Subject:
Title
Agreement for laboratory testing equipment and supplies with the Hach Company.
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Recommended Action:
Recommended Action
Approval of the 3-year agreement with the Hach Company (HACH) for laboratory testing equipment and supplies.
• HACH supplies the Utilities and other County Departments with testing equipment, laboratory reagents, and accessories required for routine water and wastewater testing to comply with state and federal environmental regulations; the reagents are manufactured by and only available from HACH and are proprietary.
• Due to testing of public water and citizens served, consistency, accuracy and uniformity in testing are required; some of the results are regulated and reported to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. County departments have standardized their equipment and materials to HACH products for water testing.
• On January 14, 2021, the request for this proprietary purchase was evaluated and approved by the Non-Competitive Oversight Committee.
Contract No. 190-0442-N(BW) estimated average annual expenditure of $314,340.33 for a total amount not to exceed $943,020.99 with a 3-year total contract term. Authorize the Chairman to sign and the Clerk of the Circuit Court to attest.
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Strategic Plan:
Practice Superior Environmental Stewardship
3.3 Protect and improve the quality of our water, air, and other natural resources
Deliver First Class Services to the Public and Our Customers
5.2 Be responsible stewards of the public’s resource
Summary:
Summary
This HACH contract is necessary to meet regulatory requirements, process control testing needs, and covers equipment, accessories, supplies and service. This contract will allow the County to purchase reagents and parts for analyzers and lab equipment currently in use, keeping the current warranties in effect.
The reagents, supplies and accessories are manufactured by, and only available from HACH. HACH does not recognize or authorize any other service organization repairing or recalibrating their analyzers. HACH’s factory-trained service personnel are the only personnel authorized to perform any repair, start-up service or maintenance. Per HACH, unauthorized repairs and use of non-HACH supplied parts will result in voiding an instrument's warranty. All parts used in HACH instruments meet their specifications and conform to their standards.
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Background Information:
This Agreement provides a mechanism for the County to purchase testing equipment, chemicals, and laboratory supplies. The primary user of this contract is the Utilities Department with occasional use by Public Works, Solid Waste, and Safety and Emergency Services Departments. HACH is the current vendor to the Utilities Department and has supplied its proprietary items since the 1990s with a proven track record. The County has standardized its water and wastewater testing procedures, historically by using a combination of high quality and reliable reagents, supplies and testing accessories, along with water quality monitoring equipment supplied by HACH. The County utilizes HACH's knowledge and expertise in servicing of equipment. Other brands have been used in the past that have proved to be less reliable and economical.
On January 14, 2021, the request for a non-competitive contract was evaluated and approved by the Non-Competitive Oversight Committee with the condition that Purchasing invite surrounding municipalities to enter into a non-competitive, cooperative contract for more advantageous pricing.
Purchasing sent information to Hernando County, Hillsborough County, City of Clearwater, City of Pinellas Park, City of Dunedin and City of Indian Shores to combine requirements; however, there was not enough interest by surrounding public agencies at this time to achieve economy of scale pricing.
Fiscal Impact:
Estimated average annual expenditure: $ 314,340.33
Thirty-six-month total not-to-exceed: $ 943,021.00
Funding is derived from the operating budgets of the departments using this contract.
Staff Member Responsible:
Megan Ross, Director, Utilities
Merry Celeste, Division Director, Purchasing and Risk Management, Administrative Services
Joe Lauro, Director, Administrative Services
Partners:
N/A
Attachments:
Goods Agreement
Non-compete Oversite Committee Form