For City Council Meeting [January 9, 2018]
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
APPROVAL: Michael E. Story, City Administrator
FROM: Robert G. Eisenbeisz, P.E., Public Works Director/City Engineer
Title
Request City Council to Authorize a Purchase Order (PO) Increase in the Amount of $544,200 for a cumulative total of $1,018,200 with Lockwood Engineering Company for “On-Call” Civil Engineering Plan Check and Other Related Engineering Services in Fiscal Year 2017-2018.
(ACTION)
Body
BACKGROUND:
On May 14, 2013, the City Council approved a Professional Services Agreement (PSA) with Lockwood Engineering Company “Lockwood”) for “On-Call” Civil Engineering Plan Check and Related Services with an initial purchase order authorization of $200,000. The initial contract term ended June 30, 2016, with the City’s option to extend the contract for two additional one-year terms thus extending the potential expiration date to June 30, 2018.
On January 14, 2014, the City Council approved a purchase order increase to Lockwood Engineering in the amount of $262,000 for anticipated Plan Check services needed through the end of fiscal year 2013/2014.
On May 27, 2014, the City Council approved the issuance of a purchase order in the amount of $600,000 to Lockwood Engineering for “On-Call” Civil Engineering Plan Check and Related Services for fiscal year 2014/2015. Of that $600,000 amount, the City allocated $350,000 for Plan Check Engineering Services related to land development projects; $150,000 for plan check and engineering activities related to various capital projects and the remaining $100,000 for public works staff augmentation and other related activities such as updating engineering standard plans.
Due to an increase in land development projects, on January 13, 2015 the City Council approved an increase to the “On-Call” Civil Engineering Plan Check and Related Services PSA for Lockwood Engineering in the amount of $300,000, increasing the budget for land development plan checking and related services to $650,000 for 2014/2015 fiscal year.
On June 9, 2015, City Council approved the issuance of a purchase order in the amount of $900,000 for “On-Call” Civil Engineering Plan Check and Related Services to Lockwood Engineering for the 2015/2016 fiscal year. Of that $900,000 amount, the City allocated $650,000 for Plan Check Engineering Services related to land development projects; $150,000 for Capital projects and $100,000 for public works staff augmentation and other related engineering activities.
On July 12, 2016, City Council approved the issuance of a purchase order in the amount of $1,311,634 for “On-Call” Civil Engineering Plan Check and Related Services. Of that $1,311,634 amount, the City allocated $700,000 for Plan Check Engineering Services related to land development projects; $150,000 for Capital projects and $100,000 for public works staff augmentation and other related engineering activities in fiscal year 2016/2017. In addition, the City Council approved an added $361,634 to meet the needs for increased land development activities that occurred in fiscal year 2015/2016.
On March 28, 2017, City Council authorized issuance of the purchase order increase for $818,000 for “On-Call” Civil Engineering Plan Check and Related Services to Lockwood Engineering for fiscal year 2016/2017.
On July 25, 2017, City Council authorized an issuance of a purchase order to Lockwood Engineering Company in the total amount of $474,000 for “On-Call” Civil Engineering Plan Check and Engineering Services for the first six months of fiscal year 2017/2018. Of that $474,000 amount, the City allocated $300,000 for Plan Check Engineering Services related to land development projects; $124,000 for Capital projects and $50,000 for public works staff augmentation and other related engineering activities.
Since the inception of the Lockwood On-Call Engineering Services Contract, the City Council has approved a total amount of $4,865,634, which consists of $3,873,634 for development related plan checking activities, $574,000 for Capital Improvement engineering services and $418,000 for staff augmentation. The revenue received to offset plan check services is $4,039,340.32.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION:
For private land development projects, subsequent to the entitlement process, an owner or developer will engage its own engineering consultant to prepare the required improvement plans for private on-site rough grading, precise grading/paving, on-site or off-site storm drainage improvements, street improvements, traffic signal installation and other associated work in the Public right-of-way. The City Engineer has the legal responsibility to review and approve these improvement plans, and to ensure that construction of the on-site and off-site improvements meet City standards, and completed in compliance with the City-approved plans, City standard drawings, and the Greenbook - Standard Specifications for Public Works Construction.
The scope of services provided by Lockwood includes providing civil engineering plan-check services of various development items. This consists of review of improvement plans (including, but not limited to rough grading, precise on-site grading/paving, public street, sewer, water, storm drain, traffic signal, traffic striping/signage, landscape and irrigation, and street lights/lighting plans); subdivision maps (final tract maps, parcel maps, parcel merger, lot line adjustments, right-of-way dedications/right-of-way vacations, and public easements); and professional studies (including, but not limited to hydrology/hydraulic, sewer, traffic, geotechnical, and water quality management plans). Related services may be provided at the discretion of the City, including development services assistance (entitlement review), civil engineering design for capital projects, and miscellaneous administrative support services, as required by the City.
Thirty-Six (36) land development projects, as included in Attachment 1, received plan-checking services by Lockwood Engineering. This list includes one additional project that was recently checked and is now in the construction phase of development. Fourteen (14) land development projects are currently being reviewed by Lockwood, as indicated in Attachment 2. This list includes three (3) new projects that recently started the plan check review process phase of development. A descriptive list of Twenty-Six (26) upcoming land development projects that are currently under review by the Development Review Committee (DRC) will potentially require plan-checking services within the 2017/2018 fiscal year as shown on Attachment 3. This list also includes nine (9) new projects that have been before the Development Review Committee and are expected to commence with plan checking within the 2017/2018 fiscal year.
The contract term with Lockwood has seven (7) months remaining of the last one-year term remaining, which expires June 30, 2018. Staff is satisfied with the “on-call” services provided by Lockwood and recommends the services continue in the last seven (7) months of the final year of the contract terms. An RFP for these services has been released and proposals are under review with the intent of entering new agreements for fiscal year 2018/2019.
The professional staff provided as staff augmentation through the Lockwood On-Call agreement includes Lonny L. Young, P.E., Ted C. Rigoni, P.E., and Gene Klatt, P.E. Gene Klatt continues to provide review of development transportation impact studies and regional drainage studies with the cost of these services included in the fee amount collected from applicants for development related plan checking. Ted Rigoni and Lonny Young provide project management services for capital projects. The estimated cost for project management of the following projects through the remaining six months term is $174,000 and these costs are charged directly to the projects for which the individuals are assigned. A list of some of the projects and engineering activities provided by Lockwood are as shown below.
Capital Project Management Staff Augmentation Services
• Baseline Road Master Plan Storm Drain Project
• Cactus Trail along Flood Control from PE Trail to Baseline Road
• Community Center Fence Project
• Community Center Paint Project
• Community Center Rehab Building 200,300,400 and 500 and ADA Improvements Project
• Fire Station 205 Project
• Frisbie Park Expansion Project
• Joe Sampson Park Project
• Linden Avenue, Renaissance Parkway Water Main Project
• Phase I-Parks Facilities (Concession & Restroom Improvements) Project
• Phase II- Improvements for six City Parks Project
• Rialto Senior Center Parking Lot resurfacing Project
• Riverside Bridge over the UPRR Improvement Project
• Storm Drain Improvements at Renaissance Marketplace
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT:
Engaging design professionals is not a “Project” as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Pursuant to Section 15378(a), a “Project” means the whole of an action, which has a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment. According to Section 15378(b), a Project does not include: (5) Organizational or administrative activities of governments that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment.
GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY:
This action is consistent with Guiding Principle 3A in the General Plan:
Our City government will lead by example, and will operate in an open, transparent, and responsive manner that meets the needs of the citizens and is a good place to do business.
Approval of this action also complies with the following City of Rialto General Plan Goals and Polices:
Goal 3-6: Require that all developed areas within Rialto are adequately served with essential public services and infrastructure.
Goal 4-1: Provide transportation improvements to reduce traffic congestion associated with regional and local trip increases.
Policy 4-1.1: Establish and maintain standards for a variety of street classifications to serve both local and regional traffic, including Major Arterial Highways, Major Arterials, Secondary Arterials, Collector Streets, and Local Streets.
Policy 4-1.20: Design City streets so that signalized intersections operate at Level of Service (LOS) D or better during the morning and evening peak hours, and require new development to mitigate traffic impacts that degrade LOS below that level. The one exception will be Riverside Avenue south of the Metrolink tracks all the way to the City’s southern border, which can operate at LOS E.
Policy 4-1.21: Design City streets so that unsignalized intersections operate with no vehicular movement having an average delay greater than 120 seconds during the morning and evening peak hours, and require new development to mitigate traffic impacts that increase delay above that level.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney has reviewed and approved the staff report.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Implementation of the “on-call” agreement for development plan checking is on a “pass-through” basis, whereby the City collects plan check fees from applicants sufficient to cover the plan check fees paid to Lockwood. Upon receipt of payment from applicants, plan check revenues will be recognized in General Fund Account No. 010-400-7262-7629/7626/7625, which will offset the expenditure for plan check services paid from the General Fund Account No. 010-500-7262-2011.
Funds are budgeted for the Purchase Order with Lockwood for development activities. The Purchase Order will be charged to General Fund Account No. 010-500-7262-2011 in the amount of $370,200; and $174,000 for capital project management activities will be charged to General Fund Account No. 010-500-7265-2011 and to various individual capital project accounts for a total Purchase Order amount of $544,200.
LICENSING:
A Business License application and payment of a Business License tax at the Professional Service rate in the amount of $929 has been paid by the vendor at the execution of the previously approved Purchase Order No. 2018-0682.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council Authorize the Issuance of Increased Purchase Orders with Lockwood Engineering Company in the combined total amount of $544,200 for the remaining seven (7) months of the final year of the current Professional Services Agreement for “On-Call” Civil Engineering Plan Check and Other Related Services.