Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Water Treatment Contracts topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Newark water director says state-approved change orders drove contract increase for treatment-plant work
Summary
The council discussed an amendment to a water treatment plant contract after staff cited construction issues and state approval of change orders; director Kareem Madine described the department's review process for change orders.
Kareem Madine, director of the Newark Department of Water and Sewer Utility, told the Newark Municipal Council on Sept. 30 that amendments to a contract for process and operational improvements at the city's water treatment plant were driven by construction-related issues and required state approval.
Madine said the contract involved design, operation and construction oversight performed by a vendor identified in the meeting as Kleinfelda. He said the project encountered issues as equipment was installed that required adjustments and additional work, and that the state approved the change orders before they were presented to council. "We ran to some type of certain issues that had to be addressed," Madine said.
The council asked why the contract amount was increasing to "up to $1,700,000," and Madine described the department's internal procedure for handling change orders. He said the water department initially denies change orders until staff and engineering consultants can verify whether the work is already covered by the contract. If the work is out of contract and necessary, the department and its engineers review whether it should proceed and seek state approval where required.
Madine also said the water department sometimes returns money to the city via change orders on other projects; he told the council that the department has historically had more instances of contracts returning savings than of giving additional money back out. He described change-order decisions as a multi-person process involving department staff, engineers and outside consultants.
Council members pressed for further briefings. One member requested a future special meeting that would include the water department to discuss broader watershed issues, noting the city's ownership of about 35,000 acres in the watershed and concerns about encroachments and revenue from licenses for fishing, boating and hunting. Madine said upgrades to an "oversight building" and related security projects remain planned but have been paused for higher priorities.
No formal vote on the amendment was recorded in the premeeting transcript provided to the council during the remarks captured in the premeeting session. The council scheduled follow-up and asked staff to supply additional detail to the members ahead of further action.
