DATE: October 21, 2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Planning and Development Department
2026-091
REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBJECT:
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH IDS GROUP, INC. FOR ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN SERVICES FOR 152 E. SIXTH STREET IN THE AMOUNT OF $421,560
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks the City Council to approve the Professional Services Agreement with IDS Group, Inc. in the amount of $421,560 for the architectural design services of a new music venue located at 152 E Sixth Street.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
That the City Council:
a. Award Request for Proposal RFP No. 27-011SB to IDS Group, Inc. to perform architectural design services for 152 E. Sixth Street.
b. Approve the Professional Services Agreement with IDS Group, Inc. to perform architectural design services for 152 E. Sixth Street in the amount of $421,560 and waive any and all minor irregularities in the proposal. c. Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to execute the Professional Services Agreement with, and issue a purchase order to, IDS Group, Inc. in the amount of $421,560, plus a 10% contingency ($42,156), for a total $463,716, including any non-substantive extensions, change orders, purchase orders, and amendments up to the contingency amount.
d. Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to negotiate and execute a one time contract amendment to perform a seismic evaluation of the building in the amount of $300,000, if determined necessary, as explained in the Additional Services section of this staff report.
e. Authorize the creation of a new capital improvement project titled “South Mall Music Venue”.
f. Authorize an appropriation in the amount of $763,716 from Measure X Fund (FD_1120) to the newly created project titled South Mall Music Venue.
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
As part of the redevelopment of The Hub. commercial center, staff has been working to bring in an array of tenants to provide unique experiences, inclusive of a dedicated live music venue, which will continue this center’s history as an entertainment destination.
ANALYSIS:
On August 11, 2026, , the Purchasing Division issued a Request for Proposal (RFP No. 27-011SB) regarding architectural design services for 152 E. Sixth Street, pursuant to Corona Municipal Code (CMC) Section 3.08.110, Non-Public Projects-Formal Bidding Procedure, which was posted on the City's bidding portal, PlanetBids. A total of 700 PlanetBids vendors and 403 vendors registered with the City were notified about the project. Thirteen (13) proposals were received on the due date of September 28, 2026; however, four (4) proposals were considered non-responsive, as the vendors failed to meet the RFP requirement of being registered with the California Department of Industrial Relations. Therefore, only nine (9) proposals were determined to be responsive.
The Office of Economic Development staff evaluated the proposals based on the following criteria: completeness of response, firm qualifications and relevant experience, technical approach and methodology, fee proposal, project schedule and phasing strategy, and references and past performance.
The following is a summary of the proposal evaluation results:
Firm City Firm Ranking Fee Proposal
IDS Group, Inc. Corona, CA 1 $421,560
ELS Berkeley, CA 2 $958,577
Gensler Los Angeles, CA 3 (tie) $710,955
Little Diversified
Architecture Newport Beach, CA 3 (tie) $785,000
Studio 111 Long Beach, CA 4 $893,370
Bell Architects Los Angeles, CA 5 $876,000
SVA Santa Ana, CA 6 (tie) $786,940
LewisSchoeplein Los Angeles, CA 6 (tie) $766,765
AUX Office Los Angeles, CA 7 $938,870
Based on the proposal evaluation analysis, IDS Group, Inc. possesses the skills, experience, and staffing necessary to successfully execute the scope of work for this project. IDS Group, Inc. is a full service firm, with architectural, engineering, and utility design services, as well as in-house cost estimating. Additionally, IDS Group, Inc.’s fee proposal is the most cost effective, approximately 56% lower than the second ranked firm.
The IDS Group, Inc. design team also includes a qualified sub-consultant, Veneklasen, which has designed the audio systems for numerous facilities, including the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and the ocV!be Amphitheater. IDS Group, Inc. is based in Corona and has experience with the City’s design and permitting processing. The selected firm has provided excellent service for the Food Hall renovation project.
The design schedule anticipates work to begin around mid-November, with completion of the design and permitting in May 2027. The goal for the project is to begin construction in mid-summer of 2027, with the venue opening in spring of 2028.
Additional Services
152 E. Sixth Street is currently occupied by Corona-Norco Unified School District (CNUSD), whom will be vacating soon. However, as a part of its tenancy of the building, CNUSD completed a seismic evaluation, along with renovations to bring the building up to modern seismic standards. Staff is working with CNUSD to obtain further details on the original seismic evaluation and building renovations, which, if provided, will provide for new building upgrades to be completed without additional study. Given that staff is working with CNUSD, the original RFP did not include a specific request for a seismic evaluation.
However, following receipt of the proposals, it became unclear if CNUSD would be able to provide the details needed to avoid a new seismic evaluation. Should CNUSD’s records be unavailable to the City, additional work would need to be performed by IDS Group, Inc. be before moving forward with a building upgrades. Therefore, staff is requesting the City Council authorize the City Manager to amend this contract in the not-to-exceed amount of $300,000 and appropriate funding for this specific work, if the prior records are not obtained and a new seismic evaluation be necessary.
Additionally, when accounting for a new potential seismic evaluation, staff determined that expressly including the seismic evaluation in the original RFP would not have changed the overall proposal rankings, and IDS Group, Inc. would have remained the selected proposer based on its qualifications, proposed approach, and overall value to the City.
In the event that a new seismic evaluation is unnecessary, the supplemental contract amendment adding the service will not be executed, and the additional appropriation of $300,000 will be returned to the Measure X Fund balance.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Approval of the recommended actions will result in an appropriation in the amount of $763,716 from the Measure X Fund (FD_1120) to the newly created capital improvement project titled South Mall Music Venue. This amount includes $421,560 for the architectural design services, a 10% contingency of $42,156, and $300,000 for potential additional work related to the seismic evaluation, should it be deemed necessary.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
This action is exempt pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which states that a project is exempt from the CEQA if the activity is covered by the commonsense exemption that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA. The approval of this agreement will not result in a significant effect on the environment.
Therefore, no environmental analysis is required.
PREPARED BY: JOEL BELDING, PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR REVIEWED BY: JUSTIN TUCKER, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Exhibit 1 – IDS Group, Inc. Professional Services Agreement
2. Exhibit 2 - IDS Group, Inc. Proposal for Optional Seismic Evaluation