TRANSMITTAL LETTER FOR BOARD MEETING OF DECEMBER 1, 2022
COMMITTEE ON PROCUREMENT
Mr. Brian A. Perkovich, Executive Director
Title
Issue purchase order to Smith-Root, Inc. to furnish and deliver an electrofishing boat with motor and trailer in an amount not to exceed $123,677.45, Account 101-16000-634790, Requisition 1591092
Body
Dear Sir:
Authorization is requested to issue a purchase order to Smith-Root, Inc. (Smith-Root) to furnish and deliver an electrofishing boat with motor and trailer to the Stickney Water Reclamation Plant. All parts will be delivered by October 31, 2023.
Smith-Root is the only company that makes electrofishing boats with hulls designed specifically for electrofishing. They are heavy duty custom-formed chine 6061-T6 aluminum with double welded bottom seems, designed, and built to provide the highest degree of safety, compensate for weight distribution and stability, and their proprietary herring bone support/rib system creates unparalleled hull flexibility. The APEX electrofisher will allow District personnel to duplicate the current electrofishing methods and settings that have been in place since 2001. Switching to another brand of electrofisher would potentially alter methods or typical settings. The inability to duplicate the currents methods and settings would make the data collected not directly comparable to the previous data set (2001-2022), therefore hindering the ability to accurately assess long-term improvements in the diversity and density of the fish community in the CAWS.
Additionally, the APEX electrofisher is the only one in the world that records electrical inputs and outputs, along with GPS location, date, and time of every second of electrofishing. The District currently has Smith-Root electrofishing equipment and already has an annual service and repair contract, so an additional service and repair contract would not be required.
The District will utilize the APEX electrofishing boat to assess the fish communities in the waterways that comprise the Chicago Area Waterway System. The electrofishing data is collected and shared with researchers, various organizations, and the public via the District’s website. Additionally, the data collected by the electrofishing boat is included in District water quality reports, biological monitoring reports and have been analyzed in manuscripts that have been published in scientific research journals. The electrofishing data will continue to illustrate improvements in water quality that are a result of the District’s mission.
Smith-Root, the manufacturer and sole-source provider of the APEX electrofishing boat, has submitted pricing for an eighteen-foot APEX electrofishing boat, motor, and trailer. Inasmuch as Smith-Root is the only source of supply for the APEX electrofishing boat, motor and trailer required, nothing would be gained by advertising for bids (Section 11.4 of the Purchasing Act).
Smith-Root is not registered to transact business in the State of Illinois but has submitted a certificate of good standing from the State of Washington. The Director of Monitoring and Research has given approval to move forward with this vendor.
The Multi-Project Labor Agreement (MPLA) is not applicable because it is primarily a furnish and deliver contract.
The Affirmative Action Ordinance is not included because this is a furnish and deliver contract.
In view of the foregoing, it is requested that the Director of Procurement and Materials Management be authorized to issue a purchase order to Smith-Root in an amount not to exceed $123,677.45.
Funds for the 2023 expenditure, in the amount of $123,677.45, are available in Account 101-16000-634790. Funds for the 2023 expenditure are contingent on the Board of Commissioner’s approval of the District’s budget for that year.
Requested, Edward W. Podczerwinski, Director of Monitoring and Research, EWP:HZ:DG:ae
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 December 1, 2022