SR 01-23-2024 5E
City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: January 23, 2024
Agenda Item: 5.E
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Rick Valte, Public Works Director, Public Works, Water Resources
Subject: Approval of Ratification of Purchase Order to Global Power Group, Inc. for
MAPS Emergency Generator Repair
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Adopt a finding of categorical exemption pursuant to Section 15301 of the
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines.
2. Ratify the Procurement Manager’s issuance of a purchase order with Global
Power Group, Inc. to repair the emergency generator at the Moss Avenue Pump
Station (MAPS) for the Public Works Department. The emergency purchase was
made as an exception to the competitive bidding process pursuant to Section
2.24.250(i) and is for a total amount not to exceed $75,000.
Summary
The City of Santa Monica’s Water Resources Division within the Public Works
Department collects and disposes an average of 14 million gallons of wastewater per
day, the majority of which is conveyed to the City of Los Angeles’ Hyperion Treatment
Plant for final treatment and disposal. The Moss Avenue Pump Station (MAPS), a
critical part of wastewater infrastructure in the city, is located adjacent to the Santa
Monica Pier and uses four wastewater pumps to convey a significant volume of the
city’s wastewater to the Hyperion Treatment Plant. The MAPS is equipped with a
standby power generator to maintain reliable and continuous service in the event of a
power interruption from the grid. A service interruption at MAPS puts the City at risk of a
major sewer overflow event, which may pollute the Santa Monica bay and result in
significant fines from regulatory agencies. The emergency generator at MAPS is
currently inoperable and in need of emergency repairs. Staff has procured emergency
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repair services and issued a purchase order to the Global Power Group, Inc. per Santa
Monica Municipal Code (SMMC) 2.24.240, Procedures for Emergency Needs. This staff
report serves to provide the City Council with a full explanation of the emergency
circumstances under which the purchase was made, as required by SMMC 2.24.240
(c).
Discussion
The majority of the City’s wastewater travels approximately nine miles south along the
coast to El Segundo and requires sewer lift stations along the way to convey it to the
Hyperion Treatment Plant. The MAPS facility is a partnership between the City of Los
Angeles and the City, where the City is responsible for operating the wastewater pump
station and the City of Los Angeles reimburses the City for operation and maintenance
costs, including equipment replacement. The emergency generator that powers the four
pumps at the MAPS during a power outage is currently inoperable and requires
emergency repairs. To ensure reliable and uninterrupted service at MAPS, the Water
Resources Division has been renting an emergency generator at a cost of $40,000 per
month which requires a manual startup by staff when needed for service. The manual
operation of the rental emergency generator poses risks to the City during after-hours
and weekends when standby staff would need to be called in to turn on the rental
emergency generator.
Exception to Competitive Bidding
Staff awarded a purchase order to Global Power Group, Inc. to repair the emergency
generator at MAPS as an exception to competitive bidding per Municipal Code
2.24.250(i). The generator is critical to public safety and requires repair on an
emergency basis.
i. A solicitation is made under the emergency procedures set forth in Section
2.24.240(d)(3). Without the generator at the MAPS, any interruption to the power
supply at MAPS would cause an overflow or raw sewage at the Santa Monica Pier
and flow into the ocean, causing environmental pollution, threaten public health of
beachgoers and visitors to the Santa Monica Pier, and damage property.
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Environmental Review
The emergency repair of the standby generator at MAPS is categorically exempt
pursuant to Section 15301 (Existing Facilities) of the California Environmental Quality
Act (CEQA) Guidelines. Section 15301 (Class 1 – Existing Facilities) exempts projects
that consists of the 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 existing or former
use. The purchase order would provide for repair of the existing emergency generator
and therefore is categorically exempt from CEQA review under CEQA
Guidelines Section 15301.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
The purchase order to Global Power Group, Inc. for the emergency repair of the
emergency generator at MAPS was issued from the current budget in the Wastewater
Fund. The cost of the repair will be reimbursed by the City of Los Angeles as part of the
agreement between the City of Santa Monica and City of Los Angeles to operate
MAPS.
Purchase Order
FY 2023-24 Budget
Request Amount Department Account # Total Contract Amount
$75,000 51500001.529420 $75,000
Total $75,000
Prepared By: Sunny Wang, Water Resources Manager
Approved
Forwarded to Council
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Attachments:
A. Oaks Initiative Form - Global Power
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5.E.a
Packet Pg. 160 Attachment: Oaks Initiative Form - Global Power (6166 : Award Purchase Order to Global Power Group, Inc. for MAPS Emergency Generator