Cathedral City Page 1 of 5 Printed on 7/14/2022
Staff Report
City Council
Item No. 4.F
Meeting Date: June 22, 2022
From: John Corella, Director of Engineering/Public Works Title: Contracts for Triennial On-Call Services for Surveying, Traffic Engineering, and Material Testing Services
City Council
RECOMMENDATION:
Award triennial on-call and/or as needed service contracts to: Albert A. Webb Associates and GIS Surveyors, Inc. for Professional Land Surveying and Mapping Services; award Albert A. Webb Associates, Advantec Consulting Engineers, Inc. and STC Traffic, Inc. for On-Call Traffic Engineering Services; and award Landmark Consultants and Inland Foundation Engineering, Inc. for Material Testing Services and Professional Geotechnical Recommendations; and Authorize the Director of Engineering/ Public Works to negotiate to reduce the final labor, equipment, and additional work rates; and Authorize the City Manager to execute all required contracts.
BACKGROUND:
The City of Cathedral City has found it both efficient and cost effective to bid out for on- call and/or as needed services that provide a specialized service, rather than having full time personnel on staff that are specialized in that particular skill set. Land surveyors, traffic engineers, and material testing professional services are regularly called upon to assist the City's Engineering and Public Works Departments.
As-Needed Professional Land Surveying and Mapping Services As-Needed Professional Land Surveying and Mapping Services have been contracted out the last eight (8) years. Land survey equipment is expensive to purchase and highly specialized as is the training necessary to maintain and use the equipment effectively.
Having outside service providers with their trained personnel and specialized equipment has proven to be a cost-effective alternative to providing this service in house.
For the past two (2) years, Fomotor Engineering Inc., MSA Consulting, Inc., and NV5, Inc. have been contracted to provide the City with these services.
As-Needed Professional Traffic Engineering Services
Cathedral City Page 2 of 5 Printed on 7/14/2022
As-Needed Professional Traffic engineering services have also been contracted out for the past eight (8) years. Traffic engineering services are necessary to support and review a variety of applications for development projects, provide resources for the design of the City’s Capital Infrastructure Projects and conduct City wide traffic speed surveys, reports and evaluations. Due to the highly technical nature of these services and the limited supply of qualified traffic engineers the City has found it cost-effective and historically contracted for Professional As-Needed Traffic Engineering Services.
For the past two (2) years Advantec Consulting Engineers, Inc. and Webb Associates have provided the City with these services.
As-Needed Materials Testing and Professional Geotechnical Services As-Needed Material Testing and Professional Geotechnical Services have also been contracted out for the past eight (8) years. These services are necessary to support public right of way construction projects. The material testing equipment required for these services is highly specialized as is the training necessary to maintain and use the equipment. Having outside service providers with their trained personnel and specialized equipment has proven to be a cost-effective alternative to performing the services in house.
For the past two (2) years Petra Geosciences, Inc., Leighton Consulting, Inc., and Geocon West, Inc. have provided the City these services.
It has been approximately two years since a request for proposals for Surveying and Mapping Services, Traffic Engineering Services and Materials Testing Services and Professional Geotechnical Services were solicited. The current contracts for Surveying and Mapping Services and Traffic Engineering Services will conclude on June 30, 2022, and Materials Testing Services and Professional Geotechnical Services will conclude on July 21, 2022.
DISCUSSION:
To prepare for the next on-call contract cycle for these services, City Engineering Staff solicited separate Request for Proposals (RFP) for Surveying and Mapping Services, Traffic Engineering Services, and Materials Testing Services and Professional Geotechnical Services. The RFP was circulated for triennial services (every three (3) years), with the option for two (2) one-year extensions for a potential contract term of five (5) years.
The RFPs for Services were advertised in the Desert Sun on May 5, 2022, and May 12, 2022. It was also posted at City Hall and on the City Website. Firms were asked to provide cost proposals that included hourly rates and/or unit costs for various services in a separate, sealed envelope. The deadline to submit a proposal was May 26, 2022, at 2:00 PM.
The Proposals were reviewed by a panel consisting of City Staff on June 01, 2022. Based on these reviews, the panel selected the firms deemed to be the most responsive, qualified, and knowledgeable about the requirements for the various services, as well Cathedral City Page 3 of 5 Printed on 7/14/2022
as knowledgeable of Cathedral City and its projects. All selections of service providers were made to ensure City Staff had flexibility and options to assure timely performance for any of the typical and/or extraordinary tasks, that may be ordered. The selected firms will work closely with the Engineering Department and/or Public Works to perform the services required for ordered tasks.
As-Needed Professional Land Surveying and Mapping Services Proposals were received from four firms:
•TKE Engineering, Inc.– Riverside, CA
•GSI Surveyors, Inc. – Yorba Linda, CA
•Albert A. Webb Associates – Riverside, CA
•David Evans and Associates – Ontario, CA
After Staff evaluated the proposals the top three highest ranked consulting firms were:
•Albert A. Webb Associates – Riverside, CA
•GSI Surveyors, Inc. – Yorba Linda, CA
•David Evans and Associates – Ontario, CA
The cost proposal from David Evans and Associates is approximately 25% higher than the City’s current As-Needed Professional Land Surveying and Mapping Services. David Evans and Associates expressed that their rates are non-negotiable. Although qualified, Staff has excluded them from further contract cost negotiations and is not recommending their proposal for further consideration. In comparing the 2020 hourly rates to the 2022 hourly rates there is an approximately 9% - 15% increase for both Albert A. Webb Associates and GSI Surveyors. These price increases are in line with current inflation and what Staff is seeing for the cost of these services overall.
Therefore, Staff recommends approval of the attached Design Professional Services Agreements with Albert A. Webb Associates and GSI Surveyors, Inc. to provide As- Needed Professional Land Surveying and Mapping Services.
As-Needed Professional Traffic Engineering Services
Proposals were received from the following:
•Advantec Consulting Engineers, Inc. – Palm Desert, CA
•Albert A. Webb Associates – Riverside, CA
•KOA Corporation – La Quinta, CA
•STC Traffic, Inc. – Carlsbad, CA
•Kimley Horn – Indian Wells, CA
•Michael Baker – Palm Desert, CA
After Staff evaluated the proposals the top three highest ranked consulting firms were:
•Albert A. Webb Associates – Riverside, CA
Cathedral City Page 4 of 5 Printed on 7/14/2022
•Advantec Consulting Engineers, Inc. – Palm Desert, CA
•STC Traffic, Inc. – Carlsbad, CA
All three firms have experience working with City Staff on Capital Infrastructure Projects.
Webb Associates and Advantec Consulting Engineers have served as the previous As- Needed Professional Traffic Engineering Services for the RFP issued in 2020. In comparing the 2020 hourly rates to the 2022 hourly rates there is an approximately 5% - 10% increase for both firms. STC Traffic, Inc 2022 hourly rates are also within range of Webb Associates and Advantec. These price increases are in line with current inflation and what Staff is seeing for the cost of these services overall.
Therefore, Staff recommends approval of the attached Design Professional Services Agreement with Albert A. Webb Associates, Advantec Consulting Engineers, Inc., and STC Traffic, Inc. to provide As-Needed Professional Traffic Engineering Services.
As-Needed Materials Testing and Professional Geotechnical Services Proposals were received from the following:
•Fenagh Engineering – Rancho Cucamonga, CA
•MTGL, Inc. – Riverside CA
•Landmark Consultants – Palm Desert, CA
•Inland Foundation Engineering, Inc. – Palm Desert, CA
•Aragon Geotechnical, Inc. – Riverside, CA
•Earth Systems, Bermuda Dunes, CA
After Staff evaluated the proposals the top three highest ranked consulting firms were:
•Landmark Consultants – Palm Desert, CA
•Inland Foundation Engineering, Inc. – Palm Desert, CA
•Earth Systems – Bermuda Dunes, CA*
*Earth Systems did not submit the correct cost proposal which disqualifies them from being selected.
In comparing the 2020 hourly rates to the 2022 hourly rates there is an approximately 20% to 26 % increase for Landmark Consultants. Staff negotiated the hourly rates with Landmark Consultants which reduced cost to an 8% to 20% increase. These price increases are in line with current inflation and what Staff is seeing for the cost of these services overall. Inland Foundation Engineering, Inc. hourly rates are lower when compared to the current contracted As-Needed Materials Testing and Professional Geotechnical Services.
Therefore, Staff recommends approval of the attached Material Testing and Professional Geotechnical Services Agreement with Landmark Consultants and Inland Foundation Engineering to provide As-Needed Materials Testing and Professional Geotechnical Services.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Cathedral City Page 5 of 5 Printed on 7/14/2022
These specific consulting services are currently budgeted and included in the City’s FY 2022/23 Budget plan for Engineering Professional and Technical Services Fund 100- 8601. Using the hourly rates and unit prices from the agreements, City Staff will negotiate Task Orders for each type of service required for a project. Some Task Orders will be grant eligible, others will be funded by local share moneys and others within the particular project costs. Total costs and funding sources for Task Orders prepared under the on-call and/or as needed contracts will be identified as each Task Order is issued.
Council approval, if needed, will be obtained prior to issuance of a Notice to Proceed, if the item exceeds a City Department's respective purchasing guideline requirements.
ATTACHMENTS:
Design Professional Agreement - Webb Associates - Survey Design Professional Agreement - GIS Surveyors, Inc.
Design Professional Agreement - Webb Associates - Traffic Design Professional Agreement - STC Traffic, Inc.
Design Professional Agreement - Advantec Consulting Engineers, Inc Design Professional Agreement - Landmark Consultants
Design Professional Agreement - Inland Foundation Engineering