TRANSMITTAL LETTER FOR BOARD MEETING OF FEBRUARY 16, 2023
COMMITTEE ON PROCUREMENT
Mr. Brian A. Perkovich, Executive Director
Title
Issue purchase order and enter into agreement with OTT HydroMet Corp. for a Telemetry System for Water Quality Monitoring in the Chicago Area Waterway System and Network Communication Services, in an amount not to exceed $58,445.40, Accounts 101-16000-612490, 623570, Requisition 1592990
Body
Dear Sir:
Authorization is requested to issue a purchase order and enter into an agreement with OTT HydroMet Corp. (OTT), to provide hardware, installation, set-up, system testing, and twelve (12) months of network communications for a telemetry system for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. The agreement will expire twelve (12) months from the date of purchase order issuance.
The Monitoring and Research Department maintains a Continuous Dissolved Oxygen Monitoring (CDOM) program to comply with the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits for the Calumet and O’Brien Water Reclamation Plants, which collects hourly measurements for dissolved oxygen, temperature, and specific conductivity, at various waterway locations. In 2019, the District used OTT to upgrade ten (10) CDOM locations and has an existing agreement for network communication services. The OTT telemetry system is compatible with the existing CDOM monitors and is integrated with our data management systems. This agreement will upgrade the remaining ten (10) CDOM locations and monitor housings to support a telemetry system. This will maximize the CDOM program to a total of twenty (20) locations with telemetry. The benefits of the telemetry system are facilitating automatic uploading of real-time water quality data, more efficient data management, improved quality control, and continuity of all twenty (20) CDOM locations. The additional real-time data can also be utilized by the public and other departments by providing reliable information for better decision-making and successful watershed planning for these added locations.
OTT, the sole-service provider for hardware, installation, set-up, system testing, and network communications for this telemetry system, has submitted pricing for the services required. Inasmuch as OTT is the only source of supply for the goods and services required, nothing would be gained by advertising for bids (Section 11.4 of the Purchasing Act).
OTT is registered and is in good standing with the State of Illinois.
The Multi-Project Labor Agreement (MPLA) is not applicable because the classification of work does not fall under the provision of the MPLA.
The Affirmative Action Ordinance is not included because OTT is the sole provider of the services.
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 OTT, in an amount not to exceed $58,445.40.
Funds for the 2023 expenditure, in the amount of $58,445.40, are available in Accounts 101-16000-612490, 623570.
Requested, Edward W. Podczerwinski, Director of Monitoring and Research, EWP:RA:HZ:AC:TM:ae
Recommended, Darlene A. LoCascio, Director of Procurement and Materials Management
Respectfully Submitted, Marcelino Garcia, 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 February 16, 2023