**608.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE** To establish procedures for obtaining
operational telecommunications services and equipment.

**608.2 DEFINITIONS**

**A. Operational Telecommunications:** Telecommunications for the
control, operation and protection of the BPA Power System.

**B. Operational Telecommunications Facilities:** Telecommunication
lines, circuits and equipment, whether leased or owned, used primarily
for operational telecommunications.

**C. Administrative Telecommunications Facilities:** Telecommunication
lines, circuits and equipment, whether leased or owned, used primarily
for administrative purposes. Available excess capacity on BPA
operational telecommunications facilities may be used for administrative
purposes if the excess capacity was originally, or is now, justified
based on operational requirements. This is to avoid duplicative
facilities and costs, and create greater efficiencies.

**608.3 RESPONSIBILITIES** Each organization directly concerned with
power system planning or use is responsible for identifying its
operational telecommunications needs, and for transmitting its
recommendations to the BPA program office responsible for budget
coordination.

**A. The manager responsible for telecommunications systems (Engineering
and Technical Services)** is responsible for:

> 1\. Developing policies for the application of BPA-owned operational
> telecommunication facilities and/or the leasing of such facilities
> from the common carriers;
>
> 2\. Developing appropriate procedures for implementation of the above
> policies;
>
> 3\. Preparing position papers, reports, and analyses as required by
> the Department, Administrator, Office of Management and Budget, and
> Congressional committees regarding operational telecommunications;
>
> 4\. Planning, coordinating, and integrating the recommendations for
> operational telecommunications and control facilities to meet the
> functional requirements of program objectives;
>
> 5\. Evaluating the technical and economic feasibility of proposed
> telecommunications projects;
>
> 6\. Determining optimum means for providing operational
> telecommunications and power system control facilities;
>
> 7\. Establishing standards for operational telecommunications
> facilities;
>
> 8\. Determining whether to lease or purchase operational
> telecommunications facilities; and
>
> 9\. Maintaining liaison with telephone companies on leasing of
> operational telecommunications and control facilities.

**B. Field Services Regional Managers** are responsible for:

1.  Recommending operational telecommunications and control facilities
    which are located solely within each Regional boundary; and

> 2\. Budgeting for leased operational telecommunications services.
> (Note: Those which transect more than one Region or relate primarily
> to system wide or headquarters functions are planned and budgeted
> centrally.)

**C. The VP for Operations and Planning** is responsible for:

> 1\. Establishing the functional requirements for operational
> telecommunications and power system control facilities;
>
> 2\. Planning and budgeting for leased telecommunications services
> which are used
>
> a\. Primarily for dispatching and system operations (telemetering,
> generation control, inter-utility voice, etc.)
>
> b\. For services involving more than one Region; and
>
> 3\. Notifying the telephone company of specific performance issues
> (such as malfunctions or outages) with leased telecommunications
> services and evaluating telephone company responses to the trouble
> reports.

**D. The VP for Generation Supply (PBL),** is responsible for planning
and budgeting for leased telecommunications services which are used
primarily for power scheduling, weather reporting, hydrological
reporting, and joint scheduling activity.

**608.4 PROCEDURES**

**A. All requests for leased operational telecommunications services**
are submitted to an appropriate BPA purchasing official. Requests may be
initiated by the responsible program office(s). For capital program or
replacement program projects initiated through the Project Authorization
Request (PAR) or Project Requirements Document (PRD) planning process
the manager responsible for Telecommunications Systems will initiate the
leased telecommunications request, if leased services are required.
During the planning process, the manager responsible for
Telecommunications Systems will evaluate the requirements and determine
the optimum method for providing the service including whether to lease,
purchase, or build. The initiating office:

> 1\. Specifies the technical and administrative requirements and
> negotiates the service arrangements with the telephone company;
>
> 2\. Determines cost and availability for the service; and
>
> 3\. Assures that funding is available to pay for the service

**B. The initiating office** forwards Form BPA F 4250.11, Purchase
Request/Receiving Report, for the service to Corporate Purchasing or
other authorized purchasing office, which prepares Form BPA F 4230.03,
Order for Supplies or Services.

**608.5 REFERENCES**

**A. *BPA Manual* Chapter 300*,*** BPA Policy On Budgeting, Subsection
300.5 identifies information sources and procedures for budgeting for
telecommunications services and facilities.

**B. *BPA Manual* Chapter 607,** Administrative Telecommunications
Facilities, outlines the procedure for obtaining leased
telecommunications facilities for offices and other administrative uses.