BOARD MEETING DATE: March 17, 2000 AGENDA NO. 7

Award Contract to Purchase Transportable Continuous Emissions Monitoring System

SYNOPSIS: 

On December 10, 1999, the Board approved the release of an RFQ to purchase a transportable continuous emission monitoring system to assist RECLAIM facilities in their efforts to develop and validate alternative CEMS monitoring approaches, and to provide a valuable tool to augment field inspection and compliance efforts. This action is to execute a contract with Horiba Instruments in the amount of $129,092 for the purchase of a transportable continuous emission monitoring system . Funds for this purchase are proposed for appropriation from the fund balance designated for enhanced compliance activities, in the FY 1999-00 Budget. This item was reviewed by the Administrative Committee on February 11, 2000, and recommended for approval.

COMMITTEE: 

Administrative, February 11, 2000, Recommended for Approval

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

1. Authorize the Chairman to execute a contract with Horiba Instruments in the amount of $129,092 for the purchase of a transportable continuous emission monitoring system.
   
   
2. Appropriate funds in the amount of $129,092 from the Fund Balance designated for enhanced compliance activities to the Monitoring & Analysis FY 1999-2000 Budget, Fixed Asset Major Object.

Barry R. Wallerstein, D.Env.
Executive Officer

Background

On December 10, 1999, the AQMD released RFQ #2000-04 to competitively select a vendor for the purchase of a transportable continuous emission monitoring system (CEMS). The acquisition of a transportable CEMS responds to a staff recommendation in the RECLAIM Program Three-Year Audit and Progress Report, submitted to the Governing Board on May 8, 1998, to explore alternative monitoring requirement options to minimize implementation costs while ensuring program enforceability. The transportable CEMS will be used to assist RECLAIM facilities in their efforts to develop and validate alternative CEMS monitoring approaches, and will also provide the AQMD with a valuable tool to augment field inspection and compliance efforts. The transportable CEMS is intended to meet the same operational and performance specifications as a traditional CEMS that is permanently installed at a facility, but will be mounted on a trailer a platform that can be easily moved from one facility to another. Also, unlike equipment in typical source testing vans that require operator interaction many times during a day, the transportable CEMS will provide valid data at a lesser cost by operating unattended for extended periods of time.

Proposal

This action is to purchase a transportable CEMS from the successful bidder, Horiba Instruments, in the amount of $129,092 and to appropriate this amount from the fund balance designated for enhanced compliance activities to the Monitoring & Analysis FY 1999-2000 Budget, Fixed Asset Major Object.

Outreach

In accordance with the AQMD’s consulting and contracting policies, public notices advertising the RFQ and inviting bids were published in the following publications:

1.	Antelope Valley Press	10.	La Opinion	19.	Precinct Reporter
2.	Black Voice News	11.	La Voz	20.	Rafu Shimpo
3.	Chinese Daily News	12.	Los Angeles Daily News	21.	Riverside Press Enterprise
4.	Eastern Group Publications	13.	Los Angeles Sentinel	22.	San Bernardino Sun
5.	El Chicano	14.	Los Angeles Times	23.	Santa Clarita Signal
6.	Excelsior, The	15.	M/W/DVBE Source	24.	State of California Contracts
7.	Inland Empire Hispanic News	16.	Orange County Register		Register
8.	Inland Valley Daily Bulletin	17.	Palm Springs Desert Sun
9.	Korea Central Daily	18.	Philippine News

A listing of open RFQs was made available to various legislative caucuses, community groups, trade organizations, chambers of commerce and other interested parties at the time the Notice Inviting Bids/Proposals is submitted for publication.

Additionally, potential bidders were identified using the Los Angeles County MTA Directory of Certified Minority, Women, Disadvantaged and Disabled Veterans Business Enterprises; the Inland Area Opportunity Pages Ethnic/Women Business and Professional Directory; AQMD’s own electronic listing of certified minority vendors; and AQMD Purchasing’s mailing list. Notice of the RFQ was mailed to the African-American and Latino Legislative Caucuses and various minority chambers of commerce and business associations; and placed on the Internet at AQMD’s Web site [http://www.aqmd.gov, "Business and Job Opportunities" icon] and AQMD’s 24-hour telephone message line for bidders (909) 396-2724.

Bid Evaluation

Twenty-seven (27) copies of RFQ #2000-04 were mailed out. Eight (8) quotations were received when the bidding closed at 2:00 p.m. on January 14, 2000. Attachment A summarizes the comparison of the bids submitted.

An evaluation panel was convened to evaluate the eight proposals, and consisted of three AQMD staff: two Supervising Air Quality Engineers, and one Senior Air Quality Instrument Specialist; one Caucasian, one Asian, and one Hispanic; three males. The panel, based on its evaluation, determined that the proposal by Horiba Instruments met all of the specifications, whereas the other seven proposals were non-responsive to RFQ #2000-04 in one or more areas. Therefore, staff recommends that the Board authorize the Chairman to execute a contract with Horiba Instruments in the amount of $129,092 for one transportable CEMS.

Resource Impacts

Sufficient funds are available from the Fund Balance designated for enhanced compliance activities. Since the appropriation of funds by the AQMD constitutes a budget supplement within the definition of Health and Safety Code Section 40720(j), public notice of this proposed supplement was published in the Los Angeles Daily Journal, Riverside Press Enterprise, Orange County Register, San Bernardino Sun, and the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.

Attachment

Attachment A - Quotation Evaluation of Transportable Continuous Emission Monitoring System, RFQ #2000-04