BOARD MEETING DATE: July 10, 2009
AGENDA NO. 5

PROPOSAL:

Execute Contract for 2009 Leaf Blower Exchange Program

SYNOPSIS:

At its April 3, 2009 meeting, the Board approved release of a Program Announcement to solicit competitive bids from manufacturers of low-emission leaf blowers. This action is to award a contract to Pacific Stihl to conduct the 2009 Leaf Blower Exchange Program in an amount not to exceed $269,925 from the AQIP Fund.

COMMITTEE:

Mobile Source, June 19, 2009, Recommended for Approval

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Authorize the Chairman to execute a contract with Pacific Stihl to exchange up to 1,500 backpack leaf blowers in an amount not to exceed $269,925 from the Rule 2202 AQIP Special Revenue Fund.
 

Barry R. Wallerstein, D.Env.
Executive Officer

Background

Rule 2202 Air Quality Investment Program (AQIP) allows affected employers to participate by electing to invest in an AQMD-administered restricted fund. Investment can be either $60 annually per employee reporting to the worksite during the 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. peak window or $125 triennially per employee. The restricted monies are to be used by the AQMD to fund proposals that achieve mobile source emission reductions that would otherwise have been achieved by implementing a rideshare program.

Upon registering under this option and submitting the designated investment amount, an employer is considered to be in compliance with the Rule and there is no need for the employer to take further action to reduce mobile source emissions. The collected monies are used to fund alternative strategies that reduce mobile source emissions at a more cost-effective rate which could potentially result in greater overall emission reductions.

At its April 3, 2009 meeting, the Board approved release of a Program Announcement (PA #2009-09) to solicit bids from potential manufacturers/suppliers of low-emission/low-noise backpack leaf blowers to provide between 1,000 and 1,500 new backpack leaf blowers at a discounted price to be used for the AQMD’s 2009 Leaf Blower Exchange Program.

At its May 1, 2009 meeting the Board approved funding of six projects in an amount not to exceed $1,606,581. An amount of $571,844 is still available for new projects. Staff recommends that $269,925 of the available funding be used toward a 2009 Leaf Blower Exchange Program.
 

Proposal Evaluation

Two bids (Pacific Stihl and TMC Power Equipment, Inc.) were received by the specified deadline. Table 1 provides a comparison of the two proposals. Of the two products, the Stihl blower offers greater emission reductions at a lower cost. At 65 dB(A) the Stihl blower is more quiet. While the TMC blower is more powerful, the Stihl blower meets the Blue Sky standard emission levels required by the Program Announcement.

The primary goal of this project is to replace existing backpack blowers currently used by commercial landscapers/gardeners within the South Coast Air Basin with backpack blowers which have significantly reduced emission and noise levels. The current CARB II emission standard is 72 grams of HC + NOx per kilowatt hour. The BR500 model has been certified by CARB at 21 grams of HC + NOx per kilowatt hour, which exceeds CARB’s criteria of 36 grams for product in its displacement category. The cost-effectiveness of this project is $1.30 per pound. Because of its low emission and low noise levels rating, Model BR500 was used in the 2006, 2007 and 2008 Leaf Blower Exchange Programs. Staff recommends the Stihl BR500 model be used in the 2009 Leaf Blower Exchange Program. Table 2 provides the pricing information under the proposed Stihl contract.
 

Outreach

In accordance with AQMD’s Procurement Policy and Procedure, a public notice advertising the RFP/RFQ and inviting bids was published in the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register, the San Bernardino Sun, and Riverside County Press Enterprise newspapers to leverage the most cost-effective method of outreach to the entire South Coast Basin.

Additionally, potential bidders may have been notified utilizing AQMD’s own electronic listing of certified minority vendors. Notice of the RFP/RFQ has been mailed to the Black and Latino Legislative Caucuses and various minority chambers of commerce and business associations, the State of California Contracts Register web site, and placed on the Internet at AQMD’s Web site (http://www.aqmd.gov where it can be viewed by making menu selections “Inside AQMD”/“Employment and Business Opportunities”/“Business Opportunities” or by going directly to http://www.aqmd.gov/rfp/index.html). Information is also available on AQMD’s bidder’s 24-hour telephone message line (909) 396-2724.
 

Benefits to AQMD

This program will exchange up to 1,500 old 2-stroke leaf blowers for new 4-stroke blowers. The Stihl BR500 leaf blower has been certified by CARB at 21 grams of HC+NOx per kilowatt hour. This is about 30% of the current emission standard (72 grams) that CARB has established for new leaf blowers of that size sold in California.

Based on a conservative assumption that leaf blowers are used 4 hours per week, this exchange will result in emission reductions of 75,000 pounds per year of HC+NOx. The cost effectiveness of this exchange program will be $1.30/pound.
 

Resource Impact

Total cost of expenditure for the proposed project shall not exceed $269,925 from the Rule 2202 Air Quality Investment Program Special Revenue Fund. The following tables provide pricing information.
 

Attachments (DOC, 47k)

Table 1: Comparison of Leaf Blower Specifications and Pricing

Table 2: Pricing Information