TRANSMITTAL LETTER FOR BOARD MEETING OF DECEMBER 21, 2017
COMMITTEE ON PROCUREMENT
Mr. David St. Pierre, Executive Director
Title
Issue purchase order to LAI, Ltd., to Furnish and Deliver one Hidrostal screw centrifugal pump, in an amount not to exceed $56,630.00, Account 201-50000-634650, Requisition 1481576
Body
Dear Sir:
Authorization is requested to issue a purchase order to LAI, Ltd. to provide one Hidrostal screw centrifugal pump to the Stickney Water Reclamation Plant. The pump will be delivered by June 1, 2018.
LAI, Ltd., the sole source distributor of the Hidrostal screw centrifugal pump, has submitted a price for the equipment required. During the design of Contract 09-176-3P, screw centrifugal pumps were chosen to pump un-thickened preliminary sludge, North Side sludge and waste activated sludge (WAS). The District has several of these pumps at the Calumet WRP and has experienced over two decades of good service from them. The wire-to-water efficiencies are higher than typical non-clog centrifugal pumps, and they are well suited to pumping sludge. The pumps at Calumet WRP are Hidrostal pumps. It was determined that there was no justification for sole-sourcing these pumps, as a competitor, Hayward Gordon, represented themselves as providing an “equal” pump. Hidrostal and Hayward Gordon were the named manufacturers in the specification for Contract 09-176-3P, and Hayward Gordon was supplied under the contract.
The Hayward Gordon pumps have proven themselves to be unusually fragile and unreliable when operated at their design points. Bearing surfaces wear quickly, resulting in damaging vibration and leakage of pumped material, which further damages pump packing and bearings. Pumps are therefore operated at a lower speed to reduce wear and vibration, though the reduced flow requires that an additional pump is placed in service, which increases utility costs and decreases the availability of spare units. Shortly after the commissioning of these pumps, several failed within a short period of time, which resulted in extra work on Contract 09-176-3P to provide temporary pumps until the Hayward Gordon units could be repaired.
Due to the success the District has experienced with the Hidrostal screw centrifugal pumps, which operate under similar or worse conditions in the Calumet Digester complex, it has been determined that one Hydrostal pump should replace one Hayward-Gordon pump in the Stickney WAS pump station. This will allow direct comparison of the two pump manufacturers and may result in replacing the remainder of the Hayward Gordon pumps in the future.
Inasmuch as LAI, Ltd., is the only source of supply for the Hidrostal screw centrifugal pump, said purchase order may be issued without competitive bidding pursuant to Section 11.4 of the Purchasing Act.
LAI, Ltd., is registered and in good standing with the State of Illinois.
The Multi-Project Labor Agreement is not applicable to this contract because it is primarily 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 said purchase order to LAI, Ltd., in an amount not to exceed $56,630.00.
Funds are available in Account 201-50000-634650.
Requested, Marcella V. Landis, Acting Director of Engineering, ECB
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 21, 2017