TRANSMITTAL LETTER FOR BOARD MEETING OF OCTOBER 17, 2024
COMMITTEE ON PROCUREMENT
Mr. Brian A. Perkovich, Executive Director
Title
Authorization to make payment to Current Innovation, NFP (Current) for the 2024 annual membership dues, in the amount of $100,000.00, Account 101-15000-612280 (Deferred from the October 3, 2024 Board Meeting)
Body
Dear Sir:
Authorization is requested to make payment by direct voucher to Current, in the amount of $100,000.00 for annual membership dues in 2024.
Current is a non-profit water entity based in Chicago, Illinois, and was launched in 2016 as a public-private partnership of the City of Chicago, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District and World Business Chicago. Current leverages Chicago’s world-class utilities, research institutions, industries and innovation community for global environmental and economic impact. Through this collaborative platform, Current aims to enhance the efficiency and resiliency of water systems, accelerate innovative water technology solutions to safeguard clean water and improve wastewater treatment, raise global awareness of water, and grow an inclusive blue economy for all. Current accelerates innovation through the following three programs: (1) maintains a water technology database that keeps track of market-ready and emerging technologies and highlights their functions, benefits and the challenges these technologies address, (2) facilitates a network of utility and industrial sites that host promising technology pilots and demonstrations with sound engineering and economic fundamentals, (3) conducts demonstration projects that rigorously evaluates the scientific, engineering and economic fundamentals of new water technologies to assess operational and financial performance and determine if technologies are likely to deliver the expected value to investors and customers. The District is a demonstration site for wastewater technology projects. These programs are consistent with the District’s strategic business plan, particularly the District’s efforts toward resource management through collaboration.
The District is actively involved in several ongoing projects through Current. The Great Lakes ReNEW project is a six-state, cross-sector collaborative project focusing on recovering energy, nutrients, and other critical materials from water and wastewater while growing an inclusive blue economy in our region. H2NOW is the first real-time water quality monitoring project in the U.S. that measures microbial pollutants and recently added a fourth location in the Cal-Sag Channel. Wastewater Based Epidemiology is focused on surveillance of wastewater to find early warning indicators for SARS COV-2 and other emerging infectious virus hotspots. Advancing this type of technology can lead to early identification and tracking of future disease outbreaks. Current also backs the District-led initiative, Megacities Alliance for Water and Climate, a UNESCO-supported program.
In addition to these ongoing projects, the District provided input on Current’s Inclusive Blue Economy Strategy. The project’s strategic plan, Upstream Illinois, identifies key industry trends and capitalizes
on the impacts of climate change and water scarcity sharpening focus on the economic and political value of water. It is the first plan in the nation to outline the roadmap to inclusive growth and innovation and build pathways to jobs for currently underrepresented people and places.
Current is the sole source of supply. Inasmuch as participation in this membership is not available through any other source of supply, nothing would be gained by advertising for bids (Section 11.4 of the Purchasing Act).
It is hereby recommended that the Board of Commissioners authorize payment, by direct voucher, to Current, in the amount of $100,000.00.
Funds are available in Account 101-15000-612280.
Requested, Shellie A. Riedle, Administrative Services Officer, CO
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 October 17, 2024