Staff Report
City Council
Item No. {{section.number}}.{{item.number}}
Meeting Date: February 26, 2025
From: John A. Corella, Director of Public Works
Title: Reject Bids for the HSIP Cycle 9A Traffic Signal Improvements at Twelve Intersections Project (C08752)
RECOMMENDATION:
To reject all bids received for the construction of the Highway Safety Improvements Program (HSIP) Cycle 9A Traffic Signal Improvements at Twelve Intersections Project (C08752); and direct staff to readvertise for construction bids to ensure compliance with fair and competitive bidding practices.
BACKGROUND:
In December 2018, Cathedral City was awarded a $1,302,500 HSIP Cycle 9 grant to install advanced dilemma zone detection equipment, left turn phases, and pedestrian countdown heads at signalized intersections.
The City of Cathedral City entered into an agreement for design professional services for traffic signal upgrades at ten (10) intersections, Federal Project Number HSIPL-5430(034) and City CIP Project No. 8752, with Advantec Consulting Engineers, Inc. (design consultant) on June 24, 2020. The list of the ten (10) intersections included:
1. Ramon Road and Whispering Palms Trail
2. Ramon Road and Cathedral Canyon Drive
3. Vista Chino and Avenue Quintana
4. Gerald Ford Drive and Plumley Road
5. East Palm Canyon Drive and El Dorado
6. Ramon Road and Desert Vista Road
7. Ramon Road and Da Vall Drive
8. Date Palm Drive and Via Olivera
9. Dinah Shore Drive and Plumley Road
10. Landau Boulevard and 30th Avenue
In February 2022, the City Council approved Amendment No. 1 to the agreement with the design consultant for two (2) additional intersections to the project because of the overlapping scope of work with the Coachella Valley Association of Governments’ (CVAG’s) Regional Traffic Signal Synchronization Project (CV Sync). The additional intersections included:
11. Date Palm Drive and Gerald Ford Drive
12. Dinah Shore Drive and Cathedral Canyon Drive
In January 2024, the City Council approved Amendment No. 2 to the agreement with the design consultant to accommodate the bidding and construction phase of the Project.
Additionally, California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) approved the city’s request for allocation (RFA) of HSIP construction (CON).
In March 2024, the City Council awarded a professional services agreement to Z&K Consultants, Inc. (construction engineering Consultant) for construction engineering support services for the project.
On Sunday, July 7, 2024, the city advertised an invitation to bid, requesting qualified contractors to perform the scope of work described in Bid No. B24-58E, which includes the plans and specifications for these projects. This solicitation was made available to contractors for twenty-three (23) calendar days and advertised in the Desert Sun, PlanIt Print Works and the City’s website.
On July 30, 2024, the city received three bid proposals for the project. Due to inflation and the increase in construction costs since 2018, the lowest bidder’s bid price was higher than the HSIP funds awarded for the construction of the project.
City staff worked with NAI Consulting (state/federal project support on-call consultant) and Albert A. Webb and Associates (traffic engineering on-call consultant) to submit a cost and scope change request to CalTrans, which was approved on November 19, 2024.
On October 23, 2024, the City Council rejected all bids received on July 30, 2024, and directed staff to make the necessary revisions to the project specifications and to readvertise for construction bids.
DISCUSSION:
City staff readvertised the invitation to bid on Tuesday, January 14, 2025. This solicitation was made available to contractors for twenty-three (23) calendar days and advertised in the following locations:
Desert Sun - Published on January 14, 2025,
PlanIt Print Works - From January 14, 2025, until February 6, 2025 City’s Website - From January 14, 2025, until February 6, 2025 On February 6, 2025, the City received five (5) bid proposals for this project.
During the review of the bids received, city staff discovered that the DBX Inc. bid proposal (DBX) was received minutes prior to the opening of B24-79E for the FY 2024-2025 Dream Homes Neighborhood Area (C08693) and East Palm Canyon Drive Rehabilitation Projects (C08694) and was mistakenly opened and read aloud prior to the bid opening for which it was submitted.
It was determined that the bid solicitation process for Bid No. B24-58E was compromised and rejecting all bids ensures compliance with fair bidding practices.
According to the California Public Contract Code (PCC) Section 20166 and the project specifications Section 1110 Instruction to Bidders Subsection 24.0 Rejection of Bids, staff recommend all the bids be rejected by the City Council to allow fairness and transparency of the bid solicitation process.
Staff recommend the City Council reject all bids received for the construction of the HSIP Cycle 9A Traffic Signal Improvements at Twelve Intersections Project (C08752); and direct staff to readvertise for construction bids to ensure compliance with fair and competitive bidding practices.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This recommended action will not have a fiscal impact.
FIVE-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN:
GOAL B: COMMUNITY INVESTMENTS
OBJECTIVE: Cathedral City roads, gateways, public spaces, and other infrastructure are well planned, designed, constructed and maintained.
ATTACHMENTS:
None