TRANSMITTAL LETTER FOR BOARD MEETING OF FEBRUARY 21, 2008
COMMITTEE ON PURCHASING
Mr. Richard Lanyon, General Superintendent
Title
Issue a purchase order to Appropriate Technical Resources, Inc., to furnish and deliver a Multitron II shaking incubator in an amount not to exceed $29,987.00, Account 101-16000-634970, (Requisition 1230356)
Body
Dear Sir:
Approval is requested to issue a purchase order (PO) to Appropriate Technical Resources, Inc. (ATR) to furnish and deliver a Multitron II shaking incubator for the Whole Effluent Toxicity Laboratory of the Environmental Monitoring and Research Division of the Research and Development Department at the Lue-Hing R&D Complex. This equipment will be used to conduct algal growth tests to study the presence of biologically available phosphorus in the John E. Egan Water Reclamation Plant (WRP) effluent for the Salt Creek nutrient reduction demonstration project, and for the Lemont WRP expansion project.
ATR is not authorized to transact business in Illinois but has submitted a certificate of good standing from the state of Maryland. The Research and Development Department has received approval from the General Superintendent to move forward with the recommendation to award.
The new incubator will replace an existing Lab-Line lighted shaker incubator that is 15 years old. The temperature control on the existing unit is not reliable, and it will be discarded when the new equipment is placed in operation.
The ATR incubator has several features that will be beneficial to the laboratory testing process, such as: better temperature uniformity/performance, utilization of less floor space, flexibility of adding more units later, humidity and CO2 control, and availability of trained service technicians, etc. Most of all, the incubator provides continuous shaking and incubation of a sample and would eliminate the need to swirl the test flasks daily. Therefore, overtime will be reduced because there will be no need for staff to process the algal cultures over weekends and holidays.
Since ATR is the only company available to provide the Multitron II shaking incubator in the United States, it is requested that this purchase be authorized without advertising, as stated in Section 11.4 of the Purchasing Act. This equipment is economically procurable from a single source.
In view of the above, it is recommended that the Purchasing Agent be authorized to issue a PO to ATR to furnish and deliver a Multitron II shaking incubator in an amount not to exceed $29,987.00. Funds are available in Account 101-16000-634970, Corporate Fund.
Requested, Louis Kollias, Director of Research and Development, LK:WJS:MPC:KB:bk
Recommended, Darlene A. LoCascio, Purchasing Agent, DAL:SEB:klv
Respectfully Submitted, Barbara J. McGowan, Chairman Committee on Purchasing
ORDERED passed by affirmative roll call vote of a majority of the Commissioners present this February 21, 2008. Approved, President Terrence J. O’Brien