City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
Meeting Date: 12/14/2009 Item Number: C-6
CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM: (1) Waiver of the Formal Competitive Bidding
Process as Authorized by § 3.07.065 (A) & (D) of the Culver City Municipal Code
and (2) Approval of the Purchase of Ten Smart Cover Sewer Monitoring and Alarm
System from Plumbers Depot, Inc.
Contact Person/Dept.: Eric Mirzaian/PW Phone Number: (310) 253-6410
Fiscal Impact: Yes [X] No [] General Fund: Yes [] No [X]
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [] Attachments: [X]
Commission Action Required: Yes [] No [] Date: _______________
Public Notification (E-mail) Meetings and Agendas – City Council (12/09/09):
Department Approval:
Charles D. Herbertson (12/02/09)
City Attorney Approval:
Carol Schwab (by H. Baker) (12/09/09)
Chief Financial Officer Approval:
Mark Scott (by N. Kimball) (12/10/09)
City Manager Approval:
Mark Scott (12/10/09)
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council (1) waive the formal competitive bidding
process as authorized by § 3.07.065 (A) & (D) of the Culver City Municipal Code and
(2) approve the purchase of ten Smart Cover Sewer Monitoring and Alarm Systems
(Smart Covers) from Plumbers Depot, Inc., in the amount of $39,259.23.
BACKGROUND:
Smart Covers are sensor modules which are mounted under sewer manhole covers
and sense sewage levels and send out alarms when the level exceeds a
predetermined set point. The intention of the Smart Covers is to supplement the
Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) System currently utilized by the
Public Works Department to monitor many components of the City’s seven sewer
pump stations including: pump operations, wet and dry well levels, and electrical
components. Should any of these components fail or reach a pre-determined
warning threshold, the SCADA System will notify Public Works Staff via pagers and
cell phones. Staff determined it would be effective to install Smart Covers as a
separate independent back-up system that would notify Staff in the event of a
SCADA System communications failure. In addition, the Smart Covers alert sewer
maintenance staff of problems within the sewer system itself, such as sewer
blockages, which are not related to pump station operation.
Pursuant to authorization provided by the City Council, a total of 22 Smart Covers
have been installed at various locations throughout the City. The Smart Covers
have proven to be effective. Elevated sewage levels have been detected by the City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
Smart Covers on a number of occasions since installation. This early detection
allowed Public Works Staff to respond to and correct the problems before a sewer
overflow occurred. The Smart Covers have proven to be an inexpensive and
dependable alert system and are an effective back-up and enhancement to our
existing SCADA System.
During the public comment period of the July 27, 2009 City Council meeting, a
resident raised questions pertaining to the warranty, maintenance and potential
network issues of the Smart Covers system. The Smart Covers are actually
manufactured by Hadronex, Inc. and purchased through Plumbers Depot, Inc as a
sole source vendor. The hold harmless language of the City’s standard contract
covers any negligence that can occur during installation by either Hadronex or
Plumbers Depot. Additionally, equipment, workmanship and replacement parts are
covered via a one-year warranty. While neither Hadronex nor Plumbers Depot
assume responsibility for loss of wireless communication or network failure, Public
Works Staff will receive alarm notifications about the network loss via a secondary
system (and will be notified by Plumbers Depot directly), at which point Staff will
inspect sewer lines at locations that have Smart Covers installed. At the present
time, Staff relies on Hadronex and/or Plumbers Depot for replacement of key
components for the Smart Covers since re-calibration of the units could be
necessary after replacement. Staff can look into the feasibility of storing spare parts
such as sensors, batteries and antennas.
DISCUSSION:
Should the City Council approve this request, these ten Smart Covers will be utilized
at immediate high risk and high sewage flow areas throughout the City. The Public
Works Department has been implementing Smart Covers in small batches over the
course of the past two years. At the time of the initial purchase, Staff determined
that it would be in the best interest to test the functionality of this relatively new
technology as a pilot program. Based on the successful results of the pilot program
and the infrastructure needs of the City’s sanitary sewer system, Staff strategically
identified other high risk locations throughout the City to implement Smart Covers.
The proposed ten Smart Covers in this staff report will bring the total number of units
to 32 throughout the City, which will provide efficient citywide monitoring.
Staff recommends that the formal competitive bidding process be waived per Culver
City Municipal Code § 3.07.065 (A) & (D) since these additional Smart Covers will be
components for equipment previously acquired by the City and due to the fact Smart
Covers can currently be purchased only through Plumbers Depot, Inc. (a sole-
source vendor). Accordingly, staff recommends that the City Council approve the
purchase of ten additional Smart Covers from Plumbers Depot, Inc., in the amount of
$39,259.23.
FISCAL ANALYSIS: City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
Sufficient funding is available in the Capital Improvements Project P-521, Pump
Station Improvements (20400521), to cover the requested purchase of ten Smart
Covers at a cost of $39,259.23. The price includes equipment, installation and
annual monitoring for the first year. Subsequently, there will be recurring costs of
$300 per Smart Cover for annual monitoring. The ongoing annual monitoring costs
are included in the Sewer Fund’s annual operating budget (20466100). In addition
to providing access to the wireless communication system, the monitoring costs also
cover data access, technical support and the receiving of alarms.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Quote from Plumbers Depot, Inc.
MOTION:
That the City Council:
1. Waive the formal competitive bidding process as authorized by § 3.07.065 (A) &
(D) of the Municipal Code; and,
2. Approve the purchase of ten Smart Covers from Plumbers Depot, Inc. in the
amount of $39,259.23; and,
3. Authorize the City Attorney to review/prepare the necessary documents and,
4. Authorize the City Manager to execute such documents on behalf of the City.
12/14/09
(1) Waiver of the Formal Competitive Bidding
Process as Authorized by § 3.07.065 (A) & (D) of
the Culver City Municipal Code and (2) Approval of
the Purchase of Ten Smart Cover Sewer
Monitoring and Alarm System from Plumbers
Depot, Inc.
MEETING DATE:
AGENDA ITEM:
ATTACHMENTS
Pages
Quote from Plumbers Depot, Inc.Date Estimate #
11/10/2009 3889
PLUMBERS DEPOT INC.
3921 W. 139th Street
Hawthorne, CA 90250
Phone: (866) 422-2156
Fax: (310) 355-1711
Quote
Name / Address
City of Culver City
Attu: Linda Leonard
9505 Jefferson Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
Item Description Qty Price Total
SMART-01 Standard Smart Cover Unit With Battery Pack 10 3,071.00 30,710.00T
DISCT% Discount Applied % **** 10 Unit Price**** -2,000.00 -2,000.00
SMART-03 Smart Cover Mounting & Installation 10 475.00 4,750.00
Install Units on Manhole Cover
Install Antenna on Manhole Cover
Set Water Level Cable Length
SMART-04 Service, Yearly Monitoring Service 10 300.00 3,000.00
Quote good to the end of the year.
Subtotal $36,460.00
I
Sales Tax (9.75%) $2,799.23
Total $39,259.23
Signature and Na...
Fax #
(310)355-1711