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8 DATE: June 2, 2025
TO: Mayor and Members of the City Council
VIA: Stefan Chatwin, City Manager
Marlene Subhashini, Assistant City Manager
FROM: Andrew Brozyna, Public Works Director
Laura Galli, Engineering Manager
Ryan Marquez, Senior Civil Engineer
DEPARTMENT: Public Works
SUBJECT: MERGER OF CIP 301-718 & CIP 301-717, RENAMING THE
PROJECT TO THE LAGOON PUMP STATION SEISMIC
REHABILITATION AND CAPACITY ENHANCEMENT PROJECT
(CIP 301-717); ISSUANCE OF TASK ORDER TO SCHAAF AND
WHEELER IN THE AMOUNT OF $992,045 FOR ENGINEERING
DESIGN SERVICES FOR (CIP 301-717); AND AMENDMENT NO.
1 WITH SCHAAF & WHEELER
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council adopt the attached resolution authorizing:
1. The merger of (CIP 301-718) Lagoon Pump Station Building Rehabilitation and (CIP 301-717) Add Third and Fourth Lagoon Pump and Related Infrastructure Project, and renaming the combined project the Lagoon Pump Station Seismic Rehabilitation and Capacity Enhancement Project (CIP 301-717); and
2. The transfer of the budget balance held in Account No. 301-0910-718-4251 to Account No. 301-0910-717-4251; and
3. The Mayor to execute a task order with Schaaf & Wheeler Consulting Engineers, Inc. (Schaaf & Wheeler) in the amount of $992,045 for professional engineering services for the Lagoon Pump Station Seismic Rehabilitation and Capacity Enhancement Project (CIP 301-717); and
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8 4. The establishment of a project contingency in the amount of $150,000 (15%) with authorization given to the City Manager to execute task order amendments up to the contingency amount; and
5. The Mayor to execute Amendment No. One (1) to the Master Services Agreement with Schaaf & Wheeler Consulting Engineers, Inc. (Schaaf & Wheeler); and
6. Finding this action exempt from CEQA under Section 15061(b)(3).
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Lagoon Pump Station Building Rehabilitation Project (CIP 301-718) intends to rehabilitate the Lagoon Pump Station for continued use as the City’s sole stormwater pumping station. The Add Third and Fourth Lagoon Pump and Related Infrastructure Project (CIP 301-717) intends to add a third and possibly fourth pump into the Lagoon Pump Station to increase capacity and redundancy. Given their shared location and interdependent scope, merging the two projects into one CIP is both feasible and logical. Additionally, the City was awarded a reimbursable federal grant for these two projects. Combining the two projects into one would assist staff in tracking the funding.
The proposed new project name and CIP # is Lagoon Pump Station Seismic Rehabilitation and Capacity Enhancement Project (CIP 301-717) is consistent with the project name under the federal funding grant application.
The City issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to five on-call water and wastewater engineering firms for design services encompassing the combined scope of CIPs 301- 717 and 301-718. The City received three (3) proposals. A panel of reviewers found Schaaf & Wheeler Consulting Engineers (Schaaf & Wheeler) to be the most qualified for the work. The proposed fee in the amount of $992,045 has been negotiated and determined to be reasonable based on the scope of services.
The scope of services is comprehensive including project management, preliminary engineering, preparation of construction documents and environmental documentation, regulatory compliance, bidding support, construction support, record drawings, and warranty inspection.
Funding in the amount of $2,623,111 is available in the approved budget between both projects (CIPs 301-717 and 301-718). With the execution of the task order, staff will authorize work to begin on the preliminary engineering for the project.
Due to the federal funding awarded to this project, various additional federal provisions are required under the existing Master Services Agreement (MSA). Those are reflected in the proposed amendment with Schaaf & Wheeler (Attachment 3).
BACKGROUND
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8 The City of Foster City is protected from flooding by both the levee and by the Foster City lagoon, an approximately 212-acre drainage detention basin. The water level of the central lagoon is controlled by intake gates near Sea Cloud Park and a pump station located at the City’s corporation yard. The pump station, built in 1964, currently houses two functioning pumps but has capacity to house four pumps. The pump station has lacked the necessary redundancy and capacity to provide protection against flooding during longer and more severe storm events, which are projected to increase in severity and frequency in coming years. In addition, the lagoon pump station was determined to be seismically vulnerable, in need of retrofitting and rehabilitation to meet current building codes.
At the City Council meeting on June 20, 2023, the City Council adopted City Resolution No. 2022-79, adopting the City Budget and thereby creating both the Lagoon Pump Station Building Rehabilitation Project (CIP 301-718) and the Add Third and Fourth Lagoon Pump and Related Infrastructure Project (CIP 301-717). In late 2023, the City procured BKF Engineers, Inc. (BKF) to provide an initial existing conditions technical memo to assist in preliminary structural and capacity evaluations. In August 2024, the BKF technical memo provided recommendations which included structural rehabilitation and seismic retrofit of the existing building, desilting of the bay culvert (where lagoon water is discharged into the bay), and the removal and replacement of the existing out of service pumps, engines, and pump associated infrastructure.
In summer of 2024, it became apparent the project was eligible for FEMA/CalOES Legislative Pre-Disaster Mitigation (LPDM) funding. Staff applied for the funding in fall of 2024 and the City was officially awarded $1,344,343.07 on December 4, 2024.
On February 19th, 2025, staff released an RFP to the five (5) on-call water and wastewater engineering firms. On March 20, 2025, three (3) proposals were received.
ANALYSIS
The proposals were reviewed by an evaluation committee consisting of three (3) staff members from the Public Works Engineering division. The committee graded Schaaf & Wheeler as the highest-rated proposal. Their proposal is comprehensive and exceeds the requirements outlined in the RFP. Schaaf & Wheeler, with their proposed subconsultants for structural, electrical & instrumentation, and environmental, have successfully completed many similar projects within the Bay Area. While staff is familiar with Schaaf & Wheeler’s work, including the Levee Protection Planning and Improvement Project (CIP 327-657), references specific to pump station projects were verified, receiving favorable reviews.
The scope of services for this agreement includes seven tasks for a not-to-exceed amount of $992,045. A breakdown of expected hours and rates can be found in the task order (Attachment 2). The scope of services includes the following seven tasks:
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8 1. Project Management - This task ensures the project stays on track with respect to scope, schedule, and budget. It involves team coordination, quality control, progress reporting, and regular communication with the City and stakeholders.
2. Preliminary Engineering - The preliminary phase evaluates the existing system and develops the Preliminary Design Report (PDR) and conceptual level plans and estimates (30% level). It identifies necessary improvements for pump station capacity, structural integrity, and climate change resilience while considering construction phasing and permitting.
3. Construction Documents - Detailed construction plans, specifications, and cost estimates (60%, 90%, and Bid Ready submittals) are produced in this task. It includes coordination across disciplines (civil, structural, mechanical, electrical) and results in a complete bid-ready design package.
4. Permitting Assistance - This task provides support for permitting efforts, including biological and cultural resource assessments and CEQA documentation. It also includes assistance in identifying and procuring necessary regulatory permits from agencies such the Bay Conservation & Development Commission (BCDC), United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB), and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD).
5. Bid Period Services - Support is provided during the bidding phase, including answering contractor questions, assistance in writing addendums, and analyzing the bid opening.
6. Construction Support Services - During construction, this task includes submittal reviews, site visits, RFI responses, change order assistance, and final inspection.
It ensures the contractor’s work aligns with the design and specifications. Based on the final design documents, this task may be amended in the future to align with the final bid scope of work.
7. As-Built Drawings and Project Closeout - Following construction, the team compiles record drawings based on contractor markups and prepares a closeout summary for City and FEMA use. This ensures accurate project documentation and smooth transition to operations. Additionally, a warranty inspection is included with this task to ensure the installed project is functioning as intended before the 1-year guaranty window on the construction contract closes.
Staff anticipates the majority of the design work will be finished in spring of 2026 and expects construction to take multiple years due to work being limited both by season and need for uninterrupted continued service of the existing pumps.
Staff is recommending CIPs 717 and 718 be combined for various reasons. While it was initially unclear whether the original scopes of CIPs 717 and 718 could be 9 3
8 constructed concurrently, BKF’s technical memo and Schaaf & Wheeler’s scope of work indicates that this is feasible. Additionally, as the December 4, 2024 award of approximately $1.3M in FEMA/CalOES LPDM funding applies to the scope of both of these projects, it is logical and prudent to combine these projects. CIP 718 monies would be transferred into CIP 717, and CIP 717 would be renamed Lagoon Pump Station Seismic Rehabilitation and Capacity Enhancement Project to be consistent with the LPDM grant and the scope of work.
In order to be eligible to receive the grant funding from FEMA/CalOES, the terms of the “in place” Master Services Agreement with Schaaf and Wheeler must be amended to include language addressing required federal provisions. Staff engaged with CalOES and the City Attorney to ensure the drafted language was mutually acceptable by both the City and FEMA. The Attached Amendment No. 1 reflects the necessary language (Attachment 3).
CEQA
This action is exempt from CEQA under Section 15061(b)(3).
FISCAL IMPACT
The proposed fee in the amount of $992,045 has been negotiated and determined reasonable based on the scope of services. A project contingency in the amount of $150,000 or approximately 15% of the contract amount is recommended to pay for additional services resulting from unforeseen circumstances that may be encountered during design. Funding in the amount of $2,623,110 is available in the approved budget between the two projects. Additionally, $1,344,343.07 is available to the project in federal funding, which will be reimbursed at a 12% rate of actual monies spent.
CITY COUNCIL VISION, MISSION, AND VALUE/PRIORITY AREA
Infrastructure and Facilities
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1 – Resolution
Attachment 2 – Task Order S&W-2025-01
Attachment 3 – Amendment to Master Services Agreement