HomeMy WebLinkAbout08. Authorize purchase of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer Page 1 of 3
Item 8.
CENTRAL SAN CENTRAL SAN BOARD OF DIRECTORS
POSITION PAPER
MEETING DATE: OCTOBER 4, 2018
SUBJECT: AUTHORIZE THE GENERAL MANAGER TO PURCHASE A REPLACEMENT
INDUCTIVELY COUPLED PLASMA MASS SPECTROMETER FOR THE
LABORATORY IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $250,000 UNDER THE
EQUIPMENT REPLACEMENT PROJECT, DISTRICT PROJECT 7326
SUBMITTED BY: INITIATING DEPARTMENT:
EDGAR J. LOPEZ, CAPITAL PROJECTS ENGINEERING AND TECHNICAL SERVICES-
DIVISION MANAGER CAPITAL PROJECTS
REVIEWED BY: JEAN-MARC PETIT, DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNICAL
SERVICES
, ..,�l
Roger S. Bailey
General Manager
ISSUE
Board Authorization is required for the General Manager to purchase replacement equipment over the
amount of $175,000 under the Capital Improvement Program.
BACKGROUND
Central San owns and operates a permitted Laboratory (Lab) at the wastewater treatment plant equipped
for regulatory testing and compliance documentation. The Lab is routinely operated by several chemists
and other Central San staff that conduct numerous sampling and testing activities daily. One critical piece
of equipment, the Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer(ICPMS), is inoperable causing the
Lab to subcontract out metal samples. The estimated cost of repair is $15,000 to $17,000, and not in
Central San's best interest as the piece of equipment is approximately 11 years old, beyond the typical
support life of 10 years for an I CPMS.
October 4, 2018 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet- Page 90 of 265
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Upon Board approval, staff will pursue replacing the I CPMS with anew model from Agilent under a past
sole-source justification that includes the following reasons:
• Standardization— The Lab currently has four(4)Agilent brand instruments which all use the same
software and hardware operations, including data acquisition and processing.
• Repairs and Maintenance — Central San's Lab staff is well-trained on Agilent software and hardware.
The Lab has been repairing and maintaining without the support of factory service contracts for 7 of
the last 11 years. Since 2016, the ICPMS has needed significant attention and has been maintained
through a service contract with Agilent.
• Training — The ICPMS is among the most complicated analytical instrument system used in the Lab.
Training a chemist on the system takes significant time and up to three years or more to be fully
proficient. Two of Central San's chemists are Agilent factory trained and overall, the existing staff is
highly proficient using the software and hardware.
• Traded n Value —Agilent has offered a trade-in value of roughly$75,000 for the existing I CPMS.
Soliciting and procurement of a new I CPMS will be managed by the Purchasing Division with technical
expertise provided by the Regulatory and Compliance Division. Delivery time for a new I CPMS can take
up to two months after executing the purchase order.
ALTERNATIVES/CONSIDERATIONS
Other brands that meet the industry standard, such as Thermo Scientific and Shimadzu, have been
considered in the past; however, due to the reasons stated above, Agilent has been the best fit and overall
cost effective for the Lab.
FINANCIAL IMPACTS
The cost of a new Agilent ICPMS is approximately$250,000, including tax, delivery, and $10,000 in
contingency. Staff recommends a trade-in of the existing I CPMS at$75,000, which will result in a net
amount of $175,000. Due to the timing and nature of the replacement, staff will purchase the ICPMS
under the Equipment Replacement, District Project 7326 within the Treatment Plant Program. There are
adequate funds in the Fiscal Year 2018-19 Capital Improvement Budget for this critical equipment.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Engineering and Operations Committee reviewed this purchase at its meeting on September 17,
2018, and recommended approval of the purchase.
RECOMMENDED BOARD ACTION
Authorize the General Manager to purchase a replacement Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass
Spectrometer (I CPMS)for the Lab ata cost not to exceed $250,000 under the Equipment Replacement,
District Project 7326.
Strategic Plan re-In
GOAL TWO: Strive to Meet Regulatory Requirements
October 4, 2018 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet- Page 91 of 265
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Strategy 1 - Strive to achieve 100%permit compliance in air, water, land, and other regulations
GOAL THREE:Be a Fiscally Sound and Effective Water Sector Utility
Strategy 2- Manage costs
October 4, 2018 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet- Page 92 of 265