Interoffice Memorandum
DATE: August 29, 2024
TO: Mayor Jerry L. Demings and County Commissioners
FROM: Carrie Mathes, CFCM, NIGP-CPP, CPPO, C.P.M., Manager II, Procurement Division
CONTACT: Mark Ikeler, Manager II, Water Reclamation Division
PHONE: 407-254-9705
SUBJECT: Award of Invitation for Bids Y24-1024-MM, Liquid Polymer for Eastern Water Reclamation Facility (EWRF)
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Approval to award Invitation for Bids Y24-1024-MM, Liquid Polymer for Eastern Water Reclamation Facility (EWRF), to the low responsive and responsible bidder, Polydyne, Inc., in the estimated contract award amount of $3,264,732 for a five-year term. ([Utilities Department Water Reclamation Division] Procurement Division)
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PROCUREMENT:
This contract will provide liquid polymer to aid in dewatering the biosolids that are transported from the EWRF for land application at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection approved sites. The Contractor will provide liquid polymer by the pound to be used as a coagulant at the EWRF. The purpose of the polymer is to thicken and dewater the solids to save on hauling costs.
FUNDING:
Funding is available in account number 4420-038-1355-4153.
APPROVALS:
The Water Reclamation and Business Development Divisions concur with this recommendation.
REMARKS:
To qualify for bidding, prospective bidders were required to contact the Procurement Division with a request to schedule testing. Two requests were received for pre-bid testing from Polydyne, Inc. and CedarChem, LLC dba Solenis. The interested bidders completed one round of pre-bid lab testing and two rounds of full-scale trials to ensure the selected polymers were qualified during the solicitation period.
The purpose of testing prior to the submission of bids was to ensure that the material is consistent with the specifications. If evaluation relied solely on the lowest price bid received, without confirmation testing, the County runs the risk of the product not meeting the specifications.
Two bids were received in response to this Invitation for Bids and were evaluated for responsiveness, responsibility and price reasonableness. As part of their bid response, bidders were required to submit the Mandatory Testing Certification Form which provided the total gallons of sludge processed and pounds of polymer used during a two-hour continuous run. Samples were obtained toward the end of the full-scale trial from both vendors and were sent to the Orange County Utilities laboratory for evaluation. Only the sample provided by Polydyne, Inc. met the required specifications of the solicitation. CedarChem, LLC dba Solenis did not meet the minimum testing requirements and was deemed non-responsible.
Therefore, award is recommended to Polydyne, Inc.
The bid tabulation is as follows:
Bidders: Bid Total:
Polydyne, Inc. $3,264,732
CedarChem, LLC dba Solenis Non-Responsible