DATE: 01/21/2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Public Works Department
2026-25
REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBJECT:
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH MICHAEL BAKER INTERNATIONAL
FOR DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION SUPPORT SERVICES FOR THE CORONA MASTER DRAINAGE PLAN (MDP) LINE 5, ALONG RAILROAD STREET BETWEEN
SHERMAN AVENUE AND JENKS DRIVE, CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks the City Council to approve the Professional Services Agreement with Michael Baker International, in the amount of $389,929 for the design and construction support services for the Corona MDP Line 5, Capital Improvement Project No. ST-2025-03. Completion of the project will minimize street flooding from Sherman Avenue by expanding the storm drain by extending the line westward along Railroad Street and connecting to an existing drain line at Jenks Drive.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
That the City Council:
a. Award Request for Proposal No. 25-075AT to Michael Baker International, for design and construction support services for the Corona MDP Line 5, Capital Improvement Project No. ST-2025-03.
b. Approve the Professional Services Agreement with Michael Baker International, for design and construction support services for the Corona MDP Line 5, Capital Improvement Project No. ST-2025-03 in the amount of $389,929, and waive any minor irregularities in the proposal.
c. Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to execute a Professional Services Agreement with Michael Baker International in the amount of $389,929, including any non-substantive extensions, change orders, purchase orders, and amendments up to 10% or $38,993.
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
Prior to 2020, the City of Corona (City) was awarded funding from the Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District (District) for the Master Drainage Plan (MDP) Line 5 project. The project was reprioritized, and staff identified the need for additional funding to address increased labor and material costs. In October 2023, the City requested additional funding for Fiscal Year 2024–25, which the District approved through a Funding/Cooperative Agreement (Agreement No. 2-0-00280). That request was later approved by City Council on October 2, 2024, to fully fund the design and construction of the project. Based on the recently completed Storm Drain Master Plan, the City proposed refinements to the project scope to better align with updated drainage analysis, which were reviewed and approved by the District.
The project includes the design of approximately 2,600 linear feet of underground storm drain improvements to collect runoff from Sherman Avenue, along Railroad Street, and extend westerly to Jenks Drive, where it will connect to an existing City-owned storm drain system. The improvements will enhance flood protection for businesses along Sherman Avenue and Railroad Street, including installing new storm drain pipelines and the upsizing of existing facilities in accordance with the Storm Drain Master Plan. Operation and maintenance responsibilities will be shared between the City and the District based on the respective sizing and ownership of the storm drain facilities.
ANALYSIS:
Request for Proposals (RFP) 25-075AT for design engineering services for the Corona MDP Line 5 Project was advertised on July 21, 2025, pursuant to Corona Municipal Code Section 3.08.110 Non-Public Projects formal bidding procedure, which included posting the RFP on the City’s bidding portal, PlanetBids. A total of 733 PlanetBids Network vendors and 700 City of Corona vendors were notified. On August 25, 2025, seven (7) qualified proposals were received. The following is a summary of the top three proposal evaluation results:
Firm Location Evaluation Ranking
Michael Baker International, Inc. Temecula, CA 1
Albert A. Webb Associates Riverside, CA 2
EXP US Services, Inc. Riverside, CA 3
J Smith & T. Muli Inc. Mission Viejo, CA 4
Proactive Engineering Consultants,
Inc.
Corona, CA 5
WestLAND Group, Inc. Rancho
Cucamonga, CA
6 TKE Engineering, Inc. Riverside, CA 7
Based on the proposal evaluation analysis, which scores the consultant on categories such as qualifications, competency, and project understanding, Michael Baker International’s team has the required skills, experience, and staffing to execute the project's scope of work. With the Council’s approval, the design is anticipated to be completed by winter 2026, and construction to begin in Spring 2027, lasting approximately one year.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Funding for the recommended actions is available in the Corona MDP Line 5, Capital Improvement Project No. ST-2025-03 within the Public Works Grants/Agreements Fund 243. The Riverside County Flood Control & Water Conservation District has granted funding for the project.
The design and engineering services cost is outlined as follows:
Consultant
……………………………………………………………………………………………….
$389,929
Contingency (10%)
….……………………………………………………….............................. $38,993 Total Costs
………………………………………………………………….…….………………… $428,922
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
These actions are categorically 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 currently. After approval of the recommended actions herein, staff will proceed with this project's design and environmental document phase. Any applicable documentation will be prepared and filed at that time.
PREPARED BY: HONGZHI QILIN, ASSOCIATE ENGINEER
REVIEWED BY: SAVAT KHAMPHOU, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Exhibit 1 - Location Map
2. Exhibit 2 – Professional Services Agreement