TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THRU: Tom Kisela, City Manager
FROM: Christopher Cash, Public Works Director
1. Subject
title
Authorize purchase of sewer equipment parts and inspection camera from CUES, Inc. as the single source vendor.
body
2. Summary
Authorize purchase of sewer equipment parts and inspection camera to replace aging equipment in the amount of $77,432 with CUES, Inc.
3. Recommended Action
recommendation
Approve the purchase of parts and inspection camera for $77,432 from CUES, Inc. the single source vendor for city sewer equipment.
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4. Fiscal Impact
The total expenditure for this purchase is $77,432 and will be funded through equipment replacement in the Sanitation fund 220.5022.55132.0000.
5. Strategic Plan Goals
Goal 1: Provide for a safe community
a: Provide staffing and resources to deliver services that ensure public safety.
Goal 4: Provide outstanding public service
b: Provide facilities and services to meet customer expectations.
6. Discussion and Background
The City has over three hundred miles of sewer lines. A good portion of the system is maintained by an outside contractor and the inspections are performed by city staff. As part of the City’s sanitation sewer management plan, it requires routine cleaning and video inspection of the sewer lines in order to mitigate sewer spills and to stay in compliance with the State Water Resources Control Board Order No. 2006-0003-DWQ entitled Statewide General Waste Discharge Requirements for Sanitary Sewer Systems and its Monitoring and Reporting Program amendment WQ 2013-0058-EXEC. In addition, the data gathered during video inspection of the sewer lines is used to identify infrastructure deficiencies and for planning capital improvement projects.
CUES, Inc. is the manufacturer of the City’s current support software and closed-circuit television video (CCTV) transporter inspection camera equipment system that is used to inspect and monitor the quality of the City’s sewer system. The CCTV transporter is a critical piece of equipment and is used frequently to comply with the State permit requirements and to identify problematic areas of the sewer system. The current CCTV transporter is over 20 years old, has reached the end of its service life, and has limited replacement parts. The new camera system is an upgrade as it has better technology, such as optimum digital zoom, automatic focus, as well as remote focus, to ensure the best quality video within varying pipe conditions. In addition, it will provide more flexibility to inspect storm drain systems as needed.
The City, in most cases, requires original manufacturer replacement parts and service for its critical equipment. CUES, Inc. provides software and equipment for our current sewer inspection equipment. Staff reached out to two other vendors, and they offered a comparable sewer camera, but it is not compatible with our current software. CUES, Inc.’s cost proposal is fair and reasonable compared to the other vendors, Harton Corp. and Insight Vision, LLC.
To maintain our operations and avoid the significant cost of transitioning to a completely new system, CUES, Inc.’s software, parts, and camera equipment is the single source supplier that can support the City’s current sewer monitoring system.
7. ATTACHMENTS
• CUES, Inc. Cost Proposal