The request of staff for the City Council is to review and consider for approval the attached bid from Capital Foundry of Virginia, Inc. in the amount not to exceed $108,750 for the purchase of 870 Rainstopper sanitary sewer manhole inserts ITB No. 17-008.  

As City Council is aware, the Inflow and Infiltration Project was recently completed using a non-harmful smoke or vapor to identify defects in the City’s sanitary sewer system.  This includes main lines, service laterals, and connections.  This type of system testing is one of the best cost effective ways to locate system defects.  As City Council may recall, the City’s Wastewater Treatment Plant has a permitted average annual daily flow capacity of 7.5 MGD.  The wet weather events experienced during the summer of 2015 caused a significant increase of flow to the WWTP, due to the stormwater inflow.  A major contributor to the increase of flow is due to the City’s existing sanitary sewer system not having manhole inserts installed which in turn allows inflow of stormwater until the event has ceased and stormwater runoff has drained away from the roadway network.  The purchase and installation of manhole inserts is one of the most cost effective best management practices (BMP) used today which has the greatest impact on reducing inflow into the sanitary sewer systems. 

Currently, the City is in the review process of its FDEP Wastewater Treatment Plant Operating Permit.  Subsequent to discussion with FDEP staff, manhole inserts are a  type of BMP encouraged by the Department that can be included in the City’s operating permit in an effort to reduce the increase flow and treatment of stormwater into the City system, thereby reducing the potential to create wet weather discharge from the Plant into the bayou.       

The ITB was advertised for competitive bidding on February 22, 2017.  Three (3) competitive bids were opened by the City on March 14, 2017.  The bids received ranged from a low of $87,000 to a high of $128,650.  Rowland, Inc. submitted the low bid of $87,000.  Subsequent to City staff review of the ITB, it was determined Rowland Inc. had submitted a different type of manhole insert

brand and model other than what was called out in the invitation to bid.  This made the bid submitted null and void.  Staff has reviewed the bid documents required for each submission and have verified dollar amounts submitted.  In addition, staff has made contact with Capital Foundry of Virginia, Inc. and has discussed the deliverables associated with the ITB.