Okaloosa County BOCC — June 2, 2015 — Remote Stormwater Pipe Camera Procurement — agenda request — reading text

BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AGENDA REQUEST DATE: June 2, 2015 TO: Honorable Chairman and Members of the Board FROM: Jason Autrey SUBJECT: Remote Stormwater Pipe Camera Procurement DEPARTMENT: Public Works BCC DISTRICT: All STATEMENT OF ISSUE: Requesting Board approval for procurement of a Remotely Operated Pipeline Camera System (e.g. Vendor Literature and Quote attached) for the inspection and assessment of new and existing stormwater piping systems in Okaloosa County. BACKGROUND: Historically, County personnel have had very limited access to the County stormwater pipeline systems. Access to this infrastructure is needed to collect accurate data to; • support decisions regarding the integrity of the system, • observe and validate suspected damage to the system, and • quality control of maintenance and construction efforts. County Public Works staff are routinely tasked to perform these activities. There are two primary reasons that County Public Works staff is requesting a remotely operated pipeline camera platform - Safety and Validation. Deteriorating pipeline inspection is a dangerous activity and rarely is there a acceptable outcome if a failure occurs. The vast majority of the underground stormwater conveyance systems in Okaloosa County are inaccessible without performing what is referred to as a confined space entry (see attached Okaloosa County Safety Manual, Revision 03-04-2008 and Code of Federal Regulation 29, Part 1926, Confined Spaces in Construction). Achieving compliance with these rules requires training, equipment and manpower resources that the County does not possess. While compliance reduces risk and liability, the most substantial reduction of risk and liability would be not to enter the space at all. Validation is the verification of a condition or effort. There are many validation activities that occur throughout a project timeline, both pre and post maintenance, to verify that a condition is present and that the proper effort has been applied to rectify unwanted conditions. Documented validation is also a form of quality control. From a regulator standpoint, validation is verification of compliance with a regulatory standard or requirement which compels validation to be documented. Public Works must perform validation when working projects eligible for FEMA reimbursements. FEMA will not distribute funds for the reimbursement of eligible work activities until validation is performed by the applicant or their agent. Currently, the County has 10 projects that will not be reimbursed by FEMA until validation is achieved through remote camera certified reports. The use of the remote camera systems by the applicant or agent is reimbursable through FEMA as well. In summary, a remote camera system for routine and required assessment of County Stormwater Infrastructure reduces County liability by significantly decreasing exposure to risk in confined space entry situations. This is accomplished by shifting the risk away from human exposure. Remote camera assessments are acceptable alternatives for required validation efforts by FEMA grant reimbursement programs. The Public Works Department has evaluated several remote camera systems and discussed brands and features with other departments - notably Water and Sewer. Initial quotes for a remote camera system with features most compatible with the type of work performed by Public Works indicate the camera system and appurtenances can be procured for $113,621. Funding is available as part of the current/existing stormwater division budget. If approved by the Board, Public Works staff will coordinate with Purchasing staff to solicit the required quotes as outlined in the County’s Purchasing Manual. OPTIONS: Approve/Disapprove RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff recommends the Board approve an amount not to exceed $115,000 for the procurement of a remote controlled camera system designed specifically for pipeline and other confined space assessments utilizing funds from the existing stormwater division budget. If approved, staff will coordinate this procurement with Purchasing staff as outlined in the County’s Purchasing Manual. RECOMMENDED BY: APPROVED BY: John Hofstad, County Administrator