Title
Sole Source Vendor Approval, Fire Rover, LLC
Action
ACTION:
1) Approve Fire Rover, LLC as a vendor and supplier for the manufacturing, purchase, installation and monitoring of fire suppression systems at Mecklenburg County Solid Waste and Recycling Facilities, as authorized by the sole source exemption of G.S. 143-129(e) (6)
2) Approve the County Manager, or designee, to execute an Agreement with Fire Rover, LLC for fire suppression equipment and associated monitoring and repair services.
Staff Contact: Jeff Smithberger, LUESA, Solid Waste Director
Presentation: No
BACKGROUND/JUSTIFICATION:
N.C. G.S. 143-129 and the County Procurement Policy mandates that Mecklenburg County procure all apparatus, supplies, materials and equipment totaling $100,000 or more by competitive bidding. An exemption is allowed if a needed product is available from only one source of supply or standardization, or compatibility is the overriding consideration.
Mecklenburg County has made a significant investment in equipment and building improvements for the Pence Road Material Recycling Facility and Amble Drive Material Recovery Facility (MRF) to allow for the processing of curbside residential recycling material. In an effort to best protect the solid waste infrastructure against the fire risk presented by lithium-ion batteries and other combustible items in the recycling stream, the Solid Waste Division needs to install advanced fire suppression systems to supplement the traditional wet sprinkler suppression systems.
The growing presence of Lithium-ion batteries in residential curbside recycling materials presents a significant fire risk to Mecklenburg County’s MRFs and solid waste facilities. Lithium-ion battery fires often start as small fires, on the discharge floor that are too small to trigger the traditional fire sprinklers, which are mounted near the roof. As a result, fires can quickly grow to a fully engulfed state before activation of the sta...
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