Title
Resolution Authorizing the Sole Source Purchase of Mass Spectrometer from PerkinElmer Health Sciences, Inc. in the Amount of $147,207.88 for the Townsend Water Treatment Plant
Body
Council Priority: Maintain Infrastructure and Provide Sustainable Growth Opportunities
Department: Water Resources
Council District: 2
Public Hearing: N/A
Advertising Date/By: N/A
Contact 1 and Phone: Mike Borchers, 373-2494
Contact 2 and Phone: Kristine Williams, 373-2556
PURPOSE:
Water Resources requests approval to sole source the purchase of an ICP Mass Spectrometer for the Townsend Water Quality Laboratory from PerkinElmer Health Sciences, Inc. City Council approval is required to sole source a purchase under State Public Contracting Statute GS 143-129 (e)(6) which allows exceptions to the letting of public contracts for the purchase of apparatus, supplies, materials or equipment when standardization or compatibility is the overriding consideration. In this particular case, the sole source option was chosen because of the consistency in the method and reliability of results are of critical importance to the City, customers and regulatory agencies. PerkinElmer Health Sciences, Inc. has been successful in making this instrument for others in the industry.
BACKGROUND:
The existing Inductively Coupled Argon Plasma (ICP) instrument at the Townsend Water Quality Laboratory is used for regulatory analysis of metals for the Division’s two NPDES permits as well as compliance monitoring for lead and copper in drinking water. The mass spec instrument is a critical part of maintaining required NC State Certification for Greensboro’s Townsend drinking water laboratory, allowing sampling in-house rather than exporting to private labs. Consistency in method and reliability of results are of critical importance to the City of Greensboro, our customers, and with our regulatory agency, the NC Department of Environmental Quality.
The existing ICP Mass Spectrometer at the Townsend Laboratory is 13 years old. Critical parts are no longer available and servicing the instrument has become increasingly expensive. Sole source approval will allow annual savings by combining service agreements between two Water Resources divisions. Other reasons include uniformity of parts and subassemblies, familiarity with the instrument, resulting in reduced training costs and the confidence in high quality measurements inherent in using the same instrument as our water supply partners, Reclamation Division laboratory and NCDEQ laboratories.
BUDGET IMPACT:
Funds are budgeted in the Water Resources Operating Fund account 501-7025-01.6059 Activity # A20093 in the amount of $147,207.88.
RECOMMENDATION / ACTION REQUESTED:
The Water Resources Department recommends and requests that City Council approve the sole source purchase of a ICP Mass Spectrometer from PerkinElmer Health Sciences, Inc. in the amount of $147,207.88.