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INTER-OFFICE MEMORANDUM <br /> DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS <br /> DIVISION OF ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES <br />TO: Members of the Board of Public Works <br />Michael Schmidt, Assistant City Attorney Public Works <br />Theresa Heffner, Clerk of the Board of Public Works <br />FROM: Jacob M. Klosinski, P.E., Assistant City Engineer <br />SUBJECT: Waste Treatment Chemicals Wastewater 2025-2026 <br />Unit Price Bid Awards – Dry Polymer Flocculent <br />Agenda Request – Bid Award Recommendations <br />DATE: May 20, 2025 <br />The Divisions of Engineering and Wastewater has reviewed the subject Waste Treatment <br />Chemicals Wastewater 2025-2026 bids and provides its recommendations as noted below for the <br />Board of Public Works review. <br />Bid Review Comments: <br />The bids submitted by GCI Wastewater Treatment and Polydyne, Inc. were reviewed by Engineer <br />and Wastewater personnel. <br />Polydyne, Inc. is a dry polymer flocculent manufacturer and produces their dry polymer <br />domestically, and Polydyne submitted a complete bid. <br />GCI Wastewater Treatment is a supplier that obtains its dry polymer flocculent product listed as <br />“Dry Polymer DCF-494” as a local distributor for the manufacturer. GCI Wastewater Treatment <br />submitted product data that did not provide the product manufacturer’s name or correct product <br />trade name in the bid documents. <br />Upon review, City Engineer staff conducted phone interviews with both GCI Wastewater Solutions <br />and Kemira Water Solutions (company named as the polymer supplier in phone conversation). <br />According to GCI Wastewater Solutions, the dry polymer flocculent is produced domestically and <br />would be shipped from a warehouse in Allentown, Pennsylvania. After researching and contacting <br />Kemira Water Solutions (Kemira), the City learned that Kemira does not produce the dry polymer <br />flocculent in the United States. The product is produced in Bradford, United Kingdom and Italy. <br />Orders are shipped from Europe to the United States and stored in a local US Warehouse for <br />distribution to customers. In addition, the City learned that Kemira does not produce “Dry Polymer <br />DCF-494”. Kemira believes that the product referenced by GCI Wastewater Treatment was <br />referencing Superfloc C-494. This product is still being produced at Bradford, United Kingdom and <br />Italy production facilities. However, the product is now under the direction of a company called <br />Sterling. This leads our Engineering and Wastewater Teams to believe that there were a number of <br />concerns with the dry polymer flocculent product submitted by GCI Wastewater Treatment. The <br />overseas supply chain and limited availability of the product in the United States (currently only 625 <br />kg per Kemira product representatives per phone call on 05/20/2025), remains a concern for our <br />Wastewater Operations Team.