REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL AND
CORONA UTILITY AUTHORITY ACTION
DATE: 01/04/2023
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
Honorable President and Board Members
FROM: Utilities Department
SUBJECT:
Title
Maintenance/General Services Agreement with Pure Technologies U.S Inc. dba Wachs Water Services for Water Valve Assessment Services.
End
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks the City Council to execute a Maintenance/General Services Agreement (MGSA) with Pure Technologies U.S Inc. dba Wachs Water Services (Wachs) in the amount of $550,000. Wachs will provide the City of Corona Utilities Department with water valve assessment services that include exercising of all valves for potable and recyclable water distribution system and hydrants. Wachs will provide a comprehensive testing report and Information Management Program to the City of Corona.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommended action
That the:
a. City Council authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to negotiate and execute the Maintenance/General Services Agreement with Pure Technologies U.S Inc. dba Wachs Water Services in the amount of $550,000 per fiscal year for the initial contract term ending June 30, 2025, with one optional two-year renewal.
b. City Council authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to negotiate and execute non-substantive extensions, change orders and amendments up to 10% of total contract cost or $55,000 as authorized by Corona Municipal Code Section 3.08.060(J).
c. City Council make a determination under Corona Municipal Code Section 3.08.140(C) that competitive bidding has been satisfied for the reasons provided in the “Basis of Determination of Competitive Bidding” section of this report.
d. City Council authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to issue a purchase order to Pure Technologies U.S Inc. dba Wachs Water Services in the amount of $550,000 per fiscal year for the initial contract term ending June 30, 2025, with one optional two-year renewal.
e. Corona Utility Authority review, ratify, and to the extent necessary, direct the City Council to take the above actions.
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BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
The City of Corona owns and manages a potable water system to deliver residents reliable, high-quality drinking water. To properly maintain the water system to acceptable performance standards, the Utilities Department (UD) has standard operating procedures that provide a management plan for the testing and maintenance of all its valves and hydrants. The water system's infrastructure of the City of Corona includes approximately 600 miles of watermains, 43,796 potable water services, 602 potable blowoffs, 8,861 hydrants, and 20,816 valves. The Reclaimed water system includes in excess of 60 miles of reclaimed water mains, 602 valves, and 106 hydrants.
In 2017, Wachs Water Services were awarded Request For Proposals 17-021-CG water valve assessment services and has provided assessment maintenance and exercising for hydrants and valves for the City.
ANALYSIS:
Maintaining and exercising valves are essential components of water utility operations for any public utilities’ operator. These valves are used to isolate or shut down potable and recycled water in case of emergency. Experts advise exercising a system's valves annually, if possible, or at least every two years.
Basis for Determination of Competitive Bidding
Corona’s Utilities Department's existing contract for valve exercising expired in 2022. Due to market uncertainty and time constraints, staff evaluated and determined that the City of Norco proposal meets and is in line with the City of Corona valve exercising program requirements and staff believes that Competitive Bidding has been accomplished for these purchases pursuant to CMC Section 3.08.140(C), which states as follows:
“Competitive Bidding already completed.” When the purchasing agent and the authorized contracting party, with the approval of the City Manager, determines that: A competitive bid procedure has been conducted by another public agency. On April 20, 2021, the City of Norco published a request for proposals/qualifications for multi-year on-call valve and hydrant maintenance assessment services for fiscal years 2021-22 through 2024-25. The proposal submittal deadline was May 4, 2021, and the City of Norco received one proposal from Wachs Water Systems.
UD and Purchasing division staff assessed Wachs’ proposal and determined the vendor could successfully deliver the level of services required and that the price for those services is fair and reasonable. The unit cost for valve assessment, testing, and surveys has increased by 1.96 percent over the previous bid pricing received in 2017. Fire hydrant assessment, testing, and survey cost has also increased by 6.3 percent, while raising valve boxes to grade in dirt and asphalt is 30.5 and 37.1 percent less than the previous bid values, respectively. Overall, staff was very satisfied with the caliber of work, the report specifics, and the general level of communication provided by Wachs during the time of the previous service agreement.
Staff is requesting City Council consideration on approving the Maintenance/General Services Agreement (MGSA) with Pure Technologies U.S Inc. dba Wachs Water Services to provide Water System Distribution Valve and Hydrant Assessment, Testing and Information Management Program services to the City of Corona.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Funding for the recommended action is included in the Utilities Department Infrastructure Division Fiscal Year 2023 operating budget. Future fiscal year funding requests will be evaluated and submitted through the annual budget process.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
This action is categorically exempt pursuant to Section 15301 of the Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which states that operation, repair, maintenance, permitting, leasing, licensing, or minor alteration of existing public or private structures, facilities, mechanical equipment, or topographical features, involving negligible or no expansion of use beyond that existing at the time of the CEQA determination, and is therefore exempt from CEQA. This action involves exercising of all valves for potable and recyclable water distribution system and hydrants. Therefore, no environmental analysis is required.
PREPARED BY: AFTAB HUSSAIN, MAINTENANCE MANAGER
REVIEWED BY: TOM MOODY, DIRECTOR OF UTILITIES
Attachments:
1. Exhibit 1 - MGSA