Proposal:

Execute Contract with Southwest Research Institute to Measure Evaporative Emissions From Off-Road Equipment Powered by Gasoline and Liquefied Petroleum Gas Engines of 25 to 175 Horsepower

Synopsis:

Evaporative emissions from off-road equipment powered by gasoline and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) engines of 25 to 175 horsepower contribute significantly to the South Coast Air Basin's mobile source emissions. There are currently no emissions standards and control requirements for these engines. Based on results of a competitive solicitation, Southwest Research Institute has been selected to conduct evaporative emissions measurements from off-road vehicles. Total project cost is $131,563.

Committee:

Technology, February 28, 1997, Recommended for Approval

Recommended Action:

Authorize the Chairman to execute a contract with Southwest Research Institute in an amount not to exceed $131,563, to be funded from the FY 1996-1997 Budget.

James M. Lents, Ph.D.
Executive Officer

Background

Off-road equipment powered by gasoline and LPG engines of 25 to 175 horsepower contribute significantly to the South Coast Air Basin's mobile source emissions inventory. There are currently no emissions standards and control requirements for these engines. In the absence of controls, the relative contribution of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from these engines to the Basin's emissions inventory will continue to increase.

The mobile source element of the 1994 SIP includes future control measures M11 and M12 for reduction of exhaust emissions from off-road equipment powered by gasoline and LPG engines of 25 to 175 horsepower. However, these two control measures do not include evaporative emissions. Moreover, there are currently no data available to quantify actual evaporative emissions from these engines. The available data from on-road gasoline vehicles are not applicable as they have evaporative control systems as well as a different test cycle. Therefore, it is necessary to quantify the actual evaporative emissions from these engines in order to develop and implement cost-effective control strategies.

Proposal

This project focuses on the development of a representative testing cycle and quantification of evaporative emissions as running and resting losses, together with refueling losses from off-road equipment powered by gasoline and LPG engines of 25 to 175 horsepower. This quantification is to be used to estimate emission reduction benefits of suggested available control strategies with evaluation of factors such as cost, durability, equipment compatibility, fuel usage effects, performance characteristics, etc.

The proposed project is included in the Technology Advancement Plan, approved by the Board on October 11, 1996, as Project T1-1, "Quantification of Evaporative Emissions from Off-Road Mobile Sources between 25 hp to 175 hp." The major benefit of this project is the improvement of the VOC inventory in the Basin which will, in turn, assist in the evaluation of evaporative emission changes due to future conversion of existing gasoline engines to clean fuels.

Outreach

On December 13, 1996, RFP #9697-24 was released. It was listed in the following publications: The Black Voice News, Chinese News, Eastern Group Publication, El Chicano, The Excelsior, Inland Empire Hispanic News, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (SB area), Korean Central Daily, L.A. Sentinel, La Opinion, La Voz, Los Angeles Times, M/W/DBE Source, Orange County Register, Philippine News, Precinct Reporter, Rafu Shimpo, Riverside Press Enterprise, and The San Bernardino Sun. Copies of the RFP were sent to the Black and Latino Legislative Caucuses and interested minority contractors/professional associations and vendors listed in the Los Angeles County, MTA, Cal Trans, and Inland Area MBE/WBE directories. Further, notice of the RFP was placed on the AQMD’s internet site [http://www.aqmd.gov] and bidders’s 24-hour telephone message line.

Bid Evaluation

Three proposals were received by the January 24, 1997 closing date. They were reviewed and evaluated according to established AQMD guidelines by a panel comprised of AQMD and ARB staff. The three-member panel consisted of two males and one female, all Caucasian. A summary of the panel's scoring is included as Attachment A. The evaluation process involved two steps. First, proposals were evaluated using technical criteria. Proposals receiving scores of at least 70 out of 100 points were considered technically qualified and eligible for contract award. Next, the technically qualified proposals were evaluated using the criteria of "cost, cost per technical approach and work statement, and other factors," as oulined in the RFP. Using this two-step selection process, the proposal from Southwest Research Institute received the highest overall score.

Proposition 209 Compliance

It is AQMD policy to award additional points or cost benefits for minority-owned, woman-owned, and/or disabled veteran-owned business enterprises. On November 5, 1996 California voters approved Proposition 209 which prohibits discrimination or granting preferential treatment based upon race, ethnicity, color, sex or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education, or public contracting. (Proposition 209 does not address disabled veteran-owned business enterprises.) On December 16, 1996, the Federal District Court issued an order applicable to all government agencies in California prohibiting enforcement of Proposition 209. Therefore, the AQMD’s existing policy remains in effect. Should the status of the law change at any point during the process of issuing an RFP or RFQ or entering into a contract pursuant to a previously issued RFP or RFQ, the AQMD will abide by the law in effect at the time the action is taken and any RFP or RFQ will be deemed modified to comply with existing law and any provisions in conflict with existing law will not be enforced.

Resource Impacts

Sufficient funds for this project are available in the FY 1996-97 Budget.

Attachment

A- Summary of Evaluation of three Proposals Received in Response to RFP # 9697-24.

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Attachment A

Summary of Evaluation of Responses to RFP #9697-24

Three proposals were received in response to this RFP. They were from Southwest Research Institue (SwRI), College of Engineering, Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT), and Engineering Science & Technology, Inc. (EST)

Step 1 - Technical Criteria (70 points minimum, 100 points maximum)

	Proposer
	SwRI	CE-CERT	EST
Panel Average	97.3	77.3	49.0
Carry-over (50% of points > 70)	13.7	3.7	Not Qualif.

Step 2 - Cost and Other Factors (85 points maximum)

Criteria	Proposer
	SwRI	CE-CERT	EST
Cost (Maximum = 20 points for lowest cost) (Actual amount)	20.0 ($131,563)	19.6 ($134,320)	N/A
Cost per Technical Approach and Work Statement (Maximum = 50)	50.0	42.7	N/A
Certified MBE/WBE/DVBE (Maximum = 10) OR Minimum of 20% Participation by MBE/WBE/DVBE Subcontractors (Maximum = 7)	0	0	N/A
Local Business Enterprise (Maximum = 5)	0	5	N/A
Total	70.0	67.3	N/A

Total Score (100 points maximum)

Criteria	Proposer
	SwRI	CE-CERT	EST
Step 1 Carry-over Points (Maximum = 15)	13.7	3.7	N/A
Step 2 Points (Maximum = 85)	70.0	67.3	N/A
Total	83.7	71.0	N/A