Consideration and Approval of Contract:  Approve the Cooperative Purchase Contract with Black & Veatch for Engineering Services on the Rio de Flag Water Reclamation Plant Backup Generators (“the Project”) in the amount of $400,000.00.
 

1. Approve the Cooperative Purchase Contract with Black & Veatch (“Consultant”) for Engineering Services on the Rio de Flag Water Reclamation Plant Backup Generators in the amount of $400,000.00; and
2. Authorize the City Manager to execute the necessary documents.

The recommended Cooperative Purchase Contract with Black & Veatch will authorize the Consultant to conduct Engineering Services at the Rio de Flag Water Reclamation Plant (RDF WRP). The award amount of $400,000.00 to the Consultant will provide the Engineering Services related to Project design for a future construction project. This includes civil site, process mechanical, electrical, and instrumentation and control design necessary to support installation of required infrastructure at two locations: the influent pump station (IPS) and the Treatment Plant.
 
In addition to the design tasks, the contract will also encompass the documentation of electrical and instrumentation and control (I&C) standards. These standards are intended to be used for standardizing projects at the RDF WRP and other facilities within the City of Flagstaff.
 
The City of Flagstaff is upgrading the RDF WRP to function more effectively as an end-of-the-line facility. To support this new operational strategy, the Project will include the addition of standby power systems, including generators and automatic transfer switches, at both the IPS and the water reclamation facility.

This Project is funded by a grant agreement from the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs (DEMA). It is anticipated that this Grant Agreement will be presented to City Council at an upcoming City Council meeting.

The Project is funded by a grant agreement (HMGP DR-4524-16-11R) from the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs (DEMA) in the amount of $450,000 with a $50,000 local match requirement (Proposition 441 funding). The FY2024-25 budget for this project is $455,600 in account #410-08-375-3529-3.
 
This is Pre-Construction and Design Phase #1 of a 4-phase grant award. Once the City has demonstrated completion of Phase #1, DEMA will release the remaining funds to construct ($5,190,000.00).

On January 21, 2025, Council will be presented the Grant Agreement between the City of Flagstaff and DEMA for Phase #1 of the grant award: pre-construction and design.
 
The Project’s FY25 budget was approved in the FY25 Capital Improvements 5-Year Plan.

1. Approve the Cooperative Purchase Contract as recommended. Approval will allow for the completion of engineering, design, and geotechnical assessment needed to construct backup power at the Rio de Flag Water Reclamation Plant; or 
2. Reject the Cooperative Purchase Contract. This action would delay the Project. If rejection occurs, possible options include:
   1. Evaluate other procurement options for the Project; or
   2. Suspend or cancel the Project.

The Rio de Flag Water Reclamation Plant (RDF WRP) is currently supplied with two primary power feeds from APS, providing redundancy in the event of a power failure on the primary feed. However, these feeds are managed by a manual switchgear operated by APS, meaning that if power is lost, the facility must rely on APS to manually switch to the alternate feed. If both feeds fail, the facility is rendered inoperable. A significant loss of voltage could result in the death of critical microorganisms and equipment failure at the RDF WRP. In such an event, flow would be redirected to the Wildcat Hill WRP, potentially overwhelming their capacity and risking operation noncompliance, as well as threatening both environmental and public health.
 
Additionally, wildfires present a significant and growing risk to power supplies in Northern Arizona. Each year, wildfires threaten APS power lines statewide, while other hazards such as flooding, storms, and wind also pose risks to power continuity. These threats have intensified over the past decade.
 
To address these risks, the Project will require a minimum of four transfer switches and two to three backup generators. Automatic transfer switches will be implemented to ensure the RDF WRP can seamlessly switch to back up power until the primary feed is restored. These upgrades will safeguard voltage stability and ensure continuous plant operation in the event of a power failure.
 
The Purchasing Section has reviewed the competitively solicited cooperative purchase options available and confirmed that the Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County conducted a competitive and open procurement process through Request for Qualifications Solicitation that resulted in a Contract with Black & Veatch. This underlying agency contract has been verified as valid and appropriate for the purchase of the specified services and presents the best value to the City of Flagstaff.
 
The local match for this Project will be provided through the Prop 441 bond, enabling the work to proceed with minimal value engineering.

Community Benefits and Considerations:
This is the first step in a Grant Funded Project that will allow for a project total of $5.69M for backup generators to keep the plant from shutting down and supply adequate voltage to the facility, keeping operations in compliance and ensuring safe and reliable access to reclaimed water in Flagstaff.

Community Involvement:
This is a voter-approved bond project from Proposition 441.

Sustainable, Innovative Infrastructure: Deliver outstanding services to residents through a healthy, well-maintained infrastructure system.

Goal WR.2. Manage a coordinated system of water, wastewater, and reclaimed water utility service facilities and resources at the City level and identify funding to pay for new resources.
Policy WR 2.2. Maintain and develop facilities to provide reliable, safe, and cost-effective water, wastewater, and reclaimed water services.
Goal WR.4. Logically enhance and extend the City’s public water, wastewater, and reclaimed water services, including their treatment, distribution, and collection systems in both urbanized and newly developed areas of the City, to provide efficient delivery of services.

Water Security (WS-1) Improve water infrastructure and expand water reuse.

Not applicable.