ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
MEETING DATE: August 26, 2026 AGENDA CATEGORY: Consent - Agreements TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Daniel Maldonado, Assistant Water Director
DATE: August 11, 2026
SUBJECT: Amendment No. 1 to Agreement No. 2025-090 with Unified Field Services. (to increase the compensation by $1,500,000; revised not to exceed $5,000,000) to provide on-call construction services for the Water Department.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommend approval of the amendment.
BACKGROUND:
The Water Department (Department) is responsible for the City’s Municipal Water system and the Kern River System. Periodically, the Department requires construction services, either planned or under emergency conditions, to maintain and improve these systems. Typical services include installation, repair, modification, and/or replacement of water system infrastructure. Such infrastructure may include potable waterlines and appurtenances, river structures, and canal structures.
On June 11, 2025, the Department entered into an on -call construction agreement with Unified Field Services (Unified) with a not to exceed amount of $3,500,000. Unified was selected through a formal Request for Qualifications (RFQ) process. Since the execution of this contract, Unified has played a critical role in repairing broken water service lines in line with the Cit y’s service line replacement program . To date, the Department has expended approximately $2.7 million dollars with Unified to repair and/or replace 181 water service lines in need of permanent rehabilitation . In addition, Unified has also been used to make on-going repairs and improvements at City owned water stations on an as-needed basis.
Due to the continued need for water service line replacements and station repairs and improvements, staff recommend increasing compensation by $1,500,000, for a revised total contract amount not to exceed $5,000,000. The Department has allocated $2,000,000 in FY 2025 -26 for Service Line Replacements in the Municipal Operating Budget and plans to allocate an additional $3,000,000 in FY 2026-27 in accordance with the 2025-2029 five-year rate study.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Sufficient funds are available in the Water Department’s FY 2026 -27 Operating Budget and in alignment with the Municipal Rate Study; therefore, there is no General Fund impact associated with this agreement.
COUNCIL GOAL:
Reliable Infrastructure
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Amendment No. 1 to Agreement 2025-090 with Unified Field Services
2. Exhibit A