BOARD MEETING DATE: November 5, 2010
AGENDA NO. 7
PROPOSAL:
Appropriate Funds for PAMS and Lead Monitoring Programs from U.S. EPA Section 105, Recognize and Appropriate Funds for Section 103 Monitoring Programs, and Authorize Purchases and Release of RFQ Under These Programs
SYNOPSIS:
Appropriate Funds for PAMS and Lead Monitoring Programs from U.S. EPA Section 105, Recognize and Appropriate Funds for Section 103 Monitoring Programs, and Authorize Purchases and Release of RFQ Under These Programs
COMMITTEE:
Administrative, October 8, 2010, Recommended for Approval
RECOMMENDED ACTIONS:
Appropriate $882,800 of the total U.S. EPA Section 105 19th year (FY 2010-11) PAMS award of $1,239,542 from the Undesignated Fund balance to the Major Objects in the Science & Technology Advancement and Planning, Rule Development & Area Sources FY 2010-11 Budgets as set forth in Attachment 1. Upon receipt of the grant final award, appropriate the remaining balance. (Expenditure appropriations exclude $216,742 in Salary and Employee Benefits which are already included in the FY 2010-11 Budget.) Revenue associated with this grant has been included in the FY 2010-11 Budget.
Appropriate $47,500 of the total U.S. EPA Section 105 FY 2010-11 Lead Monitoring award of $134,542 from the Undesignated Fund balance to the Major Objects in Science & Technology Advancement's FY 2010-11 Budget as set forth in Attachment 2. (Expenditure appropriations exclude $87,042 in Salary and Employee Benefits which is already included in the FY 2010-11 Budget.) The revenue associated with this grant has been included in the FY 2010-11 Budget.
Recognize $66,000 in revenue for NCore monitoring and ultrafine monitor testing funded under the U.S. EPA Section 103 PM2.5 Monitoring award in the FY 2010-11 Budget.
Upon receipt of award, appropriate from the Undesignated Fund balance $66,000 to the Major Objects in Science & Technology Advancement's FY 2010-11 Budget as set forth in Attachment 3 for NCore monitoring and ultrafine monitor testing funded under the U.S. EPA Section 103 PM2.5 Monitoring Program.
Authorize the Procurement Manager to:
Issue a sole source purchase order with Bios International for an amount not to exceed $17,000 for the purchase of one (1) Primary Flow Standard Cell as budgeted in the 19th year PAMS award,
Issue a purchase order with Teledyne Advanced Pollution Instrumentation, Inc. for an amount not to exceed $27,000 for the purchase of four (4) Clean Air Generators as budgeted in the 19th year PAMS award,
Issue a sole source purchase order with Vaisala, Inc. for extended warranty services for five upper air radar profiler systems at a total cost not to exceed $97,000 as budgeted in the 19th year PAMS award,
Issue a sole source purchase order with Atmospheric Systems Corporation for extended warranty services for four upper air Sodar profiling systems at a total cost not to exceed $28,000 as budgeted in the 19th year PAMS award,
Amend an existing contract with Technical & Business Systems, Inc. for an additional amount not to exceed $60,000 to conduct performance audits of upper air and surface meteorological measurements as budgeted in the 19th year PAMS award,
Amend an existing contract with Sonoma Technology, Inc. in an amount not to exceed $150,000 for data management support and air quality data analysis as budgeted in the 19th year PAMS award,
Issue a sole source purchase order with Elemental Scientific, LLC for an amount not to exceed $25,000 for the purchase of one (1) ICP-MS Auto Sampler as budgeted in the Lead Monitoring award,
Issue a sole source purchase order with Met One Instruments for an amount not to exceed $40,700 for the purchase of two (2) Beta Attenuation PM10 Monitors for NCore monitoring as budgeted in the PM2.5 Monitoring award,
Issue a sole source purchase order with TSI, Inc. for an amount not to exceed $25,300 for the purchase of one (1) Model 3783 Water-based Environmental Particle Counter for ultrafine monitor testing as budgeted in the PM2.5 Monitoring award.
Release RFQ #Q2011-03 for six (6) Gas Calibration Systems at a cost not to exceed $106,000 as budgeted in the 19th year PAMS award.
Barry R. Wallerstein, D.Env.
Executive Officer
Background
PAMS Program
In February 1993, the U.S. EPA promulgated the PAMS regulations for areas classified as serious, severe or extreme nonattainment. These regulations require AQMD to conduct monitoring for ozone precursors with enhanced monitoring equipment at a total of seven sites. The PAMS program is also funding the meteorological upper air profilers sited at LAX and Ontario airports, the upper air site installed at Moreno Valley in Riverside County, and a new upper air site in Orange County. Since the onset of the PAMS program, U.S. EPA has annually allocated Section 105 supplemental grant funds in support of this requirement.
Lead Monitoring Program
AQMD has been awarded U.S. EPA Section 105 funds for the Lead Monitoring Program as required by new federal regulations promulgated in November 2008. Along with tightening the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for lead to 0.15 mg/m3, the U.S. EPA requires enhanced source-oriented monitoring as well as the traditional population-oriented monitoring. U.S. EPA is providing funding to state and local agencies to establish this monitoring network, and last year AQMD established near-source monitors at four facilities in the South Coast Air Basin. AQMD already operates a sufficient number of population-oriented lead monitoring sites to meet the new monitoring requirements. The funding will therefore be used primarily for operation and maintenance of the AQMD lead monitoring network.
Supplemental Section 103 Monitoring Program Funding
New federal regulations require a national network of fully instrumented air monitoring stations known as the NCore Network. Two of these sites are to be located at existing AQMD air monitoring stations at Central Los Angeles and Rubidoux. AQMD will be awarded supplemental U.S. EPA Section 103 funding to purchase two continuous PM10 monitors to pair with existing continuous PM2.5 monitors to provide Coarse PM mass measurements as required for NCore sites. Coarse PM is defined as the difference between PM10 and PM2.5. AQMD will also be awarded U.S. EPA Section 103 funding to purchase a newly available ultrafine particle monitor for the purpose of testing in a near-roadway environment. The new instrument is designed to be more robust and reliable than previous particle monitors and is intended for wide-scale deployment in air monitoring networks. Funding for both the NCore and the ultrafine monitor testing is being provided under the current U.S. EPA Section 103 PM2.5 Monitoring award.
Proposal
PAMS Program
U.S. EPA estimated that the 19th year PAMS Program (FY 2011) will be funded at $1,239,542 and the funds have already been recognized in the FY 2010-11 Budget. The proposed allocation of the 19th year PAMS funds is provided in Attachment 1. The U.S. EPA concurs with staff’s proposed allocation. To ensure that the AQMD is able to continue program activities prior to receiving the award, staff is recommending that a portion of the award ($882,800) be appropriated to the specified Major Objects in Science & Technology Advancement’s and Planning, Rule Development & Area Sources’ FY 2010-11 Budgets. The balance will be appropriated upon receipt of the award.
Lead Monitoring Program
The U.S. EPA has awarded Section 105 funding in the amount of $134,542 for the Lead Monitoring Program and the funds have already been recognized in the FY 2010-11 Budget. The proposed allocation of the funds is provided in Attachment 2, and the U.S. EPA concurs with the staff’s proposed allocation. To ensure that the AQMD is able to continue program activities prior to receiving the award, staff is recommending that $47,500 be appropriated to the Major Objects in Science & Technology Advancement's FY 2010-11 Budget.
Supplemental Section 103 Monitoring Program Funding
The U.S. EPA has provided supplemental funding in the amount of $66,000 to purchase equipment for the NCore program as well as an ultrafine monitor testing project. The funding is being provided under the current U.S. EPA Section 103 PM2.5 Monitoring award. This action is to recognize $66,000 in revenue for NCore monitoring and ultrafine monitor testing funded under the PM2.5 Monitoring award in the FY 2010-11 Budget, and appropriate that same amount to the Major Objects in Science & Technology Advancement's FY 2010-11 Budget as set forth in Attachment 3.
Issue a Sole Source Purchase Order for One (1) Primary Flow Standard Cell Under the PAMS Award
A critical part of operating and maintaining air monitoring equipment is measuring air flow through multiple devices reliably and accurately. A primary flow calibration standard is a critical tool for ensuring that all flow measurement devices used by Air Monitoring staff are accurate and correctly calibrated. AQMD currently employs a primary flow standard in the instrument calibration shop. However, the range of flow rates that can be measured by the primary flow standard is limited by the specific range of each particular flow cell, an interchangeable accessory to the primary flow standard. Newer air quality instrumentation has raised the need to calibrate flow devices within flow ranges not measurable by the current flow cells, and an additional flow cell is available to address this. The cell must be compatible with the existing primary flow standard and thus purchased from the same manufacturer. Therefore, staff is recommending that the Board authorize the Procurement Manager to issue a sole source purchase order with Bios International for an amount not exceed $17,000 for the purchase of one (1) Primary Flow Standard Cell as budgeted in the 19th year PAMS award.
Issue Purchase Order for Four (4) Clean Air Generators Under the PAMS Award
Clean Air Generators, also known as Zero Air Generators, serve an essential function in Monitoring & Analysis. In the AQMD Air Monitoring Stations, Clean Air Generators provide a flow of clean, pollutant-free air to the air quality instruments to check their “zero” readings. The Clean Air Generators also provide clean air to dilute standard gases to their span and precision check levels. Such checks are done automatically on a daily or weekly basis to ensure accurate measurements of gaseous pollutants. Clean Air Generators are similarly used for instrument calibration, for Quality Assurance functions, for instrument testing and repair, and for laboratory analyses requiring clean air dilution. The current AQMD inventory of Clean Air Generators is aging and in need of replacement. Some are no longer supported by the manufacturers. This purchase is part of a longer term plan to replace the older equipment.
The vendor and purchase price for the Clean Air Generators is based on RFQ #Q2010-1 released in June, 2009. In October, 2009, the Board authorized a purchase order based on the proposal evaluation results. The selected vendor, Teledyne Advanced Pollution Instrumentation, Inc., has agreed to honor the pricing in their previous bid. Therefore, staff is recommending that the Board authorize the Procurement Manager to issue a purchase order with Teledyne Advanced Pollution Instrumentation, Inc. for an amount not to exceed $27,000 for the purchase of four (4) Clean Air Generators as budgeted in the 19th year PAMS award.
Issue a Sole Source Purchase Order for Extended Warranty Services for Five Profiler Systems and Four Sodar Systems Under the PAMS Program
Currently, there are five Model LAP-3000 radar wind and temperature profilers manufactured by Vaisala, Inc. in operation in the South Coast Air Basin. In addition, four acoustic profiling systems (Sodars) are also in operation. These instruments reduce the need for balloon-borne soundings and help fulfill upper air monitoring requirements of the PAMS Program and data needs for air quality analysis, modeling and forecasting. After the initial one-year warranty period, annual extended warranty services have been purchased from the instrument manufacturers, Vaisala, Inc. and Atmospherics Systems Corp., to cover repairs and parts replacement. The extended warranties cover contact with Vaisala programmers, engineers and technicians for system analysis and operational advice; priority for response when further testing, part replacement or repairs are needed; and the cost of all replacement parts and repairs. The warranty service assures that electronics, hardware and software problems will be resolved in a timely manner, without the need to separately obtain funding for individual tests and parts. Therefore, staff is recommending that the Board authorize the Procurement Manager to issue a sole source purchase order with Vaisala, Inc. for an amount not to exceed $97,000 for extended warranty services for five upper air profiler systems as budgeted in the 19th year PAMS award. Furthermore, staff is recommending that the Board authorize the Procurement Manager to issue a sole source purchase order with Atmospheric Systems Corporation for an amount not to exceed $28,000 for extended warranty services for four upper air Sodar systems as budgeted in the 19th year PAMS award.
Amend Existing Contract to Conduct Performance Audits of Meteorological Measurements Under the PAMS Program
New U.S. EPA quality assurance guidelines call for annual audits of all surface meteorological instruments. Furthermore, the upper air meteorology profiler systems also require periodic audits to check their accuracy. The contractor Technical & Business Systems is currently providing these auditing services to the AQMD, but with the new U.S. EPA guidelines, there will be many more audits to perform of the surface meteorological stations. Technical & Business Systems also provides auditing services for the PM samplers throughout the AQMD Monitoring Network, and there are considerable cost savings to be realized if meteorological and PM auditing could be performed concurrently at each site by the same contractor. Therefore, staff recommends that the Board authorize the Procurement Manager to extend and amend an existing contract with Technical & Business Systems, Inc. for an additional amount not to exceed $60,000 to conduct performance audits of upper air and surface meteorological measurements as budgeted in the 19th year PAMS award.
Amend Existing Contract for Data Management Support and Air Quality Data Analysis Under the PAMS Program
Sonoma Technologies, Inc. is currently under contract to develop an enhanced Air Quality Data Management System to store, validate, analyze and archive data from the AQMD monitoring network. As the system is implemented in FY 2010-11, there is a need for continuing technical support as well as some additional tasks related to improving functionality. There is also a need for technical support in the analysis of air quality data, and Sonoma Technologies is uniquely positioned to provide this support given their familiarity with AQMD’s data systems as well as their experience with similar analysis efforts on a national scale. Therefore, staff recommends that the Board authorize the Procurement Manager to extend and amend an existing contract with Sonoma Technology, Inc. in an amount not to exceed $150,000 for data management support and air quality data analysis as budgeted in the 19th year PAMS award.
Issue a Sole Source Purchase Order for One (1) ICP-MS Auto Sampler Under the Lead Monitoring Award
The AQMD Laboratory has identified the need to replace the older ICP-MS auto sampler with the Elemental Scientific® microFAST SC-2DX auto sampler. This micro-volume sample analysis system has several unique advantages over other auto samplers. Sample throughput is increased at least two fold due to the fast injection and rinsing cycle of the SC-2DX auto sampler. Potential carry-over contamination from one sample to the next is significantly reduced due to a patented dual rinse station. Furthermore, this auto sampler permits the analysis of samples as small as 3 ml or triplicate analysis from a single 15-ml sampling tube eliminating a time-consuming need to re-dilute samples. The microFast SC-DX is the only auto sampler that is designed to work seamlessly with the existing high-sensitivity APEX® Desolvating sample introduction unit for the ICP-MS. Therefore, staff is recommending that the Board authorize the Procurement Manager to issue a sole source purchase order with Elemental Scientific, LLC for an amount not to exceed $25,000 for the purchase of one (1) ICP-MS Auto Sampler as budgeted in the Lead Monitoring award.
Issue a Sole Source Purchase Order for Two (2) Beta Attenuation PM10 Monitors Under the PM2.5 Monitoring Award
U.S. EPA NCore monitoring requirements call for Coarse PM measurements at all NCore sites. Both AQMD NCore sites at Central Los Angeles and Rubidoux currently include continuous PM2.5 measurements using a Beta Attenuation Monitor manufactured by Met One Instruments. Pairing a Met One Beta Attenuation Monitor for PM10 with a Met One PM2.5 monitor has been designated a federal equivalent method for the measurement of Coarse PM. Thus, the Coarse PM measurement requirement can be cost-effectively satisfied by utilizing the existing PM2.5 monitors and adding the compatible PM10 monitors. This purchase has been specifically funded and approved by U.S. EPA. Therefore, staff is recommending that the Board authorize the Procurement Manager to issue a sole source purchase order with Met One Instruments for an amount not to exceed $40,700 for the purchase of two (2) Beta Attenuation PM10 Monitors for NCore monitoring as budgeted in the PM2.5 Monitoring award.
Issue a Sole Source Purchase Order for One (1) Environmental Particle Counter Under the PM2.5 Monitoring Award
AQMD and U.S EPA have an interest in the issues involving ultrafine particles. Although there is no ambient air quality standard for ultrafine particles, an important issue to be resolved is the reliable and accurate measurement of ultrafine particles in an ambient air quality monitoring network. Although several instruments exist to measure ambient ultrafines by counting particles, these systems have not been reliable enough to deploy in ambient network applications requiring very frequent maintenance and factory service. A newly developed instrument manufactured by TSI, Inc. has been designed specifically for ambient network deployment. While initial testing has shown promise, there is a need for additional long-term testing in challenging environments such as near a busy freeway. U.S. EPA has approached AQMD and offered to provide funds for the purchase of one of these new instruments for testing at the I-710 monitoring location. TSI, Inc. has agreed to provide additional units for side-by-side testing over several months of deployment. This purchase has been specifically funded and approved by U.S. EPA. Therefore, staff is recommending that the Board authorize the Procurement Manager to issue a sole source purchase order with TSI, Inc. for an amount not to exceed $26,000 for the purchase of one (1) Model 3783 Water-based Environmental Particle Counter for ultrafine monitor testing as budgeted in the PM2.5 Monitoring award.
Issue RFQ for Six (6) Gas Calibration Systems Under the PAMS Award
Gas Calibration Systems are deployed in all air monitoring stations to dilute the standard gases to known levels in order to perform automated span and precision checks of air quality monitoring equipment. They are also utilized by staff in calibration, repair, quality assurance, and the laboratory. The current inventory of Gas Calibration Systems includes many aging systems that are no longer supported by the manufacturers, and these systems are in need of replacement. Furthermore, at least two more sophisticated Gas Calibration Systems are needed to meet the new U.S. EPA NCore monitoring requirements. This RFQ will solicit bids for systems with a variety of specifications to meet the various objectives of AQMD’s monitoring programs. Therefore, staff is requesting the Board to release RFQ #Q2011-03 for six (6) Gas Calibration Systems at a cost not to exceed $106,000 as budgeted in the 19th year PAMS award.
Sole Source Justifications
A sole source award is authorized under Sections IV.B. of the Procurement Policy and Procedure when a purchase does not lend itself to substitution. Section VIII, B.2 of the Procurement Policy and Procedure identifies four major provisions under which a sole source award may be justified.
The requests for sole source purchases of the Primary Flow Standard Cell, the ICP-MS Auto Sampler, and the Beta Attenuation PM10 Monitors are made under Section VIII, B.2.d (6) of the Procurement Policy and Procedure. The equipment must be compatible with existing specialized equipment. The Primary Flow Standard Cell is an additional accessory to an existing Primary Flow Standard and is only manufactured by one source. Similarly, there is only one ICP-MS Auto Sampler with the specified capabilities that is compatible with the existing APEX® Desolvating sample introduction unit for the ICP-MS in the Laboratory. Finally, the Beta Attenuation PM10 Monitors must be paired with PM2.5 monitors from the same manufacturer in order to create the required federal equivalent method system for Coarse PM measurements under NCore.
The request for a sole source purchase of the Environmental Particle Counter is made under Section IV.B.4 and Section VIII, B.2.c (2) of the Procurement Policy and Procedure. The item is available from only one source as it involves the use of proprietary technology. This particular ultrafine measurement instrument is targeted for testing and has been specified by the funding source, U.S. EPA, for purchase.
The requests for sole source purchases of the extended warranty services are made under Section VIII, B.2.c of the Procurement Policy and Procedure: The desired services are available from only the sole source based upon the unique experience and capabilities of the proposed contractor or contractor team; (2) The project involves the use of proprietary technology; and (3) The contractor has ownership of key assets required for project performance. Vaisala, Inc. and Atmospheric Systems Inc. are the only companies capable of providing repair parts and services for the equipment they manufacture.
Resource Impacts
U.S. EPA Section 105 Grant funding will support the 19th year operation of the PAMS Program and the Lead Monitoring Program, including equipment, temporary services, supplies and services necessary to meet the objectives of the programs.
Supplemental Section 103 monitoring program funding will fully support the purchase of equipment to meet the NCore Program’s Coarse PM monitoring requirements and the needs of the ultrafine monitor testing project.
Attachments (ZIP, 464k)
1. Proposed PAMS 19th Year Expenditures
2. Proposed Lead Monitoring Program Expenditures FY 2010-11
3. Proposed Supplemental Section 103 Monitoring Program Expenditures FY 2010-11
4. RFQ #Q2011-03 for Calibration Gas Dilution Systems