Attachment_B_-_Scope_of_Services.docx

ATTACHMENT B

SCOPE OF SERVICES

LABORATORY ANALYTICAL SERVICES FOR WQCP/WPG/WT

The City of Palo Alto, located about 30 miles south of San Francisco, operates a regional advanced wastewater treatment facility and drinking water utility. The City is seeking proposals from qualified analytical laboratories for a three-year period to provide analytical and consultancy services. These services include the evaluation of potable water, reclaimed water, wastewater, dewatered biosolids, and industrial discharges for a series of analytical constituents. The City is looking for one or more reliable laboratories that can meet all of our performance requirements indicated below.

A. PERFORMANCE SPECIFICATIONS

1. SAMPLE PICKUP/RECEIPT

· The analytical laboratory shall arrange for, at no additional cost to the City, the delivery of appropriate sample containers to the wastewater treatment facility at 2501 Embarcadero Way or Municipal Service Center at 3201 E Bayshore Rd depending on the City’s request. Delivery will be based on City request or sampling scheduled that will be routinely provided to the analytical laboratory.

· Sample pickup shall be made directly at the City’s laboratory or Municipal Service Center within 72 hours of City’s request.

· The analytical laboratory shall maintain staff of in-house couriers available to support City’s sample pick up schedule.

· If a project requires after-hours contact, analytical laboratory shall provide telephone numbers and email addresses for the appropriate personnel.

· All non-conformance irregularity or compromised samples shall be conveyed to the City’s project manager within 24 hours of sample receipt via email.

2. ANALYSIS

· All analytical services should be performed at the laboratory. If subcontracting is required the City’s project manager shall be consulted and must approve of the work ahead of time. The subcontracting laboratory shall meet the same qualifications as the contracting laboratory.

· The City shall be notified if reporting limits or regulatory limits are not met.

· If any issues arise during sample preparation or analysis, the analyst shall communicate the non-conformities to the City.

· If there is a reasonable issue with the data validity, the laboratory shall re-analyze samples and provide new EDDs and PDF reports at no additional charge.

· All analysis needs to be completed within the specified turnaround times (TAT) required by the ELAP approved methods and CFR requirements.

3. LABORATORY CERTIFICATION/METHODOLOGY

· All methods must be approved and aligned with the Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (CA ELAP), align with the reporting limits set by the City’s NPDES permit, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the State Water Resource Control Board (SWRCB) for the analysis of water, wastewater, solid wastes, and hazardous waste testing.

4. REPORTING

· The analytical laboratory shall provide for each set of analyzed samples: description of sample containers, sample preservation, and compositing techniques with the analytical report.

· Quality assurance procedures shall be documented and that information shall be reported with test results including replicate samples, travel blanks, and the recovery rates for internal standards, spikes and/or surrogates.

· Gas chromatographic analytical reports shall include the type of column used and analytical parameters.

· Raw instrument data including COCs are to be retained in the laboratory’s Laboratory Information Management System database for a minimum of five (5) years and shall make available upon request by the City.

· The tabulation of test results shall include the following: appropriate detection limits; reporting limits or ‘minimum levels’; j-flags (DNQ, detected not quantified); results for blanks and duplicates; date of sample, extraction, and preparation/analysis; and the name of the analyst conducting the test.

· Any data flags shall be explained, and all outliers shall be flagged in the final report.

· All reports shall be signed and approved by the Laboratory’s Director or Project Manager.

· Unless otherwise specified, reports shall be provided to the City between seven (7) to twenty (20) business days from the date of sample receipt by the analytical laboratory.

· Results shall be submitted to the City as electronic document deliverables (EDDs) compatible with City databases along with a PDF. Email attachments are also preferred to ensure prompt report notification. Alternatively, the analytical laboratory could notify the City of results that are accessible on-line via an email notification that the laboratory sends to the City when reports are finalized and available for download.

· Drinking water analysis results requested by the City of Palo Alto Utilities Water Transmission Department shall be entered by the analytical laboratory directly into the California Laboratory Intake Portal (CLIP) to ensure proper submission to the State Water Resources Control Board Division of Drinking Water.

5. NOTIFICATION

· Within 24-hours of sample receipt at the analytical laboratory, sample receiving personnel shall inspect the coolers and samples for custody seals, cooler temperatures, preservation, sample labels, and completeness of the chain of custody.

· The laboratory shall check and verify samples and log into their Laboratory Information Management System.

· Within 24-hours of sample receipt, the laboratory will communicate to the City any discrepancies and include the receipt of confirmation and login summary.

· Late Courier pickups shall be communicated to the City by 3:00 pm the day of the expected collection.

· Email notification shall be initiated when reports are finalized.

· The laboratory’s project manager shall monitor costs and schedule requirements and notify the City prior to budget or schedule overruns.

· The laboratory’s project manager shall make sure the City’s technical requirements are conveyed to their lab staff.

6. EXPERIENCE/CONSULTATION/CUSTOMER SERVICE

· Analytical laboratory staff must demonstrate expertise and experience in organic and inorganic analyses of biosolids, wastewater, reclaimed water, and potable water as required by the State Water Resources Control Board.

· Laboratory will have good customer service and a current ethics policy and code that is followed and integrated into the team at all levels.

· Laboratory will have sufficient staffing and back-up instrumentation to handle sample capacity.

7. QUALITY ASSURANCE

· The analytical laboratory shall have in place an operating quality assurance program including sample handling and preservation, employee training, performance checks, equipment maintenance and calibration, data storage/retrieval systems, and other elements of good laboratory practices.

· Each of the laboratories shall maintain a Quality Assurance Manual (QAM) describing the specific Quality System.

· All laboratories must be certified by CA ELAP.

· The City participates in the annual DMR QA study for pollutants listed in their NPDES permit and requests the contract lab to comply with it and provide necessary details as requested

B. REQUIRED PROPOSAL ITEMS

1. SAMPLE PICKUP/RECEIPT

· Description of courier services with hours and pick up times and contact information for any issues.

2. LAB CERTIFICATION AND ANALYSES

· A copy of the current ELAP Certificate.

· A copy of the ELAP ‘List of Approved Fields of Testing’.

· Provide documentation to include the analytical methods, standard reporting limits and method detection limits as well as TATs for the analysis required. The limits shall meet the NPDES and Title 22 required detection and reporting limits.

· Provide a list of laboratories used for subcontracted work and identify the analysis you are unable to provide on the individual schedules.

· Completed Attachment E – Required Cost Proposal Form

3. REPORTING

· An example of your typical lab report to include VOCs and metals.

· Provide a csv file of a typical upload file for CIWQS.

· Provide an EDD file for a typical upload for Element LIMS

· Provide your current LIMS vendor.

4. QUALITY ASSURANCE

· Provide five of your most recent corrective action reports.

· QA manual for review.

· Most recent ELAP and TNI California audit report.

· Latest WP/WS results.

· Provide PT Study results for participation in the DMR QA Study

The City reserves the right to include and evaluate other factors it deems appropriate, whether or not such factors have been stated in this request proposal, and to reject as unresponsive any proposals not containing all of the information requested. The City also retains the right to cancel the contract as per Agreement if services are not satisfactory.

The contracting laboratory must perform all work, unless otherwise stated in their proposal. Prices quoted shall remain firm for the duration of the contract. Proposers may submit for one or more Tables; the City may award the contract to more than one Analytical Laboratory based on the evaluation criteria and may exercise line item veto.

REMEDIES AVAILABLE TO THE CITY FOR VENDOR'S FAILURE TO PERFORM ACCORDING TO SPECIFICATIONS

The vendor's failure to submit a complete written report following the specified format may result in the City subtracting 5% of the invoiced amount for each day's delay in providing the report past 12 working days from sample receipt by the Laboratory. The City shall not be liable for payment of unacceptable reports/data based on EPA and CDPH protocols.

Occasionally ‘blind’ samples shall be submitted by the City to the Contract Laboratory for analysis. Results reported outside the acceptable range determined for the "true" value of the analyte shall be cause for review of acceptability and may result in the termination of the Agreement. In the case of unacceptable data shown to be the result of laboratory error, the vendor shall repeat the analysis at no cost to the City and may be required to reimburse the City for costs incurred in resampling, if a new sample needs to be collected.