STAFF REPORT

Operations Committee, December 6, 2007

Water System Master Plan Contract Award (EN08‑048)
Recommendation of contract award for the Water System Master Plan
Speaker:  Mr. Tim Bailey

From:  Tim Bailey, P.E., Engineering Director
Prepared by:  Glen Harrell, PE, PLS Engineering Services Manager - Utilities
Approved by:  William B. Coleman, Jr., Town Manager
Approved by:  Benjamin T. Shivar, Assistant Town Manager

The Town of Cary solicited proposals for consulting engineering services for updating the Water System Master Plan and Water System Model.  The purpose of the Water System Master Plan is to provide a thorough review and analysis of the overall water distribution system and serve as a planning tool for the timing of proposed improvements such as elevated storage tanks and major water transmission lines.  The Water System Model is not only a tool to assist in development of the master plan, but also allows Town of Cary staff to periodically evaluate potential modifications to the overall water distribution system.

The Town of Cary received proposals from four firms.  A selection committee composed of six staff members from Engineering, Administration, and Public Works and Utilities reviewed the proposals based on the following criteria:

·        Experience in water modeling and master plan development

·        Experience, qualifications, and location of the project manager and team

·        Overall project approach

·        Additional innovative suggestions proposed by the firm to address water pressure, water quality and other water distribution system concerns

·        Cost proposal

·        Schedule

The following list shows the firms from which proposals were received, along with the proposed project cost and schedule submitted by each.

All of the firms submitting proposals have completed successful projects for the Town of Cary.  Many members of the selection committee have worked directly with all of these firms.  The consensus of the committee was that any of the proposing firms would likely provide a quality project.  Some of the proposing firms exhibited advantages in particular aspects of the project over the other firms.  The committee discussed these in depth to compare any perceived advantage with the associated additional cost and time.  Overall, considering the total scope of work and the overall project team’s experience, the selection committee recommends CH2MHill for this project.

The selection committee review discussion suggested that the proposal submitted by CH2MHill offered some very thoughtful suggestions regarding data collection and developing data worksheets for key characteristics for various system components.  The CH2MHill proposal was very comparable regarding project cost and their project schedule was one of the most aggressive.  The selection committee liked the CH2MHill proposal regarding overall project approach and discussion of specific water distribution system issues.  Pressure Zone efficiency is one of the more important issues to be addressed in this project.  CH2MHill highlighted their understanding of the importance of this issue and insight they gained on this issue from the work they recently completed on the Integrated Water Resources Master Plan and the Morrisville utility merger.

Fiscal Impact:  Funding for this project was approved in the FY07 budget and appropriated to the WT1141 budget under Contracted Services.  No additional funding will be needed.  This project does not have any direct operating impacts.

Staff Recommendation:  Staff recommends awarding a contract for consulting engineering services for updating the Water System Master Plan and Water System Model to CH2MHill.