REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: BROCK D. BUCHE, PE, PLS, Interim Director
Department of Public Utilities
BY: JESUS A. GONZALEZ, PE, Public Utilities Manager
Department of Public Utilities - Utilities Planning & Engineering
SAMUEL NADORES, Professional Engineer
Department of Public Utilities - Utilities Planning & Engineering
SUBJECT
Title
Approve a consultant services agreement with Provost & Pritchard Consulting Group, Inc., in the amount not to exceed $160,388, inclusive of $14,600 in contingency, to design concrete liners for Drying Ponds 1 and 2 at the Northeast Surface Water Treatment Facility (Council District 6)
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that City Council approve a consultant services agreement with Provost & Pritchard Consulting Group, Inc. (Consultant), in the amount not to exceed $160,388, inclusive of $14,600 in contingency, to provide engineering design services for concrete liners for Drying Ponds 1 and 2 at the Northeast Surface Water Treatment Facility (Project); and authorize the Director of Public Utilities, or designee, to sign the Agreement on behalf of the City of Fresno (City).
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City’s Northeast Surface Water Treatment Facility (NESWTF) produces 30 million gallons per day of potable water. Part of the treatment process discharges a sludge type waste stream to a series of four earthen drying ponds. In April 2010, two of the four ponds were lined with geotextile polyliners and are the only ones receiving the sludge discharge. Concrete lining of the remaining two earthen ponds will reduce maintenance issues related to pond solids removal and increase facility operational flexibilities for year-round treatment of available surface water supplies.
BACKGROUND
The NESWTF has been in service since July of 2004 and has a treatment capacity of 30 million gallons per day. Residual particles remaining after completion of the treatment process are removed and directed to the facility’s four process drying ponds where they settle and accumulate. These ponds are intended to recycle process waste streams and act as drying basins for removal of residual particles from the water treatment process. The two northern ponds (Ponds 1 & 2) related to this Project are earthen basins while the other two have been previously lined, in 2010, with a 60 mil synthetic material.
Installation of concrete liners on the remaining two earthen drying ponds will reduce maintenance issues related to pond solids removal, eliminate the necessity for groundwater pumping during facility shutdowns during maintenance periods, and increase facility operational flexibilities for year-round treatment of available surface water supplies.
In accordance with Fresno Municipal Code Chapter 4, Article 1, and Administrative Order 6-19, the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) conducted a competitive consultant selection process to provide services for this Project. On November 3, 2021, a Request for Proposal was published in the Business Journal and posted on the City’s Planet Bids website. On December 9, 2021, one sealed proposal was received from the Consultant. A selection committee, consisting of DPU representatives from the City’s Water Division and Utilities Planning and Engineering Division evaluated the proposal. Upon review of the qualifications for meeting the various criteria and analysis of the proposed fee, ---- the Consultant was ultimately selected based on having met the criteria of the evaluation.
A standardized consultant services agreement has been used in accordance with Administrative Order 4-4, and the consultant’s certificates of insurance have been approved by the City’s Risk Management Division. Upon approval by the City Council, the consultant services agreement will be executed by the Director of Public Utilities, or designee.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
By the definition provided in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15378, the award of this consultant services agreement for the design services does not qualify as a “project” for the purposes of CEQA.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Local Preference was not implemented because the Consultant is a local business pursuant to the Fresno Municipal Code Section 4-109(b).
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no impact to the General Fund. This Project is located within Council District 6. Funding for this Project is included in the Fiscal Year 2022 Amended Budget within the DBCP Recovery Fund (40110).
Attachments:
Attachment 1 - Consultant Services Agreement
Attachment 2 - Vicinity Map