Water and sanitary sewer rate study decided

By Dana Casadei

Raftelis will once again be awarded the Bloomfield Township water and sanitary sewer rate study after an unanimous vote from the board of trustees on Monday, November 10.

The company will be used on an as needed basis, with the water and sewer study not to exceed $59,526.

“We wanted to put a bid out to see what others could provide, make sure we were getting the best consultant for the project,” said treasurer Michael Schostak.

Because of the township’s purchasing policy this study could have been awarded without a bid by the Department of Public Works or Board of Trustees.

Of the three companies who submitted proposals, Bendzinski did not meet the minimum requirements asked for within their proposal. Plante Moran and Raftelis both did, with Raftelis providing much greater detail than Plante Moran; with details such as their rate development process, as well as showcasing their knowledge in account principles, and technical aspects and intricacies of operating a water and sanitary sewer system.  

Even though Plante Morgan’s proposal was less expensive, the committee ultimately decided to recommend that Raftelis, who is located in Kansas City, Missouri, to get the award of the Bloomfield Township Water and Sewer Rate Study. And while Raftelis is not located in Michigan, they’ve worked with multiple Michigan municipalities and agencies, including Bloomfield Township, who they worked with on the 2022 water and sewer study. 

“Not only did Raftelis do a great job last time, but they were the only submittal that addressed that important impact with the stakeholder engagement,” Schostak said.

Raftelis has also worked with the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) and Oakland County Water Resource Commissioner (OCWRC). Both the GLWA and OCWRC noted that Raftelis had completed the worked asked of them successfully, and had no reservations about working with them in the future. 

“I think they’re going to be great for us,” said trustee Chris Kolinski. “They understand what we’re looking for and the scope of work, whereas the other proposals were just trying to get our business. So they’re a good partner to be with, not just a good consultant.”

The review committee consisted of Schostak and Kolinski, and other Bloomfield Township leadership, Corey Almas, Jason Theis, Paul Horen, Adam Roos, and Noah Mehalski. During their time together they had an in-depth discussion of each proposal, follow up questions with each firm, and reached out to their provided references.

This group also followed up with GLWA and the OCWRC office before coming to a final decision about who to recommend to the Board of Trustees.

After going through the three proposals the committee based their decision on multiple factors found within Raftelis’ proposal, including their experience in working with communities on the development of their water and sewer rates, their understanding of both the financial and technical aspects of water and sewer systems, and since they’ve been working with Bloomfield Township since 2022, they’re already familiar with the township’s water and sewer suppliers, and current water and sewer rate methodology.

The Board of Trustees approved the selection in a vote of 6-0. Clerk Martin Brook was absent from the meeting; Schostak was voted in as clerk for the evening.