The Capital Improvement Program anticipates replacing two (2) digester gas compressors at the wastewater treatment plant.  The current equipment is over 30 years old.  For the following reasons, the request for bids was a sole source solicitation to the only known vendor of this equipment brand.  The contract award recommendation is based on the ease of construction and low expense of placing Tuthill brand blowers directly into the existing mounting and plumbing.  There are three (3) identical blowers at the plant, so new Tuthill blowers will allow stocking of similar spare parts and will allow the use of existing spare parts that are already in stock.  Any other blower besides the Tuthill blower would require remounting and new plumbing into the system, as well as stocking different parts and requiring training on a different blower brand. 

The Council may:

• Award the contract as recommended; or
• Not award the contract.  The project could be rebid with performance specifications and no brand preference or the existing blowers could be kept in service longer than the recommended life cycle.

There is sufficient money in the FY12 budget to cover the award.  The bid received is as follows:

Vendor                                Contract Amount

Kirst Engineering Co.           $58,852.00

Staff recommends that Council award the contract for purchasing two (2) Tuthill Blowers Model 9020-69R2, Vertical, Double Envelope, 2-Lobe Rotors to Kirst Engineering Co. in the amount of $58,852.00.