TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Allison Swisher, Director of Public Utilities
SUBJECT:
title
Award of Contract for the 2025 Small Water Meter Replacement Program to United Meters, Inc. in the Amount of $2,196,860.00
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BACKGROUND:
On January 5, 2021, the Mayor and City Council approved Resolution No. 7613, committing to water conservation through the reduction of non-revenue water in order to comply with the allocation requirements of the Level of Lake Michigan Act, 615 ILCS 50, and the corresponding State regulations. A condition of the City’s Lake Michigan water allocation permit is the completion of the City’s Non-Revenue Water Reduction Plan. A significant component of this Plan is water meter replacement. The City maintains over 49,000 water meters, with the majority of the meter inventory being small meters measuring 5/8” x 3/4” or 3/4”. (A “small water meter” is any water meter under 1.5-inch.)
The City’s Non-Revenue Water Reduction Plan identifies the replacement of 10,000 small water meters in 2025. The 2025 Small Water Meter Replacement Program will provide contracted labor and scheduling services to replace 10,000 small meters. The City will provide the water meters, gaskets, radios, and wire. The water meters selected for replacement are meters that testing has shown to have the most significant percentage of under-registering or are due to be replaced based on age.
The Public Service Committee will review this matter.
CONCLUSION:
The 2025 Small Water Meter Replacement Program was advertised in the Labor Record on December 26, 2024, and three (3) sealed bids were received on February 4, 2025.
CONTRACTOR BID AMOUNT
• United Meters, Inc. $2,199,500.00 (Original Bid) /
$2,196,860.00 (Local Qualified Bidder Match)
• Calumet City Plumbing & $2,196,860.00
Heating Co., Inc.
• Professional Meters, Inc. $2,448,633.50
Engineer’s Estimate $2,396,050.00
United Meters, Inc. (UMI) is a registered local bidder whose bid is within 2% of the low bidder, Calumet City Plumbing & Heating Co., Inc. (CCP). CCP is a non-local qualified bidder. The City’s local bidder ordinance specifies that if a local qualified bidder’s bid is within 2% of a non-local qualified bidder, the local qualified bidder may choose to match the low bid and be awarded the contract. UMI has chosen to match the bid of CCP, and therefore UMI is considered the lowest responsible bidder.
The low bid from United Meters, Inc., in the amount of $2,196,860.00, is 8% below the Engineer’s Estimate. Sufficient funds exist in the Water & Sewer Improvement Fund / Meter Repair / Construction (Org 50180320, Object 557200, Project Code 25014, $2,196,860.00).
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Based on the above, it is recommended that the Mayor and City Council award the Contract for the 2025 Small Water Meter Replacement Program, in the amount of $2,196,860.00, to United Meters, Inc.
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