FROM: Robert Thompson, General Manager
Originator: Mike Dorman, Director of Engineering
SUBJECT:
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BACK-UP POWER FOR LABORATORY EQUIPMENT AT PLANT NO. 1, PROJECT NO. FR1-0022
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GENERAL MANAGER'S RECOMMENDATION
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RECOMMENDATION: Recommend to the Board of Directors to:
Authorize the Purchasing Manager to conduct a Negotiated Procurement for a construction contract for Back-up Power for Laboratory Equipment at Plant No. 1, Project No. FR1-0022, in accordance with Ordinance No. OC SAN-61; Article 5, Public Works Projects; Section 5.02, Selection Process; A, Design-Bid-Build; (1) Competitive Sealed Bids; Sub-section (d), No Bids.
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BACKGROUND
On a daily basis, the Orange County Sanitation District's (OC San) laboratory operates highly sophisticated instruments and equipment for sample collection, storage, preparation, incubation, and analysis. Some of these instruments and equipment currently have no back-up power supply. It is critical that these instruments stay online without power interruption, which can lead to loss of samples and data that are required to meet compliance reporting requirements per our NPDES permit, including data needed to support the functions of various Divisions. Over 100,000 tests are performed each year for various programs including Compliance, Operations, and Resource Protection. Sophisticated instrumentation requires proper shut down due to the sensitivity of the instrument. Abrupt shutdown due to power outages can lead to irreversible damage of expensive equipment. During a power outage when the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) is down, laboratory staff cannot occupy the laboratory building due to the use of potentially hazardous chemicals, which leads to further loss in productivity.
If NPDES compliance monitoring is not met, this can lead to enforcement action and daily penalties up to $25,000 for each violation, in addition to other actions deemed appropriate by the EPA and...
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