DATE: October 20, 2020
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Director of Public Works
SUBJECT
Adopt a Resolution Authorizing the Sole Source Purchase of Specialized Laboratory Equipment for Use at the Water and Wastewater Laboratory at the Water Pollution Control Facility
RECOMMENDATION
That Council adopts a resolution (Attachment II) authorizing the City Manager to execute a sole source purchase of specialized laboratory equipment for use at the Water and Wastewater Laboratory at the Water Pollution Control Facility (WPCF) in an amount not-to-exceed $110,000.
SUMMARY
The Water and Wastewater Laboratory at the WPCF currently utilizes a highly specialized instrument known as an Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS), for the analysis of metals in the City’s wastewater, surface water, and drinking water. The City’s current ICP-MS instrument has been in service for more than fifteen years, is past its useful life, and is no longer operational or repairable because the manufacturer no longer provides any support. The City’s water and wastewater tests must meet an exceedingly high level of accuracy, as well as other unique specifications, which only one vendor, Agilent Technologies, Inc., (Agilent), is currently able to provide. As such, staff recommends that the City Manager be authorized to execute the sole source purchase of a replacement ICP-MS from Agilent in an amount not to exceed $110,000. Council has previously approved funding for the replacement of this equipment as part of the FY 2021 Capital Improvement Program.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment I Staff Report
Attachment II Resolution