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Board affirms emergency contract to replace aging generators at San Francisco General, amid questions over three-year delay
Summary
The board approved an emergency public work contract to install a modern diesel emergency-generation system at San Francisco General Hospital after department officials and engineers described repeated catastrophic failures of equipment installed in 1972 and said delays would risk the hospital rebuild schedule.
Lede: The Board of Supervisors on Jan. 27 adopted a resolution authorizing emergency public-works contracting to install a new permanent emergency electric generation system at San Francisco General Hospital, citing repeated failures of the hospital's antiquated steam-driven generators and urgent patient-safety risks.
Nut graf: The Department of Public Works and hospital staff told the board the system, installed in 1972, has reached the end of its useful life and had multiple recent failures; staff said regulatory and financing constraints and a lengthy state hospital planning approval process had delayed a long-term replacement and that continuing the emergency process would avoid at least 11 months of delay and protect the timetable for the broader hospital rebuild.
Body: DPW Director Ed Ryskin described a system that runs constantly, consuming water, fuel and producing emissions, and that has seen more frequent catastrophic failures since 2005. He said a failure during a recent morning's budget committee hearing left the campus without emergency backup for an hour, and that loss of commercial power at such a time would have threatened life support.
DPW described the proposed replacement as a shift from the existing steam-turbine system to modern diesel standby generators in common hospital practice. The department said diesel was selected after examining alternatives such as liquid natural gas and propane; state hospital planning rules and physical constraints made diesel the only viable option for the required capacity, the department said.
Supervisor Carmen Campos and the budget analyst questioned why the emergency procurement authority was still needed three years after an emergency was first declared in 2006. The budget analyst said he did not recommend automatic approval but called approval a —policy matter— and noted DPW said a new competitive process would likely add 11 to 18 months and jeopardize the hospital rebuild schedule.
Proponents said the hospital rebuild is on the program's critical path and that replacing the generators now would realize energy and water savings (PUC-certified annual savings cited at about $2.3 million) and would reduce emissions. Opponents urged stronger safeguards and scrutiny before using emergency contracting authority for a large award.
Ending: The board adopted the resolution. Supervisors asked staff to document the emergency justification, the financing plan that relies in part on energy savings and PUC certification, and to report back on procurement options and implementation milestones. The resolution authorizes the city to proceed under Administrative Code 6.6(o) emergency contracting rules.
