City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: April 22, 2025
Agenda Item: 4.D
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Rick Valte, Public Works Director, Public Works, Water Resources Subject: Award Bid and Purchase Orders to JCI Jones Chemicals Inc. and Univar Solutions USA for the Purchase of Sodium Bisulfite
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Adopt a finding of categorical exemption pursuant to Section 15301 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines;
2. Award Bid #4496 to JCI Jones Chemicals Inc as the primary vendor for the purchase of Sodium Bisulfite for the Charnock Well Field Water Treatment Plant (Charnock) and Univar Solutions USA as the secondary vendor for the purchase of Sodium Bisulfite for Charnock;
3. Authorize the Procurement Manager to issue a purchase order with JCI Jones Chemicals Inc for the purchase of Sodium Bisulfite in an amount not to exceed $60,000 for one year, with four additional one-year renewal options at the same price, terms, and conditions, for a total not to exceed $300,000 over five years with future year funding contingent on Council budget approval; and
4. Authorize the Procurement Manager to issue a purchase order with Univar Solutions USA for the purchase of Sodium Bisulfite in an amount not to exceed $30,000 for one year, with four additional one-year renewal options to extend at an increase of 10%, for a total amount not to exceed $200,000 over five years with future year funding contingent on Council budget approval.
Summary
The City of Santa Monica’s Water Resources Division within the Public Works Department operates a multi-barrier treatment process at the Charnock Treatment Plant to produce safe, high-quality drinking water for the community. The multi-barrier treatment processes require the addition of chemicals to support contaminant removal, including the use of sodium bisulfite to dechlorinate the water before it is treated through the biological granular activated carbon process at the Charnock Treatment Plant 2 of 4
(Charnock). The biological granular activated carbon process is critical in removing contaminants from the Charnock Well Field. Staff recommends JCI Jones Chemicals, Inc. (JCI) as the primary vendor to provide the sodium bisulfite in an amount not to exceed $300,000 over a five-year period. Univar Solutions would serve as a secondary vendor should JCI’s supply be interrupted by material or labor shortages in an amount not to exceed $200,000.
Discussion
The City uses a multi-barrier treatment process at Charnock to produce high-quality and safe drinking water for the City’s customers. Sodium Bisulfite (purchased as 38% solution of NaHSO3) is used in the treatment process at Charnock to remove chlorine from the feed water to be treated through the biological granular activated carbon process. The Charnock Treatment Plant was upgraded in 2010 to include biological granular activated carbon and remove industrial contaminants (e.g., methyl-tert-butyl ether) from the Charnock Well Field. It is estimated that Charnock would receive approximately 12 deliveries, at 5,000 gallons per delivery, of sodium bisulfite each year to support local groundwater production.
Vendor Selection
Bidder Recommendation
Best Bidder JCI Jones Chemicals Inc.
Evaluation Criteria Price.
Municipal Code SMMC 2.24.180
Bid Data
Date
Posted Posted On
Advertise In
(City Charter & SMMC)
Vendors
Downloaded
Date Publicly
Opened
01/31/2025 City's Online
Bidding Site
Santa Monica Daily
Press
14 02/27/2025
Best Bidder Justification
JCI Jones Chemicals was chosen as the best bidder by a committee comprised of Water Resources staff based on price as they were the overall lowest price over the Submittals Received
JCI Jones Chemicals Inc $2.65/gal Blue Angel International LLC $2.84/gal Univar Solutions USA LLC $2.40/gal
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five-year period with fixed pricing for all five years. Univar Solutions’ renewal options were at a 10% escalator each year and Blue Angel Internation LLC did not provide renewal options. Supply chain issues still affect availability of chemicals and has made it difficult for chemical vendors to source the raw materials needed on occasion. Therefore, Univar has been selected as the secondary Vendor in the even JCI Jones Chemicals is unable to fulfill the order.
Environmental Review
The purchase and use of sodium bisulfite at the Charnock Treatment Plant is categorically exempt from CEQA pursuant to Section 15301 of the CEQA Guidelines.
Section 15301 provides exemption for the operation, repair, maintenance, permitting, or minor alteration of existing public or private structures, facilities, mechanical equipment, or topographical features, involving negligible or no expansion of use beyond that existing at the time of the lead agency's determination. The purchase order would continue the practice of adding sodium bisulfite at the Charnock Treatment Plant to support the biological granular activated carbon process. The agreement would not expand or materially change existing facilities or operations. Therefore, the award agreement is categorically exempt pursuant to Section 15301 of the CEQA Guidelines.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Staff seeks authority to approve available funding from the Water Fund to award a purchase order with JCI Jones Chemicals Inc. as the primary vendor to provide Sodium Bisulfite and a purchase order to Univar Solutions USA LLC as a secondary vendor in the event JCI Jones Chemicals is unable to fulfill the order.
Purchase Order Request
JCI Jones Chemicals Inc (Primary Vendor)
FY 2024-25
Amount
Future Years
Amount
Department
Account #
Total Contract
Amount
$30,000 $270,000 50500002.525081 $300,000
Purchase Order Request
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Univar Solutions USA LLC (Secondary Vendor)
FY 2024-25
Amount
Future Years
Amount
Department
Account #
Total Contract
Amount
$30,000 $170,000 50500002.525081 $200,000
Future year funding is contingent on Council budget approval.
Prepared By: Thomas Poon, Engineering Support Services Administrator Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. JCI Jones - Oaks Initiative
B. JCI Jones - Levine Act
C. Univar - Oaks Initiative
D. Univar - Levine Act