Advanced Marine to re-coat two FPUD reservoirs

Advanced Marine Preservation is the successful bidder for a Fallbrook Public Utility District contract to re-coat the Two Million Gallon Reservoir and the Toyon Reservoir.

On Jan. 25, the FPUD board voted 3-2 to award the re-coating contract for the Two Million Gallon Reservoir and the Toyon Reservoir to Advanced Marine Preservation for $599,922 while authorizing the $30,207.34 purchase of storage tanks from PBM Supply. Milt Davies, Bert Hayden, and Charley Wolk provided the votes for passage. Al Gebhart and Don McDougal voted against the motion which also included dismissal of a bid protest from Simpson Sandblasting and Specialty Coatings, Inc.

"It's a long-term infrastructure life extension program for our reservoirs," said FPUD general manager Brian Brady.

The Two Million Gallon Reservoir is on Donnil Lane in DeLuz and the Toyon Reservoir is near Red Mountain. In 2012, FPUD developed a 10-year program to re-coat all 11 of the district's steel reservoirs to ensure continued service life and avoid more costly replacements.

A dive inspection of all tanks identified those which required immediate action to protect the steel from structural damage due to the deterioration of the painting system. In October 2014, the FPUD board awarded MCS Inspection Services a contract for as-needed coating inspection services for the Toyon Reservoir, the Two Million Gallon Reservoir, Rattlesnake Reservoir in the Olive Hill area, and the Eight Million Gallon Reservoir in DeLuz.

In January 2015, the FPUD board awarded Simpson Sandblasting a contract for the interior and exterior re-coating of Rattlesnake Reservoir. In June 2015, the FPUD board approved the district's 2015-16 budget including $592,000 for the re-coating

of the Two Million Gallon Reservoir and the Toyon Reservoir.

Nine firms responded to FPUD's bid package by the opening date of Dec. 2, 2015. Advanced Marine Preservation submitted the low bid of $599,922. The next lowest bid was the $641,207 submitted by Simpson Sandblasting. The highest bid was $934,250.

FPUD staff reviewed the Advanced Marine Preservation (AMP) submittal and determined that the identified personnel were qualified for the work. Simpson Sandblasting filed a bid protest with a claim that AMP was not qualified.

During a Jan. 18 bid protest hearing, AMP and Simpson Sandblasting presented information regarding AMP's qualifications and the validity of the protest. FPUD staff and acting district counsel Steve Lopardo recommended that the FPUD board dismiss the bid protest and noted that a similar protest for a Yuima Municipal Water District re-coating contract determined that AMP was qualified.

Although the Two Million Gallon Reservoir can be taken out of service without disrupting water provision to FPUD customers, the Toyon Reservoir is in an isolated pressure zone which has no other storage. FPUD staff evaluated whether to lease or purchase temporary storage tanks and determined that purchasing such tanks was more economical.

The PBM Supply bid of $30,207.34 was the lower of the two bids. PBM Supply has a Southern California office in Murrieta, a Central California office in Fowler, and a Northern California office in Chico. The 2015-16 FPUD budget allocated $50,000 for tank rental, so the bid below that amount allows FPUD to exceed the budgeted amount for the re-coating itself.