Coagulants are used in water treatment to remove silt and clarify the water. Our existing contract for the coagulant at the Water Treatment Plant has expired. Coagulant composition varies by vendor and the chemical formulas are proprietary.  Previously, the product supplied by Kemira Water Solutions proved to be the most cost-effective.  The technical specifications and performance history of the Kemira product were the basis for this bid.  Potential suppliers provided products with essentially the same composition and had to demonstrate equal or better performance in laboratory tests and a plant-scale test.

The purpose of this bid is to obtain a fixed unit price in terms of price per pound ($/lbs) for a one (1) year period, with an option to renew the contract one (1) year at a time, for up to a total of three (3) years.  The contract provides for termination of the agreement if the product supplied does not meet performance specifications.
 

City Council may:

• Award the contract to Hawkins, Inc.;
• Reject the bids

There are sufficient funds in the FY19 Water Treatment Plant Chemicals account to cover purchases of this chemical.  Bid award is based upon the railcar price which is the primary method of delivery. Two (2) bids were received on March 26, 2019, as follows:
 

Supplier	Product	Pricing by Delivery Method
		($/lb)
		Railcar	Truck	Tote (275 gal)
Hawkins, Inc.	Aqua Hawk 457	$0.42	$0.59	$2,120.40
Kemira Water Solutions, Inc.	PAX-XL3932G (fka PAX-XL3920LX)	$0.60	$0.64	$2,945.00

The apparent low bid was Hawkins, Inc. supplying Aqua Hawk 457 at a railcar price of $0.42/lb. The Aqua Hawk 457 product demonstrated equal or better performance in laboratory tests and a plant-scale test compared to the Kemira product used in the past.

Staff recommends that Council award the contract to Hawkins, Inc. at the unit prices listed in their bid.