DATE: 12/03/2025
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Public Works Department
2025-450
REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBJECT:
MAINTENANCE/GENERAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH PIPE TEC, INC. FOR
STORM DRAIN CATCH BASIN MAINTENANCE SERVICES
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks the City Council to approve the Maintenance/General Services Agreement to Pipe Tec, Inc. for city-wide storm drain catch basin maintenance, which will ensure continued compliance with applicable state and local requirements for stormwater management and will support the City’s ongoing efforts to maintain critical stormwater infrastructure and protect public health and safety.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
That the City Council:
a. Award Notice Inviting Bids 25-056AG to Pipe Tec, Inc. to perform city-wide storm drain catch basin maintenance services.
b. Approve the Maintenance/General Service Agreement with Pipe Tec, Inc. of Baldwin Park, CA, to perform storm drain catch basin maintenance services in the amount of $504,000.
c. Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to execute the Maintenance/General Service Agreement with Pipe Tec, Inc., including any non-substantive extensions, change orders, and amendments up to 10% of the original contract amount with Pipe Tec, Inc. as authorized in section 3.08.060(H) of the City of Corona Municipal Code.
d. Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to issue a purchase order with Pipe Tec, Inc. for storm drain catch basin maintenance.
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
The City’s stormwater infrastructure, which includes an extensive network of over 3,500 catch basins and 175 miles of storm drains, plays a critical role in managing urban runoff, protecting water quality, and reducing localized flooding risks. Over time, the City has implemented a series of maintenance programs and capital projects to ensure the continued functionality and regulatory compliance of this infrastructure.
Historically, the City’s storm drain maintenance activities were driven by both routine operational requirements and the need to comply with state and federal mandates, such as the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) and the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit. These regulatory frameworks require municipalities to implement best management practices to minimize the discharge of pollutants, including trash, into surface waters. In recent years, the State Water Resources Control Board and the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board have adopted more stringent “Trash Provisions,” mandating the installation and maintenance of certified full-capture trash devices in storm drain catch basins located in priority land use areas. In 2024, the City of Corona responded by initiating a multi-year program to install approximately 1,200 trash capture devices in catch basins citywide, with phased implementation scheduled through 2030. Currently, the City has installed 235 trash capture devices within priority land use areas and anticipates the remaining 965 to be installed in Fiscal Year 2028 . This program is designed to ensure compliance with the anticipated Tri-County MS4/NPDES Permit and to meet the State’s trash reduction deadlines.
The Public Works Department has developed and refined its maintenance protocols to address both the increasing number of catch basins equipped with trash capture devices and the ongoing need to maintain older infrastructure. Maintenance activities will include scheduled inspection and cleaning of catch basins, removal and lawful disposal of debris, and documentation of maintenance actions in the City’s work order management system.
The City has also established performance standards for contractors, including requirements for timely response, safety compliance, and detailed reporting.
In summary, the City of Corona’s storm drain catch basin maintenance program reflects a comprehensive and adaptive strategy that integrates regulatory compliance, operational efficiency, community stewardship, and addresses the Strategic Plan goals for Sound Infrastructure and Safe Community. The award of the maintenance services contract to Pipe Tec, Inc. represents the latest step in the City’s ongoing commitment to maintaining critical stormwater infrastructure and meeting evolving legal and environmental standards.
ANALYSIS:
The Purchasing Division issued Notice Inviting Bids (NIB) No. 25-056AG on May 16, 2025, in accordance with Corona Municipal Code (CMC) Section 3.08.110, which governs formal bidding procedures for maintenance and general service contracts. The NIB was advertised in the Sentinel Weekly on May 23, 2025, and posted on the City’s PlanetBids Vendor Portal. The bid period closed on June 17, 2025, at 10:00 a.m.
A total of five bids were received by the submission deadline. Each bid was reviewed for compliance with licensing requirements, prevailing wage laws, and the City’s insurance and bonding standards. Staff recommends that the contract be awarded to the lowest responsive, responsible bidder, as required by the NIB and CMC Section 3.08.110.
The following table summarizes the bids received:
Vendor Work
Description
Quantity Unit Price Total
Pipe Tec, Inc.
Inspect and
clean each catch
basin (including
mobilization and
traffic control)
1,200 catch
basins
cleaned
quarterly
$105.00 each $504,000
Estate
Design and
Construction,
Inc.
1,200 catch
basins
cleaned
quarterly
$136.00 each $652,800
United Storm
Water, Inc.
1,200 catch
basins
cleaned
quarterly
$158.00 each $758,400
Storm Water
Innovative
Solutions
1,200 catch
basins
cleaned
quarterly
$213.50 each $1,024,800
Downstream
Services, Inc.
1,200 catch
basins
cleaned
quarterly
$435.00 each $2,088,000
Pipe Tec, Inc. is recommended for contract award based on its submission of the lowest responsive, responsible bid, demonstrated experience in storm drain maintenance, and full compliance with all bid requirements. The company’s bid met all technical, safety, and reporting standards. Based on the competitive procurement process, legal compliance, and alignment with City plans and objectives, staff recommend that the City Council approve the Maintenance/General Service Agreement in the Amount of $504,000 to Pipe Tec, Inc. for Citywide Storm Drain Catch Basin Maintenance.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Funding for the recommended actions is available in the Fiscal Year 2026 Streets, Drainage, and Sidewalk Maintenance Budget within the NPDES Fund 245. A total of $85,000 was allocated through the annual budget process to support maintenance of the 220 devices currently installed.
Future appropriations are anticipated at approximately $209,500 for Fiscal Years 2027 and 2028. These amounts will be recommended through the City’s annual budget process, ensuring that funding levels are reviewed and approved each year in alignment with service needs and available resources.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
This action is categorically exempt pursuant to Section 15302 (c) of the Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Action (CEQA), which states that “operation, repair, maintenance, permitting, leasing, licensing, or minor alteration of existing public or private structures, facilities, mechanical equipment, or topographical features, involving negligible or no expansion of use beyond that existing at the time of the CEQA determination” and is therefore exempt from CEQA. This action involves the study of existing infrastructure to maintain public health and safety. Therefore, it is exempt from the requirements of CEQA, and no environmental analysis is required.
PREPARED BY: EUGENE SILVAS, STREET MAINTENANCE MANAGER
REVIEWED BY: SAVAT KHAMPHOU, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Exhibit 1 - Maintenance/General Service Agreement