CITY OF COSTA MESA
Department of Public Works
SUPPLEMENTAL MEMORANDUM
TO: THE HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: RAJA SETHURAMAN, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
DATE: MARCH 6, 2023
SUBJECT: AGENDA ITEM NO. NB- 2: PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT
WITH THE SOLIS GROUP FOR ADMINISTRATION OF THE COMMUNITY
WORKFORCE AGREEMENT
Council Member Reynolds had the following questions (in italics) on NB-2, Professional Services Agreement with The Solis Group for Administration of the Community Workforce Agreement. Staff responses are provided under each question.
A few questions on the PSA and scope of work:
• Error on page 30, need to remove the Fairview Park projects from the list as moved by council in Feb 2022
Staff acknowledges that these projects were removed from the final Community Workforce Agreement. Revised Attachment F without the Fairview Park projects is included. The original agreement was inadvertently included. Please note that this will not affect the Consultant scope of work. The fee for consultant services is based on per project basis and not on the full list of projects.
• I’d like to understand more the plan for recruitment and proactive workforce development. I didn’t see any specifics about that in the bid, in terms of who they would work with – e.g., CMHS, EHS, NHHS, OCC, Coastline, etc. What is the plan to proactive create new jobs for Costa Mesa residents?
The consultant, in cooperation with the City, will work primarily with the contractors and the Building Trades – including the local hiring halls, apprenticeship programs, MC3 pre-apprenticeship programs, and Helmets to Hardhats. A CWA Joint Administrative Committee comprising of the consultant, City and Building Trades will reach out to the local schools (CMHS, EHS, NHHS) and Coast Community College District through various programs including job fairs, as well as setting up an MC3 program, similar to the Remington Center at Santa Ana College. The focus is on getting interested workers into the pre-apprentice and apprenticeship programs, and once they are eligible to work, placing them on projects with contractors.
Specifically, the consultant work with contractors on various projects to make sure they understand the goals up front and what resources they have to meet the goals. This 2 includes evaluating their existing workforce, requesting workers from the local union halls, and sponsoring workers through the MC3 programs and Helmets to Hardhats.
• It’s important that we have some baseline data ASAP and that council receives a report annually on the progress toward goals. I don’t want to find out in year 3 that we haven’t moved the needle. Can we get some more specifics on what and how they will report back to council?
There will be reporting on the Community Workforce Agreement (CWA) administration at the conclusion of each project as part of the Council acceptance report. In addition, staff will prepare an annual report on all CWA activities with ongoing metrics to track progress.
• The bidder shares a lot of experience, but didn’t describe any specifics on workforce development achievements. Can you ask for some specifics on what % increase in local workforce they saw and to give us a sense of what to expect?
The Solis Group currently provides CWA administration services to several agencies throughout Southern California. While each City is different, they have seen growth in the overall participation of local work force with CWA over time. Specific examples provided by consultant include:
Anaheim Union High School District Dale Jr. High School – 70.47% Local (35% Goal - Orange County + Vets + District Graduates)
Coast Community College District – OCC Planetarium 40.16% Local (30% Goal - Orange County)
City of Anaheim Alley Sanitary Sewer Improvement 2018 65.60% Local (35% Local Goal - Orange County + Veterans+ District Graduates)
City of Anaheim Rural Ridge Circle and Wilshire Ave Water Main Replacement
63.32% Local (35% Local Goal - Orange County + Veterans+ District Graduates)
City of Santa Ana Warner Blvd. Improvements – 59.97% Local (35% Local Goal – Orange County + Veterans)
Port of Long Beach Firestation No. 15 – 63.3% Local (40% Goal Los Angeles + Orange Counties), 13.3% Disadvantaged (15% Goal), 4.7% Veterans (10% Goal)
Port of Long Beach Pier J Crane Rail – 60.1% Local (40% Goal Los Angeles + Orange Counties), 28.2% Disadvantaged (15% Goal), 8% Veterans (10% Goal)
West Basin Municipal Water District Carson Expansion Phase II Project –
35.1% Local (30% Goal - District Zip Codes), At Risk 7.5% (5% Goal - Meet 2 out of 7 criteria and reside within 10 mile radius of headquarters)
If you have any further questions, please contact me or Seung Yang, City Engineer. 3 ATTACHMENT: 1. Attachment F from CWA
C Lori Ann Farrell Harrison, City Manager
Brenda Green, City Clerk
Seung Yang, City Engineer
City of Costa Mesa