TRANSMITTAL LETTER FOR BOARD MEETING OF MAY 15, 2012
COMMITTEE ON Procurement
Mr. David St. Pierre, Executive Director
Title
Issue purchase order and enter into an agreement with World Water Works, to Furnish and Deliver a Pilot Rental Agreement for a Demon Treatment System for Ammonia Removal and Pilot Study Services, in an amount not to exceed $30,175.00, Account 101-16000-601170, Requisition 1342544
Body
Dear Sir:
Authorization is requested to issue a purchase order and enter into an agreement with World Water Works (WWW), to furnish and deliver a pilot rental agreement for a Demon Treatment System for ammonia removal and pilot study services. This purchase order will expire on December 31, 2012.
This Pilot Study is being conducted due to centrate with high ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) concentrations at the John E. Egan (Egan) Water Reclamation Plant (WRP) that is currently not returned to the head of the plant for treatment, because it can overwhelm the aeration batteries and compromise the plant's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit limit for NH3-N. Therefore, the nitrogen-rich centrate is conveyed by gravity sewer from the Egan WRP to the North Side WRP for treatment, which has historically caused odor problems to the residents in proximity to the sewer line.
Treating the Egan WRP centrate on-site for plant recycle has been identified as the source control option in the James C. Kirie WRP Odor Strategy Plan, which consists of comprehensive approaches for mitigating odor problems in the service area including those caused by the Egan WRP centrate. Treating the centrate on-site will also reduce the phosphorus loading to the North Side WRP.
Through a technical analysis, the Monitoring and Research Department has determined that anaerobic ammonia oxidation via the aerobic/anoxic deammonification (DEMON) process is the most suitable application for the Egan WRP centrate treatment. The DEMON process is currently employed at eleven treatment plants, and ten additional DEMON process plants are under construction in Europe and United States with documented ammonia removal of greater than 80 percent. Additionally, DEMON process has been shown to have 60 percent lower energy costs than conventional complete nitrification.
The DEMON process is a technology patented by the University of Innsbruck and Dr. Bernard Wett. The sole licensee in the United States is WWW. The WWW has a pre-assembled Demon pilot-scale reactor that was recently used by an agency for testing the process. This unit will be rented for a four-month study to evaluate the process's ability to treat the Egan WRP centrate. Additionally, WWW could evaluate a dormant gravity belt thickener tank at the Egan WRP (existing infrastructure) in order to assess the possibility of converting it to a full-scale DEMON reactor should the pilot test prove successful. The WWW's professional service support will consist of installing, training, operating, servicing and removing this pilot reactor at the Egan WRP.
The WWW, the sole-service provider to furnish and deliver a pilot rental agreement for Demon Treatment System for ammonia removal and pilot study services has submitted pricing for the services and equipment required. Inasmuch as WWW, is the only source of supply for the services and equipment required, nothing would be gained by advertising for bids (Section 11.4 of the Purchasing Act).
WWW, is not registered to transact business in Illinois, but has submitted a certificate of good standing from the State of New York. The Department of Procurement and Materials Management has received approval from the Executive Director to move forward with the recommendation to award.
The Multi-Project Labor Agreement is not applicable to this contract 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 WWW, in an amount not to exceed $30,175.00.
Funds are available in Account 101-16000-601170.
Requested, Thomas C. Granato Director of Monitoring and Research, TCG:MPC:KB:as
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 May 15, 2012