FY2019 Approach
Please see the FY2018 approach section below the dashed line for project background.

Major FY2018 accomplishments include:
1. Successful completion of environmental compliance (EC) across 43 IPTDS sites for which the project conducts O&M. EC clearance will facilitate uniform implementation of best management practices in FY2019.
2. Completion of site audits and development of near-term O&M recommendations.
3. Completion of site selection, infrastructure selection, O&M, and troubleshooting “best practices” documents to standardize IPTDS applications.
4. Complete upgrades of six IPTDS sites, reducing projected outyear equipment replacement costs by 20% and nearly tripling the read ranges formerly obtained at those sites.
5. Procurement and installation of cellular modems in preparation for the termination of 3g service in 2019.
6. Procurement and installation of BGAN satellite modems, reducing outyear airtime and data transmission costs by 66%.
7. Implementation of direct purchase contracts for data management, reducing pass-through contract expenditure.

Major FY2019 challenges include:
1. Site audits identified the need for antenna and cable entrenchment at numerous sites to conform to best practices and to protect existing project infrastructure. In FY2019, we anticipate that labor requirements will necessitate a reduction in equipment purchases, thus delaying site upgrades and implementation of best-practices.
2. Satellite and cellular modem replacement exceeded FY2018 projections. As a result, not all scheduled site upgrades and/or equipment replacement could be completed in FY2018, thus shifting some of the labor burden to FY2019.
3. Implementation of direct purchase agreements for data management through this project created two “categories” of sites within the IPTDS O&M project: 1) “Standard O&M” sites, for which the project is responsible for administering communications, data management, power, infrastructure, and maintenance and 2) “Data Sites” for which the project is only responsible for the administration of communications and data management.

The number of IPTDS sites competing for labor and infrastructure resources will exceed the availability of these resources for the next several years. Thus, it is apparent that prioritization will have to be improved/streamlined. We propose the implementation of the following guidelines to improve program efficiency in the near and long-term:
1. All IPTDS sites included in the “Standard O&M” category must conform to best-practices standards developed by this project in FY2018.
2. All “Data Sites” will use modems provided by this project and will use the shared airtime plans implemented as part of the best-practices standards.
3. Any “Data Site” requiring infrastructure upgrade beyond the modem should be upgraded using best-practices standards identified by this project.
4. Any IPTDS sites added to the IPTDS O&M project will undergo a site audit, providing BPA with an estimate of probable cost to implement best-practices and an estimate of probable annual long-term O&M costs.
5. All equipment procured for this contract will comply to materials, construction, and QA/QC standards outlined in the best-practices document.

The most immediate and pressing issue for the IPTDS O&M project is the fact that 13 of the 30 Data Sites added in FY2018 do not have modems and infrastructure compatible with program standards. Specifically, the modems at these sites are either 3g cellular modems or Globalstar satellite modems, neither of which can be supported in FY2019 due to cessation of service from Verizon or escalating cost increases for airtime and data transmission from Globalstar. Additionally, these sites use QuBE V1.x controllers, which do not conform to data standards. Implementing the upgrades necessary at these sites would exceed the labor and equipment budget of this project, would delay other site upgrades, and eliminate funding for Standard O&M sites.

This FY2019 SOW has been prepared to adhere to the FY2018 end-of-year budget and adheres to O&M priorities accompanying the FY2018 mandates. Necessarily, this SOW excludes the 13 QuBE V1.x sites described above. There are alternatives:
1. Increase the project budget by approximately $479,000 to cover labor and equipment to upgrade the 13 QuBE V1.x sites.
2. Reprioritize the existing project budget to upgrade a subset of the 13 QuBE V1.x sites.

------------------------Project History (FY2018 Approach)--------------------------------------
In-stream PIT tag Detection Systems (IPTDS) are installed, operated, and maintained under numerous Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) projects and contracts.  This contract will consolidate IPTDS actions funded across the Integrated Status and Effectiveness Monitoring Project (ISEMP; BPA Project Number 2003-017-00) involving at least eight entities to operate 67 IPTDS. This project integrates the operations and maintenance (O&M) of these IPTDS under a single coordinated project, and creates an option to further consolidate IPTDS from other projects in the future. This strategy is similar to the O&M strategy currently employed for PIT tag detection at mainstem hydropower facilities.

Expected near-term benefits of this project include:
1. Improvements in site reliability via implementation of infrastructure standards and routine O&M by subject matter experts.
2. Improvements in data quality resulting from infrastructure standards, routine O&M, and data management.
3. Reduced year-to-year variation in O&M costs.
4. Improved IPTDS repair and intelligent upgrade strategies.
5. Cost-savings achieved via reduced O&M labor expenses and contract pricing for IPTDS components and modem air-time plans.

Expected long-term benefits of this project include:
1. Comprehensive guidance documents; including:
a. Standard O&M practices and procedures.
b. Troubleshooting procedures.
c. IPTDS site-selection and infrastructure selection.
d. Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) training.
e. Remote communications and data management.
2. Better coordination with RFID equipment manufacturers to guide the development of innovations.
3. Improved accountability.

Implementation of this program will proceed as follows:
1. A site audit will be completed in fall 2017 for each of the 67 existing IPTDS. This site audit will form the basis of a formal report to BPA describing:
a. equipment inventory by site;
b. status of infrastructure
c. permit status;
d. site access maps/directions;
e. an assessment of site longevity, risk, and reliability; and
f. a site-by-site proposal to improve data quality.
2. Implementation of site decommissioning, repair, or reinstallation will occur in spring 2018.
3. The standard O&M rotation will begin in fall 2018, and continue at the discretion of BPA.

This contract includes the following components:
1. A primary contract awarded to Quantitative Consultants, Inc. to serve as the primary technical O&M entity, develop reports, manage inventory, manage power and communications services, manage data, and order equipment.
2. Two subcontracts to fund a geographically distributed network of trained “first-responders" as a means to minimize travel relative to a model based on a single centralized O&M entity.