BOARD AGENDA MEMORANDUM
SUBJECT:
Title
Approve the Agreement with Environmental Science Associates (ESA) for On-Call Planning & Design Services for Water Resources and Stewardship Agreement, CAS File No. 5017, for a not-to-exceed fee of $1,000,000; and approve the Agreement with GEI Consultants for On-Call Planning and Design Services for Water Resources and Stewardship Agreement, CAS File No. 4968, for a not-to-exceed fee of $1,000,000.
End
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
A. Approve the On-Call Planning & Design Services for Water Resources & Stewardship Agreement with Environmental Science Associates (ESA), for a not-to-exceed fee of $1,000,000 for the initial base term of four years, with the option to renew for up to one year, at the sole discretion of the District, for an additional amount of $500,000; and
B. Approve the On-Call Planning & Design Services for Water Resources & Stewardship Agreement with GEI Consultants, Inc. (GEI), for a not-to-exceed fee of $1,000,000 for the initial base term of four years, with the option to renew for up to one year, at the sole discretion of the District, for an additional amount of $500,000.
Body
SUMMARY:
Santa Clara Valley Water District’s (Valley Water) engineering staff routinely provides technical support in the planning of long-range watersheds management and capital projects. The recommended On-Call Planning and Design services agreements are intended to augment services performed by Valley Water staff and provide additional services, as needed.
The objective of these agreements is to support District staff to:
• Develop long-range plans to implement projects that integrate flood protection, water supply and environmental stewardship; and
• Conduct planning studies to provide watershed and site-specific plans for water supply, flood risk reduction, and ecological restoration and/or enhancement plans; and
• Providing services in completion of the planning phase of water supply, flood protection or ecological restoration-oriented projects; and
• Build community support through planning processes for plan and project implementation
These agreements are set up to supplement technical expertise or staffing needed for timely delivery of work products in Valley Water’s annual budget.
Consultant will provide a range of consulting services, as requested on a task-by-task basis by Valley Water, to supplement staff resources for completing a portfolio of water resources and watershed stewardship long-range plans, and planning and conceptual design projects.
Examples of projects that Consultant may be requested to perform include, but are not limited to:
• integrated water resources management plans,
• watershed specific or stream corridor priority plans,
• water supply, flood protection and ecological enhancement and restoration projects, and
• stakeholder outreach in support of various planning processes.
Consultant Background
ESA’s team includes four subconsultants, and GEI’s includes five subconsultants. Therefore, with the approval of both agreements, Valley Water will have access to the varied expertise of nine different project planning expert firms.
Consultant Selection Process
On February 22, 2019, a Request for Proposal (RFP) for On-Call Planning & Design Services for Water Resources and Stewardship was published on Valley Water’s Contract Administration System (CAS). The RFP was sent to firms that are registered in CAS, under expertise code EV11 - Environmental Planning and Management.
Valley Water received proposals from four consultant firms. An Evaluation Committee (EC), consisting of four subject matter experts and one advisor, all from Valley Water, ranked the written proposals. Three of the four respondents were invited to participate in the subsequent oral interviews. Based on the combined (written and oral) rating scores, the EC recommended that staff undertake contract negotiations with ESA and GEI, the two highest ranked firms.
On May 1, 2019, Valley Water staff initiated contract negotiations with ESA and GEI. The final agreements, including scopes of work and hourly rates, have been successfully negotiated with these firms.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The overall potential financial impact of entering into both agreements is $3,000,000. The not-to-exceed amount for each agreement is $1,000,000 for the initial 4-year term, with an option to renew the agreement for an additional year that would increase the not-to-exceed amount by $500,000. On-call services will be charged in accordance with each approved task order to budgeted funds from the appropriate projects.
CEQA:
The recommended action 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 1: Agreement with Environmental Science Associates
Attachment 2: Agreement with GEI Consultants, Inc.
UNCLASSIFIED MANAGER:
Manager
Vincent Gin, 408-630-2633