Explanation
1. BACKGROUND
This ordinance authorizes the Director of Public Utilities to enter into a planned contract modification for professional engineering services during construction with Arcadis U.S. Inc., for the Southerly Wastewater Treatment Plant (SWWTP) Variable Frequency Drives (VFD) & Harmonic Filter Upgrade project, CIP #650346-100002, in an amount up to $1,415,453.62.
The City of Columbus, Department of Public Utilities’ (DPU) Division of Sewerage & Drainage, now known as the Division of Water Reclamation (DWR), has identified numerous VFDs and Harmonic Filters at SWWTP that are nearing the end of their useful service life and are becoming increasingly difficult to repair and maintain. These processes include the fine screens, Return Activated Sludge pumps, thickening centrifuges, and skimmings concentrators. This project will provide specialized professional engineering services to evaluate, replace, configure, and program the VFDs and harmonic filters, provide new controls that may be necessary to integrate the new equipment into the existing systems, and provide any other ancillary work to provide a fully functioning system. This work will also include recommendations for the standardization of equipment that can be used in the DWR Guide Specifications and programming of Programmable Logic Controllers. The equipment specified will vary based on site conditions, building use, building permit requirements, and ease of maintenance issues. Consideration shall be given to increasing ease of maintenance, development of standardized operating systems, and specifying control systems access software. This work is part of the City’s continuing effort to upgrade its treatment facilities, provide efficient, reliable, cost-effective operations, and enhance personnel safety.
The contract provides professional engineering services necessary for the entire project including preliminary design, detailed design, services for construction procurement, and engineering services during construction. The original contract funding was for Step 1, Preliminary Design Services. Preliminary Design investigated the existing conditions, determined space limitations, and investigated and evaluated products that could be utilized.
Modification 1 to the agreement provided funding for the next phase, Step 2, Detailed Design and Bidding/Construction Procurement Services. During this phase, detailed construction contract documents were developed to define the construction work. Construction contract documents will consist of drawings, specifications, and bidding documents based upon the City’s standards and preferences. Bidding services will follow detailed design and will occur during the advertisement, bid opening, and construction contract execution phase of the project.
This modification, Modification No. 2 to the agreement, will provide funding for Step 3, Engineering Services During Construction, that will be performed when the proposed improvements are being constructed. This phase of the engineering contract will provide construction-phase engineering, start-up and commissioning assistance, and record documentation preparation. The actual emplacement of the work will be by construction contract.
This work will primarily be performed in Columbus Community Area: 99 - Citywide
1.1 Amount of additional funds to be expended: $1,415,543.62
Original Engineering Agreement (ORD 1320-2023; PO395152) $443,624.94
Modification No. 1 (ORD 1896-2024; PO468851) $1,155,372.28
Modification No. 2 (current) $1,415,543.62
TOTAL $3,014,540.84
1.2 Reason other procurement processes are not used:
This contract was awarded through the City’s Request for Proposal process to completely design the project. Another procurement process is not required.
1.3 How cost of modification was determined:
Arcadis U.S. Inc., submitted a scope and fee showing expected hours required to complete the work based upon the established contract job titles, pay rates, and allowable expenses. The project team then negotiated the contract modification amount.
1.4 Timeline: The Design Professional began Step 1, Preliminary Design Services, after Notice to Proceed was given on July 17, 2023. Preliminary Design was completed in the second quarter of 2024. Step 2, Detailed Design Services, commenced immediately after Preliminary Design work was approved and after Modification No. 1 was approved by City Council and executed. Detail Design was completed during the third quarter of 2025. At the conclusion of the Detailed Design, the construction contract was advertised on October 3, 2025, and bid opening occurred on October 29. 2025. Award of the construction contract is expected in early 2026.
The overall contract duration, from initiation of Preliminary Design Services to completion of Engineering Services During Construction, is estimated to be 58 months. The DP’s services will continue beyond completion of construction to provide “as-built” record drawings of the constructed facilities.
2. ECONOMIC IMPACT/ADVANTAGES; COMMUNITY OUTREACH; PROJECT DEVELOPMENT; ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS/ADVANTAGES OF PROJECT
The performance of this project’s activities to provide specialized professional engineering services to evaluate and replace the VFDs and Harmonic Filters at SWWTP is needed to continue the City’s effort to upgrade its treatment facilities, provide efficient, reliable, cost-effective operations, and enhance personnel safety. If left unperformed, the required work could become larger in scope and more expensive and could produce a major impact to the City’s wastewater treatment system and the budget. No community outreach is considered for this project.
3. BID INFORMATION
Two proposals were received:
Name C.C. No. Exp. Date City/State Status
Arcadis U.S., Inc. CC-009409 2/22/25 Columbus, OH MAJ
Hatch Associates Consultants Inc. CC-025646 3/8/24 Columbus, OH MAJ
All proposals were deemed responsive. The evaluation committee reviewed the proposals and recommended the contract for the SWWTP VFD & Harmonic Filter Upgrades project be awarded to Arcadis U.S., Inc.
Arcadis U.S., Inc.’s certification was in good standing at the time of the contract award.
4. CONTRACT COMPLIANCE INFORMATION
Arcadis U.S., Inc.’s contract compliance number is CC-009409 and expires 1/21/2027.
Searches in the Excluded Party List System (Federal) and the Findings for Recovery list (State) produced no findings against Arcadis U.S., Inc.
As part of their proposal, Arcadis U.S., Inc. has proposed the following two subcontractors to perform contract work:
Company Name City/State ODI Certification Status
Brown and Caldwell Columbus, Ohio MAJ
CCI Engineering Services Columbus, Ohio WBE
The certifications of Arcadis U.S., Inc., and the above subconsultants are in good standing at the time of this contract modification.
5. FISCAL IMPACT
This design phase is anticipated to be financed with a loan from the Water Pollution Control Loan Fund (WPCLF), a program jointly administered by the Ohio EPA's Division of Environmental and Financial Assistance and the Ohio Water Development Authority (OWDA). City Council authorized this loan application and acceptance of funding via Ordinance 2720-2024, passed by Council on 10/28/24. This loan is expected to be approved at the OWDA February Board meeting. This ordinance is contingent upon the loan being approved by OWDA. The Department of Public Utilities will inform the Auditor's Office when this loan has been approved.
The WPCLF program is now a reimbursement loan. A purchase order will need to be established to Arcadis U.S., Inc. for this contract. Public Utilities will need to pay invoices directly to Arcadis U.S. Inc., and then submit reimbursement requests based upon these paid invoices to OWDA for OWDA to reimburse Public Utilities.
Funds must be appropriated in the WPCLF Loan Fund, Fund 6111.
Title
To authorize the Director of the Department of Public Utilities to enter into a professional engineering services contract modification with Arcadis U.S. Inc., for the Southerly Wastewater Treatment Plant Variable Frequency Drives & Harmonic Filter Upgrade project; to authorize the appropriation of funds in the WPCLF Loan Fund; to make this ordinance contingent upon the Ohio Water Development Authority approving a loan for this project; and to authorize the expenditure of up to $1,415,543.62 from the WPCLF Loan Fund. ($1,415,543.62)
Body
WHEREAS, the Department of Public Utilities is engaged in the SWWTP VFD & Harmonic Filter Upgrade project; and
WHEREAS, Contract No. PO395152 was authorized by Ordinance No. 1320-2023 for Arcadis U.S. Inc., to provide engineering services for the SWWTP VFD & Harmonic Filter Upgrade Project; and
WHEREAS, planned Contract Modification 1 was authorized by Ordinance No. 1896-2024 for the contract with Arcadis U.S. Inc., to provide engineering services for the SWWTP VFD & Harmonic Filter Upgrade Project; and
WHEREAS, a planned contract modification to add funding for engineering services during construction with Arcadis U.S. Inc., for the SWWTP VFD & Harmonic Filter Upgrade project is needed; and
WHEREAS, City Council authorized this contract modification to be funded with a loan from the Water Pollution Control Loan Fund via Ordinance 2720-2024, passed by Council on 10/28/24; and
WHEREAS, this ordinance is contingent upon the loan being approved; and
WHEREAS, funds will need to be appropriated in the WPCLF Loan Fund, Fund 6111; and
WHEREAS, it is necessary to expend funds from the WPCLF Loan Fund, Fund 6111, to pay for services provided by this contract modification; and
WHEREAS, it has become necessary in the daily operation of the Department of Public Utilities to execute a planned contract modification with Arcadis U.S. Inc., to provide professional engineering services during construction for the SWWTP VFD & Harmonic Filter Upgrade project; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That the appropriation of $1,415,543.62, or so much thereof as may be needed, is hereby authorized in the WPCLF Loan Fund, Fund 6111, per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 2. That the Director of Public Utilities is hereby authorized to enter into a contract modification of a professional engineering services agreement for the Southerly Wastewater Treatment Plant Variable Frequency Drives & Harmonic Filter Upgrade Project with Arcadis U.S. Inc., 7575 Huntington Park Drive, Suite 130 Columbus, OH 43235, for an expenditure up to $1,415,543.62, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract on file in the Office of the Division of Sewerage and Drainage.
SECTION 3. That an expenditure of up to $1,415,543.62 from the WPCLF Loan Fund, Fund 6111, is authorized per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 4. This ordinance is contingent upon the Ohio Water Development Authority's Board approving the loan for this project.
SECTION 5. Funds are hereby deemed appropriated and expenditures and transfers authorized to carry out the purposes of this ordinance and the City Auditor shall establish such accounting codes as necessary.
SECTION 6. That the City Auditor is authorized to make any accounting changes to revise the funding source for all contracts or contract modifications associated with this ordinance.
SECTION 7. That the City Auditor is hereby authorized to transfer the unencumbered balance in a 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.
SECTION 8. That this Ordinance shall take effect and be in force from and after the earliest period allowed by law.