HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 05 - Authorization to advertise on-call services RFP - Structural Engineering Design Services Department Name: Public Works
Cost Center: 5009
For Agenda of: April 21, 2020
Placement: Consent
Estimated Time: N/A
FROM: Matt Horn, Acting Public Works Director
Prepared By: Aaron Glauch, Engineer II
SUBJECT: AUTHORIZATION TO ADVERTISE ON-CALL SERVICES REQUEST FOR
QUALIFICATIONS – STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING DESIGN SERVICES
RECOMMENDATION
1. Approve the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) (Attachment A) to provide Structural
Engineering Design Services, Specification No. 5009.2020.SE; and
2. Authorize the City Manager to execute agreements with selected consulting firms; and
3. Authorize the Finance Director to execute and amend Purchase Orders for individual
consultant service contracts in an amount not-to-exceed the authorized project budget; and
4. Authorize the City Engineer to amend or extend the agreement for services in accordance
with its terms and within the available annual budget.
DISCUSSION
Background
The City’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) implements Council priorities by including projects
that build, maintain, and improve infrastructure. The CIP includes a mix of projects designed and
managed exclusively by City staff, and projects that use consultant services. This on-call service
approach has been used successfully for many years, starting with survey services in 1998,
engineering, architecture, and other disciplines in 2007, and most recently expanding to include
mechanical design in 2019. The City’s CIP projects are mostly modest in size, and the RFQs
generally draws local consulting firms.
Request for Qualifications Selection and Contract Management
The Capital Asset Management Plan (Attachment B), completed in 2018, identified current and
future projects required to prolong the useful life of the City’s three parking structures. As such,
staff have identified the need for on-call structural engineering services, which will add
additional support for staff delivery of structural repair and rehabilitation projects across the city,
including Parking Structure maintenance. In consideration of the current economic conditions,
there are benefits to continuing this effort:
1. The recommended actions do not commit expenditure of City funds.
2. On-call contracts will reduce future costs to the City. When structural engineering work
is needed, Staff won’t have to go through another consultant to obtain these services and
pay subconsultant markups (10 to 15 percent).
Item 5
Packet Page 5
3. These contracts would provide minor economic stimulus components as it allows the City
to contract with multiple local structural engineering firms to provide engineering
designs.
4. Parking garages are critical infrastructure assets for the City. Proceeding with priority
projects with structural engineering support will result in lower long-term repair costs as
compared to the compounding costs from deferred maintenance.
It is therefore recommended that the City advertise for these services through the RFQ process.
The RFQ model is used to identify the skillset of the consultants submitting qualifications.
RFQs enable City staff to determine how those qualifications alight with future City projects.
This is different from the project-specific Request for Proposal (RFP) model. After evaluating
the RFQ submittal packages, the top consultants in each specialized area will be selected to enter
into an agreement with the City. Consultant selection is based on their demonstrated ability to
provide the services proposed in a timely manner with qualified staff. Once the selected
consultants enter into an agreement with the City, their services on an individual project are
implemented rapidly, without the need for an individual RFP. The selected consultant firms will
remain on contract for four (4) years, with the option to extend the contract one additional year.
The consultants will operate under the conditions of the agreement included in the RFQ.
Individual projects will be scoped by the City department most involved. The City’s Project
Manager will work with the consultant to determine the final cost for the services. The specific
project work will then be authorized via a Purchase Order through the Finance Department.
Policy Context
On-call services is a best practices approach to efficient project deliver y and consistent with
Section C of the City’s Municipal Code 3.24.070 Authority to Hire Consult ants.
Consistency with COVID-19 Orders and Current Fiscal Contingency Plan. This activity,
advertising for on-call RFQ services, is not prohibited under the State and Local emergency
orders associated with COVID-19. Additionally, this activity does not commit funding and is
therefore consistent with the Fiscal Health Contingency Plan. Completing this effort will put the
City in good position to release projects that will provide an economic benefit to the community.
Public Engagement
These RFQs will be advertised to the public. Specific public engagement will occur for each
specific project as needed and will conform to the City’s adopted Public Engagement Manual.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The California Environmental Quality Act does not apply to the recommended action in this
report, because the action does not constitute a “Project” under CEQA Guidelines Sec. 15 378.
Item 5
Packet Page 6
FISCAL IMPACT
Budgeted: N/A Budget Year: N/A
Funding Identified: N/A
Fiscal Analysis:
Funding Sources
Total Budget
Available
Current
Funding
Request
Remaining
Balance
Annual
Ongoing Cost
General Fund $0 $0
State
Federal
Fees
Other:
Total $0 $0
There is no fiscal impact associated with establishing on-call service contracts with consultants,
because no specific funds are obligated under these contracts. After the agreements are executed
by the City Manager, scoping meetings and Purchase Order issuance will follow as needed to
implement the City’s Capital Improvement Plan. Work will be funded by individual project
accounts, within the authorized and appropriated project budgets.
ALTERNATIVES
Individual Project RFPs. Council can direct staff to proceed in a more traditional fashion by
issuing RFPs for each individual project in the process outlined by the City’s Purchasing
Guidelines. In this case, a company with greater experience in the specific work might be
attracted; however, this process is very time consuming and increases the work required for an
individual project, reducing overall project production. Staff does not recommend this approach
because it increases the time to implement individual contracts, while providing minimal benefit.
RFPs can still be issued on a case-by-case basis when specialized skills, not available through
on-call contracts, are needed.
Attachments:
a - Request for Qualifications - Structural Engineering Design Services
b - COUNCIL READING FILE - Capital Asset Management Plan
Item 5
Packet Page 7
Page intentionally left
blank.
Item 5
Packet Page 8