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HomeMy WebLinkAbout[EXTERNAL]City of Bozeman - Core ControlFrom:Derek Stringer To:Bozeman Procurement Subject:[EXTERNAL]City of Bozeman Date:Thursday, August 27, 2026 2:22:11 PM Attachments:Core Control Response to RFQ Contractors All Trades Parks and Recreation Department.pdf CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Good afternoon, Thank you for providing the information regarding the RQF for contractors in all trades and services. We are excited to submit our response for consideration. We appreciate the opportunity to be considered for term contract opportunities with the City of Bozeman’s Parks and Recreation Department. Please let me know if you need any additional information or documentation from Core. Thank you again for the opportunity. Very best regards, Derek Stringer | General Manager m 406.595.7337 | o 406.582.9428 ext. Core Control, Inc. | www.corecontrolmt.com 116 E Geyser St | Livingston MT 59047 Bozeman | Butte | Helena | Livingston August 2026 Statement of Qualifications Contractors - All Trades & Services City of Bozeman | Parks & Recreation Department Submitted by Core Control, Inc. Core Control, Inc. 116 E. Geyser St. Livingston, MT 59047 August 27, 2026 Katherine Canter Contracts and Sports Parks Coordinator City of Bozeman 600 Bridger Drive Bozeman, MT 59715 Dear Ms. Canter and City of Bozeman Selection Committee: It has been a pleasure partnering with the City of Bozeman over the past decade and Core Control is excited to build on that success with this proposal to provide HVAC and plumbing services for the Parks and Recreation Department. From annual winterization of Bogert Pool to repairs and maintenance of the dehumidification unit at the Swim Center, our team has established an excellent working relationship with your department. Core Control services a full spectrum of commercial mechanical systems, from simple to sophisticated. We have over 150 years of combined experience with the rapid technical evolution of mechanical systems and controls for steam, water, pneumatic, digital, and more. Our team can handle whatever we find in your mechanical room, as evidenced by our track record with multiple city departments, including Parks and Recreation. This institutional knowledge allows Core Control to hit the ground running. We appreciate the opportunity to support the City of Bozeman’s Parks and Recreation Department and look forward to continuing our mission to provide the city with reliable, experienced, and client-focused service. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if I can answer any questions or provide additional information. Sincerely, Derek Stringer, General Manager Email: dereks@corecontrolmt.com Mobile Phone: 406-595-7337 Office Phone: 406-582-9428 TABLE OF CONTENTS A. Experience | 1 Relevant Project Experience | 1 Personnel Qualifications | 2 Key Employees | 3 Recent & Current Work for the City of Bozeman | 5 B. Firm Background | 7 Location | 7 Firm’s History | 7 Stability, Strengths, & Capabilities | 7 Firm’s Annual Volume of Business | 8 Financial/Bonding Capacities | 8 C. Firm Workload | 8 D. Claims | 8 E. References | 9 Appendix | 10 Attachment A | 11 Core Control, Inc. Derek Stringer, General Manager Email: dereks@corecontrolmt.com Mobile Phone: 406-595-7337 Office Phone: 406-582-9428 Address: 116 E. Geyser St. Livingston, MT 59047 Website: www.corecontrolmt.com Page 1 A. EXPERIENCE Relevant Project Experience Core Control has the capacity and capability to not only replace aging equipment, but to improve systems to meet customer needs as illustrated by the projects below: Bogert Pool Winterization & Start-Up Location: Bogert Pool, Bozeman, MT Client: City of Bozeman Parks and Recreation Contact: Elizabeth Hill, Aquatics Director, 406-582-2907 Project Description/Relevance: Annually, Core Control has completed winterization and start- up maintenance on plumbing and heating equipment at the seasonal pool facility. These include protecting city assets from freezing damage over the winter and making repairs as required to ensure readiness for operation for the summer season. Swim Center Dehumidification Unit Repairs & Maintenance Location: Swim Center, Bozeman, MT Client: City of Bozeman Parks and Recreation Contact: Elizabeth Hill, Aquatics Director, 406-582-2907 Project Description/Relevance: Prior to the warranty period expiration on a new DesertAire installation at the Swim Center, the installing contractor stopped responding to service requests. Core Control took over several repairs that were required due to manufacturing quality control and/or installation issues. Core Control also brokered a visit from the manufacturer to assist and provided technical expertise and accompanying narrative to assist the City of Bozeman in recuperating costs from the manufacturer. Page 2 Sterling Property Management Service Contract Location: Various locations, Bozeman, MT Client: Sterling Commercial Management Group Contact: Ethan Aragon, Commercial Property Manager, 406-290-9800 x703 Project Description/Relevance: Core Control provided multi-site support for Sterling Property Management under a service contract for four locations including maintenance and repairs to boilers, air handlers, rooftop units and heat pumps. Spanish Peaks Clubhouse Boiler and Piping Design Location: Spanish Peaks Mountain Club, Big Sky, MT Client: Spanish Peaks Mountain Club Contact Person and Phone Number: Mark Gale, 406-599-9104 Project Description/Relevance: Core Control completed boiler system installation and piping design for the Spanish Peaks Mountain Clubhouse in June 2024. Work included installing 3 heat exchangers to heat their pool and spas, reducing the amount of equipment requiring preventative maintenance and constant repairs. Personnel Qualifications Core Control’s General Manager, Derek Stringer, has extensive experience in facilities management, overseeing building systems, maintenance programs, and vendor relationships to ensure safe, efficient, and reliable operations. Territory Manager Eric Bueling, our technical guru, and Service Manager Jon Keifer lead a team of journeyman HVAC, plumbing, refrigeration, and temperature controls technicians with over 150 years of combined experience. Our administrative team is led by Accounts Manager Chad Marks, an estimator and journeyman with several years of field experience. Additional administrative staff include Business Director Shannon Vaughn, a project administrator, service administrator, and dispatch staff. The technical talent of our field team is our greatest strength. We work hard to hire, train, and retain the best technicians. Every Core Control technician is cross trained in multiple disciplines and everyone is a team player, ensuring project success on jobs where inter-trade collaboration is key. Core Control defies the industry standard of hiring installation technicians on a per-project basis. We only pursue a volume of work that can be managed by our regular employees to provide the consistency of quality our clients have come to expect. Our team is comprised of UA Local 41 journeymen and full-time employees. All technicians who work on city projects undergo both UA Local 41 training and Core Control’s rigorous internal cross-training program. Each of our technicians has worked with the City of Bozeman in the past. From servicing heating, cooling, and control systems to headlamp scavenging in crawlspaces looking for leaks, our technicians have intimate knowledge of city facilities. We can hit the ground running because we know the city, we know the people and we know the places where we will be working. Page 3 Key Employees Brief profiles for our key personnel are provided below. Eric Bueling, Territory Manager Eric has 11 years of industry experience and holds a bachelor’s degree from Montana State University. He studied electrical engineering for three years and completed the United Association (UA) Instructor Training Program, qualifying him to mentor and train both apprentices and journeymen. His focus on excellence, safety, and innovation in the trade makes him a valuable addition to Core Control’s management team. Certifications & Training: Chad Marks, Account Manager Chad Marks has 10 years of industry experience. Chad works directly with the city on projects, retrofits and control upgrades to ensure proper operation and monitoring of municipal equipment and buildings. Certifications & Training: • Union Journeyman Technician • Universal EPA Certification • Controls Certifications (Niagara, JCI) • Factory Training: Armstrong Pumps, ABB VFDs, Johnson Controls CCT/PCT • Union Journeyman Technician • Third-Class Boiler Engineer • Medical Gas Brazing Certification • Universal EPA Certification • OSHA 10 Safety Certification • Factory Training: Laars, Triangle Tube, Lochinvar, Power Flame, Viessmann, Weil-McLain Joe Burke, Lead Plumber Joe Burke is a Union Master Plumber of Record with 25 years of industry experience. Joe interacts with the city as a lead plumber, bringing a broad knowledge base across all areas of plumbing. He ensures code compliance, quality assurance, and high standards of workmanship on all his projects. Certifications & Training: • Union Master Plumber of Record • Medical Gas Certification • Brazing Certification • UA Foreman • Universal EPA Certification Page 4 Steve Anderson, Lead Refrigeration Tech Steve has worked for 40 years as a service technician and is skilled in rooftops, air handlers, chillers, furnaces, and all process/comfort-cooling refrigeration systems. His previous employment with Trane and Honeywell makes him an asset to the Core Control team. Certifications & Training: • Universal EPA Certification • City of St. Paul Low-Pressure Steam/Water Piping License • City of St. Paul Gas Piping License Page 5 Recent and Current Work for the City of Bozeman Core Control has an extensive service history and familiarity with the City of Bozeman’s facilities — a relationship we value and would like to continue with this solicitation. As a long-time service provider with the city, Core Control is uniquely qualified to provide service and installations for the City of Bozeman’s Parks and Recreation Department. We service the entire range of commercial mechanical systems, from simple to sophisticated. We have over 150 years of combined experience with the rapid technical evolution of mechanical systems and controls for steam, water, pneumatic, digital, and more. Our team can handle whatever we find in your mechanical room, as evidenced by our track record with the city. Core Control has been a service provider in the Bozeman area since 2003, and our company has grown steadily since then — a testament to the quality of work we perform. We are experts at preventative maintenance, retro-commissioning, HVAC, plumbing, and controls. Recent Service Work for the City of Bozeman In the past year, Core Control technicians have completed 168 maintenance, troubleshooting, or repair visits to 12 different City of Bozeman facilities. Visits from the past month are highlighted in the table below. Service Date Service Request Location Reference Number 8/13/26 Replace blower bearing on CaptiveAire unit Swim Center 1591 8/13/26 Pool winterization Bogert Pool 1590 8/13/26 Return a previously abandoned UV sterilization unit to service Bogert Pool 1589 8/4/26 Meet with DesertAire factory representative to coordinate necessary and ongoing repairs to new unit Swim Center 1560 7/29/26 Troubleshoot and repair no cooling issue Professional Building 1545 7/28/26 Troubleshoot and repair no cooling issue Wastewater Treatment 1537 7/15/26 Repair issue with access to graphic interface on temperature control system Senior Center 1502 7/14/26 Repair leaks on existing flue vent for boilers Senior Center 1490 7/14/26 Install customer-provided parts on chlorinator Bogert Pool 1484 Page 6 Boiler Service Contracts Core Control has completed more than 100 work orders for the City of Bozeman in the past year, and we have active service agreements with the city, including boiler service contracts for the following locations from April 12, 2024, through December 31, 2028: • City Hall • Library • Professional Building • Senior Center • Story Mansion • Story Mill Community Center • Vehicle Maintenance Shop Public Safety Center Boiler & HVAC Systems For the Public Safety Center, our current service contract started January 20, 2024, and runs to December 31, 2026. The scope of work includes servicing the following equipment: • 2 air handlers • 3 boilers • 5 exhaust fans • 1 ERV • 7 outdoor units • 4 pumps • 8 radiant tube heaters • 1 rooftop unit • 2 domestic water heaters City of Bozeman Swim Center Core Control has a service contract for the City of Bozeman Swim Center that runs from February 15, 2025, through December 31, 2029, for the following equipment: • 1 dehumidification air handler • 2 boilers • 3 exhaust fans • 1 makeup air • 1 PTAC • 2 water heaters City of Bozeman Bogert Pool Core Control has a service contract for the City of Bozeman Bogert Pool that runs from January 2026 through January 2030 for three boilers. City of Bozeman Senior Center Boiler Replacement When a broken and obsolete part made repairs of existing boiler prohibitively expensive, Core Control submitted pricing and received approval to update the boiler. The new boiler was brought online in February 2026. Page 7 B. FIRM BACKGROUND Location Core Control’s headquarters is located at 116 East Geyser Street in downtown Livingston. Most of our team members live in the greater Gallatin region. Firm’s History Core Control has been providing quality services for municipalities and commercial businesses for more than 25 years. The company started in Bozeman and has a broad and growing customer base in the city. With offices in Livingston and Helena, our service area includes all of Southwest Montana, Wyoming, and North Dakota. Core Control provides a variety of commercial HVAC, commercial plumbing, and commercial retrofit services, including the following: Maintenance and Repair: Core Control’s qualified technicians can repair and upgrade most every system and all types, makes and models. Controls: We are committed to open-source platforms and perform work on existing systems. Install and Startup: We provide commissioning and careful professional installation of your system. Retro-commissioning: Our technicians investigate and optimize building performance across systems, making repairs as needed. Core Control’s Stability, Strengths, Weaknesses, & Special Capabilities For decades, Core Control has responded to the City of Bozeman’s facility needs for HVAC, plumbing, and temperature controls. We have delivered services under 4 different facility directors and 2 different aquatics directors. Core Control is the only plumbing and HVAC contractor in the greater Gallatin area that also offers temperature control services in house, and we consistently deliver service responsiveness when urgent service needs arise. While we have always prioritized service, Core Control has recently expanded into supporting larger installations and retrofits, dedicating a full-time installation manager and part-time project administrator to provide oversight for project execution. Additionally, Core Control has added 4 full-time technicians dedicated to completing those installations. These changes allow Core Control to offer a greater breadth of services without drawing on the bandwidth of our service department. Page 8 Firm’s Annual Volume of Business $4.5 Million in revenue annually Financial/Bonding Capacities Core Control has a robust and healthy financial standing with ample capacity to fulfill the requirements of this project. We have formally requested our current bonding capacity statement from our financial institution, Stockman Insurance, Inc. C. FIRM WORKLOAD D. CLAIMS During the last 10 years, Core Control has not been assessed or paid liquidated damages after completion of a project under a contract with a public owner. Providing the status of current and anticipated work is a balancing act for Core Control because we thrive at being the most responsive mechanical contractor in the area. We can’t share exactly what our future commitments are because we do not yet know what might fail or require service. We do, however, monitor seasonal/historical trends, retain a broad base of technicians, and manage our maintenance and schedule coordination practices to ensure that maintenance and project deadlines are met while still retaining availability for urgent service requests as they arise. For revolving HVAC, plumbing, and temperature control service needs we have a dedicated service manager and service administrator to manage dynamic priorities and respond to urgent needs as they arise. Together, they schedule 8 service technicians to complete maintenance and repair activities for our commercial customers. We manage 89 active preventive maintenance agreements, representing approximately 9 percent of Core Control’s annual workload. The remaining service work makes up 46 percent of our annual workload. For larger projects requiring time and budget management, our dedicated installation manager and project administrator oversee 4 installation technicians to ensure on-time and on-budget project execution. In the last 12 months, we have completed 39 projects of varying sizes. Our current project work-in-progress is around 7 percent of our annual workload. Page 9 E. REFERENCES Detailed contact information for at least five projects undertaken by Core Control within the past five years are provided below. Elizabeth Hill, Aquatics Manager City of Bozeman ehill@bozeman.net 406-582-2907 Relevant Work: Multiple work orders at Bogert Pool and Swim Center. Troy Sampson, Community Facilities Director City of Helena tsampson@helenamt.gov 406-447-8484 Relevant Work: Ongoing service and maintenance at 8 different properties Logan Foster, Facilities Manager Lone Mountain Land Company lfoster@lonemountainland.com 406-539-9070 Relevant Work: Ongoing service and maintenance at 10 different properties Ethan Aragon, Commercial Property Manager Sterling Commercial Management Group ethan@sterlingcmg.com 406-290-9800 x703 Relevant Work: Ongoing preventive maintenance and repairs Tim Trisdale, Facilities Director Gibson Guitar tim.trisdale@gibson.com 406-223-0860 Relevant Work: Ongoing maintenance and repairs Page 10 Appendix Page 11 Attachment A NONDISCRIMINATION AND EQUAL PAY AFFIRMATION ____________________________________(name of entity submitting) hereby affirms it will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, age, marital status, national origin, or because of actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity or disability and acknowledges and understands the eventual contract will contain a provision prohibiting discrimination as described above and this prohibition on discrimination shall apply to the hiring and treatments or proposer’s employees and to all subcontracts. In addition, ____________________________________(name of entity submitting) hereby affirms it will abide by the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Section 39-3-104, MCA (the Montana Equal Pay Act), and has visited the State of Montana Equal Pay for Equal Work “best practices” website, or equivalent “best practices publication and has read the material. ______________________________________ Name and title of person authorized to sign on behalf of submitter Derek Stringer, General Manager Core Control, Inc. Core Control, Inc.