BOARD AGENDA MEMORANDUM
Government Code § 84308 Applies: Yes ☒ No ☐
(If “YES” Complete Attachment A - Gov. Code § 84308)
SUBJECT: Title
Approve the Agreements with Two Consultant Firms: Stillwater Ecosystem, Watershed & Riverine Sciences, DBA Stillwater Sciences, Agreement No. A5566A; and TRIPLE HS, INC. DBA H. T. Harvey & Associates, Agreement No. A5567A, to Provide On-Call Biological Services, PlanetBids File No.VW0597, for a Shared Aggregate Total Not-To-Exceed fee of $3,000,000.
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RECOMMENDATION: Recommendation
A. Approve the Agreement No. A5566A, with Stillwater Ecosystem, Watershed & Riverine Sciences, DBA Stillwater Sciences, for On-Call Biological Services for a Shared Aggregate Total Not-to-Exceed fee of $3,000,000; and
B. Approve the Agreement No. A5567A, with TRIPLE HS, INC. DBA H. T. Harvey & Associates, for On-Call Biological Services for a Shared Aggregate Total Not-to-Exceed fee of $3,000,000.
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SUMMARY:
The objective of these consultant services is to support Valley Water’s project-related and operational needs by providing general and specialized biological services in accordance with the standard of care exercised by professionals in the biological sciences. These services include work in the areas of botany, wetlands, fisheries, wildlife, restoration ecology, land and natural resources management, and other Biological support disciplines as required to meet project and regulatory needs. Consultant services will be provided on an “as-needed basis” to assist Valley Water in accomplishing its tasks in a timely manner.
Requests for biological services may occur at any time and may require deployment of one or more biologists, potentially representing multiple specialties, depending on project needs. The Proposer’s key personnel shall comply with the minimum qualifications, experience requirements, and technical expertise identified in this solicitation. All contracted Consultants shall implement best management practices and perform their assigned tasks in accordance with Valley Water’s Procedures and Work Instructions, as well as all applicable local, state, and federal laws.
Consultant Selection Process:
Prior to publishing the RFP, staff conducted outreach to 191 firms registered under the relevant National Institute of Governmental Purchasing (NIGP) Category Codes within Valley Water’s Procurement Portal, PlanetBids (PB). The targeted category codes for this solicitation included: 92640 - Ecological Services; 92652 - Environmental Impact Studies; 92670 - Environmental Permitting Services; 92672 - Environmental Planning and Advisory Services; 92600 - Environmental and Ecological Services; 92696 - Wetland Delineations (including assessments); and 95897 - Wildlife and Fish Management Services (including endangered species and wildlife census work). Staff also issued advertisements in the San Jose Post and SBEINC.com prior to publishing the RFP.
On August 4, 2025, staff published a Request for Proposals (RFP) for On-Call Biological Services.
On September 9, 2025, a total of six (6) proposals were received from the following consultant firms: Applied Technology & Science; Environmental Science Associates; H. T. Harvey & Associates; Integral Consulting Inc.; LSA Associates, Inc.; and Stillwater Sciences. Of the 194 firms notified of the solicitation through PlanetBids, these six firms submitted proposals for consideration. No pre-proposal meeting was held for this RFP.
An Evaluation Committee (EC), consisting of four Valley Water staff with subject matter expertise, evaluated and ranked the written proposals. Based on the initial technical evaluation, the EC invited three firms-Stillwater Sciences, H. T. Harvey & Associates, and Environmental Science Associates-to participate in interviews. Integral Consulting Inc., Applied Technology & Science, and LSA Associates Inc., were not selected for interviews and remained lower-ranked based on their written proposal scores.
Following completion of the interview process, the EC determined that Stillwater Sciences and H. T. Harvey & Associates demonstrated the strongest overall qualifications, technical approach, and understanding of the Scope of Services. The evaluation results reflected the following final rankings:
• Stillwater Sciences achieved the highest overall score and final ranking.
• H. T. Harvey & Associates ranked second.
• Environmental Science Associates ranked third.
The Evaluation Committee recommended proceeding into contract negotiations with Stillwater Sciences and H. T. Harvey & Associates.
Negotiations with Stillwater Sciences and H. T. Harvey & Associates have been completed successfully.
Staff recommends Board approval of the Standard On-Call Consultant Agreements with Stillwater Sciences and H. T. Harvey & Associates to provide On-Call Biological Services for a shared aggregate total not-to-exceed amount of $3,000,000. These agreements will enable Valley Water to access specialized biological expertise on an as-needed basis to support regulatory compliance, environmental stewardship, and implementation of Valley Water projects.
Consultant Agreements and Scope of Services:
Task orders for biological services will be issued on a competitive basis among the selected Consultants when no conflicts of interest are present. There is no guarantee of any minimum amount of work or compensation under these Agreements. However, the maximum aggregate compensation that Valley Water will authorize to be expended for the awarded Agreements is a shared aggregate total not-to-exceed fee of $3,000,000. The Aggregate Total Not-To-Exceed Fee of $3,000,000 shall apply to each on-call biological services agreement awarded and shall constitute the total not-to-exceed amount to be shared among all on-call agreements issued for biological services.
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IMPACT:
There are no Environmental Justice impacts associated with this item.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The shared aggregate total not-to-exceed fee for these Agreements is $3,000,000 to be shared with two (2) consultant firms: Stillwater Ecosystem, Watershed & Riverine Sciences, DBA Stillwater Sciences and TRIPLE HS, INC. DBA H. T. Harvey & Associates. The term for the agreement is for three years with the option of two-one (1) year term extensions. No funds will be encumbered at this time. On-Call services will be charged in accordance with each approved task order to budgeted funds from the respective projects that utilize the on-call agreement(s).
CEQA:
The recommended action to approve the Agreement does not constitute a project under
the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because it does not have the potential
to result in direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment A: Gov. Code § 84308, Stillwater
Attachment B: Gov. Code § 84308, H. T. Harvey
Attachment 1: Agreement, Stillwater
Attachment 2: Agreement, H. T. Harvey
UNCLASSIFIED MANAGER: Manager
John Bourgeois, 408-630-2990