DATE: 08/20/2025
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Public Works Department
2025-330
REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBJECT:
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH MICHAEL BAKER
INTERNATIONAL, INC., FOR DESIGN, PREPARATION, AND CONSTRUCTION SUPPORT SERVICES FOR THE DOWNTOWN DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS – PHASE I PROJECT, NO.’S ST- 2023-01, 2024-01, and 2024-02; REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks the City Council to approve the Professional Services Agreement with Michael Baker International, Inc., in the amount of $764,160 for the design, preparation, and construction support services for the Downtown Drainage Improvements – Phase I Project. The project generally consists of approximately 5,100 linear feet of 36- inch reinforced concrete pipe (RCP) and is made up of three separate storm drain lines in the same general vicinity. The general limits of Phase I occur along East Grand Blvd. from 7th St. to 3rd St., along South Joy St. from 7th St. to 2nd St., and along South Victoria Ave. from 7th St. to 2nd St. The project will mitigate drainage in the downtown area by minimizing street flooding and continue to expand and complete sections of the storm drain master plan. Funding for the project has been granted from the Riverside County Flood Control & Water Conservation District (RCFC&WCD).
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
That the City Council:
a. Award Request for Proposal No. 25-062AT to Michael Baker International, Inc., for design, preparation, and construction support services for the Downtown Drainage Improvements – Phase I Project, No.’s ST- 2023-01, 2024-01, and 2024-02. b. Approve the Professional Services Agreement with Michael Baker International, Inc. for the Downtown Drainage Improvements – Phase I Project, No.’s ST- 2023- 01, 2024-01, and 2024-02 in the amount of $764,160, and waive any minor irregularities in the proposal.
c. Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to execute the Professional Services Agreement with Michael Baker International, Inc. in the amount of $764,160, including any non-substantive extensions, change orders, purchase orders, and amendments up to the amount authorized in Corona Municipal Code Section
3.08.070(I), which is equivalent to $76,416 or 10%.
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
On October 2022, the City Council approved an Amended and Restated Cooperative Agreement with the RCFC&WCD to fund the East Grand Boulevard Storm Drain, (Agreement No. 2-6-10032) in the amount of $1,880,000. This segment will connect to the City’s storm drain system known as Line 52, which was completed in June 2019 and conveys stormwater along a portion of Grand Boulevard to Joy Street, delivering stormwater to the Temescal Creek Channel, which connects to the Santa Ana River and the Prado Reservoir.
On May 15, 2024, the City Council approved Cooperative Agreements with the RCFC&WCD to fund the South Joy Street Storm Drain (Agreement No. 2-0-10046) and the South Victoria Avenue Storm Drain (Agreement No. 2-0-10046). During typical rainy days, water collects and flows along the curb lines, which are routinely topped over, and intersections are flooded. These segments will install catch basins and underground piping to mitigate these flood-prone areas.
Project start dates for these projects were delayed due to other City priorities and low staffing resources at the time. These projects have since been reprioritized, and after consideration and discussion with the RCFC&WCD, the design and construction of all three storm drain line projects will move forward as one project that will leverage the geographic proximity of the proposed storm drain systems (see Exhibit 1) while optimizing funding utilization and streamlining the administrative processes. The combined project was renamed the Downtown Drainage Improvements – Phase I Project.
ANALYSIS:
Request for Proposals (RFP) 25-062AT for design engineering services for the Downtown Drainage Improvements—Phase I Project was advertised on April 28, 2025, pursuant to CMC Section 3.08.110 Non-Public Projects formal bidding procedure and posted on the City’s bidding portal, PlanetBids. A total of 700 PlanetBids Network vendors and 717 City of Corona vendors were notified. On May 29, 2025, ten (10) proposals were received through the PlanetBids bidding service.
The following is a summary of the proposal evaluation results:
Firm Location Evaluation
Ranking
Michael Baker International, Inc. Temecula, CA 1
CWE Fullerton, CA 2
Albert A. Webb Associates Riverside, CA 3
Psomas Riverside, CA 3
WestLAND Group, Inc. Rancho Cucamonga, CA 5
Engineering Resources of Southern
California, Inc.
Redlands, CA 6
Proactive Engineering Consultants Corona, CA 6
Onward Engineering Anaheim, CA 8
Cvaldo Corporation La Jolla, CA 9
J. Smith & T. Muli, Inc. Mission Viejo, CA 10
Based on the proposal evaluation analysis, which scores the consultant on categories such as qualifications, competency, and project understanding, Michael Baker International, Inc.’s team has the required skills, experience, and staffing to execute the scope of work for this project.
The anticipated schedule for this project is as follows:
Design: September 2025 - Summer 2026
Construction: End of 2026 - Winter 2027
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Funding for the design engineering services is available in the Public Works Grants/Agreements Fund 243 through three separate Capital Improvement Projects: East Grand Boulevard Storm Drain Construction Project No. ST-2023-01, South Joy Street Storm Drain Construction Project No. ST-2024-01, and South Victoria Avenue Storm Drain Construction Project No. ST-2024-02.
The design and engineering services cost is outlined as follows:
Consultant…………………………………………………………………………………….…
……... $764,160
Contingency………………………………………………………………….............................. .. $76,416
Total
Costs……………………………………………………………………….…………………….$
840,576
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
These actions are exempt from the California Environmental Quality Action (CEQA), as the actions are not a “project” as defined by CEQA (PRC Section 21065 and CEQA Guidelines Section 15378), guidelines which define a “project” as the whole of an action, which has a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or reasonable foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment, and that is an activity directly undertaking by any public agency including public works construction and related activities. These actions involve the approval of a professional services agreement. Therefore, no environmental analysis is required at this time. After approval of the recommended actions herein, staff will proceed with the design and environmental document phase of this project. Any applicable documentation will be prepared and filed at that time.
PREPARED BY: FREDY CASTILLO, SENIOR ENGINEER
REVIEWED BY: SAVAT KHAMPHOU, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Exhibit 1 – Location Map
2. Exhibit 2 – Professional Services Agreement