12 4111 Flowmeter Install And Services

FLOWMETER INSTALLATION AND MAINTENANCE SERVICES

TECHNICAL SUBMITTAL

REQUEST FOR PROSAL

6100066256

OVERVIEW. The Upper Yoder Township Sewer Authority (Authority) asserts that the Commonwealth Technical Institute (CTI) at the Hiram G Andrews Center (HGAC) located at 727 Goucher Street, Johnstown, PA is non-compliant with Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) regulations. The Department of Labor and Industry, on behalf of the CTI at the HGAC Administration is issuing this Request for Proposal to acquire offers from Environmental Assessment Data System (EADS) vendors with relevant experience, qualifications, background, licensure and certifications to furnish, install, maintain, and calibrate a flowmeter and to collect, monitor, and analyze sewage flow data for compliance and optimum sanitary sewer system performance to counter the Authority’s position.

The Awarded Offeror shall provide all facilities, labor, materials, services, skills, supervision, insurance, and necessary equipment to manage and conduct provision of services under this Contract. These services will be provided as an independent contractor, not as an employee of the Commonwealth. The Awarded Offeror shall render services in accordance with the policies, procedures, and standards of the Commonwealth.

I-1. Qualifications.

A. Company Overview. Offerors shall have experience in water and wastewater projects of similar sizes and levels of complexity for municipalities and authorities such as the current HGAC and Authority system. All individuals who install, calibrate or perform maintenance on flowmeters in regulated system through must possess subject matter expertise in performing these tasks. DLI requirements must be met and in compliance with all local, state and Federal laws and regulations.

Offeror Response

B. Financial Capability. Describe your company’s financial stability and economic capability to perform the contract requirements. The Commonwealth reserves the right to request additional information to evaluate an Offeror’s financial capability.

Offeror Response

C. Prior Experience. Must include at least five (5) years’ experience in installation, calibration and monitoring of wastewater flow in active sanitary sewer systems. Experience shown should be work done by individuals who will be assigned to this project as well as that of your company. Studies or projects referred to must be identified and the name of the customer shown, including the name, address, and telephone number of the official responsible for the customer, company, or agency who may be contacted.

Offeror Response

D. Personnel. Describe in narrative form the number of executive and professional personnel who will be engaged in the work and indicate where these personnel will be physically located during the time they are engaged in the Project. For key personnel this may include but is not limited to engineers, flow monitoring specialists and installers, including the employee’s name, and through a resume or similar document, the Project personnel’s education and experience in the installation, calibration for wastewater flow meters in active sanitary sewer systems. Indicate the responsibilities everyone will have in this Project and how long each has been with your company.

Offeror Response

E. Subcontractors: Provide a subcontracting plan for all subcontractors, including small diverse business and small business subcontractors, who will be assigned to the Project. The selected Offeror is prohibited from subcontracting or outsourcing any part of this Project without the express written approval from the Commonwealth. Upon award, the contract resulting from this RFP, subcontractors included in the proposal submission are deemed approved. For each position included in your subcontracting plan provide:

1. Name of subcontractor;

2. Primary contact name and email;

3. Address of subcontractor;

4. Description of services to be performed;

5. Number of employees by job category assigned to this project; and

6. Resumes (if appropriate and available).

Offeror Response

I-2. Training. If appropriate, indicate recommended training of agency personnel. Include agency personnel to be trained, the number to be trained, duration of the program, place of training, curricula, training materials to be used, number and frequency of sessions, and number and level of instructors.

Offeror Response

I-3. Requirements.

A. Specific Requirements.

Awarded offeror shall provide the latest Hach Flo-Dar sensor and all necessary appurtenances to measure wastewater flow within the active sanitary sewer system of HGAC. Accuracy of sanitary sewer flow measurement is paramount. Steps to ensure accuracy are to be taken; provide suggestions in the proposal package. For example, if the Flo-Dar equipment should be paired with level and pressure transducers, or other equipment, for greater accuracy, this should be stated within the proposal. A separate price for potential “extra” equipment (beyond the Flo-Dar complete setup) is to be provided. The suggested manhole to be used is approximately 20 feet deep. The manhole (MH) is within the HGAC yard and is accessible.

Awarded offerors should provide a roof-mounted rain gauge compatible with the data production capabilities of the Flo-Dar. Access to the HGAC roof is possible.

The proposed manhole for the Hach Flo-Dar may be the best location to capture the total flow exiting HGAC, but it does contain some undesirable attributes relative to flow measurement, such as a 45-degree bend at the influent line and an approximate 1% slope on the upstream MH to MH pipe run. Provide suggestions and proposed solutions to counteract these flow accuracy obstacles in the proposal package. These factors are to be considered when installing, calibrating, and projecting the accurate range of the Flo-Dar unit. HGAC is open to alternative suggestions on flow meter location and setup; this can be discussed following award.

Proposals are to state the expected accuracy of the sewer flow equipment as installed in the HGAC location.

Initial calibration is to be verified with a secondary independent device (for example a handheld depth sensor and velocity probe) and installation protocol. At times, flow is low within the HGAC sanitary sewer system. If need be, HGAC can simulate higher flow for calibration purposes; this can be discussed following award. Secondary independent device recalibration is to be provided by the awarded vendor in subsequent months if deemed necessary by HGAC at no extra cost.

Regular field service and calibration checks shall occur monthly on the Flo-Dar and rain gauge to ensure proper battery life, desiccant cartridge, flow calibration and installation.

All field work is to be performed in the presence of HGAC staff and/or representatives. Awarded vendor to provide a minimum of 1-week notice to HGAC staff prior to arriving on-site.

Awarded offeror must participate in monthly progress meetings (virtual) with HGAC and Penn State Facilities Engineering Institute (PSFEI) representatives to review the past months’ data and discuss results. Assume meetings will last approximately 30 minutes long. An initial meeting will be required to discuss the initial installation and calibration of the flow meter and rain gauge.

Flow meter and rain gauge data is to be displayed online through the FSDATA website. HGAC staff and selected personnel are to have full access to the online data. The data is to include the following minimum parameters: Power supply, level, velocity, flow, surcharge level, temperature, surface velocity, distance, distance reading count, NOS, PMR, and rain. Data is to be capable of being displayed in a variety of common English units (e.g. gallons per minute, gallons per day, inches, feet, feet per sec., etc.). All data is to have the ability to be graphed or tabled together and exported to Excel. Sanitary sewer flow and rain fall data is to be captured by the equipment every 15 minutes, with the capability of increasing or decreasing this frequency. Flow capability of the equipment on the low end is to extend to zero (“0”) flow and zero (“0”) rain.

Flow meter and rain gauge units are to be synchronized to each other and to eastern standard time.

HGAC select staff are to be notified of a manhole surcharge condition and a flow rate value above 52 GPM.

Installation of all equipment will be the responsibility of the Awarded offeror.

Offerors shall submit the technical specifications/detailed descriptions of the supply(ies) that are proposed in response to this RFP. Documentation related to specific requirements must be provided with the response.

Offeror Response

B. General Requirements

1. Cost/Prices. The proposal submitted by the selected Offeror will be incorporated into any resulting Contract and the Offeror will be required to provide the awarded item(s) at the prices quoted in its proposal.

2. Approved Equal. Whenever an item is defined in this RFP by trade name and catalog number of a manufacturer or vendor, the term “or approved equal,” if not inserted therewith shall be implied. Any reference to a particular manufacturer’s product either by trade name or by limited description is solely for the purpose of more clearly indicating the minimum standard of quality desired, except where a “no substitute” is requested. When a “no substitute” is requested, the Issuing Office will consider only proposals for the referenced product only. The term “approved equal” is defined as meaning any other make which, in the sole opinion of the Issuing Office, is of such character, quality, and performance equivalence as to meet the standard of quality of products specified for which is to be used equally as well as specified. An Offeror quoting on a product other than the referenced product shall: a) furnish complete identification in its proposal of the product it is offering by trade name, brand and/or model number; b) furnish descriptive literature and data with respect to the substitute product it proposed to furnish; and c) indicate any known specification deviations from the referenced product.

3. New Equipment. Unless specified in this RFP, all products offered by the Offeror must be new or remanufactured. A “new” product is one that will be used first by the Commonwealth after it is manufactured or produced. A “remanufactured” product is one which: 1) has been rebuilt, using new or used parts, to a condition which meets the original manufacturer’s most recent specifications for the item; 2) does not, in the opinion of the Issuing Office, differ in appearance from a new item; and 3) has the same warranty as a new item. Unless otherwise specified in this RFP, used or reconditioned products are not acceptable. This clause shall be construed to prohibit Offerors from offering products with recycled content, provided the product is new or remanufactured.

4. Post-Submission Descriptive Literature. The Commonwealth may, during its evaluation of the proposed product(s), require the Offeror to submit cuts, illustrations, drawings, prints, test data sheets, specification sheets and brochures which detail construction features, design components, materials used, applicable dimensions and any other pertinent information which the Issuing Office may require in order to evaluate the product(s) offered. The required information must be submitted within two (2) business days after notification from the Issuing Office. Failure to submit the required information prior to the expiration of the second business day after notification shall result in the rejection of the proposal as non-responsive.

5. The awarded offeror will provide the CTI Administrator and any other designated employees 24 hours-7 days a week with on-line access to flow meter data and rain gauge. The CTI reserves the right to provide the data to PSFEI to analyze if needed.

I-4. Emergency Preparedness. To support continuity of operations during an emergency, including a pandemic, the Commonwealth needs a strategy for maintaining operations for an extended period of time. One part of this strategy is to ensure that essential contracts that provide critical business services to the Commonwealth have planned for such an emergency and put contingencies in place to provide needed goods and services.

A. Describe how you anticipate such a crisis will impact your operations.

B. Describe your emergency response continuity of operations plan.

Offeror Response

I-5. Work Plan. Describe in narrative form your technical plan for accomplishing the work using the task descriptions set forth below as your reference point. Modifications of the task descriptions are permitted; however, reasons for changes should be fully explained. If more than one approach is apparent, comment on why you chose this approach.

A. Start-up/Implementation. Describe your implementation plan to meet the scope of work requirements identified in this RFP, particularly those detailed in Section I-3. Include a Program Evaluation and Review Technique (“PERT”) or similar display, time related, showing each event.

Offeror Response

B. Mandatory Site Visit. There will be a mandatory site visit held on June 29, 2026 at 10:00 am. Interested offerors shall bring identification to the site visit and will meet in the Lobby at 727 Goucher Street, Johnstown, PA 15905.

I-6. Contract Turnover. Upon expiration or termination of the contract, the selected Offeror shall provide for a mutually agreed upon turnover of its services to the Commonwealth and its successor selected Offeror, as applicable. Provide a final detailed description of the turnover plan for approval by the Commonwealth within six (6) months prior to the last day of the project. Offeror shall be responsible for paying all costs related to the transfer of materials and responsibilities as a normal part of doing business with the Commonwealth.

Offeror Response

I-8. Objections and Additions to Standard Contract Terms and Conditions. The Offeror will identify which, if any, of the terms and conditions contained in the Buyer Attachments section that it would like to negotiate and what additional terms and conditions the Offeror would like to add to the standard contract terms and conditions. The Offeror’s failure to make a submission under this paragraph will result in its waiving its right to do so later, but the Issuing Office may consider late objections and requests for additions if to do so, in the Issuing Office’s sole discretion, would be in the best interest of the Commonwealth. The Issuing Office may, in its sole discretion, accept or reject any requested changes to the standard contract terms and conditions. The Offeror shall not request changes to the other provisions of the RFP, nor shall the Offeror request to completely substitute its own terms and conditions for this RFP. All terms and conditions must appear in one integrated contract. The Issuing Office will not accept references to the Offeror’s, or any other, online guides or online terms and conditions contained in any proposal.

Regardless of any objections set out in its proposal, the Offeror must submit its proposal, including the cost proposal, based on the terms and conditions set out in the Terms and Conditions contained in the Buyer Attachment section. The Issuing Office will reject any proposal that is conditioned on the negotiation of the terms and conditions set out in the Terms and Conditions contained in the Buyer Attachment section or to other provisions of the RFP.

Offeror Response