DEPARTMENT
Infrastructure Division
AGENDA NO.
7a
MEETING DATE
October 14, 2025
AGENDA ITEM
Public Utilities Commission
City and County of San Francisco
Calendar: Consent Calendar
Project Manager: Jignesh Desai
Authorize Designation of Sole Source for Distributed Process Control Subcontractor under Contract No. DB-141, Southeast Water Pollution Control Plant Nutrient Reduction
Summary of Proposed
Commission Action:
Authorize the General Manager of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission to designate Emerson Process Management Power & Water Solutions, Inc., as the sole source subcontractor to supply equipment and provide services for the distributed process control system specified in the Request for Proposals for Wastewater Enterprise Design-Build Contract No.
DB-141, Southeast Water Pollution Control Plant Nutrient Reduction, to match other products in use and ensure system -wide consistency, in conformance with San Francisco Administrative Code Section 6.73( e) and California Public Contract Code Section 3400(c)(2).
Background: The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) Wastewater Enterprise Southeast Treatment Plant (SEP) is the centerpiece of the SFPUC’s wastewater treatment operations and handles about 80% of the wastewater and stormwater from the eastern two-thirds of San Francisco.
In July 2024, the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board adopted the Nutrient Watershed Permit ( CA0038873) that reduces the amount of nutrients, specifically total inorganic nitrogen, discharged from the Southeast Treatment Plan t (SEP) into San Francisco Bay.
The permit
includes two effluent limits on the average seasonal discharges from the SEP that occur between May 1 and September 30: (1) “Interim” limit effective upon permit adoption of 11,000 kilograms (kg) of total inorganic nitrogen as nitrogen (N) per day; and (2) “Final” limit effective October 1, 2034 of 3,300 kg-N/day.
On October 31, 2024, SFPUC issued a Request For Interest (RFI) to solicit interest and feedback from the industry to provide design, construction, and owner advisor services for a proposed SEP Nutrient Reduction project . The SFPUC received 10 responses to the RFI expressing interest in the project.
Respondents ranged in size from mid-sized to large firms and comprised both general contractors and consulting engineers.
On February 5, 2025, the SFPUC General Manager considered the SEP Nutrient Reduction Project’s complexities and regulatory drivers and made a Agenda Title: Authorize Designation of Sole Source of Distributed Process Control Subcontractor for Contract No. DB-141, Southeast Water Pollution Control Plant Nutrient Reduction Commission Meeting Date: October 14, 2025
determination to use the Best Value Progressive Design -Build delivery method for the design and construction of the project.
On March 14, 2025, SFPUC advertised a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for Contract No. DB-141, Southeast Water Pollution Control Plant Nutrient Reduction. On April 29, 2025, SFPUC received two qualification statements.
The SFPUC evaluated and pre-qualified two firms to respond to the Request for Proposals for Contract No. DB -141, Southeast Water Pollution Control Plant Nutrient Reduction. As provided in the RFQ, only the pre -qualified firms were eligible to participate in the next phase of the competitive process.
On August 13, 2025, SFPUC advertised the Request for Proposal s for Contract No. DB -141, Southeast Water Pollution Control Plant Nutrient Reduction, and invited the two pre -qualified proposers to submit Design- Build proposals by October 16, 2025.
On September 4, 2025, SFPUC held a pre-submittal conference and held a site inspection walk with two pre -qualified proposers and interested sub- contractors.
One of the key components of the Southeast Plant Nutrient Reduction project is the Distributed Control System (DCS). The DCS is an integrated platform for automated control, supervision, and operation of a plant and its various processes. It is a complex network of microprocessor controllers and communication devices which combines human machine interface, logic solvers, alarm management, and other databases into a unified system. DCS enables Wastewater Enterprise to maintain compliance with regulatory agency requirements, protect the health and safety of the citizens of San Francisco, and protect the waters of the San Francisco Bay and Pacific Ocean.
Originally procured through a competitive selection process, Emerson Process Management Power & Water Solutions, Inc. (Emerson), has been the sole supplier of the DCS for the past 10 year s (see Resolution No. 15- 0051 (February 24, 2015) and Resolution No. 16-0099 (December 13, 2016)).
Emerson has performed or is performing DCS installations and/or upgrades at the Bruce Flynn Pump Station, Northshore Pump Station, Southeast Treatment Plant’s New 250 MGD Headworks projects , the SEP New Biosolids Digester Facility Project, and Treasure Island Water Resource Recovery Facility are being implemented with Emerson. DCS upgrades using Emerson are also planned at Oceanside Treatment Plant, North Point Facility, and various major pump stations throughout the City. Emerson maintains a proprietary right to work on its DCS, and therefore must provide all services related to the Emerson DCS.
San Francisco Administrative Code Section 6.73(e) provides that specification of a name-brand product or service in an RFP must comply with Agenda Title: Authorize Designation of Sole Source of Distributed Process Control Subcontractor for Contract No. DB-141, Southeast Water Pollution Control Plant Nutrient Reduction Commission Meeting Date: October 14, 2025
California Public Contract Code (PCC) Section 3400. PCC Section 3400(c)(2) provides that the restriction on specifying products or services:
“is not applicable if the awarding authority, or its designee, makes a finding that is described in the invitation for bids or request for proposals that a particular material, product, thing, or service is designated by specific brand or trade name…[i]n order to match other products in use on a particular public improvement either completed or in the course of completion”
To ensure system -wide consistency and to match Emerson DCS process control systems that are in use and are planned for major upgrades of Wastewater Enterprise systems and facilities , SFPUC staff is requesting to designate Emerson as the DCS provider for Contract No. DB-141, Southeast Water Pollution Control Plant Nutrient Reduction contract documents.
Summary of Specified
Equipment:
Emerson Process Management - Distributed Control System and ancillary equipment
Evaluation and
Selection Criteria:
The business case study, evaluation and competitive selection of Emers on had been completed under Contract No. DB-126, WWE Distributed Control System (DCS) Upgrades.
Environmental
Review:
This action does not constitute a “ project” under California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines section 15378 because authorization to designate a specific brand of distributed process control system is not an approval of the proposed Southeast Water Pollution Control Nutrient Reduction project and SFPUC retains discretion to, among other things, modify the proposed Southeast Water Pollution Control Plant Nutrient Reduction project to mitigate significant environmental impacts, require the implementation of specific measures to mitigate any significant environmental impacts of the project, or reject the project, following completion of environmental review.
Attachment: 1. Location Map
Agenda Title: Authorize Designation of Sole Source of Distributed Process Control Subcontractor for Contract No. DB-141, Southeast Water Pollution Control Plant Nutrient Reduction Commission Meeting Date: October 14, 2025
PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION
City and County of San Francisco
RESOLUTION NO.
WHEREAS, The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) is responsible for the planning, design, and construction of the Wastewater Enterprise Southeast Water Pollution Control Nutrient Reduction project to comply with the state Nutrient Watershed Permit (CA0038873). Operation of the nutrient reduction project requires a Distributed Control System (DCS) that automates control, supervision, and integrates with various processes at the treatment plant; and
WHEREAS, On August 13, 2025, SFPUC advertised the Request for Proposal s for Contract No. DB -141, Southeast Water Pollution Control Plant Nutrient Reduction, and invited the two pre-qualified proposers to submit proposals by October 16, 2025; and
WHEREAS, The SFPUC Wastewater Enterprise has deployed and plans to deploy Emerson Process Management Power & Water Solutions, Inc. (Emerson) DCS systems in various facilities. DCS upgrades have been completed at the Bruce Flynn Pump Station, Northshore Pump Station, and Southeast Treatment Plant New Headworks projects. DCS upgrades for the Southeast Treatment Plant New Biosolids Digester Facility Project and Treasure Island Water Resource Recovery Facility are currently being implemented. DCS upgrades using Emerson are also planned at Oceanside Treatment Plant, North Point Facility and various major pump stations owned and operated by the Wastewater Enterprise; and
WHEREAS, San Francisco Administrative Code Section 6.73( e) and California Public Contract Code Sections 3400(c)(2) allows the awarding authority, or its designee, to designate specific name-brand product or service in a R equest for Proposal for purchase in a construction contract in order to match existing products already in use; and
WHEREAS, To ensure system -wide consistency and to match Emerson DCS process control systems that are in use and are planned for major upgrades throughout Wastewater systems and facilities, SFPUC staff is requesting authority to designate Emerson as the DCS provider in the contract documents for Contract No. DB-141, Southeast Water Pollution Control Plant Nutrient Reduction; and
WHEREAS, This action does not constitute a “project” under the California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines section 15378 because authorization to designate a specific brand of distributed process control system is not an approval of the proposed Southeast Water Pollution Control Nutrient Reduction project and SFPUC retains discretion to, among other things, modify the proposed Southeast Water Pollution Control Plant Nutrient Reduction project to mitigate significant environmental impacts, require the implementation of specific measures to mitigate any significant environmental impacts of the project, or reject the project, following completion of environmental review; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Commission hereby finds that the Emerson DCS is the sole source necessary to match existing products in use across Wastewater systems and facilities, and authorizes the General Manager to designate Emerson in Contract No. DB -141, Southeast Water Pollution Control Plant Nutrient Reduction contract documents , as the sole source for DCS equipment and installation, pursuant to San Francisco Administrative Code Section 6.73(e) and California Public Contract Code Section 3400(c)(2).
I hereby certify that the foregoing resolution was adopted by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission at its meeting of October 14, 2025.
Director of Commission Affairs
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission