1-BPM006379_Solicitation_Attachment_12_-_Method_of_Approach.pdf

Request for Proposal

Solicitation No. BPM006379

Capacity Development/Technical Assistance to Small Public Drinking Water Systems

Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ)

1110 W. Washington Street Phoenix, AZ 85007

Solicitation Attachment – Method of Approach | Revision No. 1 | Revised 11-22

Attachment 12 – Method of Approach

The Offeror shall provide a narrative response to each question that demonstrates their understanding of the Scope of Work requirements and describes the company’s overall method of approach for providing the Service(s) stated in this Solicitation. If there is a question that is not applicable to the Services required by the Scope of Work, you may mark it “N/A”. The narrative should not contain language used for marketing purposes.

Offeror shall provide a response either after each question or in a separate document entitled: “Attachment 12 - Method of Approach.” If a separate document is used, please clearly designate each section and double-check to ensure that each question has been answered. If any information provided is considered CONFIDENTIAL by Offeror, the information must be specifically included in the Confidential Information Designation Attachment and related documentation to be assessed for confidential treatment under A.A.C.

R2-7-103. Response to Method of Approach shall not exceed ten (10) pages.

Question 1: How would your approach for a project differ working for a very small community or utility as opposed to a medium or large city or utility?

Offeror Response:

KUV Consultants has provided technic al support to over 75 small (less than 10,000 people served) water systems in the past 20 years, all through the ADEQ Capacity Development Program. Our successful approach when working with small water system include the following attributes:

1. Listen to the system operator and manager. Acknowledge that the challenges they face may be unique to their water system.

2. Take a holistic approach. For example, a water quality issues may be related to a poorly maintained equipment, caused by the system’s inability to hire a qualified operator because it does not have the budget due to the very low water rates that were set 15 years ago.

Offeror shall respond to question #2, if proposing to provide services for one or more of the following deliverables:

5 - Design of water system improvements 7 - Drinking water permit applications (e.g., ATC, AOC, APP, AZPDES) 11- Preparing Corrosion Control Assessments & Treatment Recommendations

Question 2: What is your process when designing and permitting a drinking water treatment system? How would you approach the design & permitting of a treatment system for a small public water system? Describe the steps that you take to select the best treatment technology.

Not Applicable

Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ)

Question 3: How will you ensure your proposed solution to the assigned task is practical, cost-effective, and sustainable for the small water system?

1. Tailor solutions to small systems, recognizing that they have limited resources. Solutions should be effective, but at the same time low-cost to implement, implemented preferably by in-house staff, and in many cases, using less challenging/sophisticated technologies.

2. Prioritize improvements, starting with low-hanging fruits. Guide them on how to implement the recommended improvements. This may include further design and permitting; asset management planning, developing O&M manual, etc.

3. Guide them on alternatives available to pay for implementation, including grants, low-interest loans and rate increases.

Offeror shall respond to question #4, if proposing to provide services for one or more of the following

5 - Design of water system improvements 7 - Drinking water permit applications (e.g., ATC, AOC, APP, AZPDES) 11- Preparing Corrosion Control Assessments & Treatment Recommendations

Question 4: When designing a treatment system that modifies water chemistry, how do you ensure this treatment won’t cause or exacerbate other water quality problems?

Not Applicable

Questions 5: How will you ensure that project(s) stays on schedule and is(are) completed on-time as per the tEstimate a realistic timeframe for completion.ask order offer/award?

If a project is not on schedule, describe what steps will be taken to get the project back on track?

If your team is backed up or unavailable to finish a job, describe what steps will be taken to get the project delivered on time?

If your subcontractor is falling behind stated deliverable, describe what steps will be taken to get the project on track and delivered on time?

• Clearly understand the scope of the project. Identify specific tasks that have to be carried out. Define a realistic completion timeline for each task and the entire project.

• If a project is not on schedule, identify the reason or the chokepoint(s). Work with appropriate stakeholders to find solutions and get the project back on track.

• In the 20 years of working with ADEQ as a Technical Assistance provided, we have always allocated our resources to complete all out projects on time.

• We do not propose to use sub-contractors on this contract.

Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ)

Question 6: Describe your company’s review process to ensure that technical documents are complete and accurate prior to submission to ADEQ. What documents can ADEQ review to verify if the review was completed? If ADEQ finds an issue, who, other than the PM, is the point of contact for resolution?

Kal Raman (Project manager) will review all of KUV reports, prior to submittal to ADEQ. A draft report version of the deliverable will be made first. Comments from ADEQ (and, in many cases, water systems) will be addressed and a final submittal issued.

Question 7: Describe a time where obstacles faced during a project resulted in a change to your methodology of approach. What were the obstacles, the impact to the project and what did you do to overcome them?

Under ADEQ’s Capacity Development program in 2018, KUV had conducted a System Evaluation and Nitrate Compliance study for Alma Ranchettes Water, a small water system in Maricopa County. The primary obstacle faced on this project was the refusal of certain community members to accept ADEQ’s authority to regulate them and buy into the need for compliance. KUV (primarily Kal Raman) met with several community members individually during the assessment process. Working with Maricopa County and ADEQ, we conducted workshops for the community. We contacted the City of Chandler to see if some of the houses can connect to the City water supply collectively. The project illustrated our creative approach to problem solving and our willingness to engage with the community to get their buy-in.

Offeror shall respond to scenario #1, if proposing to provide services for one or more of the following

4 - Construction Administration & Construction Management 5 - Design of water system improvements 7 - Drinking water permit applications 8 - Funding Assistance 9 - Legal assistance (e.g., forming corporate status, corporate documents) 10- Median Household Income Surveys 12 - Preparing Environmental Documents/Archeological Surveys 13 - Preparing Preliminary Engineering Reports (PER) 14 - Rate studies, rate reviews, rate cases 16 - System Evaluations 19 - Water Quality Compliance Options

Scenario 1: A small, rural public water system has multiple water quality issues. There are 20 current connections; the customers are low income and/or retirees. All the homes are on septic systems. The system consists of one well (located within the floodway of a major river), an elevated storage tank and distribution system.

The water system has maximum contaminant level (MCL) exceedances for uranium. In addition, chloride, sulfate, total hardness and total dissolved solids are well above the secondary MCLs.

Sampling of private wells in the area indicated better water quality may be found away from the

Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) river. Outline at least three alternatives to address the water quality issues that are cost effective and sustainable for this very small water system. Provide your recommendation for the best alternative for the system.

For your recommendation include the following information for this scenario:

A bullet list of tasks that your firm would conduct to address the water quality issues and implement a solution. The tasks should be presented in the order they would be conducted. Each task should include the purpose of the task (e.g., why are you doing it? What information will be obtained in doing the task? What other information would be included in your summary recommendation report to ADEQ?

Offeror Response (limit response for scenario #1 to two (2) pages):

KUV Consultants proposes to provide the following services:

16 - System Evaluations 19 - Water Quality Compliance Options

For this project, our scope of services will include the following tasks:

Part A – Water Quality Compliance Options:

1. Identify Candidate Compliance Options: Identify several options to bring the water system into regulatory compliance including, but not limited, to the following:

a. Well improvement: Modify the well screen or depth so the water is drawn from a different vertical aquifer zone.

b. Install a second well: Install a new well away from the river. Use the old well as a backup supply or for irrigation.

c. Purchase private well: Purchase the private well. Use this well as primary source or blend the two waters to meet regulatory standards.

d. Centralized treatment: Install a treatment plant at the well site.

e. Point-of-use treatment: Install under-the-sink point-of-use treatment device in each house ensure that at least one tap supplies water that meet regulatory.

f. Interconnection: Interconnect with an adjacent water system (if available). Rely solely on the alternate supply or blend the two supplies.

2. Assess Alternatives: Review and assess each alternative. Evaluate the technical and financial viability of each option. Consider what works best for the community members (example, POU may not work, if the residents will not cooperate with water sampling or changeout of the unit).

3. Recommend Corrective Measure(s): Select one or more likely solutions for considerations by the water system. Develop preliminary costs for each option. Identify financing options including low-interest loan, grants from USDA, etc.

4. Outline Next Steps: Identify the next steps that the water system should undertake, including:

a. Well testing (zonal, new)

b. Water treatability testing

c. Financing

d. Design/permitting

5. Submit Draft report: Prepare a draft report and submit to ADEQ and the water system.

6. Submit Final Report: Address ADEQ and water system’s comments and submit a final report.

Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ)

Part B – System Evaluation & Asset management Plan: While a System Evaluation and Asset management

Plan are not strictly required to identify the compliance option for this water system, KUV recommends that they be done to ensure the overall health of the water system and its ability to provide reliable services in the future. The steps involved are:

1. Site Visit: Meet with the water system operator/manager/owner to understand the operational, management and financial capabilities of the system. Complete an ADEQ questionnaire. Inspect sites to make visual observation of the asset conditions.

2. Collect Information: Collect operational data, asset data, system-specific information (such as map of distribution system), water rates, financial report, etc.

3. Assess System Condition: Assess the conditions of various assets, and capabilities of the system to operate, maintain and manage the system. Identify specific improvements needed. Estimate costs for the improvements.

4. Develop Asset management Plan: Develop an Asset management Plan to help the water system plan and budget for repair/replacement costs.

5. Submit Draft report: Prepare a draft report and submit to ADEQ and the water system.

6. Submit Final Report: Address ADEQ and water system’s comments and submit a final report.