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Home My WebLink About04/06/2011 Water Meter Replacement BidMount Prospect Public Works Department N / INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM TO: VILLAGE MANAGER MICHAEL E. JANONIS FROM: WATER & SEWER SUPERINTENDENT DATE: MARCH 28, 2011 SUBJ: BID RESULTS FOR WATER METERS (NOT TO EXCEED $51,960.00) Background The Village of Mount Prospect operates a water distribution system that includes over 11,000 metered accounts. Staff follows the guidelines of the American Water Works Association (AWWA) which recommends the replacement of water meters on a 15 cycle. Presently, the Village replaces about 800 to 1,000 water meters each year. AWWA also establishes industry standards for the manufacture, quality and performance of cold water meters. These standards have been adopted worldwide over the past several years by many water meter manufacturers. Acceptance of these standards has enabled considerable savings for water utilities due to the standardization of products and increased competitive pricing. Problem Statement Previously, the Village had obtained water meters under a multiple year (typically a three -year) arrangement from primarily one vendor; Badger Meter of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Over the past few years, bronze and brass prices have fluctuated so drastically that water meter vendors have been hesitant to guarantee prices for more than six months, if that. As a result of this constantly changing pricing, staff also re- evaluated the Village's sole vendor status for water meters and found that the Village could obtain similar quality in water meters from multiple reputable vendors. By specifying conformance with the AWWA cold water meter standards, the Village can obtain water meters that were essentially identical to what we have been using while also obtaining competitive pricing. Because of this, the Village bid the procurement of water meters from several sources. Page 2 of 3 Bid Results for Water Meters (Not to exceed $51,960.00) March 28, 2011 Also at the same time, the Village is moving towards the replacement of the obsolete automated meter reading system (AMR). Staff identified a need to incorporate an absolute digital encoder (ADE) register into our water meter assemblies which allows the meter to communicate with a wider variety of AMR systems. Most importantly, the requirement of using AIDE register heads on the cold water meters allows the Village more flexibility in reviewing and choosing an AMR replacement system. Proposals for the new AMR system will be solicited during April and the results presented to the Village Board in late May or early June. Requests for Bids Based on this more open approach to our cold water meter requirements and our future AMR needs; the Village is requiring vendors to meet or exceed the AWWA cold water meter standards; to provide an AIDE register head reading in gallons; and to provide a minimal amount of cabling to allow for the future incorporation into an AMR system. Staff prepared a detailed bid specification for the quantity of meters that are planned for replacement in 2011 plus a nominal meter reserve for staff to stock for new installations and emergency water meter changes. The request asked the vendor to provide pricing on 720- 5/8" and 50 - 1" cold water meters, along with associated seals, sealing wire and gaskets. The bid also asked that the vendor hold their pricing for a minimum of one hundred and eight (180) days or for a longer period that the vendor could stipulate. Bid documents were requested by eight (8) firms and a bid notice was published in a local paper. Bid Results Bids were received on March 14, 2011, opened and read aloud as required. Two firms - Datamatic of Plano, TX and Metron - Farnier of Boulder, CO declined to bid. The following six (6) firms submitted the following seven (7) bids. One vendor submitted two bids — one bid for brass body water meters and a second bid for plastic body water meters. All other bidders proposed brass water meters. SUPPLIER PRICE Badger Meter, Milwaukee, Wisconsin $ 51,960.00 Water Products Inc, Aurora, Illinois -brass $ 53,865.00 HBK Meter Services, Palatine, Illinois $ 57,596.40 Water Products Inc, Aurora, Illinois - plastic $ 62,835.00 Ferguson Waterworks, Cleveland, Ohio $ 65,556.50 HD Supply, Carol Stream, Illinois $ 75,553.30 Ziebell, Elk Grove, Illinois $ 94,060.50 Page 3 of 3 Bid Results for Water Meters (Not to exceed $51,960.00) March 28, 2011 Discussion All bids were checked to ensure that the supplier was providing the needed and necessary equipment in accordance with the specifications. There were no exceptions to the bid specification by any firm. All bidders stipulated that they would honor their unit prices for a period of one hundred - eighty (180) days. The lowest responsible bidder, Badger Meter of Milwaukee, Wisconsin has been the Village's water meter supplier in previous years and is considered a reliable, responsive vendor. Recommendation I recommend that the Village Board accept the bid for the purchase for cold -water meters and accessory components as submitted by Badger Meter Inc. of Milwaukee, Wisconsin in an amount not to exceed $51,960.00. Sufficient funds for this proposed procurement exist in the current budget. Matt Overeem I concur. Glen R. Andler Director of Public Works cc: Deputy Director of Public Works Sean P. Dorsey H: \Water \projects \2011 \water meters \BID BOARD AWARD RECOMMENDATION water meters_SPD REVIEW_03152011.doc