DATE: October 20, 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/City Engineer Laura Galli, Engineering Manager
Justin Lai, Senior Civil Engineer
Amy Zhou, Assistant Engineer
DEPARTMENT: Public Works
SUBJECT: AWARD OF AGREEMENT TO CAL-WEST LIGHTING & SIGNAL
MAINTENANCE, INC AND BEAR ELECTRICAL SOLUTIONS, LLC
FOR TRAFFIC SIGNAL & LIGHTING MAINTENANCE (FY 2026/27
- FY 2030/31)
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council adopt the attached Resolution authorizing:
1. The Mayor to execute an agreement with Cal-West Lighting & Signal Maintenance, Inc. in the amount of $172,450 annually; $72,450 for routine monthly maintenance and $100,000 for on-call repair/maintenance of the City’s traffic signals, street lights, and park lights and City property lights effective July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2031; and
2. The Mayor to execute an agreement with Bear Electrical Solutions, LLC in an amount not to exceed $100,000 annually for on-call repair/maintenance of the City’s traffic signals, street lights, and park lights and City property lights, effective July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2031; and
Pursuant to City purchasing and contracting procedures:
3. Staff to approve proposals for work other than routine maintenance, based on the unit prices shown on the fee schedule included as Exhibit B of each of the agreements; and
4. Staff to exercise the option to extend the agreements with Cal-West Lighting & Signal Maintenance Inc, and Bear Electrical Solutions, LLC for an additional year, upon demonstration of satisfactory performance during the original contract period of FY 2026/27 - FY 2030/31.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
A Request for Proposal (RFP) to provide maintenance and on-call repair services for the City’s traffic signals, street lights, park lights and City property lights from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2031 was sent to four (4) companies and advertised on the City’s website. Two (2) proposals received on July 23, 2025 were evaluated using a qualification-based selection process. The award of two (2) contracts for on-call maintenance will aid the City in providing a high level of service as traffic signal and street light reports have increased due to the age of the City’s infrastructure. These contracts are effective in FY26/27 and therefore, funding will be programmed to match the contract award amounts during this year’s budget process.
BACKGROUND
The City of Foster City owns and is responsible for the operation and maintenance of 31 traffic signals, 8 flashing beacons, illuminated street signs, and over 1,800 safety streetlights, park lights and City property lights throughout the City. The City’s streetlights and traffic signals require routine and on-call maintenance/repairs that exceed the in-house capabilities of the Department staff. These structures are currently maintained under the City’s existing contract with Cal-West. This contract was for a three-year term from July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2023, and has been renewed for three successive terms based on satisfactory services. The current term will expire on June 30, 2026.
An RFP for Traffic Signal & Lighting Maintenance (FY 2026/27 - FY 2030/31) was sent to four (4) traffic signal and street light maintenance contractors and posted on the City’s website. The RFP requested maintenance within two (2) categories of services:
1. Routine Maintenance
This work includes routine inspections and maintenance tasks such as identifying burned out lamps, repairing or replacing failed equipment, and monthly maintenance of traffic management infrastructure including signals, cameras, and related systems, as well as street lights, park lights and City property lights. Routine maintenance minimizes the chances of significant issues that can lead to costly repairs and periods of non-operation.
2. On-Call Repairs/Emergency Maintenance
This includes unanticipated work that may be required in response to vandalism, collision or other causes of failure of a streetlight or traffic signal which require replacing damaged/malfunctioned equipment, equipment upgrades, system modifications, etc. that is not covered under routine maintenance. Since these events typically occur without warning and result in a loss of service, it is important to be able to swiftly dispatch crews that can assess, diagnose, and implement temporary and permanent fixes.
ANALYSIS
On July 23, 2025, two proposals were received from two (2) contractors: Bear Electrical Solutions (BES) and Cal-West Lighting & Signal Maintenance Inc (Cal-West). The proposals were reviewed and rated based on the following criteria: prior work experience, experience of personnel assigned, responsiveness to RFP, ability to meet required response times, and cost. Cal-West was rated higher than BES during the review of the proposals. Cal-West has provided satisfactory service to Foster City for the past fourteen (14) years and has been in the Traffic Signal and Street Light maintenance industry for thirty (30) years. Although ranked second, BES was rated highly and is well regarded by nearby jurisdictions. BES has been in the Traffic Signal and Street Light maintenance industry for twenty-five (25) years and is fully qualified to perform traffic signal and street light maintenance services. Following staff negotiation efforts, the final proposed costs are as follows:
ROUTINE MAINTENANCE
BES
Annual Total
CAL-WEST
Annual Total
I Routine Traffic Signal Maintenance $ 59,640.00 $ 47,220.00 III Routine Street Light Maintenance $ 29,829.80 $ 11,622.00 IV Routine Parks & Parking Lot Light Maintenance $ 17,010.00 $ 13,608.00 Total for Routine Work $ 106,479.80 $ 72,450.00 Compensation for routine maintenance is paid as a fixed monthly cost.
ON-CALL REPAIRS/MAINTENANCE
BES
Annual Total
CAL-WEST
Annual Total
II On-Call Traffic Signal Maintenance $ 157,732.00 $ 70,960.00 V On-Call Street Light Maintenance $ 15,120.00 $ 15,000.00 VI On-Call Parks & Parking Lot Light Maintenance $ 30,240.00 $ 30,000.00 VII Materials Markup and Sales Tax for Extra Work $ 19,375.00 $ 19,375.00 Total for On-Call Work (Estimated Quantities) $ 222,467.00 $ 135,335.00 Compensation for On-Call Repairs/Maintenance is paid for on a time and materials basis as completed, based on the unit prices shown in the fee schedule. To obtain results that were comparable, the annual quantities used for this portion of the proposal were estimated based on the historical on-call service trends.
The RFP allows the award of up to two (2) contracts. Staff recommend that the City Council award two (2) maintenance contracts for on-call services to improve response times amid increasing repair requests. Due to the age of the City’s infrastructure, the City presently receives approximately three (3) times as many traffic signal/street light reports than in 2019. The recent uptick in on-call service needs and the age of the City’s infrastructure indicate that a not-to-exceed amount of $100,000 annually to both Cal-West and BES is prudent and necessary. This amount is expected to fully fund all on-call needs while ensuring timely response and minimizing service disruptions. Since on-call repairs are performed only as needed, any unused funds that are set aside will be returned to the General Fund at the end of each fiscal year.
Additionally, staff recommend awarding Cal-West a contract for routine maintenance services in the annual amount of $72,450 based on their proven track record, familiarity with the City’s traffic signal and street light systems, and their competitive proposal.
The Traffic Signal & Lighting Maintenance (FY 2026/27 - FY 2030/31) contracts will be for an initial period of five (5) years (July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2031) with an option to extend the contract for one (1) subsequent year (July 1, 2031 to June 30, 2032) upon satisfactory performance. The agreements include an option for a Consumer Price Index (CPI) adjustment to unit rates, upon the request of the City or Contractor at the end of each year using the June to June, San Francisco/Oakland CPI for all urban wage earners.
CEQA
Categorically Exempt pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3) and 15301(c) – Existing Facilities
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact to the FY2025/2026 budget.
Street light and traffic signal maintenance line items are included in the Public Works and Parks and Recreation Departments operating budgets. For the Fiscal Year 2026/2027 budget, funding will be programmed to match the contract award amounts.
Funding for the subsequent years of the contracts will be similarly budgeted on an annual basis by each department.
The Public Works Department will administer the portion of the contract for the maintenance of traffic signals and street lights in the public right of way. The Parks and Recreation Department will administer the portion of the contract for the maintenance of the parks and City property lighting maintenance.
CITY COUNCIL VISION, MISSION, AND VALUE/PRIORITY AREA
Facilities and Infrastructure
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1 – Resolution
Attachment 2 – Cal-West Lighting & Signal Maintenance, Inc Agreement Attachment 3 – Bear Electrical Solutions, LLC Agreement