REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: SCOTT L. MOZIER, PE, Director
Public Works Department
BY: RANDALL W. MORRISON, PE, Assistant Director
Public Works Department, Engineering Division
SUBJECT
Title
Actions pertaining to on-call professional environmental assessment and technical study support services for the Public Works Engineering Division on City of Fresno capital improvement projects (Citywide)
1. Approve an On-Call Consultant Services Agreement with Harris & Associates, Inc., in the amount of $4,000,000
2. Approve an On-Call Consultant Services Agreement with LSA Associates, Inc., in the amount of $4,000,000
3. Approve an On-Call Consultant Services Agreement with SWCA Environmental Consultants, Inc., in the amount of $4,000,000
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council approve three On-Call Professional Environmental Services Agreements between the City of Fresno (City) and 1) Harris & Associates, Inc., 2) LSA Associates, Inc., and 3) SWCA Environmental Consultants, Inc., collectively (Consultants), to provide environmental assessment and technical study support for the Public Works Engineering Division on City capital projects, for three-year terms, to be reimbursed for hours worked at the hourly rates specified in the Schedule of Fees included in the Consultant’s respective agreement, not to exceed $4,000,000, with no guarantee expressed or implied that the $4,000,000 amount will be authorized under any of the three respective agreements, and Authorize the Public Works Director or designee to execute all three Agreements on behalf of the City.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Department of Public Works (DPW) Engineering Division manages a large capital improvement program for the department, as well as for other large departments such as PARCS, Fire and Police. Each City capital project requires environmental services at various stages of the project and to varying degrees. The scope of services of the proposed contracts will provide all environmental services necessary for environmental site assessments, California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) clearances and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) clearances on City capital projects. The Engineering Division staff have performed a qualification-based hiring process and have selected three firms to perform these necessary services on an on-call basis. Staff recommends Council approve the three agreements, each with three-year terms and a total compensation not to exceed $4,000,000 individually to provide environmental assessment and technical study support for the Public Works Engineering Division on City capital projects.
Upon approval and execution of the On-Call Environmental Services Consultant Agreements, projects requiring environmental consultant services will be identified, a Request for Proposal (RFP) will be issued to all three Consultants, and project-by-project Task Orders will be issued based on the most qualified consultant for the particular project. The funding for these services will come from the allocated project funding sources for each individual task order.
BACKGROUND
Capital improvement projects have steadily increased due to higher levels of federal, state, and local funding assistance based on the City’s growing infrastructure needs. At a minimum, each capital improvement project requires an environmental assessment to satisfy CEQA requirements and a basic categorical exemption filed with the County of Fresno. More complex projects require additional supporting studies and analysis to be performed. When Federal funding is involved, these environmental assessments are done to satisfy NEPA requirements as well, which can be different and in addition to the CEQA requirements. City staff does not currently have the capacity, nor the expertise necessary on complex projects, to meet the programs needs for professional environmental services. In addition, hiring consultants to provide these services on a project-by-project basis is inefficient and often delays projects, due to unknown technical study requirements in advance of the initial assessment. Staff recommends approval of the proposed on-call contracts in order to improve efficiencies and project timelines to perform the environmental services needed to satisfy the environmental requirements for the City’s capital program.
The proposed On-Call Professional Environmental Services Agreements will include services such as environmental document and determination preparation, environmental notice preparation, and a wide range of technical studies. Technical studies may cover areas such as Aesthetics, Air Quality, Biological Resources, Cultural Resources, Geology and Soils, Hazards and Hazardous Materials, Hydrology and Water Quality, Noise, Transportation, Utilities and Service Systems, Community, and Energy Analysis. The scope of work also cover mitigation monitoring and field surveys before or during construction.
In accordance with Administrative Order (A.O.) 6-19, staff sent out Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for professional environmental services in April 2022 via Planet Bids, email and published in the Business Journal. At the closing of the advertisement period the RFQ received seven responses. City staff evaluated each Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) and determined two submittals were non-responsive. The remaining five SOQ’s were evaluated and ranked and each consultant team was interviewed. At the conclusion of the evaluation period Harris & Associates, Inc., LSA Associates, Inc., and SWCA Environmental Consultants, Inc. were selected as the most qualified consultant for these services.
In order to utilize these services on the entire capital program, the procurement process has followed Federal-aid requirements. As a Federal funding requirement, these consultant agreements have gone through a pre-award audit by the State Independent Office of Audits and Investigations.
Staff is recommending the City Council Approve three on-call agreements with 1) Harris & Associates, Inc., 2) LSA Associates, Inc., and 3) SWCA Environmental Consultants, Inc., for Professional Environmental Services, each with three-year terms and a total compensation not to exceed $4,000,000 individually, with no guarantee expressed or implied that $4,000,000 will be authorized under any respective agreement, to provide environmental assessment and technical study support for the Public Works Engineering Division on City capital projects, and authorize the Public Works Director or designee to execute the agreement, approved as to form by the City Attorney’s Office, on behalf of the City.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
This is not a project for the purposes of CEQA, pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15378.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Local preference does not apply because the services anticipated by the agreements include projects that are federally funded.
FISCAL IMPACT
These agreements have no immediate impact to the General Fund and the agreements will service projects in all Council Districts. All funding necessary for the services of the proposed agreements will be appropriated under the individual capital projects for each task order.
Attachments: Consulting Services Agreement - Harris & Associates, Inc.
Consulting Services Agreement - LSA Associates, Inc.
Consulting Services Agreement - SWCA Environmental Consultants, Inc.