TO:
Honorable Mayor Powell and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Mark Danaj, City Manager
FROM:
Tony Olmos, Public Works Director
Bruce Moe, Finance Director
Raul Saenz, Utilities Manager
Gwen Eng, Purchasing Manager
SUBJECT:Title
Award Contract to General Pump Company, Inc. to Provide Chemical Treatment and Mechanical Well Head Reconditioning of Well 11A; Appropriation of $122,738 from the Water Fund Available Fund Balance (Public Works Director Olmos).
APPROVE AND APPROPRIATE
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Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council:
a) Award RFP #1010-15 to General Pump Company, Inc. to provide chemical treatment and mechanical well head reconditioning of Well 11A in the amount of $122,738; and
b) Appropriate $122,738 from the Water Fund available fund balance for these services.
c) Authorize a 10% project contingency in an amount not to exceed $12,000 for unforeseen repairs.
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FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
This proposed expenditure is not budgeted and an appropriation from the Water Fund reserves of $122,738 is required.
BACKGROUND:
The City operates two wells, Wells 11A and 15, by blending groundwater with imported water from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) at Block 35 and Peck Reservoirs. Recent routine water sampling at Well 11A revealed the presence of bacteria that necessitated taking the well off the water production line. Because groundwater is chlorinated at the reservoirs before it enters the water grid, any bacteria in the groundwater were eliminated before public consumption. However, the issue needs to be corrected before Well 11A is put back in service. Therefore, it is necessary to contract this effort to a company that possesses the heavy groundwater well reconditioning equipment and water chemistry expertise to perform enhanced services capable of achieving the full disinfection of the well casing and surrounding aquifer.
DISCUSSION:
To this end, a Request for Proposal (RFP #1010-15) was issued with the focus on an effective solution to remove the bacteria from Well 11A. The City received three proposals. Because this is a professional services contract, selection is based on many factors including knowledge and experience with similar projects, approach and understanding of the scope of services, staff expertise and cost. The firms submitting proposals were:
- Weber Water Resources, LLC $ 95,495
- General Pump Company, Inc. $122,738
- Layne Christen Company $287,716
Staff conducted phone interviews and reviewed the proposals which led to the recommendation of General Pump Company, Inc. for this project. This assessment was based on General Pump's comprehensive response to the Request for Proposal, their understanding of the problem, qualified project team and strong experience with other water agencies.
General Pump Company, Inc. offers a proposal that provides a level of service that most efficiently meets the City's requirements for returning Well 11A back to service. They provide a detailed and verifiable description of the chemical treatment process that will be executed; and their approach to mechanically/hydraulically penetrate the surrounding aquifer with the proposed chemical treatment, is superior to their competitors. In addition to aggressively preparing the well for chemical treatment, the proposed mechanical/hydraulic agitation aspect of this work will serve the dual purpose of reconditioning the surrounding aquifer and well casing perforations. Consequently, the productivity and efficiency of Well 11A will be enhanced. Furthermore, General Pump Company, Inc. is the only company that included a warranty in the event that their proposed efforts fail.
While there was a lower cost proposal from Weber Water Resources, LLC, the firm did not offer as an aggressive treatment plan nor warranty their efforts.
Additional Work Authority: Authorizing the Director of Public Works to approve additional as-needed work in an amount not-to-exceed $12,000, 10% contract contingency, would expedite the well reconditioning process. In well reconditioning projects, there is a probability of encountering unforeseen conditions that are not known until the all pumping equipment is removed from the well casing. If the contingency is approved with this award, the Public Works Director will report the status of any additional work to Council at the end of the project.
CONCLUSION:
Staff recommends that the City Council award RFP #1010-15 to General Pump Company, Inc. for a contract to provide chemical treatment and mechanical well head reconditioning of Well 11A in the amount of $122,738. Further, staff recommends that the City Council appropriate $122,738 from the available Water Fund balance.
Attachment:
1. Agreement with General Pump Company, Inc.