Implementation of a 100 Percent Biosolids Beneficial

Use Program at the Main Treatment Plant

The Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee recommends the adoption of the recommendation of the Budget Committee embodied in the following transmittal letter (September 16, 1998) from the City Clerk:

Recommendation:

The Budget Committee on September 15, 1998 recommended to the Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee, and Council, the adoption of the report (September 14, 1998) from the Commissioner of Works and Emergency Services.

Background:

The Budget Committee on September 15, 1998, had before it a report (September 14, 1998) from the Commissioner of Works and Emergency Services.

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(Report dated September 14, 1998 addressed to the

Budget Committee from the

Commissioner of Works and Emergency Services)

Purpose:

To identify additional funding sources in the 1998-2002 Capital Works Program to accommodate the increased 1998 expenditures related to the Implementation of a 100 Percent Biosolids Beneficial Use Program at the Main Treatment Plant.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that:

(1)authorization be granted to transfer an additional $300 thousand in funding within the 1998-2002 Approved Capital Works Program from the Biosolids Odour Control and the Biosolids Loading Facility within the Main Treatment Plant project to the Biosolids Beneficial Use Project, as set out in this report;

(2)subject to Recommendation (1), Council endorse the engagement of the firm of R. V. Anderson Associates Limited in the amount of $845 thousand net after Goods and Services Tax municipal rebate to assist in the preparation and evaluation of the EOIs and RFPs for the establishment of the beneficial biosolids re-use facilities and for the design-build construction of the biosolids loading facilities, odour control facilities and heat generation facilities; and

(3)subject to Recommendations (1) and (2), previous Council Authority limiting 1998 Expenditures to $450 thousand for the Biosolids technical consultants/project manager be rescinded.

Funding Sources, Financial Implications and Impact Statements:

There are no additional financial implications arising from this report.

Council Reference:

At its meeting held on July 8, 1998, City of Toronto Council adopted Clause No. 2 of Report No. 6 of the Works & Utilities Committee, titled Implementation of a 100 Percent Biosolids Beneficial Use Program. The report authorized the commencement of the 100 Percent Biosolids Beneficial Use Program. The report identified an estimated 1998 expenditure of $715 thousand for the purposes of:

(1)establishing a Technical Advisory and Biosolids Multi-Stakeholder Committee;

(2)retention of consultants;

(3)public support and consultation; and

(4)re-imbursement to proponents for development of comprehensive proposal to support the beneficial use of the biosolids from the Main Treatment Plant.

On July 24, 1998, a report was submitted and approved by the Budget Committee to transfer this amount from the 1998 Estimate for the Ultra Violet Trials Project.

Comments:

Since authorization of these reports, we now estimate the revised total cost for the project to be $1,535 thousand over a three year period. Approximately $820 thousand is estimated to be spent in 1998 of which approximately $650 thousand is for consultants. Most of this increase is related to the expenditure for the technical consultant. Due to the complexity of the project and the aggressive timeline for completion, the cost of the overall project has increased from the original estimate due to a higher than anticipated costs to support the Independent Review Committee (IRC) and the Biosolids Multi-Stakeholders Committee (BMSC) as well as for the EOI/RFP advertising, and other related costs.

The multi-disciplinary technical/environmental engineering and consulting firms of R.V. Anderson Associates Limited affiliated with the US Firm of Brown and Caldwell have been engaged to assist the City of Toronto in managing the implementation of the 100 percent Biosolids Beneficial Use Program.

In order to select a consultant to assist in the work, a selection process was carried out generally in accordance with current consultant selection policy as follows.

(a)a consultant selection committee was struck including representatives from City Council, Water Pollution Control and Technical Services staff, external stakeholders having experience in beneficial use of biosolids, and members of the Biosolids Multi-Stakeholder Committee (BMSC);

(b)14 firms were selected from the Departments' roster list in affiliation with US firms having direct and combined experience in beneficial use of biosolids and requested to submit "Expressions of Interest" (EOI) in providing the necessary consulting services for a biosolids beneficial use program;

(c)13 responses were received and reviewed by the BMSC from which 6 were short listed;

(d)detailed written proposals which included estimated engineering fees were requested and received from three of the six short-listed proponents.

(e)all 3 technical submissions were reviewed first independently, then jointly by members of the consultant selection committee;

(f)all 3 proponents were invited to make a presentation and subsequently interviewed in order to clarify and finalize the specific scope of the worked required with the accompanying engineering fees as presented in their proposals;

(g)upon completion of all of the above, the selection committee concluded that the proposal submitted by R.V. Anderson Associates Limited best satisfied the overall project requirements for an appropriate level of effort to properly address the critical timeline elements of the work;

(h)R.V. Anderson's estimated fees for the work are $861,617.00 including GST and disbursements and we recommend inclusion of a contingency allowance of $16,000.00

Accordingly, we request that in addition to funding in the amount of $715 thousand obtained from the Ultra Violet Trials, the full 1998 Approved Estimate of $150 thousand for the Biosolids Odour Control, Account No. C-WP160-S20513 and the full 1998 Approved Estimate of $150 thousand for the Biosolids Loading Facility, Account No. C-WP160-S20514, be transferred to Account No. C-WP160-S20515, Biosolids Beneficial Use Program. The work originally anticipated in these projects will be consolidated and form part of the Biosolids Beneficial Use Program. This will result in a revised total funding approval of $1,015 thousand for this project. Although the total dollar value of projects which will be deferred to accommodate the 1998 Expenditures for this project exceeds the 1998 expenditure requirement, the higher level of funding is required in order to accommodate the contractual commitment to the consultants, which extends over a three year period. Full funding for the Gross Estimated Cost (GEC) will be requested in the 1999-2003 Preliminary Capital Works Submission.

Conclusions:

It is recommended that an additional $300 thousand be transferred from the Biosolids Odour Control and the Biosolids Loading Facility Project to the Biosolids Use Program Project.

Contact Name:

Mr. R. M. Pickett, Director

Water Pollution Control

Telephone: 392-8230

Fax: (416) 397-0908

E-Mail bob_pickett@metrodesk.metrotor.on.ca.

(A copy of the chart titled, "Biosolids Reuse Program", referred to in the report, was circulated to all Members of Council with the agenda of the Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee for its meeting of September 24, 1998, and a copy thereof is on file in the office of the City Clerk.)