DATE: February 17, 2026
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
Francine Magno, Senior Civil Engineer
Jerrick Carandang, Associate Engineer
DEPARTMENT: Public Works
SUBJECT: TASK ORDER WITH INTERACTIVE RESOURCES FOR
PROFESSIONAL ARCHITECTURE AND ENGINEERING
SERVICES IN THE AMOUNT OF $61,832 FOR PHASE 1 OF THE
RENOVATE ELEVATORS IN CITY BUILDINGS PROJECT (CIP
301-708)
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council adopt the attached resolution authorizing:
1. The Mayor to execute Task Order (TO) IRI-2026-01 with Interactive Resources, Inc (IR) in the amount of $61,832 to provide professional architecture and engineering services for Phase 1 of the Renovate Elevators in City Buildings Project (CIP 301-708);
2. The establishment of a project contingency in the amount of $9,000 with authorization given to the City Manager to execute contract amendments up to the contingency amount; and
3. Finding the project exempt from CEQA under Section 15301(B) – Existing Facilities.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
CIP 301-708 addresses permanent elevator improvements to the four (4) elevators in City-owned facilities located at City Hall, the Fire Department, the Corporation Yard and the Library Community Center Annex. The City issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to a combination of the City’s on-call Architectural Engineering firms as well as other firms for assessment and design services encompassing the scope of CIP 301-708. The RFP was divided into two phases: Phase 1 services include inspection and condition assessment of each elevator, followed by identification of improvements with construction cost estimates. Phase 2 services consist of the preparation of construction documents for bidding and construction support services.
The attached Task Order provides for professional architecture and engineering services for the scope of work for Phase 1: to inspect and assess the existing condition of each elevator and provide preliminary design documents. With the execution of the TO, IR will begin work on a condition assessment and identify improvements required to permanently modernize these elevators and meet current ADA accessibility requirements. The proposed fees are $61,832.00 for Phase 1. Funding in the amount of $922,800 is available in the approved budget for CIP 301-708. Staff will return to City Council to authorize Phase 2 of the project for preparation of construction documents and provide bid and construction support services, once the scope of improvements has been identified and finalized.
BACKGROUND
The City operates and maintains four (4) existing elevators in City-owned buildings located in the Government Center (City Hall and the Fire Department), the Corporation Yard Administration Building, and the Library Community Center Annex. These elevators date back to each building’s original construction, are at the end of their useful lives, and are experiencing an increasing number of failures.
Despite regular inspections and repeated repairs over the years, the elevators continue to require significant maintenance and resources to remain operational for staff and public use. These efforts are no longer cost effective given the age of the equipment and ongoing code compliance challenges. Additionally, the cumulative maintenance costs and more frequent periods of downtime indicate that modernization is the best long-term solution. Although the Community Center Annex elevator is currently operational, it has experienced ongoing failures since February 2025. CIP 301-708 consists of the permanent modernization of these elevators and addresses improvements to meet current ADA accessibility requirements.
On November 17, 2025, under the City Manager’s authority, staff issued an RFP for professional engineering services, to qualified professional engineering consulting firms that specialize in elevator modernization as well as the City’s on-call architectural engineering firms. The RFP requested proposers provide a scope of services for 2 Phases of work: Phase 1 consists of a condition assessment and preliminary engineering, to identify specific improvements required for each elevator; and Phase 2 consists of the development of construction documents for bidding including construction support services.
ANALYSIS
The RFP was distributed to various consulting firms and was posted on the Foster City website. Staff reached out to three (3) firms in addition to the City’s on-call firms, to drive interest in the project. On the due date of January 8, 2026, two (2) proposals were received. Staff concluded that the low level of interest may be because the work is highly technical and specialized, making it difficult to develop a well-defined scope without first completing an assessment. Additionally, the pool of qualified specialists is relatively small, and the City infrequently engages consultants who specialize in this work and therefore does not have a broad network to solicit.
The proposals were reviewed and analyzed by staff from Public Works Engineering. IR has demonstrated that they are uniquely qualified to perform the work required for this project. Their proposal is comprehensive and meets the requirements outlined in the RFP. Staff recommend proceeding with IR for the following reasons:
1. IR possesses the technical knowledge, experience, and resources required for this project. Their past successes in similar assessments indicate they can deliver quality results for the City, as demonstrated through various references.
2. The proposal provides a reasonable cost estimate for Phase 1 based on an initial understanding of the project scope.
It was determined that award would be limited to Phase 1 services. Based on the satisfactory completion of Phase 1, the City may elect to negotiate and engage IR for Phase 2 services or seek new proposals from other firms. A recommendation to award Phase 2 services will be brought back to the City Council, either in the form of an amendment following negotiation with IR, or a new agreement after staff have solicited and evaluated proposals from other qualified consultants.
Staff anticipate that the assessment will be performed in March 2026 with design to follow in April/May 2026.
CEQA
Categorically Exempt pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15301(B) – Existing Facilities.
FISCAL IMPACT
The proposed fees in the amount of $61,832 have been determined reasonable based on the scope of services. A project contingency in the amount of $9,000 is recommended to mitigate any unforeseen tasks and for other additional services that may be required.
Funding in the amount of $922,800 is available in the approved project budget for CIP 301-708.
CITY COUNCIL VISION, MISSION, AND VALUE/PRIORITY AREA
Infrastructure and Facilities
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1 – Resolution
Attachment 2 – Task Order