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Home My WebLink AboutINS-11-081 - Contract for Gas and Water Infrastructure Locating1 Staff Re ort p Krr~.~-~~,i~iER ~nfrastru~ture Servrces Department www.kitthenerta REPORT TO: Community & Infrastructure Services Committee DATE OF MEETING: October 17, 2011 SUBMITTED BY: Pauline Houston, Deputy CAO, Infrastructure Services, 741- 2646 PREPARED BY: Angela Mick, Utilities Water Engineer, 741-2600X4408 ~ WARD(S) INVOLVED: All DATE OF REPORT: October 06, 2011 REPORT NO.: INS-11-081 SUBJECT: Contract for Gas and Water Infrastructure Locating RECOMMENDATION: That Purchase Order PO 202787 be extended by $90,000 to cover locates until the end of 2011 to meet the 4 working day completion required under regulations. BACKGROUND: Kitchener Utilities or their Locating Contractor (currently G-Tel) physically locate gas and water infrastructure for contractors when they plan on excavating. When infrastructure is not properly located, the contractor may damage the infrastructure. Gas escapes can result in explosions/evacuations/fires/death as well as claims and lawsuits. It is essential that experienced personnel (with drawings and locating equipment) be responsible for locating infrastructure. The Ontario Regional Common Ground Alliance Underground Infrastructure Damage Prevention Best Practices states "unless otherwise specified in law, the excavator calls the one-call center at least four working days prior to beginning excavation". The Technical Standards & Safety Authority Guidelines for Excavations in the Vicinity of Gas Lines document states "except in emergency situations, requests for stakeouts or locate information should be made at least fourworking days in advance." These documents are both guidelines but they do represent industry standards. Failing to complete locates within the four days could lead to excavation being completed before we locate, which could result in plant damage and injuries. REPORT: The 2011 Locating Purchase Order PO 202787 was for awarded for $280,002.70 to G-tel. The awarded value was based on an estimated number of locates anticipated for 2011. The estimate was based on 2010 locate numbers but can vary based on the economy (e.g. new housing starts), number of new construction projects, number of reconstruction projects, weather, etc. 8-1 1 Staff Re ort p Krr~.~-~~,i~iER ~nfrastru~ture Servrces Department www.kitthenerta As of the end of September, G-Tel will have exhausted the purchase order. A request has been made to increase the purchase order by 10% ($28,000); although this will cover September's invoice, it is not sufficient to cover the remainder of the locating season. It is requested that the purchase order be extended an additional $90,000 to cover locates until the end of the busy locating season (anticipated to be the end of October ormid-November} as well as the locates associated with the Region's Light Rapid Transit project. Light Rapid Transit related locates were not anticipated when estimating the number of locates. The additional funding will come from the following accounts: • Account 5033380 (Water Underground Plant Locating) -current balance is $70,353 from vacant locating position • Remaining amount $19,647 from Account 5033350 Watermain Cleaning -current balance is approximately $180,000 The factors contributing the need for an increased budget are as follows: • Increased number of locate requests for G-tel in 2011 (to end of September 5922) as compared to 2010 (4189 for same period). A greater geographic area was provided to G-tel since only one full time Kitchener Utility locator was available for Kitchener Utilities for the 2011 season (one position was vacant pending position review by Utilities ). Although one Locator is usually sufficient for December, January and February, additional resources are required during construction season (March - November). • Increase in the total number of One-Call locate requests from January to August 2011 was 8090, compared to 5776 for the same period in 2010. In 2010 the total number of locate requests was 9394, in 2009 it was 9726. The majority of the locates are completed by G-Tel since they have several staff available to manage the peaks and complete the locates within the specified 4-day timeframe. • In August Kitchener Utilities took over Operations staff locates from G-tel and in September we increased our geographic area. We will have two staff available to locate from October to December, however this is not sufficient to meet the OctoberlNovemberpesk that we experience every year. • Light Rapid Transit related locates have been completed over the past several months, however there is still outstanding work. We will be charging the Region for a portion of these locates. ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENERSTRATEGIC PLAN: Providing Locates within the 4 working day regulatory requirement relates to Foundation Plan - Efficient and Effective Government -Customer Service goal to "Provide services to the public that match or exceed the customer's expectation and adopt standards that put people first to ensure excellent customer service." 8-2 1 Staff Re ort p Krr~.~-~~,i~iER ~nfrastru~ture Servrces Department www.kitthenerta FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: It is requested that the purchase order be extended an additional $90,000 to cover locates in September to mid-November as well as the locates associated with the Region's Light Rapid Transit project. The additional funding will come from the following accounts: • Account 5033380 -current balance is $70,353 from vacant locating position • Remaining amount $19,647 from Account 5033350 -current balance is approximately $180,000 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: The need to obtain locates prior to excavating -Call Before You Dig is communicated to residents through bill inserts, Kitchener Utilities website, signs across the City (Ontario 1 Call). ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Pauline Houston, Deputy CAO, Infrastructure Services 8-3