SUBJECT/RECOMMENDATION:
Title
Award a purchase order to Agilent Technologies of Santa Clara, CA, in the amount of $72,376.00 for the purchase of a gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer, and authorize the appropriate officials to execute same. (consent)
Body
SUMMARY:
The Public Utilities Laboratory seeks to replace its aging gas chromatograph / mass spectrometer (GC/MS) with a more efficient and reliable GC/MS for organic analyses. The Varian Saturn instrument being replaced was originally purchased July 2, 2003. The old GC/MS (Asset ID 22294) is no longer serviceable for the tasks being performed due to limited parts availability as Varian Company no longer exists. Additionally, software currently used to operate the GC/MS instrument no longer meets the needs of the laboratory, which makes it imperative to acquire replacement instrumentation that will satisfactorily meet the Public Utilities Laboratory’s needs.
Currently, the Varian Saturn instrument is eligible for a trade-in promotion from which the City will benefit. This promotion offers a twenty percent (20%) discount from the list price of the new GC/MS, which translates into a savings of $18,094.00. In accordance with City Code of Ordinances, Section 2.621, Council authorization is required for the trade-in of any item with a market value of more than $5,000.
The GC/MS system’s extensive list of unique specifications is required of the laboratory in order to comply with the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) requirements. As such, all of the instruments must be certified. The unique specifications of the instruments render the GC/MS instrument a sole source purchase. GC/MS’s specifications, computer software, and data file format for the new instrument must be compatible with our existing equipment to facilitate laboratory consistency, exchangeability, and integration.
APPROPRIATION CODE AND AMOUNT:
0327-96645-564000-535-000-0000 $72,376.00 FY 15/16
Sufficient funding is available in the Utility Renewal and Replacement Fund in the amount of $72,376.00 from 0327-96645, Laboratory Upgrade and R and R, to fund the project cost.
USE OF RESERVE FUNDS:
N/A