Explanation
1. BACKGROUND:
This legislation authorizes the Director of Public Utilities to enter into a professional engineering services contract with Ribway Engineering Group, Inc., in connection with the Southerly Wastewater Treatment Plant New Effluent Pump Station and Effluent Conduit Project.
The City of Columbus has developed a Wet Weather Management Plan that identifies the preliminary sewer system and wastewater treatment facility capital improvements needed to fully address the city's wet weather overflows and many basement backup problems across the city.
This project will replace the existing effluent pump station and outfall sewer with new facilities. The new effluent pump station will have an initial firm capacity of 330 million gallons per day and will contain all necessary building mechanical systems. The work also includes new flushing water pumping facilities, new effluent metering and sampling equipment.
2. PROCUREMENT INFORMATION:
The basis for selection of the chosen professional engineering services firm: The Department of Public Utilities advertised a Request for Proposals (RFP) for six Wastewater Treatment Plant projects in the City Bulletin in accordance with the provisions of Section 329.14 of Columbus City Codes. Two firms submitted detailed proposals for this project to the Director of Public Utilities, on September 8, 2006.
These proposals were reviewed and ranked by a Professional Engineering Services Selection Committee in order to determine the consultant best qualified to provide the services for this project. The committee ranked the proposals on quality, feasibility and cost. After careful consideration, the committee recommended that Ribway Engineering Group, Inc., be selected to provide the engineering services for this project, a recommendation in which the Director of Public Utilities has concurred.
3. FISCAL IMPACT:
This ordinance requests the transfer of funds within the Voted Sanitary Bond Fund for purposes of providing the additional funds required to award this contract. Due to the complexity and sequencing of the wastewater treatment plant projects affected by the Wet Weather Management Plan, the scope and cost were based upon preliminary estimates of these contract services. The projects from which funds are being transferred will not be adversely affected. Additional funding will be requested for these projects as their actual needs become fully evident through further detailed planning and program management.
4. INCREMENTALLY-FUNDED CONTRACT:
The Wet Weather Management Plan provides the general outline of the wastewater system and facility improvements that are necessary to address the city's wastewater overflows and many basement backup problems across the City. Due to the complex nature and critical sequencing inherent in undertaking these improvements, the City and its contracted professional program management consultant are unable to provide a complete, definitive scope of service and associated cost at this time. This award will fund the design phase of the contract's estimated scope of service, as currently estimated. It is the intention of the Division to request legislative approval to modify the subject contract as the design is being completed and readied for construction bids, to provide monies for both the construction phase services and any additional services then found necessary to complete the bidding documents and required approvals.
5. EMERGENCY DESIGNATION:
The Division of Sewerage and Drainage is requesting City Council to declare this ordinance an emergency measure in order to fulfill the City's capital improvement project scheduling commitments set forth within the consent agreement between the City and the Ohio Attorney General's Office that addresses the City's wet weather wastewater overflows.
Title
To authorize the Director of Public Utilities to enter into a professional engineering services contract with Ribway Engineering Group, Inc., in connection with the Southerly Wastewater Treatment Plant New Effluent Pump Station and Effluent Conduit Project, to authorize the transfer of $64,000.00; and the expenditure of $2,800,000.00 from the Voted Sanitary Bond Fund; to amend the 2006 Capital Improvements Budget; for the Division of Sewerage and Drainage; and to declare an emergency. ($2,800,000.00)
Body
WHEREAS, the Division of Sewerage and Drainage, Department of Public Utilities has prepared a Wet Weather Management Plan to address the city's wet weather overflows and many basement backup problems across the city, and has determined it necessary to perform comprehensive capacity improvements to the Southerly Wastewater Treatment Plant (SWWTP) New Effluent Pump Station and Effluent Conduit Improvements Project, and;
WHEREAS, on September 8, 2006, the Director of the Public Utilities received two technical proposals from professional engineering service firms of Ribway Engineering Group, Inc., and Evans, Mechwart, Hambleton and Tilton, Inc., for the aforementioned project services; in accordance with the procurement provisions of Section 329.14 of the Columbus City Codes; and
WHEREAS, based upon an evaluation of these proposals utilizing predetermined criteria, an evaluation committee has determined that Ribway Engineering Group, Inc., submitted the best proposal for the required project services, in which the Director of the Department of Public Utilities concurred; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the Division of Sewerage and Drainage, Department of Public Utilities, in that it is immediately necessary to authorize the Director of Public Utilities to enter into a professional engineering services contract for the aforementioned project, in order to fulfill the City's project scheduling commitments in addressing wet weather wastewater treatment issues as stipulated by a consent agreement between the City of Columbus and the Ohio Attorney General's Office; and that it is further necessary to transfer the required funds and to amend the 2006 Capital Improvements Budget, for purposes of effecting said contract award; for the preservation of the public health, peace, property, safety and welfare, now, therefore
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
Section 1. That the City Auditor be and hereby is authorized and directed to transfer a total of $64,000.00 from within the Voted Sanitary Bond Fund No. 664| Division 60-05| Object Level Three No. 6676:
From:
Proj.: 650350| WWTP Contingencies| OCA 664350| $64,000.00
To:
Proj.: 650363| SWWTP New Effluent Pump| OCA 650363| $64,000.00
Section 2. That the City Auditor is hereby authorized and directed to transfer any unencumbered balance in the project account to the unallocated balance account within the same fund upon receipt of certification by the Director of the Department administering said project that the project has been completed and the monies are no longer required for said project; except that no transfer shall be so made from a project account funded by monies from more than one source.
Section 3. That the City Auditor is authorized to make any accounting changes to revise the funding source for any contract or contract modifications associated with the expenditure of the funds transferred under Section 1., above.
Section 4. That the Director of Public Utilities be, and hereby is, authorized to enter into a professional engineering services contract with Ribway Engineering Group, Inc., 300 E. Broad Street, Suite 500, Columbus, Ohio, 43215, in connection with the SWWTP New Effluent Pump Station and Effluent Conduit Project, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Contract on file in the office of the Division of Sewerage and Drainage Treatment Engineering.
Section 5. That the expenditure of $2,800,000.00, or as much thereof as may be needed, be and the same hereby is authorized from the Voted Sanitary Bond Fund No. 664; Division 60-05; within the following projects: Proj. No.: 650363| SWWTP New Effluent Pump Station and Effluent Conduit Project| Object Level 3: 6676| OCA Code 650363| $2,800,000.00.
Section 6. That the 2006 Capital Improvements Budget Ordinance No. 1108-2006 is hereby amended as follows, in order to provide sufficient budget authority for the aforementioned professional engineering services agreement.
CURRENT:
650363-SWWTP New Effluent Pump Station & Effluent - $2,736,000.00 (Voted)
650350-WWTP Contingencies - $865,791.30 (Voted)
AMENDED TO:
650363-SWWTP New Effluent Pump Station & Effluent - $2,800,000.00 (Voted)
650350-WWTP Contingencies - $801,791.30 (Voted)
Section 7. That for the reasons stated in the preamble hereto, which is hereby made a part hereof, this ordinance shall take effect and be in from and after its passage and approval by the Mayor, or ten days after passage if the Mayor neither approves nor vetoes the same.