This is a service / maintenance or supply contract in Chula Vista, California. Contact the soliciting agency for additional information.

Sweetwater Authority (Authority) is a publicly owned water agency that provides water service to customers in National City, Bonita and the western and central portions of Chula Vista, California. All provisions of law applicable to public contracts will be made part of the final contract to the same extent as though set forth herein, and will be complied with by the successful bidder. Sweetwater Authority encourages participation by local, small and/or disadvantaged businesses/contractors/vendors. THE DESIRED SERVICE The Authority is soliciting bids to establish requirement contracts for water treatment chemicals. Chemicals must be in compliance with the most current American Water Works Association (AWWA) standard for each particular chemical listed. A certified weight master's certificate shall be included at the time of delivery. The Authority requires that National Sanitation Foundation (NSF)-60 or Underwriter Laboratories (UL) be stamped directly on the delivery paperwork. The Authority will be accepting quotes for a 12-month contract with four one-year renewable options. PROCESS DESCRIPTION The permeate capacity of the Richard A. Reynolds Groundwater Desalination Facility (RAR) is approximately 7 million gallons per day (MGD). The feedwater to the facility is brackish groundwater, sourced from various groundwater wells. The RAR reverse osmosis (RO) system consists of 6 trains. Each train is operated at a maximum flux of 15 gallons per square foot per day (GFD) and an average recovery of 76%. The three original trains consist of 30, seven-element (7) pressure vessels in a 20:10 array. The elements in these three trains are polyamide membranes (Toray TMG20D-400). The three RO trains added in 2017 as part of a facility expansion each consist of 36 pressure vessels in a 24:12 array. These trains are also equipped with inter-stage energy recovery devices. The elements in the three expansion trains are polyamide membranes; two trains with Toray TMG20D-400 and the other with TMG 20D-440. The Authority started a phased membrane replacement project in 2022 to be replace all membranes over a five-year period with TMG20D-400 membranes, phasing out the 440 ft2 membranes that were installed as part of the 2017 plant expansion. The feedwater is common to all six trains and pretreated with antiscalant before the 5-micron (nominal) string wound cartridge filters. The average and 90th percentile chemical analysis cases of the feedwater before antiscalant addition are shown in Appendix A. The bids should be based on the average case. The RO feed pH is not chemically adjusted and ranges between 7.5 and 8.0. The feedwater temperature ranges from 79F to 88F with an average of 85F. The amount of antiscalant purchased each year will depend on the operation of the facility, required antiscalant dosage, and plant production. Deliveries are typically taken in 1,200 gallon quantities. The antiscalant is stored in a single bulk storage tank inside a bermed containment area. The antiscalant is periodically transferred from the bulk tank to a smaller day tank that is connected to the chemical feeders. The bulk tank is permanently installed on site, is constructed of fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP), and provides roughly 1,800 gallons of storage. The delivery system consists of a camlock connection terminating outside of the bulk chemical storage area to a delivery area containing a chemical containment sump. SCOPE OF WORK Description of Scope The scope of work is to provide antiscalant to RAR. In order to be considered for this work, the lowest cost bidder must demonstrate their product at the proposed dose under the specified operating conditions during a 90-day demonstration test. At the Authority's discretion, the 90-day demonstration test may be waived for products that have previously been successfully used in the operation of the facility since the facility expansion in 2017. Product Requirements: The antiscalant shall inhibit: o The precipitation of sparingly soluble inorganic salts such as, but not limited to, calcium carbonate, calcium phosphate, barium sulfate, strontium sulfate and silica. o The deposition of colloidal materials such as, but not limited to clays and the hydroxide of metals such as aluminum, iron, and manganese. o The antiscalant cannot contain any phosphorus or phosphorus compounds. The antiscalant dose is limited to the range 1 to 5 mg/L due to feed equipment limitations. Proposed antiscalant doses outside this range will not be accepted. No concentrated products will be considered that require the Authority to dilute antiscalant in order for the feed pump range to be achieved. The antiscalant shall be fully compatible with the membrane elements listed below in the Process Description section. When the antiscalant is used in accordance with the antiscalant Supplier's recommendations it shall not cause the membrane manufacturer's warranty provisions to be void. Should use of the antiscalant in accordance with the antiscalant Supplier's recommendations result in deterioration of the membrane element's performance, the antiscalant Supplier shall clean or repair the membrane elements in a timely manner or replace the membrane elements at no cost to the Authority. The bidder is directed to consider operation at the entire temperature range specified, when determining their bid dose. The antiscalant solution shall retain full inhibition and dispersant properties for a period of one (1) year from the date of delivery to the Authority's facility. The antiscalant solution shall not support biological growth in the solution during the period of one (1) year from the date of delivery. Demonstration Test Requirement: Prior to the supply period, a 90-day demonstration test of the lowest acceptable bid will be performed with the proposed antiscalant at the bid dosage. The product will be tested on the full-scale facility for a period of 90 days. In the event the test product fails, the Supplier shall be responsible for chemical and labor costs associated with full scale cleaning of the six RO trains and removal and disposal of any remaining scale inhibitor. Sweetwater Authority shall be given a full refund for any unused portion of the antiscalant. Annual Usage Actual delivery quantities in gallons/pounds will be based on the awarded vendors product characteristics, proposed dosage, and quantity of water treated annually. The RAR is allowed to produce a maximum of 8,800 acre-feet of treated water annually; which corresponds to an average well feed of 9.7 MGD at 76% recovery with a 20% blend bypass ratio. Actual annual production varies depending on the Authority's customer demand and availability of other water sources such as surface water. All questions concerning the bid specification or scope of work must be submitted in writing either by mail, facsimile, or e-mail, and received by 11:00 A.M. on April 29, 2024. Sweetwater Authority - Purchasing 744 F Street Chula Vista, CA, 91910 Fax # (619) 427-9574 Email: Purchasing@sweetwater.org