HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC AG PKT 2013-08-26 #IAGENDA STAFF REPORT
DATE: August 26, 2013
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
THRU: Jill R. Ingram, City Manager
FROM: Sean P. Crumby, P.E., Director of Public Works
SUBJECT: PURCHASE OF SEWER VACUUM TRUCK
SUMMARY OF REQUEST:
That the City Council adopt Resolution No. 6404:
1. Authorizing the City Manager to purchase replacement equipment for
the City's fleet - Sewer vacuum truck from Municipal Maintenance
Equipment, Inc., in the amount of $260,319.96; and
2. Approving Budget Amendment No. 14 -02 -01 in the amount of $59,000
to carry over funds previously approved by the City Council in Fiscal
Year 2012 -13 to complete up- fitting work on newly purchased fleet
vehicles in FY 2013 -14.
BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS:
On June 11, 2012, the City Council adopted the 2012 Fleet Management Plan
and directed staff to implement the recommendations contained therein. The
plan identified a backlog of 17 vehicles and pieces of equipment that had
exceeded their useful service life and required replacement. The plan also
established a scoring methodology by which to identify those vehicles and pieces
of equipment that require replacement. On February 25, 2013 and May 13,
2013, the City Council approved the purchase of 16 replacement vehicles and
pieces of equipment as part of the Fiscal Year 2012 -13 Fleet Replacement
Program, Phases 1 and 2. At that time, Council was advised that the City's
existing vacuum truck was identified in the Fleet Management Plan as requiring
replacement and funds would be budgeted in the Fiscal Year 2013 -14 Sewer
Enterprise Fund Budget for that purchase. The City Council allocated a total of
$280,000 in FY 2013 -14 for replacement of this piece of equipment.
The minimum score for vehicle and equipment replacement is 23 points. The
existing vacuum truck is a combination of a Ford F -250 flatbed truck and a
Pacific Tek power vacuum. A scoring summary of the recommended
replacement is as follows:
Agenda Item 1
Dept.
Description
Year
Adopted
Replacement
Interval
Age
Replacement
Purchase
Price
Score
(combined)
Public
Works
Ford F-250/
1990/2000
Pacific Tek
12
23/13
$260,319.96
44
Sewer Vacuum Truck
Sewer System Use: The City currently owns and operates a vacuum truck
which is an essential tool used for several different maintenance tasks. The
vacuum, which is 13 years old, is mounted on a 23 year-old flatbed truck and is
used to clean and unclog storm drains, catch basins, and recover fluid spills.
The vacuum recovery tank is small, which limits the amount of material that can
be collected before it must be emptied. This unit does not have the ability to
flush sewer or storm drain lines with pressurized water, which is crucial for
clearing blocked lines and providing routine maintenance to critical infrastructure.
Both the truck and the vacuum have exceeded their useful service life. Hose
fittings on the vacuum are held together with duct tape and its motor requires
replacement. Moreover, this piece of equipment is undersized and
underpowered for use in maintaining the City's sewer system. A sewer vacuum
truck is an integral component of any sewer utility operation and is a piece of
equipment utilized by a majority of utility agencies.
There are currently two full-time City maintenance workers assigned to sewer
system maintenance who are supplemented by a sewer cleaning contractor.
Although existing City staff is qualified and available to provide routine sewer
system maintenance, the lack of an appropriate sewer cleaning vacuum truck
requires the City to rely solely on outside contractors for both routine
maintenance and emergency response. The City currently has a contract for
sewer cleaning services, which includes annual citywide sewer line flushing,
monthly and quarterly line flushing in known hot spot locations, sewer lift station
grease and debris removal as well as annual inspection and entry, and closed
circuit television inspections of sewer lines. Sewer hot spots are locations where
sewer overflows have occurred in the past or in areas where a large amount of
grease and debris is generated. Sewer hot spot locations are cleaned on
amonthly and/or quarterly basis depending on location, and represent a small
percentage of the City's overall sewer system network. If left untreated, fats, oils,
grease and debris accumulation in sewer lines can lead to blockages and
sewage overflows. These overflows can result in large penalties and fines levied
by the Regional Water Quality Control Board as well as expensive clean-up
costs.
Within the City's sewer cleaning contract, the City spends approximately $30,000
per year on hotspot line flushing and sewer lift station grease and debris removal.
These two activities are the most important in helping to prevent sewer system
Page 2
overflows. The purchase of this piece of equipment will allow for a cost savings
from this portion of the contract.
It is anticipated that this piece of equipment will be in use 2-3 days per week for
maintenance work and more often during the rainy season. The City's contractor
would continue to provide the annual citywide sewer line flushing work, sewer lift
station inspections and closed circuit television inspections of sewer lines. It is
more cost efficient to have a contractor provide the annual line flushing, as this is
high-production work. The City's entire sewer system is flushed over the course
of 4-5 months and the City's contractor has the equipment and labor resources
available to concentrate its efforts on this single task over the course of several
months. The City's contractor will also continue to conduct closed circuit
television inspections of sewer lines as well confined space entries into each
sewer lift station for an annual inspection and cleaning. City sewer maintenance
staff will provide monthly and quarterly cleaning of the hot spot locations as well
as grease and debris removal from sewer lift stations. These are critical facilities
and locations that require a higher degree of inspection and care due to their
sensitive nature and the greater potential for sewage overflows. Accordingly, the
City should be reliant on cCty staff to conduct this work, as staff has detailed
knowledge of how these critical facilities are built and function, and who also
possess the institutional knowledge of previous maintenance work and repairs
conducted on these facilities.
Storm Drain System Use: Currently the Department of Public Works cleans
every catch basin in the city in the fall and spring. Every catch basin has a filter
that holds debris and trash and City staff uses the vacuum truck to clean out the
filter and remove all additional debris. This piece of equipment will have the
added benefit of flushing the lines to ensure that they are free of debris. In
addition, the vacuum truck will be used to remove debris from the large fore bay
at the City's West-End Pump Station.
Emergency Response: The sewer vacuum truck is also a critical piece of
equipment used for emergency and/or disaster response. The vacuum system
has the power to unclog catch basins and storm drain lines during flood events,
as well as provide for spill containment and recovery. Within the past nine
months, staff has responded to two private sewer spills and a hydraulic fluid spill.
Historically there have been blocked storm drain facilities, flooding, and sewer
overflows that require emergency response from the City. In all three instances
in the past year, as well as historically, the City has relied on outside contractors
to provide sewer vacuum trucks to contain and recover these spills. The
response can typically take 90-minutes for the contractors to arrive. Response
time to potentially toxic fluid spills is critical to containing these materials before
they can enter local waterways and impact local beaches. Given the condition
and limited capability of the City's existing vacuum truck, the City must rely on
assistance from outside contractors for this purpose. Public Works staff is on-call
24-hours per day, seven days per week and are able to respond and mobilize for
emergencies such as these, as well as floods and other natural disasters faster
than outside contractors.
Page 3
Lastly, this piece of equipment can also be used to assist with the repair of
broken water mains. The vacuum system can be utilized to remove large
amounts of water from underground, which will allow for faster repairs and
restoration of water service. This piece of equipment will provide added value to
maintenance services the City provides to the community, as it is used for a
variety of maintenance activities and emergency response. It is anticipated that
this piece of equipment will remain in service for at least 20 years.
Procurement Process
The City's purchasing and contract policies are defined within the City's
Municipal Code and Charter. The cost for goods or services to be purchased
dictates how they are procured. In the past, the City has purchased vehicles and
equipment through statewide bids, as well as solicited bids from local dealers.
The City's purchasing and contract policies also allow for sole-source purchases
if the goods or services to be purchased are only available through one vendor.
Staff evaluated sewer vacuum trucks manufactured by Vactor and Vac-Con to
determine which one would best meet the City's needs. Both trucks contain the
same basic features and functions, with the exception of the vacuum systems,
which are very different. The Vac-Con system is more powerful than the one
manufactured by Vactor, and it utilizes a separate compressor system, which
facilitates its operation in the field. Vac-Con's vacuum system also utilizes fewer
engine components facilitating maintenance as well. The sewer vacuum truck
under consideration is the smallest and least expensive unit manufactured by
Vac-Con. Given the size of the City's sewer system and its intended application,
the purchase of a larger vacuum truck is not warranted. Maneuverability is also a
consideration as this piece of equipment will need to navigate and operate on
narrow streets and alleyways. Both the Vactor and Vac-Con are sold through
regional distributors and as such, the City is not able to purchase this equipment
direct from the manufacturer necessitating a sole-source purchase. The
following table includes the cost proposals submitted by the regional distributors
for both manufacturers:
Distributor
Municipal Maintenance
Equipment (Vac-Con)
Haaker Equipment Company
(Vactor)
Cost Proposal
$260,319.96
$277,767.36
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT:
There is no environmental impact associated with the purchase of replacement
equipment for the City's fleet.
LEGAL ANALYSIS:
The City Attorney has reviewed and approved as to form.
Page 4
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The total cost for the proposed purchase is $260,319.96. Funds for this
purchase are appropriated by the City Council in the FY 2013 -14 Budget. On
February 25, 2013 and May 13, 2013, the City Council approved budget
modifications allocating funds from the Vehicle Replacement Fund for the
purchase of new vehicles, maintenance equipment, and up- fitting equipment.
The new vehicles and equipment have been purchased. The maintenance
equipment is already in service along with several new vehicles however staff is
continuing to work on completing the up- fitting process on the remaining
vehicles. The up- fitting work was not completed by the end of Fiscal Year 2012-
13, and as a result, a budget modification is now presented for Council
consideration in order to carryover funds previously allocated by the City Council
for this purpose into the new fiscal year. This budget modification does not
allocate new funds but does carry over funds allocated in the previous fiscal year
to be utilized in the current fiscal year to complete the up- fitting of newly
purchased fleet vehicles.
RECOMMENDATION:
That the City Council adopt Resolution No. 6404:
1. Authorizing the City Manager to purchase replacement equipment for
the City's fleet - Sewer vacuum truck from Municipal Maintenance
Equipment, Inc., in the amount of $260,319.96; and
2. Approving Budget Amendment No. 14 -02 -01 in the amount of $59,000
to carry over funds previously approved by the City Council in Fiscal
Year 2012 -13 to complete up- fitting work on newly purchased fleet
vehicles in FY 2013 -14.
SUBMIT_ ED BY: _ NOTED AND APPROVED:
Sean P. Crumby, P.E.
Director of Public Works
. Ingram, City wager
Prepared by: Luis Estevez, Deputy Director of Public Works, Maintenance &
Utilities
Attachment:
A. Resolution No. 6404
Page 5
RESOLUTION NUMBER 6404
A RESOLUTION OF THE SEAL BEACH CITY COUNCIL
APPROVING THE PURCHASE OF A SEWER VACUUM TRUCK
FOR THE CITY'S FLEET, BUDGET AMENDMENT NO. 14 -02-01
IN THE AMOUNT OF $59,000, AND SURPLUS THE EXISTING
EQUIPMENT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2013/14
WHEREAS, the City Council adopted the 2012 Fleet Management Plan on June
12, 2012; and
WHEREAS, the Fleet Management Plan established a vehicle and equipment
replacement schedule and scoring methodology to evaluate the condition of
vehicles and equipment requiring replacement; and
WHEREAS, 17 vehicles were determined to require replacement, including the
City's existing vacuum truck.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE SEAL BEACH CITY COUNCIL DOES HEREBY
RESOLVE:
Section 1. The City Council hereby approves the purchase of a sewer vacuum
truck for a total cost of $260,319.96.
Section 2. The City Council hereby authorizes the City Manager to approve a
purchase order for the replacement equipment.
Section 3. The City Council hereby authorizes the City Manager to surplus
existing equipment.
Section 4. The Council hereby approves Budget Amendment No. 14 -02 -01 and
directs the Director of Finance to modify the Fiscal Year 2013/2014 budget by
carrying forward a total of $59,000 from FY 2012/13 to complete the up- fitting of
newly purchased fleet vehicles.
PASSED, APPROVED and ADOPTED by the Seal Beach City Council at a
regular meeting held on the 26th day of August , 2013 by the following vote:
AYES: Council Members:
NOES: Council Members:
ABSENT: Council Members:
Mayor
ATTEST:
City Clerk
STATE OF CALIFORNIA }
COUNTY OF ORANGE } SS
CITY OF SEAL BEACH }
I, Linda Devine, City Clerk of the City of Seal Beach, do hereby certify that the
foregoing resolution is the original copy of Resolution Number 6404 on file in
the office of the City Clerk, passed, approved, and adopted by the Seal Beach
City Council at a regular meeting held on the 26th day of August , 2013.
City Clerk