Proposal:
Award a Contract to Privatize Portions of the Annual Emissions Report Program
Synopsis:
At its October 1995 meeting, the Board approved the release of a Request for Proposals to privatize portions of the annual emissions report program. All proposals submitted were evaluated and ranked by a panel comprised of District staff and representatives from The Gas Company and the California Council for Environmental and Economic Balance. Staff recommends that the Board award the contract to the successful bidder. Funding is included in the FY 1995-1996 budget.
Committee:
Administrative Committee, January 19, 1996, Approved
Recommended Action:
Authorize the Executive Officer to execute a contract with Ecotek, Inc. to Privatize Portions of the Annual Emissions Report Program at a cost not to exceed $250,000.
James M. Lents, Ph.D.
Executive Officer
BRW:CL:EL:ZP
Background
Each year by July 1, approximately 6000 facilities receive emission reporting packages from the AQMD to report their emissions and pay associated fees for the preceding fiscal year. The emissions data received is the foundation of the AQMD's emissions inventory, which is in turn relied upon to support various planning and rulemaking activities. The annual emission fees received is approximately $25 million a year.
The current program requires a variety of resources to prepare and distribute emission report packages to facilities; to collect, compile, and review emissions and fee data; and to perform engineering evaluation of emissions data. AQMD staff believes that privatization of data collection and compilation could lead to greater efficiency and lower cost. Actual collection of fees, billing adjustments, and engineering auditing still will be handled by AQMD staff.
Bid Evaluation
In accordance with the District's Consultant Selection Policy and Procedure, the RFP was publicly noticed in the Los Angeles Times, La Opinion, Los Angeles Sentinel, Orange County Register, Riverside Press Enterprise, San Bernardino Sun, The M/W/DVBE Source, AQMD Bulletin Board System, AQMD RFP/Bid Telephone Hotline as well as California State Contract Register. A total of 128 RFPs were distributed to independent contractors, identified by the AQMD as potential bidders (including 17 minority or women-owned firms as well as minority caucuses), and other consulting firms responding to the advertisements. A bidder's conference was held at the AQMD headquarters on November 8, 1995 to discuss the major tasks identified in the RFP and provide responses to questions. By the close of the bidding period on December 1, 1995, five proposals were received. The proposals were reviewed by a four-member evaluation panel consisting of representatives from the AQMD, The Gas Company, and the California Council for Environmental and Economic Balance (CCEEB). Evaluation panel members included Elaine Chang (AQMD Planning Manager), Chris Marlia (AQMD Information Technology Manager), Lee Wallace (The Gas Company), and Bill Quinn (CCEEB). Of the five proposals, four proposals did not meet the technical criteria (i.e., scored below 70 points based on technical criteria specified in the RFP). The evaluation panel unanimously rated Ecotek the highest (final score of 87.3) based on their clear understanding of the work to be performed, innovative approaches proposed, and extensive prior experience in the field. The evaluation panel recommended that Ecotek be awarded a contract, based on its successful point score.
Resource Impacts
Staff recommends that a contract be awarded to Ecotek for an amount not to exceed $250,000. Sufficient funding is available in the Fiscal Year 1995-96 Budget.