TRANSMITTAL LETTER FOR BOARD MEETING OF AUGUST 4, 2016
COMMITTEE ON PROCUREMENT
Mr. David St. Pierre, Executive Director
Title
Issue purchase order and enter into a joint funding agreement with the United States Department of the Interior - US Geological Survey, for the maintenance and operation of eight streamflow gaging stations and two rain gages within Cook County, Illinois in an amount not to exceed $115,250.00, Accounts 501-50000-612490 and 201-50000-612430, Requisition 1431973
Body
Dear Sir:
Authorization is requested to issue a purchase order and enter into a joint funding agreement with the United States Department of the Interior - US Geological Survey (USGS) for the maintenance and operation of eight streamflow gaging stations and two rain gages within Cook County.
The eight streamflow gaging stations are located as follows:
• Salt Creek at Rolling Meadows
• Salt Creek near Elk Grove Village
• Salt Creek at Western Springs
• Des Plaines River at Lyons
• North Branch of the Chicago River at Deerfield
• North Shore Channel at Wilmette
• Natalie Creek at Midlothian
• Tinley Creek near Palos Park
In addition to the streamflow gages, this agreement also provides for maintenance and operation of one rain gage on Salt Creek at Rolling Meadows and one rain gage on Natalie Creek at Midlothian.
The work to be performed by the USGS includes services of individuals possessing a high degree of professional skill where the ability or fitness of the individual plays an important part. Therefore, the services obtained are not adaptive to award by competitive bidding pursuant to Section 11.4 of the Purchasing Act.
The total cost of operating and maintaining these eight gaging stations and two rain gages is $115,250.00. The District will be the sole funding source for these gages. The estimated 2016 expenditure is expected to be $28,812.50 and the estimated 2017 expenditure is expected to be $86,437.50. Services under this agreement will commence October 1, 2016 and extend through September 30, 2017.
The data collected at these sites by the USGS will be used in conjunction with the USGS data from other sites funded by the US Army Corps of Engineers, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and the USGS under joint funding agreements. The USGS is the recognized expert in the measurement and reporting of streamflow data. The District’s participation in the USGS program will protect the integrity of data and will help in the development of valuable historical records at the gage locations. The District first provided funding for eight gages in 2006. On March 21, 2013, the Board of Commissioners approved an amendment to the previous joint funding agreement to install a gage on the North Shore Channel at Wilmette, used for Lake Michigan discretionary diversion accounting and to assess the operational impacts of the Wilmette Pumping Station on the Chicago Area Waterway System. The District is currently joint-funding nine streamflow gages and two rain gages. However, the USGS is changing its policy to assigning a sole funding source for each gage. As a result, for the 2016- 2017 program, the District will no longer provide funding for the station on Deer Creek near Chicago Heights but instead fully fund stations on North Branch Chicago River at Deerfield and Tinley Creek near Palos Park (partial funding provided in previous years), along with the rest of the six gaging stations. The Deer Creek gage will be funded entirely by USGS. These changes will slightly increase the District’s funding level by $3,850.00. All of the gaging stations provide data that the District has used in the development of its Detailed Watershed Plans and will continue to use in future planning and design of capital improvement projects. Further, ensuring the long-term continuity of the data collected by the USGS at the aforementioned gages is an important element of the service that the District provides under its Stormwater Management Program.
The USGS is a non-profit governmental agency and is therefore not required to register as a corporation with the State of Illinois.
It is recommended that the Director of Procurement and Materials Management be authorized to issue a purchase order and enter into an agreement without advertising, per Section 11.4 of the Purchasing Act, in an amount not to exceed $115,250.00.
Funds for the 2016 expenditure, in the amount of $28,812.50, are available in Accounts 501-50000-612490 and 201-50000-612430. The estimated expenditure for 2017 is $86,437.50. Funds for the 2017 expenditure are contingent on the Board of Commissioners’ approval of the District’s budget for that year.
Requested, Catherine A. O’Connor, Director of Engineering, WSS:JK
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 August 4, 2016.