Resolution Awarding the Bid for Three-Year Digester and Storage Tank Contract to Synagro 

The three tanks have been in non-stop operation since the last rehabilitation project in 2006. The City needs to clean inside of the tanks so an inspector can check internal piping and overall structure. In September 2026 the City advertised and opened bids for contractors to help clean and dewater the solids inside of the tanks. To maintain operation of the wastewater plant, the City organized the work to occur over the next three fiscal years. This is highly specialized work, with two known contractors in the region. Both known contractors provided a bid for this cleaning and dewatering work. The work is also highly dependent on seasonal / annual weather conditions. Ideally the work would be completed in the drier summer months, but late fall is also an option.

The annual contract will include a mobilization fee and a unit cost for dewatering. The city will dewater as much of the tanks as possible prior to work start. At this time, we an estimated 30,000 – 55,000 gals will need to be dewatered by the contractor. These are just projections and the bid is formatted to allow additional dewatering if the exiting City equipment is unable to complete the job. The bid is also formatted to allow maximum flexibility in working with the contractor for scheduling. For a bid comparison and award the City used an annual dewater amount of 55,000 gals.

The City has worked with both bidders of Stewarts Spreading and Synagro. Both have experience completing this type of work. Based on the proposed annual mobilization fee and per 1,000 gal unit cost, Staff recommends awarding a three-year contract for digester and storage tank cleaning to Synagro. The dewater portion of this project is expected to cost around $470,914 over the next three years; however, this is highly dependent on the amount of solids removed.

Recommendation:  Approve