An Uninterruptible Power Supply device (UPS) employs rechargeable batteries to provide power to computer devices when the regular source of power is interrupted. These devices are not included in the bids of library automation vendors but are normally purchased from local vendors who have been known to overcharge for them. A recent call to several manufacturers of UPS equipment revealed that a UPS device for a supermicro or mini should cost in the range of $5,000 to $12,500. If you know the KVA rating of the system to be protected--a figure which is available from the vendor of the system--you can determine a reasonable price from the following chart:
Any product which exceeds these prices by more than 20 percent should be carefully evaluated to determine whether it offers features not required by the library, or is merely overpriced.
2 KVA $5,000 3 KVA 5,500 5 KVA 7,500 7.5 KVA 9,500 10 KVA 10,500 15 KVA 12,500
