QPA Special Purchase - Guild Associates Inc - Methane Analyzer

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Guild Associates has selected a methane analyzer from Siemens (manufacturer) that they have used with other Microgate Gas Processing Unit installations in the oil and gas industry. Siemens is a reputable manufacturer and has been supplying gas analyzers to the oil and gas industry for many years. They have been working with Guild Associates over the past 15-20 years supplying components for their manufacturing process. The City of South Bend also has Siemens equipment deployed in its current inventory of equipment including chlorinator equipment at the Wastewater Treatment Plant, flow meters at sanitary sewer lift stations, and various water system installations. In looking into the alternatives for the methane analyzer, the City conferred with American Structurepoint, quasar energy group, Guild Associates and Fair Oaks Farms (located in Fair Oaks, Indiana). Fair Oaks Farms produces cleaned methane for use in its transportation vehicles, and they utilize the same Siemens ULTRAMAT 23 Gas Analyzer for its gas quality measurements. Fair Oaks Farms uses this equipment to provide methane content and gas quality information used for determining their BTU values for their cleaned methane gas. Methane analyzers and gas chromatographs are available from other manufacturers besides Siemens. Guild Associates has selected the Siemens components because they have a history of using the Siemens ULTRAMAT 23 Gas Analyzer on other successful projects. Guild Associates was selected and approved by the City of South Bend Board of Public Works as the sole source manufacturer for the Digester Gas Cleaning equipment. The Department of Public Works and the Division of Utilities seek to contract Guild Associates to supply and implement the methane gas analyzer from Siemens. They have used this product with other Microgate Gas Processing Unit installations. Indiana CNG producers and national CNG suppliers are utilizing this equipment for their RFS Registration documentation as well. Since the methane gas analyzer needs to be implemented as an additional component to the Microgate Gas Processing Unit and must communicate with the Guild Associates PLC, we believe that this installation falls within the guidelines of a sole source supply since the "add -on" component becomes a part of the manufacturer's complete system once the PLC integration process is complete. The Division of Utilities plans to fund the subject purchase through Utilities, Wastewater Operations and Maintenance Repair Parts Account 641-0630-793-23-10 and Other Equipment Re air & Maintenance Account 641 -0630-793-36-05. For questions regarding the above recommendation or the subject project, contact Al Greek (Ext. 4210) at the Division of Utilities or Jacob M. Klosinski (Ext. 9496) at the Division of Engineering.