Smart Streetlight RFI Responses

Overview

This guide to the City of Pittsburgh Smart Streetlight Request for Information (RFI) was created to provide clarity and transparency to the ongoing Smart Streetlight project in the City of Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh has approximately 40,000 City-owned and operated streetlights, the vast majority of which are traditional high-pressure sodium HID luminaires controlled by simple photocell units. Due to high energy and maintenance costs, the City is developing a plan to replace the bulk of this system with remotely managed LED luminaires, with the goal being a potential energy savings of 60-80%. These savings can finance the conversion program through an Energy Savings Performance Contract. The City has previously piloted this approach in 2012, upgrading 4,500 luminaires through a State-funded energy savings program.

The City recognizes that updated streetlights can offer a ready-made physical and communications platform for the sensors, controls and backhaul that power a Smart City. In the case of a Smart Streetlight deployment however, the problem is not pre-defined, so it is unclear what the City may actually need. This is why the City chose to release an RFI instead of the more common Request for Proposals (RFP), in order to understand the state of the industry, perform a market analysis and provide a learning experience for City personnel. This RFI was designed to help the City understand the industry's perspective on these emerging technologies while providing a more efficient and equitable lighting system.

The City of Pittsburgh Office of Management and Budget released the Smart Streetlights RFI on March 2nd, 2017 and closed it on April 10th, 2017. The City received twenty-five responses from different businesses who offered a wide variety of services, products and concepts. All of the responses, as well as the RFI itself and the resulting questions and answers, are available to view.

"Smart Cities"

The term "Smart City" refers to a range of technologies designed to sense and control various real-world phenomena, and software design and development projects to collect, present and administer those technologies' data and functions.

LEDs

LEDs have a higher efficiency in their conversion of electricity to light. LEDs also last much longer than sodium lamps. They also allow for fine-tuned control to maximize energy savings and performance.