CCOB Generator and Beyond

As the generator project must be getting underway at some point, I wanted to share my email that I sent to the Legislature that got me fired up and write the blog entry "Unbelievable": http://cortlandcrossroads.blogspot.com/2007/08/unbelievable.html


Email sent 8/13/07
SUBJECT: CCOB Generator Specification
TO: sdafoe@cortland-co.org; kbreed@cortland-co.org; jrdaniels@cortland-co.org; mbrown@cortland-co.org; jsteger@cortland-co.org; dtagliente@cortland-co.org; bcparker@cortland-co.org; sschrader@cortland-co.org

Good Afternoon. I understand that the County is rebidding the emergency generator for the Cortland County Office Building, bids for which are due Wednesday 8/13.

I have a copy of the bid spec and would like to offer the following comments, which you may want to incorporate into the package:

1) If the generator is intended to serve as the emergency power supply for lighting, then the system must be able to start and transfer building load within 10 seconds per Building Code of New York State (BCNYS). This is not identified on the drawings.

2) Specifications indicate that the unit be equipped with a battery charger and jacket water heater. It should be included that the contract provide circuiting to these items from an existing building electric panel.

3) Remote annunciator is specified; the location of the unit should be identified and that it shall be installed and connected to the emergency generator by the contractor.

4) Startup should be performed in accordance with NFPA 110 - 2 hours at full load. See NFPA 110 Chapter 7 for additional requirements, but startup should be per NFPA 110.

5) Startup - I suggest that you include that the contractor fuels the generator for the test and then fills up to full capacity after acceptance. Note that to fill up the unit based on the parameters of 24 hours at full load is 24 hours x ~55 gallons/hour at full load x ~$3 per gallon = roughly $4000.

6) Automatic transfer switch - If the ATS will be located ahead of the building main service disconnect, it will need to be Service Entrance Rated. May also need ground fault depending on the method of installation. It is hard to see whether the ATS is 3 or 4 pole, need again to check the application here.

7) Last page of specification - Indicated that the County shall provide excavation for the conduit system. What about backfill and site restoration? What about core drilling the exterior wall and watersealing penetrations? Should clarify scope.

General Comment - I indicated to the Legislature when I spoke a few months ago the need to provide a drawing and a one-line (wiring diagram, so to speak) to depict the work. If you do not intend to do this, you should ask the contractor to submit this with the bid so it can be a record of a complete installation. "If it hasn't been written, it hasn't been said" - there is no way to enforce the contract without a clear document when it comes down to the actual installation. Things like my above comments will be left out and you will have to pay for them through a substantial change order. Having installation drawings and the one-line will protect the County and will show any deficiencies in the system to the Code officer and/or electrical inspector prior to the installation of the work.

And please remember the comment I made about the budget for the project from the project inception in 2006 - http://www.cortland-co.org/Legislature/minutes/2006Comm/jul11-06B&G.html. My guess is that you are still going to see generator and ATS cost in the $180,000 range, based on the specified size, without installation. I hope that the size of the unit is more appropriate to the actual building load and that the Utility company was contacted to provide demand data to assist in getting a. If you were to verify that a 600kW unit would meet the building demand, you may actually come in near the alloted $180K identified in the 7/06 minutes.

I appreciate the time spent revising the specification, it is a much better than the last version. If you have time to put out an addendum with the clarifications above you will greatly reduce field change orders.
--
Chad Loomis

I hope that the change orders are minimal and the contractor covered these items in their bid. I believe that the magnitude of these items could substantially increase project cost and I will try to identify the scope as quickly as I can before the work is installed.