Grand Coulee SCADA System Procurement

by James F. Bailey, US Bureau of Reclamation, Grand Coulee, WA, USA,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Water Power '87

Abstract:

Purchasing a quality Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) or Energy Control System (ECS) at a reasonable price for a particular installation can be a challenging undertaking. This is not only true for an initial system installation where little previous computerized control system experience exists, but also when replacing an existing computerized system that has reached obsolescence. Such acquisitions normally occur only once or twice in a project employees career. This paper presents guidelines for each step of the procurement process, including justification and requirements analysis, specification writing, proposal evaluation, potential supplier negotiations, and ending with the actual contract award. Although there is no one best way for the overall acquisition process, the experiences encountered at Grand Coulee and several other installations should be helpful to others in advance procurement planning of a new or replacement system.

Subject Headings: Control systems | Procurement | Data collection | Hydro power | Power plants | Hydrologic data | Computing in civil engineering

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