REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
October 10, 2019
FROM: GREGORY A. BARFIELD, Director
Department of Transportation
BY: BRIAN BARR, Assistant Director
Department of Transportation
BRIAN CETTI, Capital Development Specialist
Department of Transportation
SUBJECT
Title
Actions related to the Fire Alarm Upgrade project for the FAX facility:
1. Adopt a finding of Categorical Exemption pursuant to Section 15301/Class 1 of the California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines:
2. Award a construction contract to Red Wave Communications Inc. in the amount of $431,100.00 for the FAX facility fire alarm upgrade project
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends Council award to Red Wave Communications, Inc., a construction contract in the amount of $431,100.00 as the lowest responsive and responsible bidder for the Fresno Area Express (FAX) Facility Fire Alarm Rebid upgrade project.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
FAX is seeking the award of a construction contract to install a new compliant fire alarm system. Replacement of the old fire alarm system will improve accessibility and better protect the safety of the staff and buildings in the facility.
BACKGROUND
The existing fire alarm is not in compliance with the City of Fresno Fire Department codes because the existing pull stations are not ADA compliant, and the fire alarm horns and strobes are not compliant to City codes. Also the existing fire alarm does not alert the Fire Department to the correct building in case of a fire emergency.
The current fire alarm, when triggered, directs the Fire Department to the Fire Alarm Control Panel located in the MSC building A, which is south of the FAX facility. The Fire Department is only able to determine there is a trouble code from this panel and must manually verify what FAX area is experiencing the trouble before being able to respond to the appropriate area.
The new fire alarm system would install addressable fire alarm panels in each of the three primary FAX facility buildings: Maintenance, Administration, and bus wash. These new panels would directly call out to the Fire Department where a trouble code was issued from, allowing them to respond to an issue more immediately. The new system will also include ADA compliant pull stations, horns, and strobe lights for better coverage for reporting an issue and notification to staff of any trouble. These increases in efficiency, coverage, and accessibility are expected to bring increased safety and protection to the FAX staff and facilities.
Bids were solicited for this project on July 1, 2019, and advertised in the Fresno Business Journal. The Notice Inviting Bids was sent to 16 building exchanges and specifications were distributed to four potential bidders. The bid was publicly opened on August 20, 2019. FAX received two bids from responsive and responsible bidders. The price range for the bids was $431,100 to $432,030. FAX staff determined Red Wave Communications, Inc., was the lowest responsive and responsible bidder. The engineer’s estimate for this project is $587,000, which makes the price from Red Wave Communications, Inc., 27 percent lower than this estimate.
The City Attorney has reviewed the contract and approved as to form.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDING
Staff has performed a preliminary environmental assessment of this project and has determined this project to be exempt under Section 15301 of the CEQA Guidelines for Existing Facilities, because the improvements to the existing fire alarm have no expansion of capacity outside the facility boundaries none of the exceptions set forth in CEQA Guidelines Section 15300.2 apply to this project.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Local preference was not applied as federal funding precludes the use of local preference.
FISCAL IMPACT
This project has no fiscal impact to the General Fund. This project will be funded from State of California Proposition 1B PTMISEA Funds. These funds are designated for improvements to safety and security. Based on the conclusions of the attached Price Analysis, Red Wave Communications price of $431,100.00 has been determined to be fair and reasonable.
Attachment:
Bid Evaluation 3679