DEPARTMENT: Finance
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Troy Elliott
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: Citywide
SUBJECT:
Tower of the Americas Fire Safety Pipeline Relocation
SUMMARY:
This ordinance authorizes the ratification of a contract with American Fire Protection Group, Inc. for services rendered and completed on November 20, 2017 in the amount of $195,684.00 for the Center City Development and Operations Department. The contract is for the labor, equipment, and materials needed to install new underground pipeline and connect it to the existing pipe at the base of the Tower of the Americas to restore the facility’s fire sprinkler system. This contract was funded through utility cost savings in the FY 2017 General Fund Center City Development and Operations Adopted Budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Submitted for Council consideration and action is the ratification of a contract with American Fire Protection Group, Inc. in the amount of $195,684.00 to provide all labor, material and equipment for the installation of a new underground pipeline at the Tower of Americas which was completed on November 20, 2017. Services were rendered utilizing a Certificate of Exemption from competitive bidding as the procurement was necessary due to unforeseen damage to machinery, equipment or other property. The Tower of the Americas was constructed with a fire suppression system which pumps water to the fire protection sprinkler system throughout and to the top of the Tower in case of a fire. The suppression system is housed in a maintenance building adjacent to the Tower and the water is channeled from the suppression system to the Tower’s fire sprinkler system by means of pipelines running directly underneath the fountain grounds.
City staff was informed of a leak in the fire suppression pump room on July 30, 2017 causing water to seep up from the pump casing. The contractor, American Fire Protection Group, Inc. (AFPG), responsible for the preventive maintenance of the fire suppression system performed an assessment the following day, and found the source to be a ruptured pipe located directly under the south water fountain.
The Fire Marshall requested a 24-hour Fire Watch beginning August 1, 2017, and subsequently joined with AFPG to consider a temporary restoration of water to the Tower’s fire protection sprinkler system. On August 4, 2017, AFPG installed a temporary hook-up to the pipeline at the base of the tower enabling the Fire Department to hook hoses to the temporary feed line and pump water from the fire trucks up to the Tower. The Fire Marshall requested the 24-hour Fire Watch protection remain in effect until the permanent pipeline channel was restored.
On August 4, 2017, AFPG submitted their quote to the City to re-route and install new pipeline from the fire suppression system in the pump room; this line would lead to and connect at the base of the Tower, essentially by-passing the existing pipeline underneath the fountain; the existing pipelines would be left in place, but not utilized. The project start date was August 22, 2017 and was completed and approved by the Center City Development and Operations Department on November 20, 2017.
ISSUE:
This ordinance will ratify the contract for the installation of a new underground pipeline connecting to the existing pipeline at the base of the Tower of the Americas, in order to supply water to the fire protection sprinkler system throughout and to the top of the Tower. The pipeline, which supplied the water for the Tower’s fire sprinkler system, suddenly ruptured directly underneath a water fountain adjacent to the Tower’s entrance on July 30, 2017, resulting in a total loss of fire protection for the Tower of Americas.
The Small Business Economic Development Advocacy (SBEDA) Ordinance requirements were waived due to the lack of small, minority, and/or women businesses available to provide these goods and services.
This contract is an exception to the Local Preference Program.
The Veteran-Owned Small Business Preference Program does not apply to non-professional service contracts so no preference was applied to this contract.
ALTERNATIVES:
The Tower of the Americas was adversely affected when the pipeline, which carries water from the Tower’s fire suppression pump system to the Tower’s fire protection sprinkler system, suddenly burst. An emergency procurement utilizing a Certificate of Exemption due to unforeseen damage to machinery, equipment or other property was used in order to install new underground pipeline, re-routed from the Tower’s fire suppression system in the adjacent maintenance building, to the Tower’s fire sprinkler system. Should the installation not have been performed, the Tower of the Americas would have been vulnerable to, and unprotected from, fire and consequently non-compliant with Fire Safety Codes resulting in the complete closure of the Tower of the Americas.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This ordinance authorizes the ratification of a contract with American Fire Protection Group, Inc. that provided all labor, materials and equipment to install new underground pipeline at the Tower of the Americas for a total cost of $195,684.00. This contract was funded using utility cost savings from the FY 2017 General Fund Center City Development and Operations Adopted Budget.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends approval of the ratification of the contract with American Fire Protection Group, Inc., in the amount of $195,684.00 for labor, materials, and equipment to install new underground pipeline at the Tower of the Americas for the Center City Development and Operations Department.
This contract was procured on the basis of Certificate of Exemption as an Unforeseen Damage Procurement and a Contracts Disclosure Form is not required.