CITY OF POMONA
COUNCIL REPORT
November 21, 2022
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: James Makshanoff, City Manager
Submitted By: Chris Diggs, Water Resources Department Director SUBJECT: AWARD A BID TO MORTON SALT FOR THE PURCHASE OF BULK SODIUM CHLORIDE RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the City Council take the following actions:
Award a bid to Morton Salt for the purchase of bulk sodium chloride, at the prices bid, for a three-year term; and, Authorize the City Manager, or designee to execute any extensions, subsequent changes or amendments thereto, on behalf of the City.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The proposed action will award a three-year contract for the purchase of sodium chloride (salt) to Morton Salt. Salt is utilized at the City’s Anion Exchange Water Treatment Plant (AEP) to regenerate the nitrate removing resin which allows the resin to be reused.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Funds for this procurement are available in the Adopted FY 2022-23 Water Operating Enterprise Fund Budget (571-8129-53880-00000). The Water Resources Department (WRD) anticipates spending $500,000 for the remainder of FY 2022-23 based on the prices bid for Year 1. Funding for future years will be included in each respective annual budget submission based on prices bid.
PREVIOUS RELATED ACTION:
January 22, 2018, City Council approved a three-year term, with an option to renew for an additional two years to Morton Salt.
DISCUSSION:
Since 1992, the AEP treatment plant is used to remove nitrate found in the groundwater within the Chino Basin. This process involves pumping water from beneath the ground, sending it to the AEP treatment plant, running the water through vessels full of resin, chlorinating it, and putting it into a reservoir where it will be distributed to the system as needed. As nitrate is removed from the water, it builds up on the resin to a point where the resin can no longer remove additional nitrate. At this point, the resin is washed with saltwater, thereby removing the nitrate from the resin. After the nitrate is removed from the resin it is placed back in to service to start the process over again.
On September 28, 2022, Invitation for Bid IFB#2022-1016 (IFB) was issued on the City’s electronic bidding platform. The solicitation notified 137 potential supplies, of which 13 downloaded the IFB, resulting in the City receiving 2 proposals. The 2 companies that submitted proposals are: Morton Salt and Step Saver. Univar submitted a No bid. The proposals from Morton Salt and Stepsaver both met the minimum qualifications. After reviewing the bids, Morton Salt was determined to have provided the best price as shown in table 1 below. The attached contract was reviewed and approved as to form by the City Attorney.
Table 1
Morton Salt
Step Saver
Univar
Year 1 Pricing per ton
$197.94
$199.55
No bid
Year 2 Pricing per ton
$206.76
$215.54
No bid
Year 3 Pricing per ton
$215.99
$231.53
No bid
The prices shown above include sales tax and are based on the purchase of 7,000 tons per year.
Prepared by:
_____________________________
Ashleigh Guzman
Program Assistant
Award of Bid for the Purchase of Sodium Chloride (Salt)