The Kenai City Council adopted a resolution awarding a professional services agreement and corresponding purchase order for professional mechanical and electrical engineering services for the Kenai Municipal Airport Operations Building HVAC Controls and Boiler Replacement Project. A request for proposals was released in July to provide bid ready construction documents for the replacement of an existing boiler and associated controls at the municipal airport’s operations facility that are beyond their useful life.
Director of Public Works, Scott Curtin, was asked about MBA Consulting Engineers, who were determined as the highest scoring responsible respondent, why their price proposal was $50,000 less than the other two companies:
“They are the ones that did the original design so a lot of the work that is involved with the development of the documents, which they already have when the originally did the work. A lot of the hours that the other firms would have to potentially invest into that has already been accomplished by them and they are quite familiar with the property. That is why they are significantly lower than the others. No changes in scope of work. They all bid apples to apples to apples.”
Funding for the project is included within the current FY23 budget. The project is intended to address HVAC controls issues and a cracked heat exchanger on one of the existing boilers. The Department requested and received funding for the controls with the FY21 budget and the Boiler Replacement within the FY22 budget. Completion of the work will improve the facility’s efficiency, reduce utility costs, and safeguard the HVAC system for the future.
Shop staff was able to make a brazing repair to the cracked heat exchanger, which extended the boiler’s life for over a year, but it’s not expected to last long term, and because of long lead times associated with this type of equipment, the project is moving forward with the intent of having the new boiler and equipment operational for the 2023/2024 heating season.
A contract award and purchase order for MBA Consulting Services is in the amount of $47,728 to provide professional mechanical and electrical engineering services.