SR 01-12-2021 3C
City Council Report
City Council Meeting: January 12, 2021
Agenda Item: 3.C
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Susan Cline, Acting Assistant City Manager, Public Works, Water Resources
Subject: Award Bid #4401 and enter into Agreement with Carbon Activated
Corporation for Filter Media Replacement
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Award Bid #4401 to Carbon Activated Corporation for replacement of greensand
water filters for the Public Works Department; and
2. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute an agreement with Carbon
Activated Corporation, in an amount not to exceed $1,386,000 (including a 10%
contingency) over a five-year period, with future year funding contingent on
Council budget approval.
Summary
The City’s water treatment facilities at Charnock and Arcadia use greensand filter media
for pretreatment of water to remove particles that can damage the primary filter
mechanisms. Greensand filters provide vital filtration of the City’s drinking water supply,
removing iron and manganese and providing pre-filtration to prevent damage to the
reverse osmosis filters as part of the overall treatment process to deliver high-quality
drinking water to the community. Industry standards recommend that greensand filter
media be replaced every eight to ten years and the filter media has not been replaced
since its initial installation in 2010. Staff recommends the Council authorize a
contractual services agreement with Carbon Activated Corporation in an amount not to
exceed $1,376,000 over five years. This agreement will use funds from the Water
Enterprise Fund, dedicated to costs related to ensuring safe and reliable water supply
for our community.
Discussion
The City’s Water Resources Division provides drinking water services to approximately
93,000+ residents and 2,700 business. Approximately 60% of the City’s drinking water
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supply is sourced directly from local groundwater supplies and processed at either the
Charnock or Arcadia water treatment plants. The Charnock Treatment Plant has three
greensand filter vessels, each of which contains two filter cells, that provide pre-filtration
ahead of the granular activated carbon adsorption process. The Arcadia Water
Treatment Plant has six greensand filter vessels that provide pre-filtration ahead of the
reverse osmosis filtration process. Filter media for two of the six vessels at the Arcadia
Water Treatment Plant were replaced under a previous project in 2018 and 2019. The
purpose of the greensand filter is to remove iron and manganese from the source water
with the aid of sodium hypochlorite. The greensand filters also provide pre-treatment to
prevent damage to the reverse osmosis filters. Reverse osmosis is the primary process
used to purify the drinking water supply to meet all state and federal drinking water
regulations.
Industry standards recommend that greensand filter media be replaced every eight to
ten years. The filter media in the remaining four filter vessels at the Arcadia Water
Treatment Plant have not been replaced since 2010 and is at the end of its useful life,
requiring replacement to maintain treatment performance. The filter media replacement
consists of removal and replacement of 10 tons of media per filter vessel that requires
specialized heavy equipment (e.g. vacuum truck and crane), filter media analysis,
hauling equipment, and potential confined space entry into the filter vessels. City staff
cannot be utilized to perform this work as the City does not possess the specialized
heavy equipment required and it is not cost-effective for our staff to be trained to
perform this type of work as it is only required once every 8 to 10 years.
Filter Replacement Schedule
FY 2020-21: Two filter vessels replaced at Arcadia Plant
FY 2021-22: Two additional filter vessels replaced at Arcadia Plant
FY 2022-23: Two filter vessels replaced at Charnock Plant
FY 2023-24: Remaining one filter vessel replaced at Charnock Plant
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Vendor Selection
Bidder Recommendation
Best Bidder Carbon Activated Corporation
Evaluation Criteria
(include all that apply)
The quality of services offered; the ability, capacity and skill of the bidder
to provide services; within the time specified, and without delay or
interference; the sufficiency of the bidder’s financial resources; the
integrity, reputation, judgment, training, experience and efficiency of the
bidder; the ability of the bidder to provide such future maintenance or
service as may be needed. The City shall have absolute discretion in
determining the applicability and weight of the criteria listed above.
The City is not required to select the bid with the lowest price.
Municipal Code SMMC 2.24.180
Bid Data
Date Posted Posted On
Advertise In
(City Charter & SMMC)
Vendors
Downloaded
Date Publicly
Opened
09/18/2020 City's Online
Bidding Site
Santa Monica Daily Press 17 10/05/2020
Best Bidder Justification
Staff recommends awarding bid #4401 to Carbon Activated Corporation, a California-
company, based on references, experience, reliability, and expertise. Staff consulted with the
City’s Labor Compliance Officer to review proposed prevailing wage labor classifications
submitted by each bidder. The lowest bidder proposed solely laborer-classified workers for
the entire completion of the project. It was determined that, due to the nature of the work, an
operating engineer, crane operator, and truck driver for the vacuum truck, in addition to
laborers, would be appropriate, as was submitted by Carbon Activated. This proposed work
unit would be in compliance with the Department of Industrial Relations standards regarding
public works projects and provide the City with confidence in vendor ability to provide an
expert and reliable completed work product. One reference listed by Prominent Systems,
provided a response. The other two references failed to respond to staff requests for
information. Both references for Carbon Activated provided excellent reviews. The City Water
Resources Division was listed as a third reference for Carbon Activated and has had positive
experiences in the past when this vendor was hired to complete similar projects.
Financial Impact and Budget Actions
Staff seeks authority to approve available funding from the Water Fund to award a
contract with Carbon Activated Corporation for the replacement of greensand water
Submittals Received (per vessel)
Carbon Activated Corp. $178,630 Prominent Systems $112,545
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filters at the Arcadia and Charnock Water Treatment Facilities. Future year funding is
contingent upon Council budget approval.
Contract/Agreement/Purchase Order Request
FY 2020-21
Request Amount Department/CIP Account # Future Year Funding Total Contract
Amount
$360,000 50500003.525084 $360,000
50500002.525084 $656,000
$1,376,000
Prepared By: Kori Jones, Administrative Analyst
Approved
Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. Oaks Initiative (Carbon Activated)
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3.C.a
Packet Pg. 130 Attachment: Oaks Initiative (Carbon Activated) (4342 : Award Filter Media Replacement)