will prioritize service and infrastructure investments to areas with the greatest need, with the goal of improving transportation options for the county’s most vulnerable populations within LA County.
Alternatives_Considered
ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED
The Board may choose not to award Contract No. OP58657000, but this is not recommended by staff because without proceeding with the State of Good Repair to replace Train Control Vital Relays, any failure(s) will cause delays in MBL service as train movements will need to stop until repairs are completed. Not performing or postponing these replacements is not recommended as these rail infrastructure components are safety sensitive and if not properly maintained, will impact service reliability, passenger safety and comfort. Additionally, unscheduled maintenance repair costs on a per train control relay basis will result in higher operating costs and longer repair time versus reduced costs when performing work as scheduled.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
Upon Board approval, staff will execute Contract No. OP58657000 to Twinco Mfg. Co., Inc. to furnish Train Control Vital Relays devices.
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - Procurement Summary
Attachment B - DEOD Summary
Prepared_By
Prepared by: Marshall Epler, DEO, Systems Engineering, (213) 617-6232
James Wei, DEO, Project Management, (213) 922-7528
Errol Taylor, SR EO, Rail Maintenance and Engineering, (213) 922-3227
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by: James T. Gallagher, Chief Operations Officer, (213) 418-3108
Debra Avila, Chief Vendor/Contract Management Officer, (213) 418-3051
