Consent Agenda Item 4e
STAFF REPORT
Consent Agenda Item
DATE: February 2, 2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and Council Members
FROM: Brian Issa, Public Works Director
THROUGH: Amy Nilsen, City Manager
SUBJECT: Authorize Staff to Negotiate Professional Services Contract with GHD Inc., SHN, Ontiveros & Associates, Whitchurch Engineering, and Shobe Engineering for On-Call Consulting Services.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Authorize the City Manager to negotiate professional services contracts with GHD, SHN, Ontiveros & Associates, Whitchurch Engineering, and Shobe Engineering to provide various on-call consulting services for the City of Fortuna for a period of three years, with the potential for extension up to three additional years.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Staff has successfully used the “on-call” consulting procurement process since 2020. That contract period was extended to 2026, and a renewal of those contracts is required. The on-call process is a pre-qualification process which allows the City to award contracts for capital projects and other work that the council has approved through the annual budget. Individual task orders are assigned by the Director of Public Works, City Manager, City Engineer, or designee. Task orders are typically based upon a negotiated scope of work, schedule and cost estimate. Staff reserve the right to solicit competitive bids for any project, either through requesting bids/quotes from pre-qualified contracts, or through a wider open bid solicitation. Staff have found the on-call process to save staff time and money vs holding a competitive bid on every project.
Staff requested proposals for various on-call consulting services on December 16, 2025, with a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) advertisement. The intent of the RFQ was to provide a list of Professional Consultants for the City to be able to efficiently request an On-Call Consultant to provide a scope of work for a task order request from staff on various services in the upcoming contract period. Staff received six proposals on January 19, 2025, covering the following general areas of work:
1) Traffic:
a) Field work to collect traffic counts.
b) Processing of traffic field counts.
c) Provide opinion of speed zone limits & traffic control warrants 2) Grant Assistance
Consent Agenda Item 4e
a) Development of grant applications for various projects through local, state and federal programs
3) Public Works/Engineering:
a) Preparation of plans and specifications for Public Works projects including, but not limited to the following:
i) Water treatment, storage and distribution
ii) Wastewater collection and treatment
iii) Stormwater management, conveyance, and treatment
iv) Transportation improvements for motorized and non-motorized traffic, including trails, streets, sidewalks, bike lanes, etc.
b) Construction management and inspection for the Public Works projects c) Municipal infrastructure design
d) Geotechnical services
e) Electrical and mechanical engineering services
f) Materials testing
4) Development Services:
a) Review of private development projects
b) Provide expert advice regarding land use matters
c) Preparation of staff reports, studies, and/or correspondence d) GIS, asset management and related services
5) Environmental Services:
a) CEQA and NEPA compliance documents
b) Environmental permitting documents
c) Wetland and biological surveying and documentation
d) Cultural resources research and documentation
e) Assistance to the CITY in its responsibilities as CEQA Lead or Responsible Agency, by reviewing and recommending CEQA documents prepared by a consultant for private development, or by the On-Call Consulting Firm for CITY projects. 6) Design Drafting Services:
a) Architectural concept designs for City owned buildings b) Final construction drawings
c) Technical specifications
d) Architectural stamp (if required)
7) Surveying services:
a) Provide professional surveying services as needed
b) Review maps and legal descriptions for subdivisions, lot line adjustment or other land use permits
c) Prepare surveys and legal descriptions
d) Review all other documents as necessary
Specific tasks which can be completed through these task orders include but are not limited to:
• Update utility and transportation master plans/models • Design and management of capital projects
• Development review assistance
Consent Agenda Item 4e
• Easement and right-of-way staking and research
• Facility remodels
• Emergency repairs to City facilities
• Urban Planning
Firms were asked to indicate which project areas they were interested in proposing. City staff reviewed proposals and rejected one (PJC&Associates) based on the fact that they proposed as a two-firm team rather than a single entity and do not carry the City’s required $2M insurance (both requirements of the RFQ). The remaining five were found responsive to all elements of the RFQ.
Below is a table representing each consultant and areas in which they may be assigned task orders:
Task GHD SHN O&A WE SE
Traffic Engineering X X
Public Works/Engineering X X X X X
Development Services X X X X
Environmental Services X X X
Design Drafting Services X X X
Surveying Services X X
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The On-Call Consultants will be asked to provide individual project scopes and fee for task order requests from staff. Individual task orders for a wide variety of projects may have multiple funding sources and budgets. Each task order will include a “not-to-exceed” amount. No task orders will be assigned without an approved budget either through normal operations appropriations or capital projects.
It should be noted that all the proposals included an annual inflationary adjustment to their rates despite the RFP stating that rates would be renegotiated every three years. In practice, on-call contracts signed in 2020 were followed by periodic rate adjustments. Staff believe that annual inflationary adjustments are reasonable and customary given the three-year contract period and should be capped at 3%.
RECOMMENDED COUNCIL ACTION:
Motion to approve professional services contracts with GHD, SHN, Ontiveros & Associates, Whitchurch Engineering, and Shobe Engineering to provide On-Call Consulting Services. The contract period shall run through March 1, 2029, and fees shall be renegotiated annually with inflationary adjustments of no more than 3%. Contracts may be extended for up to three additional years. Consent Agenda vote.
ATTACHMENTS:
A. Fee Schedules & Rates for Each Firm