CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
Meeting: November 1, 2022
Subject
Consider approval of the Electric Vehicle Parking Expansion Request for Proposals (RFP.) Recommended Action
1. Approve a purchasing exemption per Cupertino Municipal Code (CMC) Section
3.22.060(B) waiving the formal competitive bidding process; and
2. Approve the Electric Vehicle Parking Expansion RFP to provide electric vehicle charging stations at six City of Cupertino properties.
Background
On August 16, the City Council adopted the Climate Action Plan 2.0 (CAP 2.0,) which is available on the City’s website. A series of measures and actions are outlined in CAP 2.0 that will aid the City in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and meet those goals. Some of those goals include reducing community-wide emissions by 50% below 2010 levels by 2030 and achieving community-wide carbon neutrality no later than 2040, five years earlier than the State of California target.
Transportation by gasoline cars was identified in CAP 2.0 as the single largest GHG emissions sector contributing to total emissions in the City, making electric vehicle (EV) adoption a key part of achieving carbon reductions. For comparison, the second largest source of emissions was building energy use from electricity and natural gas consumption. Transportation measures (TR) and actions were identified in CAP 2.0 to help achieve desirable emissions reductions.
Although the City cannot require residents or businesses to change their transportation behaviors, the City is committed to implementing choices that are attractive for the community. For example, Measure TR-3 of CAP 2.0 will ensure the infrastructure is present in the City to aid in removal of present barriers for passenger and commercial Zero-Emission Vehicles (ZEV.) Additionally, Action TR 3.2 of CAP 2.0 identifies leveraging public and private partnerships as an option to add new publicly accessible electric vehicle charging stations (EVCS) to the City.
The City currently owns eight publicly accessible Level 2 EVCS with a total of 12 ports. Some stations can accommodate two cars (two ports) while others only one car (one port.) The EVCS are located at City Hall, the Library, and Quinlan Community Center. City Hall has two EVCS located on Rodrigues Avenue, adjacent to the Civic Center parking lot entrance. The Library has four EVCS located near the book drop off in the Civic Center parking lot. Quinlan Community Center has two EVCS located near the main entrance in the parking lot.
There has been growing interest in EVs and a related increase in demand for charging infrastructure. This increase in demand has been made apparent by a surge in home-based and commercial charging installations and adoption of EV specific codes and guidelines. The demand is expected to continue rising with Santa Clara County residents because they are adopting EVs at a faster rate than the rest of California. Monthly charging sessions at existing City-owned EVCS have increased to near pre-COVID levels.
The existing 12 ports currently support about 630 charging sessions each month, with about 300 unique users. This is a ratio of 50 sessions per port. The benchmark for workplace charging is in the range of 10-20 sessions per port. This benchmark comparison shows that the City charging infrastructure is unable to meet user demand today and is unprepared for a future with higher levels of EV adoption. The proposed expansion would bring the City closer to this benchmark level of utilization. The demand is expected to continue rising with Santa Clara County residents adopting EVs at a faster rate than the rest of California. Silicon Valley contains about 20% of the share of EVs in California.
Discussion
Limited access to charging stations is one of the main barriers of EV adoption. The City can help increase EV adoption by facilitating access to charging. Therefore, staff proposes an expansion of the existing charging stations and installation of new EVCS for public use at six City properties. The proposed properties are City Hall, the Library, Quinlan Community Center, the Sports Center, City Hall Annex, and Blackberry Farm Recreation and Pool. City Hall, the Library, and Quinlan Community Center have two to four existing EVCS. The Sports Center, City Hall Annex, and Blackberry Farm Recreation and Pool currently have no EVCS. The proposed six properties are considered, either now or in the future, high-use City facilities.
Based on research and discussions with neighboring jurisdictions, the project team is considering a partnership with private sector providers for the expansion of new EVCS. The proposed RFP is for the selection of a qualified vendor that can provide a turnkey EV charging solution for public use. The selected vendor will be responsible for design, engineering, construction management, site supervision, project administration, permitting and code compliance, installation, operation, maintenance, repair, and replacement of the EVCS. The selected vendor will also be responsible for electricity costs, signage, property maintenance, and security.
As part of the RFP rating process, proposals that come at zero-cost or provide revenue to the City are generally preferred. However, the City will consider proposals that include a cost to the City if the solution provides exceptional value to the public and is aligned with the City’s plans. If applicable, that bidder should be awarded the contract per Section 3.22.060 (C) (3) of the CMC Chapter 3.22 which requires that contracts shall be awarded by the City Council to the lowest responsible bidder except as otherwise provided in that chapter. The CMC Section 3.22.060(B) allows the City Council to make a finding that the use of the formal competitive bidding procedure is not practical due to quality considerations or other valid reasons such as providing exceptional value to the public. Therefore, proposals that include a cost to the City but provide more EVCS should be considered over proposals with zero cost and less EVCS. Thus, pursuant to CMC 3.22.06(B), staff recommends that the Council find that an exemption for selection of a bidder other than one providing the lowest cost is appropriate.
Staff will evaluate vendors based on the requested information outlined in the proposed RFP. Vendors who are not actively engaged in providing similar services as contained in their proposal and/or who cannot clearly demonstrate to the City their ability to perform the work per the proposed RFP requirements, will not be considered. The selected vendor will be required to enter into license agreements with terms and conditions in substantial conformity with Attachment B.
Next Steps
Staff is requesting to move forward with the RFP process and selection of a vendor. Staff will return to Council at a later date to request award of necessary agreements to the selected vendor.
Sustainability Impact
The proposed RFP will result in the expansion and installation of new EVCS at six City-owned properties. New EVCS will help increase EV adoption by facilitating public access to charging. Electric vehicle adoption will offer environmental and sustainability benefits and is a key part of achieving carbon reductions to meet the City’s CAP 2.0 goals.
Fiscal Impact
The Electric Vehicle Parking Expansion Project was included in the 2021/2022 Capital Improvement Program budget, 420-99-251 900-905, which was approved by Council; no additional budget appropriation is requested at this time. _____________________________________
Prepared by: Ryan Do, Project Manager
Reviewed by: Matt Morley, Director of Public Works
Approved for Submission by: Pamela Wu, City Manager
Attachment:
A – Draft Request for Proposal
B – Draft License Agreement