REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Authorize Issuance of Purchase Order for a Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometer (GCMS) with Purge & Trap Concentrator/Autosampler at the Water Pollution Control Plant (F17-167)
Report
REPORT IN BRIEF
Approval is requested to authorize the issuance of a purchase order to Thermo Electron North America, LLC aka Thermo Fisher Scientific of West Palm Beach, Florida for Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometer (GCMS) with Purge & Trap Concentrator/Autosampler in the amount of $114,149, excluding sales tax, for the Environmental Services Department (ESD).
EXISTING POLICY
Pursuant to Chapter 2.08 of the Sunnyvale Municipal Code, City Council approval is required for every procurement of goods exceeding $100,000.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The action being considered does not constitute a “project” within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15378(a) as it has no potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
The Environmental Laboratory’s GCMS (Agilent Model 6890N) equipment used for organic analysis was originally purchased in 2002 and is due for a replacement. The GCMS system is utilized for the analysis of organic priority pollutants (volatiles and trihalomethanes) to satisfy the monitoring requirements of the Water Pollution Control Plant’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit, Drinking Water and Pretreatment Compliance programs.
The GCMS currently utilized by the laboratory is outdated and has exceeded its anticipated life span of 10 years. Maintenance and support for the equipment is becoming increasingly difficult and expensive due to the equipment and replacement parts being obsolete. Equipment downtime when repairs are necessary impact service operations when samples exceed the short holding time of seven days, which creates increased turn-around times, and additional costs associated with resampling or outsourcing sample testing to a commercial laboratory. The new GCMS equipment will allow the laboratory to reliably meet the NPDES permit requirements, our sample workloads and satisfy service requirements in a timely and cost effective manner.
Bid specifications were prepared by ESD staff, while Purchasing issued an Invitation for Bids (IFB) through the City’s Onvia Demand Star public procurement network and emailed the IFB directly to three vendors on June 29, 2017. Two bids were received as shown in Attachment 1, Bid Summary.
The bid document included a specifications matrix that required bidders to indicate if its equipment met the City’s specifications. The specification sheet was submitted by both vendors indicating that its equipment specification met or exceeded the City’s requirements.
As a necessary step to verify if the equipment being offered met the City specifications, laboratory staff required a demonstration of the equipment from both vendors with water sample testing. Only Thermo Electron could accommodate the equipment demonstration. The testing confirmed the Thermo Electron product met the City’s specifications; therefore, staff is recommending purchasing the equipment from Thermo Electron.
FISCAL IMPACT
Pricing of $114,149 includes the cost of the GCMS system, delivery, installation, three days of onsite training, and three additional years of warranty. Budgeted funds are available in the Wastewater Equipment Replacement Account 020201.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Council agenda on the City's official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall, at the Sunnyvale Senior Center, Community Center and Department of Public Safety; and by making the agenda and report available at the Sunnyvale Public Library, the Office of the City Clerk and on the City's website.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Authorize the issuance of a purchase order in the amount of $114,149 to Thermo Electron North America, LLC, aka Thermo Fisher, excluding sales tax, in substantially the same form as Attachment 2 to the report, to furnish a Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometer (GCMS) with Purge & Trap Concentrator/Autosampler, as required by the Environmental Services Department.
Staff
Prepared by: Gregory S. Card, Purchasing Officer
Reviewed by: Timothy J. Kirby, Director of Finance
Reviewed by: Melody Tovar, Interim Director of Environmental Services Department
Reviewed by: Teri Silva, Interim Assistant City Manager
Approved by: Kent Steffens, Interim City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. Bid Summary
2. Draft Purchase Order