Request for Qualifications – For Consultants to Assist in the Acquisition of a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS)
REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS
For Consultants to Assist in the Acquisition of a
Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS)
October 22, 2004
COUNTY SANITATION DISTRICTS OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY
LABORATORIES SECTION
1955 WORKMAN MILL ROAD
P.O. BOX 4998
WHITTIER, CA 90607
1.0 INTRODUCTION
The County Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County (Districts) are soliciting qualifications from consultant firms to assist in the acquisition of a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS). The consultant will be required to develop a Requirements Specification (Requirements) for a software package that will constitute the LIMS (Phase 1), assist in the LIMS Vendor selection (Phase 2), and will provide technical support in the implementation and configuration of the acquired LIMS (Phase 3). Development of the Requirements for the proposed LIMS will include identification of the activities that must be performed by the Laboratories Section as well as a detailed description of the technical aspects of this system.
The Districts will retain the option to negotiate a single contract with one consultant for Phase 1, Phase 2, and Phase 3 of the project, or contracts with separate consultants for each phase of the project. The consultant contracted to develop the Requirements is disqualified from bidding on the proposed software package due to a potential conflict of interest.
This document outlines qualification submittal requirements, which will enable the Districts to determine qualified consultants, according to criteria outlined herein, for further consideration.
2.0 BACKGROUND
2.1 The County Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County
The Districts are a confederation of 26 independent special districts that serve the water pollution control and solid waste management needs of approximately five million people in Los Angeles County. Fifteen of the districts have collectively constructed an extensive regional sewer system known as the Joint Outfall System (JOS), which conveys and treats approximately 450 million gallons per day (MGD) of wastewater from 73 cities and unincorporated county areas. The JOS consists of seven treatment/water reclamation plants (WRPs) and 1,200 miles of large diameter, trunk sewers that form a network connecting the treatment plants and ocean outfalls off Whites Point on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The Districts also operate four WRPs in northern Los Angeles County serving the communities in and around the cities of Santa Clarita, Lancaster, and Palmdale.
2.2 The Laboratories Section
The Laboratories Section of the Districts consists of a staff of over 150 people and nine separate laboratory facilities organized into the following groups:
2.2.1 San Jose Creek Water Quality Laboratory (SJCWQL). This facility in Whittier provides a variety of analytical services for the Districts including: metals analyses, organic contaminants analyses, microbiological and biological assays, specialized research and methods development, and field monitoring.
2.2.2 Joint Water Pollution Control Plant Water Quality Laboratory (JWPCPWQL). This facility in Carson provides a variety of analytical services for the Districts including: water reclamation plant process control monitoring, inorganics analyses, metals analyses, organic contaminants analyses, microbiological assays, landfill gas, digester gas, and ambient air monitoring, specialized research and methods development, and field monitoring.
2.2.3 Analytical and Treatment Plant Laboratories (APL/TPLs). This group consists of eight laboratories throughout the Los Angeles County area (Pomona, Whittier, Cerritos, Long Beach, Saugus, Valencia, and Lancaster). Analytical services include inorganics analyses, process control monitoring, and process control development research.
2.2.4 Quality Assurance and Sample Receiving. This group is located at both the San Jose Creek and Lancaster facility and provides the quality assurance, sample logistics, field sampling, and field monitoring support for the Laboratories Section.
2.2.5 Laboratory Services. This group is located at San Jose Creek in Whittier and addresses the chemical and material supply needs for the Laboratories Section, coordinates building maintenance, and handles hazardous materials disposal.
2.3 Scope of Analytical Services
The Laboratories Section provides the analytical support for several primary functions of the Districts including sanitary landfill leachate and gas monitoring, water reclamation plant process control and NPDES permit monitoring, groundwater and surface water impact monitoring, hazardous waste analyses, and specialized analytical support for research projects.
2.3 Laboratories Section Computer System
The majority of the current Laboratories Section Computer System resides on an IBM Z800 mainframe. The systems are written in PL/1 and CICS and utilize a DL/1 hierarchical database and VSAM files. Three primary but discrete data systems are resident on this system:
2.3.1 TDL System. This system is used to store analytical results for the majority of logged samples in the Laboratories Section. Samples are issued discrete and sequential numbers and samples may be queried by location codes. The system stores sample location, date, and other descriptive information in a header format. A test code identifier lists primary analytical results including qualifier and unit codes.
2.3.2 TDJ System. This system is used to store analytical results associated with process control monitoring at the JWPCPWQL facility. Location, analyte, and date qualifiers are used to discretely track the results.
2.3.3 Monthly Summary of Operations (MSO) System. This system is used to store analytical results associated with process control monitoring at all other wastewater reclamation plant facilities. Location, analyte, and date qualifiers are used to discretely track the results.
In order to track additional quality control data and generate monitoring reports a supplemental system was implemented to operate in conjunction with the TDL system.
2.3.4 TDQ System. The TDQ system is a client server application written in Delphi and utilizes Sybase relational database. TDQ system also utilizes Seagate Info to generate Subtitle D reports. Both TDQ system and Sybase database reside on a NT server. Both TDL and TDQ systems utilize MDI middleware to communicate in real time.
3.0 REQUESTED QUALIFICATIONS
The submitted qualifications should include but not be limited to, the following information:
3.1 Standard Literature. Any standard literature including brochures, pamphlets, or other media used for solicitation of qualifications, expertise, or relevant experience.
3.2 Description of the Company. Provide a description of the company including general information, products, and services.
3.3 Project Personnel. The number, function, and availability of personnel, by name, who will be assigned to perform work, and an organizational chart of the proposed project team including the names and any subcontractors, as well as the working addresses of all personnel, should be provided.
3.4 Related Experience of Personnel. Provide resumes detailing qualifications, including education and experience, of all personnel who will participate in the work. Experience that is relevant to environmental analyses should be emphasized.
3.5 Related Experience of Consultant Firm and References. Provide a description of current and past work performed on projects of a similar nature and size that would substantiate the qualifications of the Consultant Firm for the work specified in Section 1.0. The statement should include names of clients, a contact person for each client and telephone number, type of project, description of the Consultant Firms activities, and dates of activities.
4.0 SUBMITTAL FORMAT AND CONTENTS
Submittals must be received at the Joint Administration Office of the District no later than 11:00 a.m. PDT on December 1st, 2004 in order to be considered. Late submittals will not be accepted. It is the sole responsibility of the Submitter to see that the Districts properly receive its submittal before the deadline. Submitters shall bear all risk associated with private delivery services or delays in the U.S. Mail.
Please submit eight (8) copies to:
Ms Cheryl Zuvich
Purchasing Manager
Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County
1955 Workman Mill Road
Whittier, CA 90607
Submitters should direct all questions concerning this document to the Project Coordinator, Mr. Chris Wissman, to ensure consistent and accurate dissemination of information. The Project Coordinator will coordinate and facilitate all project-related work, including that of the selected consultant and work being conducted by Districts’ staff or others. The Project Coordinator can be reached by phone at (562) 699-7411, extension 3014.
Submittals shall become the property of the Districts to be used in any manner and for any purpose the Districts determines is in their best interest. All submittals become a matter of public record at the conclusion of the selection process. All submittals will be regarded as public information with the exception, to the extent permitted by law, of those parts of each submittal which are defined by the Consultant as business or trade secrets and plainly marked as A trade secret”.
