BOARD MEETING DATE: July 11, 2008
AGENDA NO. 5

RECOMMENDED ACTIONS:

Authorize the Executive Officer to execute a contract with Technical and Business Systems, Inc. for air pollutant measurements aloft in an amount not to exceed $105,000 with an option to add funds in FY 2008-09 for additional measurements, based upon availability of funds and satisfactory performance.
 

Barry R. Wallerstein, D.Env.
Executive Officer

Background

The performance of regional air quality models used by AQMD for Air Quality Management Plan (AQMP) preparations have proved to be highly sensitive to initial and boundary conditions of air pollutants. This reflects the complex physical processes of recirculation of pollutants within Southern California and the transport of pollutants within the air basin and from one air basin to another. Data inputs to the regional models include air quality information at the lateral and top boundaries of the model. To date, these have been measured with expensive, highly instrumented aircraft or estimated using larger scale models. Ozonesonde measurements were used during the 1997 Southern California Ozone Study (SCOS97) to supplement aircraft and remote sensing measurements of conditions aloft. The ozonesondes demonstrated elevated concentrations of ozone, even to heights above 3,000 m AGL.

On April 4, 2008, RFP #P2008-17 was released to solicit proposals from qualified consultants to perform aloft air pollutant measurements for the AQMD. This contract is intended to provide current snapshots of key model boundary parameters to help evaluate the boundary conditions used in the modeling efforts. This will utilize aircraft and balloon-borne instruments. The measurements will be accomplished on a planned set of days during the summer and fall of 2008 through the summer and fall of 2009 to study the peak ozone and particulate matter seasons and to provide a measure of seasonal variability throughout the year. It is anticipated that additional funds will be added by amendment to this contract to accomplish all of the desired measurement goals in the summer and fall of 2009, depending on the availability of funds and contractor performance.
 

Outreach

In accordance with AQMD’s Procurement Policy and Procedure, a public notice advertising the RFP/RFQ and inviting bids was published in the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register, the San Bernardino Sun, and Riverside County Press Enterprise newspapers to leverage the most cost-effective method of outreach to the entire South Coast Basin.

Additionally, potential bidders may have been notified utilizing AQMD’s own electronic listing of certified minority vendors. Notice of the RFP/RFQ was mailed to the Black and Latino Legislative Caucuses and various minority chambers of commerce and business associations, the State of California Contracts Register website, and placed on the Internet at AQMD’s Web site. Information was also available on AQMD’s bidder’s 24-hour telephone message line (909) 396-2724.
 

Bid Evaluation

Copies of the RFP were downloaded from the AQMD web site, mailed and emailed in response to requests and two bids were received in response to the RFP when final bidding closed at 1:00 p.m. on May 6, 2008. Both bids were deemed responsive; neither was from a disabled veteran owned business enterprise, and both were small business enterprises.

Attachment 1 reflects the evaluation of the proposals and the respective costs for the consultants who submitted bids. Using the prescribed evaluation criteria to consider cost, technical qualifications and minority/small business status, the highest overall score of the responsive quotes was for Technical and Business Systems, Inc. Staff recommends that the Board award the contract to the bidder with the highest overall score to conduct air pollutant measurements aloft for the AQMD.
 

Panel Composition

The proposal evaluation panel consisted of one Planning and Rules Manager and two Air Quality Specialists from AQMD Planning, Rule Development and Area Sources and one Senior Meteorologist from the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District; one Asian/Pacific Islander and three Caucasian; one female and three male.

Resource Impacts

Funds for this contract have been earmarked from the U.S. EPA Section 105 Grant for the PAMS 16^th Year program. These funds, in the amount of $150,000, are being recognized and reallocated by the Board in a separate agenda item at this Board meeting to Planning, Rule Development and Area Sources under Contracts – Pilot Upper Air Measurement Study (26530-67450). Since this contract uses PAMS pass-through funds, it will not impact AQMD staffing or fiscal resources.

Attachment

1 - Evaluation of Respondents to RFP #2008-17
 

ATTACHMENT 1
Evaluation of Bids from Respondents to RFP #2008-17