Solid Repair Sleeves

The City of Madison, Wisconsin, through its Finance Department Purchasing Services and on behalf of Madison Water Utility, issued a Request for Quotation (RFQ 5023-0-2021-BG) for solid repair sleeves on June 3, 2021. The procurement seeks specific quantities of repair sleeves in five sizes: 15 units of 4-inch, 40 units of 6-inch, 20 units of 8-inch, 6 units of 10-inch, and 6 units of 12-inch sleeves. Material specifications require center and end rings constructed from Class 52 ductile iron, with nuts and bolts manufactured from corrosion-resistant, high-strength, low-alloy steel meeting ANSI/AWWA C111/A21.11 standards and featuring a baked-on ceramic-filled fluorocarbon resin coating. Acceptable manufacturers include Ford FCI Flex Coupling, Ford FC2A Flex Coupling, Rockwell 441, Powerseal 3501, Hymax Grip Restraint Coupling, and Alpha Restraint Coupling models. The RFQ established key deadlines: questions were due by June 9, 2021, answers by June 14, 2021, and quotations were due by June 18, 2021, at 2:00 PM CST. Award evaluation criteria include cost, quality, compatibility, warranty, delivery capability, and past performance.

The solicitation did not specify explicit set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises, though the City of Madison does offer a local vendor preference for registered suppliers. Four vendors submitted bids: Etna, Core & Main, Ferguson, and Planet Cellular, with Etna ultimately winning the contract at $8,359.00. None of the vendors were classified as local vendors. Etna's unit prices ranged from $61.00 for 4-inch sleeves to $194.00 for 12-inch sleeves, compared to competing bids from Core & Main at $6,289.90, Ferguson at $9,792.56, and Planet Cellular at $15,300.00. Pricing was required to include all shipping charges on an FOB basis to Madison Water Utility, located at 110 South Paterson Street, Madison, Wisconsin. Bidders were instructed to provide delivery timeframes and indicate whether prices would remain firm for one year. The total contract value was relatively modest, with the winning bid just over $8,000 and total bid responses ranging from approximately $6,300 to $15,300.