REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
March 22, 2018
FROM: JIM SCHAAD, Director
Department of Transportation
BY: DUANE MYERS, Fleet Manager
Department of Transportation
CLIFF TRAUGH, Senior Management Analyst
Department of Transportation
SUBJECT
Title
Approve a professional consultant agreement in the amount of $297,723.20 with HDR Engineering, Inc., for a basis for design report, preliminary/conceptual design and comprehensive re-location strategy
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends Council approve a professional consultant agreement in the amount of $297,723.20 with HDR Engineering, Inc., a Nebraska corporation, for a basis for design report, preliminary/conceptual design, and comprehensive re-location strategy.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Departments of Transportation and Public Utilities (DPU) seek to enter into a contract with HDR Engineering, Inc. (HDR), to perform an analysis and develop a comprehensive plan to relocate solid waste, water, and related fleet management operations to the surface water treatment plant located at Fowler and Floradora. Growth of operations at the Municipal Service Center (MSC) located at 2101 G Street has created City vehicle storage, employee parking, and office space constraints. The departments are requesting a field expert of large multi-stakeholder municipal projects be retained to evaluate City needs and develop preliminary plans to meet these needs.
On May 11, 2017, a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) was solicited, which resulted in two qualification proposal submissions. These proposals were evaluated by a 5-person committee, which included DPU, Fleet Management, and FAX Capital Development staff members. HDR was selected as the most qualified consultant based on the qualifications of its staff, experience with similar projects, demonstration of project understanding, and its very comprehensive approach to the project. Department of Transportation staff negotiated a consultant services fee in the amount not to exceed $297,723.20 based upon the level of effort required, hourly rates expected for similar engineering services, and information from comparable projects.
BACKGROUND
The City of Fresno owns and operates a fleet of over 2,200 units. The City fleet is comprised of a variety of light and heavy equipment used by multiple departments including Police, Fire, Public Utilities, Public Works, PARCS, and several others. This equipment is used to maintain and provide services for 522,000 residents, over 115 square miles. The majority of City equipment has been stored and maintained at the MSC. The existing fleet maintenance facility was built 30 years ago and the size of the City fleet has doubled in the same timeframe. The maintenance facilities at the MSC are now at maximum utilization.
DPU Solid Waste and Water Divisions employ 380 employees and operate 350 pieces of equipment to collect waste and maintain water services for Fresno residents. As the city has grown, the need to provide services to a larger population has also grown. The Solid Waste Division has been operating in its current facility for over 35 years. It has experienced space constraints at the MSC, which has caused parking issues, truck storage areas encroached upon by other activities, and access/traffic/congestion issues within the MSC. The Water Division has been operating from its location at 1910 East University Avenue since 1957 and is at maximum capacity. The property is landlocked by development and cannot support expansion to meet future needs. The facility is also adjacent to Fresno City College, which has approached the City with an offer to purchase this property for its own expansion. If this property is purchased by the college, the Water Division will be required to relocate by July 2020. With this purchase offer, the Water Division now has an incentive to review offsite expansion opportunities that will serve its needs currently and in the future.
Fire apparatus had been maintained in a 100-year-old structure located on 1420 Fresno Street until recently. The building was originally built for horse-drawn fire equipment. Square footage and ceiling height were inadequate to properly maintain modern fire apparatus. The City determined it would be beneficial to create a Public Safety Fleet Management Division that consolidated the maintenance of Police and Fire Departments equipment and relocated fire apparatus maintenance to the MSC. The relocation of fire apparatus to the MSC required consolidation of existing Solid Waste Division and Fleet Management operations within the MSC, which has only exacerbated already crowded conditions.
In general, growth of multiple operations located at the MSC has created space constraints for City equipment parking and maintenance, inadequate office space for support staff, and employee parking that exceeds capacity at peak hours.
To resolve these issues, staff intends to consolidate and relocate Water and Solid Waste Divisions operations to a new facility adjacent to the nearly completed surface water treatment plant on Fowler and Floradora. The location contains roughly twenty (20) acres of City-owned space, which has the potential to house these two divisions, as well as a fleet maintenance facility to service related vehicles and equipment.
Significant analysis and planning will be required to construct new facilities and relocate these major divisions. Additionally, other fleet management customers and MSC tenants (Public Works, PARCS, FAX, and Facilities Management) will be affected, and the impact to their operations will need to be addressed. Detailed analysis and planning of this nature is complex, requiring a consultant who specializes in these types of efforts and has resources to address the multiple disciplines involved. Per the agreement, the consultant would be responsible for:
• Assessing current conditions including employee counts, vehicle and equipment inventories, support equipment and facilities, etc.
• Analyzing utilities, infrastructure, and environmental concerns at the existing MTC and proposed SE water treatment sites.
• Assessing current and future space and facility needs.
• Developing a preliminary plan to construct the new facilities that support DPU operations and maintenance, including preliminary building schematics/layouts.
• Laying out consolidated Police and Fire Departments maintenance operations at the existing municipal fleet management building.
• Addressing the logistical and maintenance needs of the other affected City departments.
• Developing estimated schedules for completion and cost estimates for construction/ improvements.
Pursuant to Administrative Order 6-19, in April of 2016 the Department of Transportation advertised a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for analysis, planning, preliminary design, and utility/environmental assessment. The department sent notifications to fifteen (15) vendors requesting qualifications specific to the project scope. Two Statements of Qualifications (SOQs) were received, from HDR and KPA Group. A committee of five members, including Fleet Maintenance, DPU, and FAX capital development staff, evaluated the SOQs based on five evaluation categories set forth in the RFQ:
• Qualifications and Experience - HDR’s proposal exhibited more experience in projects of similar complexity, scale, and type (Maintenance and Operations facilities). HDR and its business partners also exhibited more breadth in the disciplines required to complete the project.
• Statement of Understanding of the Project - While both firms provided information explaining their understanding of the project, the second proposer’s information was minimal; HDR provided significant information, indicating a good understanding of the project.
• Approach to the Project - HDR provided significantly more detail about its process, which it has used successfully on previous projects, indicating its approach has been effective.
• References - HDR’s references were excellent and from agencies similar to the City of Fresno, regarding projects similar in nature.
• Company Background - HDR and its partners (RNL/Stantech, Kimley-Horn, and Jacobus and Yang) were well explained. These partners allow HDR to draw resources from various expertises/disciplines. HDR and its partners are reputable firms and City staff has utilized them on past projects with good results. The second proposer’s background appeared to be narrow in scope, focusing on structural engineering.
As outlined in Administrative Order 6-19, Department of Transportation staff negotiated the consultant services fee with HDR after the committee determined HDR was the most qualified proposer. The fee was negotiated in the amount not to exceed $297,723.20. This was considered fair and reasonable based upon review of HDR’s fee proposal, the level of effort expected, burdened rates for similar engineering services, and information from comparable projects.
The City Attorney has reviewed the contract and approved it as to form.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDING
By the definition provided in the California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines Section 15378, the award of this contract does not qualify as a “project.”
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Local preference was not implemented as no local firms submitted proposals for this project.
FISCAL IMPACT
No general funds will be used for this project. Funding for the for DPU and fleet maintenance facility preliminary planning consultant services is available in the Fiscal Year 2018 approved budget within the Solid Waste Enterprise Fund (41001), Wastewater Management Enterprise Fund (40501), Water Enterprise Fund (40101), and Department of Transportation Internal Service Fund (50501).
Attachment:
Consultant Agreement