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WasteAdvantage
The Advantage in the Waste Industry

Second of Three Parts

How to Write Municipal Mobile Equipment Specifications in the New Decade

Martin I. Dareff, CPPB, CPPO

The goal of performing research for your proposal is to

identify potential suppliers of suitable equipment with product support in a geographical area that is practical to your municipality.

If you fInd yourself faced wIth the responsibility of preparing mobile equipment specifications for their city, county, agency or municipality, and may have had little or no formal training in specification writing or performing mobile equipment market research, these series of articles will help guide you in the project. Last month (Waste Advantage Magazine, July 2010), I discussed how to get started when assigned the task of writing specification, including defining what you need, organizing a quote and a bid, the types of specifications and what to avoid. The second part of this series covers research and putting it on paper.

as it is now through the use of the Internet. You can begin a rough draft of your projected specifications to meet the work requirements and may be making notes about areas you need to investigate further. Regardless of the type of specifications you are going to write, the finite requirements of your specifications should not exclude potential suppliers who can, if awarded, furnish equipment that can do the required work for your user in a safe and suitable operational manner.

Putting It on Paper
All mobile equipment specifications should start with a section entitled Scope of Work or similar phraseology. This section includes a general and more detailed description of the work or usage requirements of the unit needed. Operational needs, road surfaces that the vehicle or equipment will be used upon, capacities, loads, towing or special application or usage needs or requirements are all examples of the types of information that should appear in this first section. Since this section enables the Implied Warranty of Merchantability, which requires the bidder to warrant that the equipment will be fit to perform the tasks and functions intended, this section should appear first and does in all Miami-Dade County mobile equipment specifications. Since this information is required first, it should be the base of knowledge you acquire first. Following is an example of this section written in great detail for the Public Works Department for use with a major crane acquisition solicitation: 3.0 Scope of Work: The normal daily tasks assigned to this unit are as follows. 3.0.1 Aquatic Weed Clearance: Requires a crane to lift a clamshell bucket load of aquatic weeds weighing 1,100 pounds (not including the bucket) from the ground into a trash truck(s) 200 times in a four-hour period daily. This application will be done at the rear and side of the unit at a distance 25 feet from the booms center of rotation to a height of 30 feet. The crane will then be required to rotate no less than 270 degrees prior to lowering and unloading. The
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Where Does the Research Start?

The specification writing process always starts with the equipments user. Nothing is more important than the job they are required to do, and how they are required to do it. The specification writer must become familiar with the work and capacities involved, cycles, times, distances traveled or worked, work conditions, job site locations, road surfaces, climatic influences, tire sizes or track widths, blade, bucket or hopper sizes, night lighting requirements, fuel capacities needed, load weights, methods of loading, etc., while being sensitive to standardization of components such as transmissions, fuel filters, wheels and tires among many other components possible for the facilitation of maintenance and other areas of concern. After you have become completely familiar with the work requirements and operating conditions experienced by your user, you can begin the equipments market research. The goal of this research is to identify potential suppliers of suitable equipment with product support in a geographical area that is practical to your municipality. At this point, it is reasonable to gather product brochures and information, and do whatever verbal fact-finding is required since questions may still be asked and answered freely. Fact-finding and gathering product information has never been as easy

how to write Municipal Mobile equipment specifications in the new decade

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unit shall be capable of performing these tasks on highway and off-road on stable ground along canal banks. 3.0.2 Canal Work Application: Requires a crane to lift tow boats weighing a maximum of 20,000 pounds, at the rear and from the side of the crane, at a distance 30 feet from the center of the booms rotational center, to a height of 10 feet ground clearance to the keel of the boat with a four point spreader attached. The crane will then be required to rotate no less than 270 degrees prior to lowering and unloading. The unit shall be capable of performing this task on-highway and off-road on stable ground along canal banks. Due to the limited space available the maximum outrigger width must not exceed 22 feet, measured from the center of the left jack cylinder to center of the right jack cylinder. The harness used to lift the towboats results in a maximum width of 6 feet on each side of the centerline of the lift point (harness attachment point). The overall distance from the lift point to the keel is 22 feet. The four point spreader weight is minimum 200 pounds. 3.0.3 Emergency Application A: The crane must be able to lift a load of 2,500 pounds, with the main boom at a distance 50 feet from the booms rotational center, to a ground clearance of 10 feet from the bottom of the object, with the necessary lifting hardware attached. The crane will then be required to rotate no less than 360 degrees prior to lowering and unloading. Due to the limited space available the maximum outrigger width must not exceed 14 feet, 6 inches, measured from the center of the jack cylinder to center of the jack cylinder. 3.0.4 Emergency Application B: The crane must be able to lift a clamshell bucket load of storm generated debris weighing 1,100 pounds maximum (not including the bucket) from and into trash trucks 150 times in a four-hour period daily. This application will be done at the rear and side of the unit at a distance 20 feet from the booms center of rotation to a height of 30 feet. The crane will then be required to rotate

no less than 270 degrees prior to lowering and unloading. The crane must be capable of traveling at a creep speed (not to exceed 1 MPH) with the full load suspended over the rear of the crane. The Advantage in the Waste Industry 3.1 General: The crane proposed must be equipped with all of the manufacturers standard equipment and meet the following minimum requirements as well as OSHA 1910.180, 1926.550 and ANSI/ASME B30.5. 3.1.1 Certification: The crane proposed must meet SAE stability testing (SAE J1061 OCT80 and SAE J765 OCT 80) for the weights and distances stipulated in the work application section complete with all the slings and load handling devices. As you can see by the text, the information describing the work required in varied operating circumstances has been provided in detail. This enables prospective bidders to identify products in the lines they carry that will fully meet the requirements of the work tasks and measures required. At the same time, load charts and other documented performance measures (stability tests) provide satisfactory evidence of compliance with requirements. In this case, the lowest responsive responsible bidder was invited to demonstrate in actual work conditions and did so satisfactorily, which led to contract award and a purchase order for the equipment. The complexity of this section can be varied to suit the needs of the individual purchase. The Library Bookmobiles sidebar, page 38 is another example of this section used in a solicitation. The Scope of Work for your specifications will vary by the job requirements and operations criteria you chose to include. Frequently, a catchall sentence is included at the end of this section stating; The equipment furnished shall include all of the manufacturers standard equipment and meet the following supplemental minimum requirements.

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Whats Next and How Do I Organize It?

After completing the Scope of Work, the next topic to address in your specifications should be any qualifiers which may affect the bidders. Examples of qualifiers are annual manufacturers production requirements, numbers of units previously produced and in service, compatibility requirements with existing units, pickup and redelivery of existing units or a variety of other specifics that may suit the needs of the municipality, and are applicable to the quality of the equipment being furnished or the capabilities of the potential bidder. Qualifiers are used in bid specifications to establish that a potential bidder has the capabilities and experience to produce units of the type and quality required by the municipality. They should not be used to prevent potential competitors who have adequate and satisfactory backgrounds, financial backing, abilities and experience from participating in a bid solicitation. The specifications should then address the requirements of the most major component of the equipment. This will normally be the truck cab and chassis for on-road equipment and the specification writer can address the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR), Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW), Tare Weight, Resisting to Bending Moment (RBM), dimensional requirements of the wheelbase or other required capacities of the frame or chassis. In off-road equipment this will vary with the character and degree of specialty applications involved and the subject equipment types. Where more than one major component may be present in the design and construction of the vehicle, specifications may be divided into two or more major sections. Examples of this could include the trucks cab and chassis and a refuse body, an aerial attachment, a tanker body, a sewer cleaner or any number of other possible combinations. After identifying the major components and listing their design, build or work requirements, the next most significant sub-components should be identified and listed with their design, build or work requirements. Where additional layers of subcomponents continue they should be listed in logical order with their requirements. Follows is an example of specifications written in this manner in an ITB, which is a construction guideline for bidders: 3.3 CAB: Cab over or conventional cab design (with or without front axle set back) built in accordance with the best commercial practices and standards and as requested in the quotation request with the following supplemental requirements: 1. Bostrom 915-E mid-back air suspension drivers seat or its equivalent, and the manufacturers standard passenger seat, with OEM installed seat belts. 2. Arm rests, a dome light, sun visors, a map compartment, AMFM radio, a spare power point, rubber flooring and non-skid rubber floor mats. 3. 6" X 16" stainless steel mirrors and 8" spot mirrors mounted on the left and right sides of the cab and exterior grab-handles. Manufacturers who offer mirror combinations with supports built into the cab body that perform the same functions shall be acceptable. Final locations of all mirrors shall be subject to County approval.

4. Scale reading cab instrumentation, which includes an ammeter or voltmeter, speedometer with odometer, tachometer, Hobbs hour meter, oil-pressure, water temp, fuel, The Advantage in the Waste Industry transmission temperature and air-pressure gauge, with a visual alert indicator and an audible alarm, are required. Where truck manufacturer or engine electronics include these functions in dashboard displays those displays shall be acceptable. 5. A spot marker consisting of a spring base mounted fiberglass rod mounted on the outer edge of the right front bumper and visible from the drivers seat shall be furnished for conventional cab vehicles.

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how to write Municipal Mobile equipment specifications in the new decade

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Figure 1 OPEN LETTER TO THE __________ (EQUIPMENT, CAR, 3.0 Technical Specifications: TRUCK as applicable) INDUSTRY: The Advantage in the Waste Industry Specification 3.1 Scope of Work: These Figure 2 Attached you will find a preliminary draft specifications describe the Manufacturers Consent and Backing of specifications for _______________ that minimum requirements for a ___________ County will be soliciting in the Transit Style Bus Coach to be used Enclose an original (NOT a copy) letter from the manufacturer near future. as a Bookmobile by the Miamiwhose line you are representing/bidding, on their appropriate We would like your input in evaluating these Dade County Library System. letterhead and signed by an officer duly authorized to so obligate equipment specifications as follows: There will be two identical the company, notarized and bearing the clearly legible imprint of 1. Can you build equipment to these bookmobile units purchased to the manufacturers corporate seal (if incorporated), stating the specifications recognizing that ____________ serve residents within this county. following (complete inserts as requested). County does not accept exceptions to its The description, range and scope In consideration of the duration and size of the sales contract specifications? If not, please tell us what is of of intended usage will be as that could be awarded as a direct result of this Bid Solicitation a proprietary nature that would prohibit you from follows: numbered __(insert Bid No.)__, which is scheduled to open bidding. A. The bookmobile will serve as on ___(insert date)___, at _(time)_ A.M./P.M., we guarantee to 2. What recommendations would you make a mobile branch of the Miami-Dade ______________ County the following: to produce equipment that is more dependable, Public Library System. It will be used That we, _(name of manufacturer)_ , after diligent thought, less costly to maintain, easier to use or more by patrons between the ages of one research and review have determined that we fully support this effective in operation? and one hundred plus. It shall be safe, proposed offer to sell by _(name of manufacturers dealer)_ , our 3. What recommendations would you make to convenient and comfortable for all of franchised/licensed dealer, and are further willing to guarantee produce equipment that is less costly to build, our patrons to use for a time period of at (for equipment that we manufacture) both the one year minimum but offers the same level of dependability, quality least 10 years. warranty required by the proposed contract as well as the and effectiveness as the one specified? B. A full load of books (minimum availability of repair parts (for components that we manufacture) Feel free to tender your response with any other of 4,000 volumes) and other library for the full ten year expected service life of the equipment. comments you feel are applicable to this type of materials will be conveyed, on shelves, NOTE: Submit both: vehicle and its application by ____________, to within the borders of this county for a One letter from the Cab and Chassis manufacturer naming their the attention of____________: maximum of six days each week for dealer. a maximum of 10 hours each day of One letter from the ____________ Body manufacturer naming operation. The vehicle shall be driven a their dealer. maximum of five hours each workday, or 30 hours per week. This extends to a total annual maximum of 1,560 Figure 3 operational hours on the road. In House Warranty Service Center Agreement C. A minimum passenger load of 2 and a maximum The successful bidder and/or their local dealer representative may be required, at the sole discretion passenger load of 4 library staff members shall be of the County, to enter into an in-house Warranty Service Center agreement with the County. Such safely conveyed to each stop on a daily schedule to be an agreement shall enable the County to perform qualifying warranty repairs and service at County determined before this service begins in 2001. repair locations under the auspices of the dealers umbrella warranty agreement with the manufacturers D. Each regularly scheduled bookmobile stop will be they represent. As a service center the County will be entitled to appropriate training, manuals and for a period of time between 30 and 120 minutes. Stops technical expertise, as may be needed to properly support the product and this program. Warranty will be made at schools, parks, senior centers, shopping reimbursement labor rates shall be at no less than 85 percent of the labor rate presently awarded to centers, and other suitable and approved sites within this the vendor by the County for commercial work. Warranty parts will be a direct exchange for failed parts county. Occasionally, the bookmobile will need to operate at no charge. The County will pay shipping for defective parts being returned, the vendor will pay the in a parked locale for an extended period of up to 8 hours shipping for replacement parts being supplied. By the submission of this bid the bidder agrees to enter at special stops such as visits to the youth fair or other into such an agreement at the Countys discretion, and may be required to execute this as a separate special events. contractual agreement prior to the receipt of any equipment order that may be generated under this E. The bookmobile units will travel from a base of solicitation. Failure to comply with the provisions of this paragraph, at any time, will be considered operations located at the West Dade Regional Library, 9445 sufficient reason to vacate any award tendered as a result of this solicitation. Coral Way, in Miami, Florida. The farthest point that each unit will travel to a stop is within a 25-mile radius from this regional library. F. There will be a minimum of three stops and a maximum of 10 stops during one workday, depending upon demand and scheduling considerations. G. There will be a maximum of 100 miles and a minimum of 20 miles traveled by each unit during one day of public service operation.

Library Bookmobile

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6. Fiamm or Hadley 133 dB single or dual trumpet single base air horn or its equivalent shall be furnished. Final horn location shall be approved at the prototype inspection. 7. Tinted glass on all windows, including windshield with the truck manufacturers darkest recommended tint. 8. Exterior grab handles, installed on both sides. 9. A 5 pound (minimum), ANSI/U.L. approved, A B C rated and dry chemical fire extinguisher shall be mounted on the floor next to the drivers seat. The fire extinguisher shall be easily accessible by opening the drivers side door. The fire extinguisher shall be tested to ANSI/UL 711 and ANSI/UL 299 marine type U.S.C.G. 3.4 Air Conditioning: Manufacturers standard factory installed system with changeable air filter. 3.5 Lights and Reflectors: Shall meet F.M.V.S.S. and Florida D.O.T regulations. LED lighting shall be used wherever possible. After you have completed your specifications and addressed all of the requirements and details of the major components and sub-components, a meeting should be scheduled with the appropriate operations representatives of your user agency and appropriate personnel from your maintenance facilities. Their input and approval of the final specifications are critical to the long-term success of the equipments acquisition. Placements of controls and signage, methods of operation, jobsite and road performance, operator comfort and convenience and other factors are as important to your customer agency as the ability to supply needed maintenance, parts and repairs are to a service facility. Only when the user agency, the maintenance facility and the specification writer are on the same page will the product obtained represent the best long-term value for the municipality.

How Can I Build a Better Mouse Trap?

As you continue to gather information and learn more about the available Advantage the Waste draft products and options, you will reach a stageThewhere inyour Industry specifications are finalized. If you have been dealing with relatively simple equipment, small quantities and a one time purchase, and you are confident you have good specifications that can be bid without exception by an ample number of equipment suppliers; you are ready to send your specifications on into the review and procurement cycle for incorporation into an ITB, or use in a quotation. When quantities are large, the life of the contract is expected to be long (multi-year) or purchases can result in significant dollar expenditures to your municipality, you will find it beneficial to canvas the industry for ideas about how you can specify a better product. You may also be able to use the engineering expertise that manufacturers are willing to focus on larger potential sales contracts, as a design resource. To tap into this pool of knowledge you can write to a variety of known suppliers or manufacturers in the appropriate segment of the equipment industry. Include your projected specifications and a questionnaire requesting their feedback and expertise. The format of a letter designed for that purpose and used by Miami-Dade County in the final stages of specification development is reprinted in Figure 1, page 46 in a fill in the blanks format. You should be able to adapt this easily to your agencys specific needs. In the responses to this informational request you may find that some potential suppliers may request that you adopt or use proprietary language or optional features favoring the bidding of their product. Overall, you will find the majority of responses will be extremely useful in supplying needed feedback required for the completion of the final specifications for a product that meets the needs of your municipality. Be thorough in evaluating the quality and

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how to write Municipal Mobile equipment specifications in the new decade
content of the responses you receive before you incorporate suggested changes into your specifications. If you have concerns that a response may contain proprietary material call several other prospective suppliers, they can quickly and accurately tell you if they can supply that option or item and what they think it can or will accomplish for you. Another tool the specification writer can use to ensure a quality vehicle while promoting the development of a more effective and consistent fleet for your municipality is through the development and implementation of on and off-highway performance standards. For a variety of maintenance, cost and operator based reasons, Miami-Dade County standardized their heavy equipment fleet with the use of Allison Automatic Transmissions. In concert with this standardization, the county researched the road construction standards and gradients used in Miami-Dade County for road and highway construction. Using that information with the input of all major engine and truck cab and chassis manufacturers, a uniform standard for performance was developed, finalized and implemented. Those performance measures are easily verified through the use of the Internet Allison Specialized Computer Application Analysis (iSCAAN), which identifies the engine horsepower and torque output levels, parasitic deducts applied, identifies the transmission, the torque converter, the final drive ratio, tire size, vehicle weight, wind and road surface factors and other influences which determine a vehicles on road and other surface performance. This information can be compared to your municipalities standards to determine compliance with your minimum performance requirements. Your terrain, road construction methods, climate and needs may dictate different standards than those used here. The standards developed and presently used by Miami-Dade County are: Minimum starting gradeability of 30 percent forward and reverse for on The Advantage in the Waste Industry road only vehicles and 44 percent forward and reverse for vehicles specified as on/off-road vehicles Positive gradeability at 56 miles per hour of no less than 0.5 percent Zero miles per hour to 56 miles per hour acceleration time under 70 seconds Zero miles per hour to 66 miles per hour acceleration time under 120 seconds (for vehicles required to operate at expressway speeds) Some specialty vehicles including Fire Rescue and Suppression, Police SRT and Solid Waste Department expressway routed tractors may have more stringent performance requirements. The requirements listed represent the minimum requirements acceptable to Miami-Dade County for on-road truck performance. They guarantee a standard of performance and a quality level within the products drive train. In many ways this helps minimize long-term maintenance costs through the selection of components that are proper for the loads and applications intended. Properly selected components withstand work stresses better, work easier, live longer and require maintenance and repairs less frequently. A third tool that is available to the specification writer, when quantities are large and contract life is expected to be long or purchases can result in significant dollar expenditures, is the requirement of a Manufacturers Consent and Backing Letter. This letter is submitted with the Bid Proposal and ties the equipments manufacturer directly to the municipality regardless of local dealer existence or involvement. This letter is appropriate and should be required whenever quantities and dollar expenditures are significant. A copy of this letter is reprinted in Figure 2, page 38. When used, it should reside in the ITBs Special Terms and Conditions section. Another specification tool is the requirement that the awarded manufacturer certify the municipalities shop facilities as an in-house warranty center. This status may offer the municipality many maintenance advantages including access to specialized training, tools and support. While there are many advantages associated with this status, the actual implementation of a comprehensive program requires setup and administration of warranty claim, warranty reimbursement and parts tracking systems. A copy of the applicable specification language is reprinted in Figure 3. When used, it should reside in the ITBs Special Terms and Conditions section. The final part of this series will cover wrap-up, conference and delivery. | WA Martin I. Dareff, CPPO, has more than 40 years of experience in the mobile equipment and ground transportation industries. He is a graduate of the University of Miami and an active member of the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing. He manages the Equipment Services section of the Miami-Dade County Fleet Management Division, where he has written hundreds of specifications involving all types of mobile equipment and fleet service support contracting. Under his guidance more than 50 million dollars a year in capital mobile equipment and outside services and repairs are contracted. His product application and design experience extends through both the public and private sectors. Martin is an authority on municipal chassis engineering and the development and application of equipment performance standards. He has done pioneering design and development work for equipment used in the refuse collection, trash collection and the sewer cleaning industries. He has lectured on mobile equipment purchasing for the National Association of Fleet Administrators and served as a hearing examiner. He has devoted time to municipal task forces, selection committees and has been consulted by numerous public entities, private sector businesses and equipment manufacturers. Martin can be reached at (305) 375-2302 or via e-mail at fmd@miamidade.gov.

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