MEMORANDUM
City Lawrence
Police Department
To: Mr. David Corliss, City Manager
From: W. Ronald Olin, Chief of Police
Cc: Ms. Diane Stoddard, Assistant City Manager
Ms. Cynthia Wagner, Assistant City Manager
Mr. Alan Landis, Finance Office
Date: November 12, 2009
Ref: ITC HVAC RFP #R09017
Please include the following item on the City Commission consent agenda for consideration at the November 24, 2009, meeting.
DESCRIPTION
Request For Proposal #R09017 for Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Maintenance Agreement / Service for the Lawrence, Police Department Investigations and Training Center, 4820 Bob Billings Parkway.
RFP's have been solicited and received for HVAC service for the Police ITC. I recommend approving the bid from the P1 Group, Inc, in the amount of $26,568 annually / $6,642 quarterly. The new agreement is scheduled to begin on January 1, 2010, and may be renewed for two additional years. Our current HVAC maintenance with P1 will expire December 31, 2009.
DETAILS
This request is part of the ongoing routine preventative maintenance and emergency maintenance of the HVAC service for the ITC.
Six service providers were invited to submit RFP's. Of the three RFP's submitted, all were reviewed for, including but not limited to; thoroughness, claimed responsiveness of emergency service, previous/current experience with pre-existing control systems at the ITC, cost effectiveness, past performance/experience with the owner, and competence.
The Lawrence Police Department renovated and occupied the Investigations and Training Center in the winter of 2000 and spring of 2001. During that time, over nine years, the department has worked almost exclusively with the P1 Group (formerly Huxtable & Associates) for our HVAC maintenance. Prior to the Police Department occupying the building, P1 was the service provider when the property was owned by Hall-Kimbrell / PSI. The building's HVAC operating systems have been installed, maintained and upgraded by P1 for over 20 years.
More thorough details and justification are included in the accompanying staff memorandum from Chris Mulvenon, Assistant to the Chief.
BID FUNDING
The bid will be funded from the 2010 Police Department fund 001 2110 561 3353.
ACTION REQUEST
The Police Department, based upon the accompanying documentation, requests approval from the City Commission to authorize the City Manager to award the bid to the P1 Group*, Inc., for Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Maintenance Agreement / Service for the Lawrence, Police Department Investigations and Training Center, 4820 Bob Billings Parkway, for 2010 and with the option to renew for two additional one-year periods.
* P1 Group bid shows no cost increase for 2010 from 2009 cost level.
RFP's Received Annual Cost Quarterly Year 2 Year 3
(est. max) (est. max)
P1 Group, Inc. $26,568 $6,642 $27,400 $28,300
Johnson Controls $25,000 $6,250 $25,875 $26,780
Central Mech. $18,900 $4,725 $19,560 $20,240
MEMORANDUM
November 10, 2009
To: W. Ronald Olin, Chief of Police
Captain Mike Pattrick, Community Services
Mr. Morley Bregman, Management Analyst
From: Chris Mulvenon, Assistant to the Chief
Ref: ITC HVAC Maintenance Agreement RFP# R09017
I am recommending retaining P1 Group, Inc., as the service provider for the ITC HVAC Maintenance Agreement for years 2010 - 2012 based upon the rationale as listed below. If approved there would be no increase in their billing for 2010, (over 2009) which is $6,642 quarterly or $26,568 annually.
I have completed all of the preliminary requirements associated with the Request for Proposals (RFP's) for the Investigations and Training Center Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Agreement. Six local / area HVAC maintenance providers were invited to submit RFP's. Four providers elected to attend the mandatory meeting / walkthrough and three providers submitted RFP's. Of those three, one, Johnson Controls in Lenexa, arrived late to the meeting / walkthrough; did not meet the required submittal deadlines for hardcopies and electronic copy to me. Another provider that attended the meeting, Central Mechanical Construction of Manhattan, did provide hardcopies and the electronic copy within the deadline.
Both Johnson Controls and Central Mechanical did not provide all of the required information in their respective RFP's. Among the information Central Mechanical did not provide included their documentation of, "working knowledge and proven reliability record of utilizing an Echelon Lon based Circon Energy Management System and the ability to maintain an existing Parker Control System." Those are the two control systems that are installed in the ITC. Although Johnson Controls recently hired a technician directly familiar with these control systems, there are serious personnel issues that will conflict with the RFP guideline, "Award of the contract shall be evaluated on a variety of factors, in addition to cost, including but not limited to prior experience / past performance with owner, technical competence, references . . . ". Both did not provide adequate documentation on other Lawrence businesses' where they provide service. Although representatives who attended the meeting / walkthrough looked at the equipment covered in the RFP, both did not perform an, ". . . inspection (of equipment) prior to (RFP) submittal", and did not return for an inspection as they indicated they would. Another serious concern I have with these two companies is their businesses' choice of control systems. The department / City would more than likely be encouraged (or left with no alternative) to eventually install to their respective product, leaving additional and unnecessary costs for us.
The third service provider who did submit an RFP was P1 Group, Inc., formerly Huxtable and Associates. P1 representatives did meet the requirements for submittal deadlines; provided the necessary reliability record of utilizing an Echelon Lon based Circon Energy Management System and the ability to maintain an existing Parker Control System. It should be noted that P1 has been the service provider for the ITC property (4820 Bob Billings Parkway) since the facility was built in 1988 by Hall-Kimbrell. P1 installed the Parker Control System and the Circon system, both of which are still being used to control the HVAC. P1 also has a local office in Lawrence and service representatives minutes away, as opposed to over an hour away as with Johnson Controls and Central Mechanical. P1 has never failed to meet a promise of service or not sent a technician within hours for emergency service. We have built a first name / face to face professional relationship with many employees and management with P1, and urge the continuation of this company for HVAC maintenance. P1 also services all major emergency and preventative maintenance on boilers, water heaters, and plumbing.
There is a concern regarding the overall stability of the Circon product line, specifically the "controllers" that are currently running the occupied side of the ITC HVAC. P1 representatives have assured me that they have, ". . . successfully tested a solution that would allow the existing (controllers) to continue (functioning) while allowing a migration to long-term (upgraded) controllers."
I should also add that Mr. Stan Alldredge, HVAC Specialist with the City of Lawrence also supports the decision to keep the P1Group, Inc., as the ITC HVAC service provider.
The bids received are listed below. Please let me know if you require additional information.
RFP's Received Annual Cost Quarterly Year 2 Year 3
(est. max) (est. max)
P1 Group, Inc. $26,568 $6,642 $27,400 $28,300
Johnson Controls $25,000 $6,250 $25,875 $26,780
Central Mech. $18,900 $4,725 $19,560 $20,240
Christopher L. Mulvenon
Assistant to the Chief