REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL AND
CORONA UTILITY AUTHORITY ACTION
DATE: 09/21/2022
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
Honorable President and Board Members
FROM: Utilities Department
SUBJECT:
Title
Maintenance/General Services Agreement for As Needed Supplemental Biosolids Transportation Services to Christofferson Transportation, Inc.
End
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks Council to approve an Agreement for As Needed Supplemental Biosolids Transportation Services to Christofferson Transportation, Inc. in the amount of $1,400,000. Biosolids are a byproduct of the wastewater treatment process. The removal of such products has strict regulations that must be adhered to. The Maintenance/General Services Agreement with Christofferson Transportation, Inc. for as needed supplemental biosolid transportation services will allow the Utilities Department to remain compliant in accordance with the State Water Resources Control Board permit to operate a water reclamation facility and other applicable laws and regulations.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommended action
That the:
a. City Council award Request for Proposal 22-074CA for As Needed Supplemental Biosolids Transportation Services to Christofferson Transportation, Inc., of Riverside, CA.
b. City Council authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to execute the Maintenance/General Services Agreement for As Needed Supplemental Biosolids Transportation Services to Christofferson Transportation, Inc., of Riverside, CA, for an initial one-year contract term ending June 30, 2023, with five (5) optional one-year extensions in the amount of $1,400,000 per fiscal year.
c. City Council authorize the Purchasing Manager to issue purchase orders to Christofferson Transportation, Inc., of Riverside, CA, in an amount up to $1,400,000 per year for Fiscal Year 2023 for the initial agreement term ending June 30, 2023.
d. City Council authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to approve amendments necessary for the execution of the work, in accordance with the Corona Municipal Code Section 3.08.060(J), up to $100,000 or 10% of the amended contract amount.
e. Corona Utility Authority review, ratify, and to the extent necessary, direct that the City Council take the above actions.
Body
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
The Utilities Department’s (UD) Water Reclamation Facility No. 1 (WRF-1) generates biosolids as a byproduct from the wastewater treatment process. During wastewater treatment, the liquids are separated from the solids. These solids are then treated physically and chemically to produce a semisolid, nutrient-rich product referenced herein as biosolids. WRF-1 generates approximately 43 wet tons of biosolids per day. WRF-1 has a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit issued by the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB). One of the permit requirements is the lawful management of biosolids per Title 40 of the Federal Code of Regulations (CFR), Part 503.
Synagro-WWT, Inc. (Synagro) has an agreement and Purchase Order (PO) for biosolids end-use management. The end-use management of biosolids includes the following but is not limited to collecting, transporting, composting, recycling, and/or disposal. All actions and activities must comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Synagro collects Class B biosolids from WRF-1 and transports each load to a Synagro composting facility in Vicksburg, Arizona, or Helendale, California.
The accumulation of biosolids onsite has significantly delayed the process of dewatering. There has been an increase in sodium hypochlorite use due to the increased biosolids inventory. If biosolids continue to accumulate in the digestion and activated sludge process, the result will be an over-accumulation of biosolids. Once the activated sludge process has excessive biosolids in the system, the biosolids will go into the effluent, which will cause permit turbidity violations. Any noncompliance constitutes a violation of the Clean Water Act (CWA) and the California Water Code and is grounds for enforcement action that can include permit termination, revocation, re-issuance, or modification; denial of a permit renewal application; or a combination thereof. These violations are also subject to monetary fines up to $25,000 per day per violation and up to $25 per gallon per day of treated wastewater. WRF-1’s daily flow averages approximately eleven million gallons per day.
Due to a shortage of commercial drivers nationwide, Synagro has had difficulty obtaining and maintaining commercial drivers required to collect and transport the volume of biosolids generated at WRF-1. Synagro is currently averaging ten hauls per week. This is an inadequate number of hauls to meet the City’s operational needs, which has severely impacted the operations at WRF-1. As a result, UD has contracted the services of Hoyt Transportation, Inc. (Hoyt) for the transportation of Class B biosolids to Synagro for processing. Hoyt picked up and transported the biosolids from WRF-1 to a Synagro facility that further processes the biosolids into compost. Hoyt is no longer in operation as of 6/30/2022. As a result, UD pursued Request for Proposal (RFP) 22-074CA for As Needed Supplemental Biosolids Transportation Services.
ANALYSIS:
On May 16, 2022, the Purchasing Division issued RFP 22-074CA for As Needed Supplemental Biosolids Transportation Services. The RFP was advertised pursuant to Corona Municipal Code (CMC) 3.08.110 non-public projects formal bidding procedure requirements in the Sentinel Weekly and published on the City’s PlanetBids bidding portal. One hundred fifty-two (152) firms registered with PlanetBids to provide transport services were notified of the procurement opportunity. Eleven (11) firms downloaded the RFP document. The City received one (1) proposal by the submission date of July 12, 2022.
Staff performed an evaluation of the proposal submitted by the contractor. The evaluation was based on the following criteria:
Table 1: RFP Ranking Criteria
|
Criteria |
Rating (P/F) |
Maximum Points |
|
Completeness of Response |
Pass/Fail |
N/A |
|
Qualifications of Firm |
N/A |
30 pts |
|
Qualifications of Personnel |
N/A |
30 pts |
|
Work Plan / Project Understanding and Approach |
N/A |
30 pts |
|
Value |
N/A |
10 pts |
|
Total |
|
100 pts |
The review panel carefully evaluated the single proposal received according to the criteria noted below in Table 1.
Table 2: RFP Ranking
|
Contractor |
Score |
Ranking |
|
Christofferson Transportation, Inc. (Riverside, CA) |
100.00 |
1 |
Staff recommends the City Council award the Maintenance/General Services Agreement for As Needed Supplemental Biosolids Transportation Services to Christofferson Transportation, Inc., of Riverside, CA. All licenses and references for the contractor have been reviewed and verified by City staff. In reviewing the proposed cost, the price provided is reasonable for the industry standard for this service.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Funding for the recommended action is included in the Fiscal Year 2023 Utilities Department Operating Budget. Funding in future fiscal years will be recommended through the 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. An environmental review is not required because the proposed action is not a project governed by the California Environmental Quality Act.
PREPARED BY: KRISTIAN ALFELOR, OPERATIONS MANAGER
REVIEWED BY: TOM MOODY, UTILITIES DIRECTOR
Attachments:
1. Exhibit 1 - MGSA with Christofferson Transportation, Inc.
2. Exhibit 2 - RFP Summary