3 Bid for Consultant Job in Torrance

Three firms have submitted bids to the city of Torrance in hopes of being chosen to craft guidelines to regulate hazardous chemicals.

The city plans to hire a consultant to develop an ordinance that would allow Torrance to ban chemicals it finds too risky. City officials say the ordinance may be among the first of its kind nationwide.

Two of the firms were runners-up for another consulting job--the post of court-supervised safety adviser at the Mobil Oil Corp. refinery in Torrance.

Arthur D. Little Inc. of Cambridge, Mass., and ACTA Inc. of Torrance both lobbied unsuccessfully this winter to be the city’s nominee for safety adviser. The city preferred SRI International of Menlo Park. Mobil nominated Westinghouse Electric Corp. of Pittsburgh. The final choice probably will be made by a judge this spring.

Now city staff members are sifting through proposals in search of a consultant to help draft the chemical ordinance.

ACTA is the low bidder, at $43,990. Arthur D. Little bid $97,228.82. Battelle Memorial Institute of Columbus, Ohio, bid $145,779. Since the city is seeking a consultant, it is not required to accept the lowest bid, said Brian K. Sunshine, senior management assistant in the city manager’s office.

The city’s search team will meet this week and hopes to make a recommendation to the City Council by early May.