Title
Hydrant Flow Testing for Main Capacity - Request for Proposal
History
The Utility Division of the Public Works Department will be initiating a multi-year Fire Hydrant Testing and Inspection Program for the approximately 4,000 fire hydrants within the Village's service area. This program will identify broken or malfunctioning hydrants, locate possible problems with the distribution system such as closed or broken valves and provide water flow (GPM) information and data to the Fire Protection District. It is anticipated this program will take up to three years to complete.
A Request for Proposal (RFP) was advertised in the SouthtownStar Newspaper on Friday, January 4, 2013. Two (2) companies submitted proposals which were due on Friday, January 18, 2013, at 11:00 a.m.
M.E. Simpson Co. Inc. of Valparaiso, Indiana, submitted the following proposal:
2013 - $48.00/Hydrant
2014 - $48.00/Hydrant
2015 - $50.00/Hydrant
Wachs Valve and Hydrant Services, LLC of Buffalo Grove, Illinois, submitted the following proposal:
2013 - $42.00/Hydrant
2014 - $42.00/Hydrant
2015 - $42.00/Hydrant
Both proposals were thoroughly reviewed for completeness in meeting the requirements of the RFP and references were checked.
Of the six project specific references provided by Wachs, only three involved hydrant flow testing similar to the Village's RFP. None of the references are local and only one reference listed who did in fact use Wachs for hydro testing returned calls. This reference indicated there were some issues with staffing and billing, but the work was completed. The proposal from Wachs does not provide for routine lubrication of the hydrant caps which was requested in the RFP, an important task to ensure continued ease of operation.
M.E. Simpson has previously completed flow testing programs for the Utility Division from 2000 to 2004 and 2007 to 2010. They are very familiar with the Village water system and propose utilizing personnel that have previously performed this work in the Village which would provide efficiencies. In addition, should the Village approve M.E. Simpson, all data collected could be integrated with existing information from previous flow testing program years providing a fluid history of the work over the past 13-15 years. The information proposed to be collected is already established through the existing GIS system. M.E. Simpson has developed a format that is easily accessible through their online web based hydrant record database which is an added benefit.
For these reasons, staff recommends contracting with M.E. Simpson for this project.
On February 18, 2013, this item was reviewed and approved by the Public Works and Engineering Committee and referred to the Board for approval.
Financial Impact
Funds for this work were rolled over from FY2012 in an amount totaling $70,000.
Recommended Action/Motion
I move to approve accepting the proposal from M.E. Simpson Co. Inc. of Valparaiso, Indiana, for Hydrant Flow Testing for Main Capacity at a cost of $48.00/Hydrant for 2013 - $48.00/Hydrant for 2014 and $50.00/Hydrant for 2015.