DATE: 04/15/2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Public Works Department
2026-129
REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBJECT:
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH MARK THOMAS & COMPANY, INC.
TO PROVIDE TRAFFIC CORRIDOR IMPACT STUDY AND DESIGN SERVICES FOR
THE ONTARIO AVENUE WIDENING PROJECT
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks City Council to approve the Professional Services Agreement with Mark Thomas & Company, Inc. in the amount $2,511,906 for Traffic Corridor Impact Study and Design Services related to the Ontario Avenue Widening Project.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
That the City Council:
a. Award Request for Proposal No. 26-004SB to Mark Thomas & Company, Inc. to provide Traffic Corridor Impact Study and Design Services for the Ontario Avenue Widening Project No. 2017-11.
b. Approve the Professional Services Agreement with Mark Thomas & Company, Inc. to provide Traffic Corridor Impact Study and Design Services for the Ontario Avenue Widening Project No. 2017-11 in the amount of $2,511,906, and waive any minor irregularities in the proposal.
c. Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to execute the Professional Services Agreement with Mark Thomas & Company, Inc., in the amount of $2,511,906, including any non-substantive extensions, change orders, purchase orders, and amendments up to $251,191 or 10%.
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
Ontario Avenue is a key east-west road in Corona, providing access to Interstate 15 and local neighborhoods. Since 2017, widening between Compton Street and State Street has been important due to safety, congestion, and improved mobility, as identified in city and regional plans. Studies revealed lane reductions and missing pedestrian facilities caused bottlenecks and safety concerns, and recommended upgrades for accessibility and congestion relief. To advance the project, Corona partnered with RCTC and Caltrans, securing funding through agreements and grants, including support from mitigation programs tied to the Express Lanes on State Route 91.
In the course of project development for the Ontario Avenue Widening, the City of Corona has previously engaged multiple professional service providers to advance the corridor’s technical studies and design. Notably, in November 2018, the City Council awarded a Professional Services Agreement to KOA Corporation for Traffic Corridor Impact Study and Design Services for the Ontario Avenue Widening, following a formal competitive solicitation process. The agreement with KOA Corporation was intended to deliver comprehensive design and environmental documentation to support the City’s objectives for the corridor, and the firm was selected based on its qualifications and proposal ranking at that time.
Despite initial progress, the City determined that KOA Corporation was unable to meet the performance standards and delivery timelines required under the terms of the agreement. The City’s contract administration procedures, as established by municipal code and standard professional services agreements, provide for the termination of contracts in the event of non-performance or failure to achieve critical project milestones.
In accordance with these provisions, the City exercised its right to terminate the agreement with KOA Corporation due to lack of performance, thereby ensuring that project delivery risks were mitigated and that public resources were managed in a manner consistent with City policy and fiduciary responsibility.
Following the termination of the KOA Corporation agreement, the City initiated a new competitive procurement process to secure a qualified consultant capable of meeting the technical, regulatory, and schedule requirements for the Ontario Avenue Widening project. This transition was managed to maintain compliance with all applicable municipal and state procurement statutes and to minimize disruption to the project’s overall timeline.
The subsequent selection and engagement of a new consultant was based on a rigorous evaluation of qualifications, experience, and demonstrated capacity to deliver federally funded transportation projects in accordance with City and agency standards.
This sequence of events underscores the City’s commitment to effective contract management and project oversight, as well as its adherence to established legal and administrative frameworks governing the procurement and administration of professional services for capital improvement projects.
In summary, the Ontario Avenue Widening Project represents a multi-year, multi-agency effort to address longstanding transportation challenges in a key corridor. The project’s history reflects a sustained commitment to intergovernmental collaboration, technical rigor, regulatory compliance, and community responsiveness, all aimed at delivering a safer, more efficient, and more accessible transportation facility for the residents and businesses of Corona and the surrounding region.
ANALYSIS:
The Purchasing Division issued Request for Proposal (RFP) No. 26-004SB for Traffic Corridor Impact Study and Design Services for the Ontario Avenue Widening Project on October 30, 2025, in accordance with the formal competitive solicitation procedures set forth in Corona Municipal Code (CMC) Section 3.08.110, which requires public notice and a transparent, competitive process for the procurement of professional services exceeding the formal bid threshold. Notice of the RFP was posted on the City’s electronic bidding portal, PlanetBids, and made available to all registered vendors. Additionally, the RFP was advertised in the Sentinel Weekly News on October 30, 2025, to ensure broad public awareness and compliance with statutory notice requirements. Proposals were due by December 1, 2025, at 5:00 p.m.
A total of four proposals were received by the deadline. The evaluation process was conducted by a Selection Committee comprised of City staff. Each proposal was independently reviewed and scored based on the criteria established in the RFP, which included: (1) Understanding of the work to be done, (2) Experience with similar kinds of work, (3) Quality of staff for the work to be done, (4) Familiarity with state and federal procedures, and (5) Financial responsibility.
The following table summarizes the proposals received and their final evaluation ranking:
Firm Name Evaluation Rank
Mark Thomas & Company, Inc. 1
David Evans & Associates, Inc. 2
EXP U.S. Services, Inc. 2
Wood Rodgers, Inc. 3
Mark Thomas & Company, Inc. was selected as the top-ranked firm based on its demonstrated expertise in corridor impact studies and federally funded transportation projects, the strength and experience of its proposed project team, and its comprehensive approach to meeting the City’s technical, regulatory, and schedule requirements. The Selection Committee determined that Mark Thomas & Company, Inc. provided the best value and was most qualified to deliver the full scope of services, including environmental documentation, right-of-way engineering, and construction support, in compliance with all applicable municipal, state, and federal standards.
The Ontario Avenue Widening Project is consistent with the City of Corona General Plan, the City’s Strategic Plan, and the Western Riverside Council of Governments’ Transportation Uniform Mitigation Fee (TUMF) program. The project supports the City’s goals to improve circulation, reduce congestion, enhance multimodal mobility, and ensure public safety. It also aligns with regional transportation objectives and funding strategies identified by the Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC) and the Southern California Association of Governments’ Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy.
Based on the results of the competitive evaluation and the alignment of the project with adopted master plans and strategic objectives, staff recommends that the City Council approve the agreement for City Council consideration to approve a Professional Services Agreement with Mark Thomas & Company, Inc. to provide Traffic Corridor Impact Study and Design Services for the Ontario Avenue Widening Project in the amount of $2,511,906; and award RFP No. 26-004SB.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Funding for the recommended actions is available in the Ontario Avenue Widening/I15 Multimodal Corridor Enhancement Capital Improvement Project No. ST-2017-04 within Public Works Grants/Agreement Fund 243.
The estimated design cost for this Project is outlined as follows:
Design
…………………………………………………………………………………………………. $
2,511,906
Contingency
……………………………………………………………………………………………. $
251,191
Total Cost
……………………………………………………………………………………….…
$2,763,097
The agreement with Mark Thomas & Company, Inc. is incorporated into the project which is fully funded for the current design and pre-construction phases. The City’s financial strategy for this project emphasizes leveraging outside funding to maximize the return on local investment, with ongoing efforts to secure additional state and federal grants for future construction phases. The use of grant and mitigation fee revenues for this contract ensures that the project remains consistent with the City’s adopted Capital Improvement Plan and does not adversely affect funding for other priority projects.
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