News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
The City of Sparta will look to solicit proposals in the coming weeks for transformer projects.
City Administrator Chris Dorsey said the Electric Department needs to evaluate the reconditioning of pad and pole mount transformers.
“Instead of quote-unquote throwing them away, we try to see if we can recycle them in some manner and there are companies that will take apart the transformer and examine it,” Dorsey said. “And there just maybe one or two parts that need to be fixed in it. So it may be a lot cheaper to spend a thousand or two if we just have to repair what is in the transformer and recondition it.”
The Sparta Electric Department will begin the bidding process on transformer projects.
Dorsey said replacing the transformers could cost anywhere from $20,000 to $30,000.
Sparta will select a proposal based on multiple factors including price per hour and shipping.
“So like have a little checklist of all the things that they can do and how long they might be gone if they take them. Do they promise a two-week turnaround or could it be a month turnaround?” Dorsey said. “When you do a proposal that just gives you the option to review what each of the companies has to offer.”
Dorsey said the proposal process can start once the solicitation has been publicized for about two weeks.
“We have to follow state purchasing procedures so that will take two weeks. And then by the time, they come back in and we evaluate them and look at them,” Dorsey said. “There is another week or two. So we can hopefully maybe have it on the last meeting in January.”
Dorsey said the Electric Department may also seek bids for a new 1500 KVA transformer before January 3rd.
Dorsey said the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Contract typically allows for easier purchasing.
“So [TVA] will go out and already have solicited bids for a certain period of time maybe for three months or six months,” Dorsey said. “So they have already done the bid work for us. And so then we are able to purchase off of their contract without having to do our own bidding process because they have already done it.”
Dorsey said the TVA has not updated the contract lately.
“Normally we go through them, but we heard they are in flux and they haven’t updated all of the prices yet,” Dorsey said. “And we are sort of in need to have a spare on hand. So if they don’t have the prices updated in time through their own bidding process is, then we may need to, for this one, do it by ourselves.”
Dorsey said he hopes to have all solicitations finished in January.
