TRANSMITTAL LETTER FOR BOARD MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 3, 2015
COMMITTEE ON Procurement
Mr. David St. Pierre, Executive Director
Title
Issue a purchase order and enter into an agreement with Agilent Technologies, Inc. to furnish, deliver and install a Gas Chromatograph with Electron Capture Detector System, in an amount not to exceed $38,358.28, Account 101-16000-634970, Requisition 1395268
Body
Dear Sir:
Authorization is requested to issue a purchase order and enter into an agreement with Agilent Technologies, Inc. (Agilent), to furnish, deliver and install a Gas Chromatograph (GC) with Electron Capture Detector (ECD) System to the Monitoring and Research (M&R) Department, Organic Compounds Analytical Laboratory (OCAL) at the John E. Egan Water Reclamation Plant (WRP). The OCAL will use the equipment for the analysis of pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the WRP influent, effluent and sludge samples, industrial waste discharges, ambient monitoring waterways samples and biosolid samples. This purchase order will expire on December 31, 2015.
The existing 15-year old GC and ECD System has become obsolete. It has a malfunctioning auto-sampler and its detectors are not working properly and are therefore being replaced. In addition, there are no vendors who currently support this equipment. The new EPA Method 608 requires a breakdown test on specific pesticides, as well as passing the continuing calibration at the end of each sample batch. The existing GC/ECD will not pass the strict acceptance criteria. The existing equipment will be traded in to offset the price of the new equipment.
The integrated intelligence of the later made model (Agilent 7890B GC/7650 Automatic Liquid Sampler) system provides the use of the Gas Saver, GC Method Translator, column back-flushing, methods development, early maintenance feedback software and also adds a programmable eco-friendly sleep/wake mode and a fast vent feature to boost productivity and lower operational costs. The Agilent 10-year use guarantee also provides greater assurance for a low-cost of ownership throughout the GC’s life.
OCAL currently has four Agilent Gas Chromatographs/Mass Spectrometers (GC/MS), one Agilent Liquid Chromatograph/MS, and two Agilent GC/ECD. All of these instruments are covered under one multi-year Agilent service contract that expires in June 2017. Purchasing the new GC/ECD from Agilent will allow all equipment under one service contract and receive a multi-instrument discount.
Most of Agilent’s parts and consumables are compatible from one Agilent instrument to another. The replacement parts and consumables already stocked in-house for the GC/ECD and GC/MS can be shared with the new system, thus reducing costs. However, if a GC/ECD is purchased from a different vendor, the laboratory will have to stock an additional and different set of parts and consumables, which means more expenditure for the laboratory.
All Agilent instruments use ChemSation or MassHunter software for data acquisition, processing, and data upload to LIMS, so buying a GC/ECD from a different vendor would require the District’s Information Technology staff to establish a new interface, which, in turn, would delay the chemist’s analytical processing workload. When the instrument operating software is the same across the whole laboratory, it makes it easier for the chemists to cross-train on the different types of analyses. No additional outside training is needed if the new GC/ECD is purchased from Agilent, which reduces the training costs.
Agilent, the sole-source provider to furnish, deliver, and install a GC/ECD System, has submitted pricing for the services and instruments required. Inasmuch as Agilent is the only source of supply for the services and instruments required, nothing would be gained by advertising for bids (Section 11.4 of the Purchasing Act.)
Agilent is registered and in good standing with the state of Illinois.
The Multi-Project Labor Agreement is not applicable due to the specialized nature of the services required.
In view of the foregoing, it is recommended that the Director of Procurement and Materials Management be authorized to issue a purchase order and enter into an agreement with Agilent Technologies, Inc., in an amount not to exceed $38,358.28.
Funds are available in Account 101-16000-634970.
Requested, Thomas C. Granato, Director of Monitoring and Research, TCG:MPC:KB:mh/jvs
Recommended, Darlene A. LoCascio, Director of Procurement and Materials Management
Respectfully Submitted, Barbara J. McGowan, Chairman Committee on Procurement
Disposition of this agenda item will be documented in the official Regular Board Meeting Minutes of the Board of Commissioners for September 3, 2015