Explanation
Background: This ordinance authorizes the Director of Columbus Water & Power to enter into contract with Trimble Inc. for services regarding the Trimble Unity Asset Management System. The contract amount being authorized by this ordinance is $1,014,322.21.
The Trimble Unity Asset Management System (AMS) is a cloud-based, Geographic Information System (GIS)-centric enterprise AMS that will help Columbus Water & Power (CWP) maintain its complex infrastructure and equipment by enhancing efficiency and optimizing asset operation and maintenance. This AMS will assist CWP with better decision-making regarding asset rehabilitation and asset replacement, ensuring regulatory compliance, and will facilitate reliable and sustainable service delivery. The former Cityworks AMS, under Azteca Systems Holdings LLC (Azteca), previously utilized by CWP was a traditional on-premises system vs the new cloud-based system. While contracting with Azteca for the Cityworks AMS, Trimble Inc acquired Azteca, though CWPs contract continued to be with Azteca.
The AMS contract is an annual Enterprise licensing agreement that includes cloud-hosting services. The Trimble Unity solution modernizes our Work and Asset Management program by enabling best practices and GIS to empower CWP to better track, maintain, and manage assets across our entire organization. Trimble Unity provides three hosting environments, which include one each for testing, production, and development. CWP currently has 1,150 licenses but with the system switch CWP will be granted unlimited licenses. Additionally, the Division of Fire has 282 licenses funded by CWP and uses these licenses in collaboration with the Division of Water to support the maintenance and inspection process for Fire Hydrants across the City.
Due to a Request for Proposal, RFQ018791, that was published for CWP to obtain an Asset Management System, Woolpert, Inc. was the awarded firm and the software solution they chose in the proposal was Cityworks. It had been determined that establishing one contract for services with Woolpert, Inc. and one contract for software directly with Azteca for the Cityworks AMS was the best path forward.
On June 22nd, 2026, Council passed Ordinance 1559-2026 authorizing renewal number 4 for services regarding the Cityworks Asset Management System. The original contract was authorized by Ord. 2517-2022 in accordance with the pertinent provisions to waive competitive bidding of Chapter 329 of Columbus City Code for the initial term and all future renewals. After passage of Ord. 1559-2026, it was communicated that since CWP would be moving from the traditional Cityworks AMS system to the cloud-based offering CWP would be required to enter into a new contract with Trimble Inc. instead of renewing with Azteca. This ordinance repeals Ord. 1559-2026 and creates a new contract for the new cloud-based AMS with the correct vendor Trimble Inc.
The original term of the contract will be from date of execution up to and including November 13th, 2028, with yearly renewal options for an additional ten years, on a year-by-year basis. For each year of the contract, funding is contingent on availability within the budget, mutual agreement between the parties, approval of City Council, and certification of funds by the City Auditor. This contract does not automatically renew. If unforeseen issues or difficulties are encountered that would require additional funding, a modification would be requested.
This ordinance authorizes the initial term of the contract and is being submitted in accordance with the relevant provisions to waive competitive bidding of Chapter 329 of City Code for the initial term and all future renewals.
Principal Party:
Trimble Inc.
10368 Westmoor Dr.
Broomfield, CO 80021
Jared Hoffman, (887) 887-6100
Contract Compliance Number: 010839
Contract Compliance Expiration Date: PENDING UPDATE
Fiscal Impact: $1,014,322.21 is available from within the Public Utilities Operating Funds to meet the financial obligations of this contract.
$61,406.30 was spent in 2025
$556,860.00 was spent in 2024
Emergency Justification: Emergency action is requested in order to keep CWP’s licensing current, and to avoid a lapse in access to the necessary and vital platforms and services provided under the contract. Since this new contract is the result of an acquisition and platform transition, additional conversations, planning, scheduling, and negotiations were required to ensure CWP was executing a contract with the correct vendor. Access to the new Trimble Unity AMS system ensures there are no interruptions to daily operations and the implementation projects.
Title
To authorize the Director of Columbus Water & Power to enter into contract with Trimble Inc. for software licenses associated with the Trimble Unity AMS system; to authorize the expenditure of $1,014,322.21 split between the Electricity, Water, Sanitary Sewer, and Stormwater Operating Funds; to waive the competitive bidding provisions of Chapter 329 of the Columbus City Codes; to repeal Ordinance No. 1559-2026; and to declare an emergency. ($1,014,322.21)
Body
WHEREAS, it is necessary to authorize the Director of Columbus Water & Power to enter into contract with Trimble Inc. for the licenses associated with the Trimble Unity Asset Management System Software; and
WHEREAS, due to the Request for Proposals RFQ018791 that was published for DPU to obtain an Asset Management System, Woolpert was the awarded firm and the software solution they chose in the proposal was Cityworks. Cityworks has been transitioned to a cloud-based system called Trimble Unity. It has been determined that establishing one contract for services with Woolpert and one contract for software directly with Trimble Inc. is the best path forward, and it is in the best interest of the City to waive the provisions of competitive bidding in Chapter 329 of the Columbus City Codes and enter into a contract with Azteca Systems, LLC. for the AMS Software; and
WHEREAS, Ordinance 1559-2026 authorized renewal number 4 for the Cityworks Asset Management System; and
WHEREAS, this ordinance repeals ordinance 1559-2026, due to a change in the system to cloud-based and a switch from Azteca Systems Holdings LLC to Trimble Inc. which prevented Columbus Water & Power from implementing the approved renewal; and
WHEREAS, the adjustments to both the vendor CWP is entering into contract with and the platform requires CWP to issue a new contract for the Trimble Unity AMS system; and
WHEREAS, it is necessary to authorize the expenditure of $1,014,322.21 from the Public Utilities Operating Fund, split among the Electricity, Water, Sanitary Sewer, and Stormwater Operating Funds; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operations of Columbus Water & Power in that it is immediately necessary to authorize the Director to enter into contract with Trimble Inc. to provide software licenses and services for the Trimble Unity Asset Management System in order to maintain access to the system without interruption, all for the immediate preservation of the public health, peace, property, safety, and welfare; and NOW, THEREFORE
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That the Director of Columbus Water & Power be and is hereby authorized to enter into contract with Trimble Inc. for the Trimble Unity Asset Management System. The contract amount being authorized by this ordinance is $1,014,322.21.
SECTION 2. That this Council finds it in the best interest of the City to waive the competitive bidding provisions of Chapter 329 of the Columbus City Codes for the contract with Trimble Inc. and does hereby waive the same.
SECTION 3. That the funds necessary to carry out the purpose of this ordinance are hereby deemed appropriated, and the City Auditor shall establish such accounting codes as necessary.
SECTION 4. That the City Auditor is authorized to make any accounting changes to revise the funding source for all contracts or contract modifications associated with this ordinance.
SECTION 5. That Ordinance No. 1559-2026 is hereby repealed in its entirety.
SECTION 6. That for the purpose stated in Section 1, the expenditure of $1,014,322.21 or so much thereof as may be necessary to pay the cost thereof, be and is hereby authorized from Public Utilities in object class 03 Services, split among the Electricity, Water, Sanitary Sewer, and Stormwater Operating Funds, per the accounting codes in the attachments to this ordinance.
SECTION 7. That for the reasons stated in the preamble hereto, which is hereby made a part hereof, this ordinance is hereby declared to be an emergency measure and shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage and approval by the Mayor, or ten days after passage if the Mayor neither approves nor vetoes the same.