REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
November 4, 2021
FROM: MICHAEL CARBAJAL, Director
Department of Public Utilities
BY: BROCK D. BUCHE, PE, PLS, Assistant Director
Department of Public Utilities - Utilities Planning & Engineering
SUBJECT
Title
Approve the First Amendment to the Agreement with Aegis Groundwater Consulting, LLC, for quality control and inspection services for the construction of a new production well at Pump Station 208-2, to expand the scope of services to include Pump Station 36A, increase the contract amount by $40,950 for a new total fee of $76,000, and extend the term of the agreement from December 31, 2021 to December 31, 2022 (County and Council District 5)
Body
RECOMMENDATIONS
Staff recommends that City Council approve the First Amendment (Amendment) to the professional consultant services agreement with Aegis Groundwater Consulting, LLC (Aegis), for quality control and inspection services for the construction of a new production well at Pump Station 208-2 (PS 208-2) (Agreement), to expand the scope of services to include Pump Station 36A, increase the contract amount by $40,950, which includes a contingency of $3,800, for a total fee of $76,000, extend the term of the Agreement from December 31, 2021 to December 31, 2022, and authorize the Director of Public Utilities, or designee, to sign the Amendment on behalf of the City of Fresno (City).
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
On December 4, 2020, the City entered into an Agreement with Aegis to provide quality control and inspection services for the construction of a new production well at Pump Station 208-2. These services are required during all phases of well construction to oversee the construction contractor on drilling operations, drilling fluid management, and subsurface geology, along with development and testing of the well. The Amendment has been prepared to expand the scope of services to include Pump Station 36A, increase the contract amount by $40,950, which includes a contingency of $3,800, for a total fee of $76,000, and extend the term of the Agreement from December 31, 2021 to December 31, 2022.
BACKGROUND
DPU maintains a network consisting of more than 260 municipal water supply wells that provides just under 50% of the City’s potable water. The construction of new wells for this network is required to meet increased demands, replace wells that have reached the end of their useful life, or to assist in remediating water quality issues. The construction of new wells requires quality control and inspection services provided by a qualified hydrogeologist to monitor all phases of well construction and advise the construction contractor on drilling operations, drilling fluid management, to review subsurface geology as it relates to the proposed well design, and most importantly, development and testing of the completed well.
In order to obtain quality control and inspection services for the most recent well construction project at PS 208-2, DPU conducted a competitive process in accordance with Fresno Municipal Code Chapter 4, Article 1, and Administrative Order 6-19. On October 30, 2020, the City published a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for hydrogeological consulting services through the City’s Planet Bids website and sent direct email notifications with details of the posting to 22 potential candidates. The RFQ was also published in the Business Journal on October 30, 2020. Two Statement of Qualifications (SOQs) were submitted to DPU for consideration by the deadline of November 17, 2020. A selection committee, consisting of representatives from DPU Utilities Planning and Engineering, evaluated the SOQs and ranked the consultants. Upon completing the evaluation and fee negotiation process, Aegis was selected based on their extensive experience in well construction support services and entered into an Agreement with the City on December 4, 2020 for a total fee of $35,050, and which terminates on December 31, 2021.
The well construction project at PS 208-2 has since been successfully completed. At this time, DPU has procured a contractor to construct a new production well at Pump Station 36A and is in immediate need of a qualified hydrogeologist to provide quality control and inspection services in order to begin construction. The Amendment has been prepared to expand the scope of services to include Pump Station 36A, increase the contract amount by $40,950, which includes a contingency of $3,800, for a total fee of $76,000, and extend the term of the Agreement from December 31, 2021 to December 31, 2022.
A standard Consultant Services Agreement was used for the original agreement, without modification, in accordance with Administrative Order 4-4. The City Attorney’s Office has reviewed and approved as to form this Amendment to the Agreement. Upon approval by City Council, the Amendment will be executed by the Director of Public Utilities, or his designee.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
Pursuant to California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15378(b)(5), this is not a “project” for the purpose of CEQA, as this is an organizational or administrative action of the government to enforce an existing obligation, and will not result in a direct or indirect physical change in the environment.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Local preference does not apply to this action because this is an amendment to an existing consultant services agreement.
FISCAL IMPACT
The Amendment has no financial impact on the General Fund. The Pump Station 36A Project is located in the County near Council District 5. Funds for the consultant services are included in Water Division’s Fiscal Year 2022 Capital Improvement Program budget within the Water Enterprise Fund 40101.
Attachments:
Attachment 1 - First Amendment
Attachment 2 - Consultant Services Agreement