D. Change Order - Elks Sewage Lift Station!SS!(11�( o IV1
Incorporated 1892
Telephone (406) 758-7700
Douglas Rauthe
FAX (406) 758-7758
Mayor
Post Office Box 1997
Kalispell, Montana
Clarence W. Krepps
Zip 59903-1997
City Manager
Date: February 14, 1997
City Council
Members:
To: Clarence Krepps, City Manager
ry
Ward I Nystu)
From: John Wilson, Assistant City Engineer\(..!o
Cliff Collins
Ward I
Re: Elk's Sewage Lift Station Improvements Project
Norbert F. Donahue
Ward II
Engineering Change Order
Dale Haarr
Ward II
Recommendation
This memorandum is to recommend Council authorization for a change order to the
)Wa ddtI ilnson
Elk's Lift Station Improvements engineering contract. The proposal is to increase the
specified flat fee of $5000 to "a cost not to exceed $16,000."
Lauren Granmo
Ward III
Pamela B. Kennedy
Rationale
Ward IV
The Public Works Department solicited the attached statement from Carver Engineering
on the billable hours of engineering services for the project. We have reviewed and do
M. Duane Larson
Ward IV
concur with their summary of the design effort.
This change order may seem overly generous when looked upon as a 220% increase.
But keep in mind, a percentage analysis will always be deceptive when the calculation
begins with a relatively small amount. The telling number in this case is the ratio of
engineering to construction costs. Projects of similar scale and complexity might have
reasonable engineering fees at 10 to 15%. On this lift station project, with an
engineering fee of $16,000, we expect to come in between 8 and 9% of total
construction costs.
Carver Engineering has endured many changes on the scope of this project without any
assurance of more than 45 G on the dollar for time invested. Their continuing effort
has produced a comprehensive design with appropriate attention to detail. Staff
recommends approval of this change order so we may compensate them fairly for
a job well done.
Project Status
The construction documents are in the final stage of review at the Department of
Environmental Quality. We hope to advertise for bids in the very near future and have
construction complete by early summer.
CARVER ENGINEERING, INC--
Consulting Engineers
1995 Third Avenue East
Kalispell, Montana 59901
Phone (406) 257-6202
February 11, 1997
John Wilson
City of Kalispell
P.O. Box 1997
Kalispell, MT 59903
Subject: Sewage Lift Station #2 (Elks)
Dear John:
Civil
Structural
Environmental
As you know, the cost of design engineering services for the Elks sewage pump
station has exceeded the ceiling established in the contract. Total costs for design are
now more than $13,000 and we expect that they will approach $16,000 by the time
the design is finally approved.
The scope of services has changed as this project evolved. The type of pump station
originally contemplated and for which the design costs were originally estimated was a
standard above ground self -priming station. We have designed at least three sewage
pump stations of this type for the City's sewage system and it was both our and your
expectation that plans for the Elks station could be prepared quickly and easily based
upon these earlier designs. After design was underway, it became apparent that the
standard above around self -priming station would not work due to suction limitations
of the self -priming pumps, the depth of the existing inlet piping and the predicted
level of the 100 year flood. The previously done standard above ground designs could
not be applied to this site. Instead, a unique design was developed. The station
finally designed is a buried canned station unlike any other pump station in the City.
The effort to design the buried station was much greater than what was originally
contemplated for the above ground station.
Other factors also created more work than what was initially anticipated. The
decision for the City to purchase the package lift station directly from the station
manufacturer was made after the contract was signed. This approach was undertaken
to save time and money, but also required more time and expense to prepare
specifications that indicated what the manufacturer would furnish and what the
contractor installing the station would do. It was first thought that a new manhole
could be installed in the existing wet well. It was later learned after plans were drawn
that the new manhole wouldn't fit in the existing wet well because of the steel beams
placed in the wet well to prevent its collapse. The request for the deviation from the
ladder landing requirement took time to prepare.
Page 2 of 2 February 11, 1997
Letter to John Wilson, City of Kalispell from Andy Hyde, Carver Engineering
RE: Elks Sewage Pump Station
The entire focus of these efforts has been to design a pump station that satisfies the
City's desire for a self -priming station. As we've said before, it is very difficult to
design a self -priming station for this site and it has taken considerably more time to
put together the plans for this station than what was expected at the outset. Please
consider this letter as a request to increase the ceiling for design costs to a level that
more reasonably matches the degree of work actually involved. I'd like to propose
that compensation for the design be for actual costs of labor, materials and services.
As I mentioned, current costs total over $13,000 and are expected to approach
$16.000 by the time we're done.
Sincerely,
C NGINEERING, INC.
Andrew J. Hyde, P.E.