DATE: July 20, 2026
TO: Mayor and Members of the City Council
President and Members of the Estero Municipal Improvement District (EMID) Board of Directors
VIA: Stefan Chatwin, City/District Manager
FROM: Andrew Brozyna, Public Works Director
Laura Galli, Engineering Manager
Francine Magno, Senior Civil Engineer
DEPARTMENT: Public Works
SUBJECT: AWARD OF A MASTER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
AGREEMENT WITH THE SELECTED TWENTY-EIGHT (28)
CONSULTANTS FOR ON-CALL SERVICES IN CIVIL
ENGINEERING, CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT &
INSPECTION, ENVIRONMENTAL, MATERIALS TESTING,
MECHANICAL, ELECTRICAL & PLUMBING ENGINEERING,
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING, AND TRAFFIC ENGINEERING
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council/EMID Board of Directors (City Council) adopt the attached resolutions authorizing:
1. The Mayor/President to execute twenty-eight (28) master professional services agreements (master agreements) for a three-year term for on-call services in Civil Engineering, Construction Management & Inspection, Environmental, Materials Testing, Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing Engineering, Structural Engineering, and Traffic Engineering; and
2. Staff to issue task orders for a not-to-exceed amount for City funded projects as outlined in the City’s procurement policy, and without limitation for non-City funded projects (those that support private land development review which are reimbursed by the developer or private utility company); and
3. The City/District Manager (City Manager) to extend the agreements on a yearly basis
for up to two additional years.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Public Works Engineering Division is responsible for the delivery of the City's Capital Improvement Projects (CIPs). The Department uses consultants on CIP projects, private development projects, and for on-call professional services as needed.
On call services provided assist staff in specific areas of technical and professional expertise. The approval of the attached master agreements will provide professional consultant support for current and future CIPs as well as supporting ongoing programs including land development review overseen by the Engineering Division.
The proposed action is consistent with the City’s Purchasing Policy. Use of multi-year master agreements assists the timely delivery of Capital Improvement Projects and other programs/projects to maintain the City’s infrastructure and levels of service by augmenting staff resources experiencing higher demand. It also serves as a risk management tool to quickly address emergencies, shifting priorities, and staff vacancies. The authorization of this master agreement does not award any work to any of these firms; it establishes the firms as approved resources from which to seek professional services as needs are identified. Following execution of the master agreements, staff will request cost information and a scope of work from firms in their respective disciplines as needs arise. For non-City funded projects and tasks such as those that support private land development review which are reimbursable, the costs of any services would be authorized at the staff level and would be “passed through” to the developer or utility company. For City funded projects, if the cost of any scope of work exceeds the City/District Manager’s purchasing authority, staff will bring the task order to the City Council/District Board prior to authorizing the work to proceed.
BACKGROUND
The City utilizes consultants for professional engineering services and other specialty professional services on CIPs and private development projects, to support the operations of the Public Works Department as a standard practice. Services provided assist staff in specific areas of technical and professional expertise.
In May 2026, staff issued a request for proposal/qualifications (RFP/Q) to solicit proposals/qualifications from experienced consulting firms to provide on-call professional services across multiple disciplines to support the Public Works Engineering Division. The RFP/Q was posted on the Foster City website and was distributed to over 100 engineering and specialty consulting firms, and an agency that advertises projects for the benefit of consultant clients. The table below summarizes the various services areas requested in the RFP/Q and the number of proposals the City received in each category on the due date of June 4, 2026.
Service Area Proposals Received
Civil Engineering 11
Construction Management & Inspection 15
Energy & Sustainability Planning 2
Environmental Services 10
Materials Testing 7
Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing Engineering 3
Staff Augmentation 7
Structural Engineering 5
Surveying 4
Traffic Engineering 5
Water Resources Engineering 7
Total Number of Proposals Received 76
An evaluation committee consisting of six Engineering staff reviewed and scored the proposals for their area(s) of expertise. The selected firms have been determined well qualified, in addition to meeting the criteria established by the RFP/Q.
There are 27 continuing and 42 new CIP projects identified in the City’s 5-year CIP that was adopted on June 15, 2026. The City Council/District Board has consistently authorized the use of consultant support services to augment staff to deliver the City’s Capital Improvement program.
ANALYSIS
The City’s Public Works Department is responsible for planning, building, and maintaining the City’s infrastructure. The Department is comprised of administration and engineering; streets and traffic signal maintenance; water, wastewater, and stormwater maintenance and operations; levee and lagoon maintenance and operations; facilities maintenance operations; solid waste operations; as well as managing various projects within the Park system’s CIP. The Public Works Engineering Division is responsible for the management and delivery of the City’s Capital Improvement Program for all the critical City Infrastructure managed by each of these operating divisions.
Master agreements are an efficient tool to provide technical staff support and reduce the time required to identify qualified firms while adhering to City/District Purchasing Policy. This enables the City/District to respond quickly to needs by utilizing a consulting firm’s services on an as-needed basis for a specific activity. These services are temporary and obtained only for the length of time needed to complete the tasks and/or project.
A master agreement that involves on-call professional services only provides a list of qualified and vetted consulting firms. Once a master agreement is in place with the firm
identified, staff interacts with these firms on an as-needed basis to find the most appropriate level of expertise and knowledge to carry out a specific task or project.
Staff requests approval of two (2) to four (4) agreements within each discipline to ensure availability of on-call personnel and commensurate with expected amount of work, as well as to provide the City with additional depth of resources and expertise to draw upon. These firms often have limited staff serving many jurisdictions and therefore contracting with only one firm could slow down response times. Each of the selected firms has experience providing similar services to municipalities around the Bay Area.
Civil Engineering Services
While two to four firms were selected for each of the specific civil engineering service areas (General Civil, Energy & Sustainability Planning, Water Resources, and Staff Augmentation), several firms are qualified to provide services for multiple service areas.
As such, the selected firms are grouped under the Civil Engineering category to allow for flexibility in contracting. The selected firms, as listed below, shall provide assistance not only in the development of plans and technical specifications for Capital Improvement Projects but they will also support the following disciplines, as applicable to their areas of expertise: pavement resurfacing, drainage, roadways and street improvements (including curbs, gutters, medians, driveways, sidewalks, bicycle and pedestrian enhancements), ADA compliance, park pathways; sanitary sewer, water, energy & sustainability planning, private land development review, map review, building permit application review, stormwater compliance, staff augmentation, updates to City Standard Details and Specifications, grant application preparation, and other related services that are consistent with the consultant’s professional qualifications and expertise.
The selected ten (10) firms for Civil Engineering Services are:
Blair, Church & Flynn Consulting Engineers (Civil and Energy & Sustainability Planning)
Nichols Consulting Engineers (Civil)
NV5 (Civil and Staff Augmentation)
Verde Design (Civil)
Integrated Design 360 (Energy & Sustainability Planning) CSG Consultants (Civil, Water Resources, and Staff Augmentation) Ghirardelli Associates (Staff Augmentation
HydroScience Engineers (Water Resources)
Carollo Engineers (Water Resources)
Schaaf & Wheeler Consulting Civil Engineers (Water Resources) Surveying
The selected two (2) firms (Kier & Wright Civil Engineers and Surveyors and WHB Engineers) shall provide the following services: support for right of way acquisition, field
surveying, preparation of plats and legal descriptions for right of way and easement acquisitions, subdivision and parcel map review, tentative and final map review for private land development projects, construction staking, quality control for contractor staking, conduct topographic surveys, design survey support for City projects, base mapping, and other relevant services as identified by staff.
Construction Management and Inspection Services
The selected four (4) firms (Ghirardelli Associates, Kennedy/Jenks Consultants, Marina Construction Management, and Swinerton Management & Consulting) shall provide the following services:
Construction management, project management, monitoring and testing, administration, and coordination services
Construction inspection, materials inspection, testing coordination, and quality assurance/quality control services
Design document review for coordination, constructability, and completeness Cost estimation of construction documents and construction changes Construction claim avoidance and resolution
Federal-aid construction and administration requirements (desired but not required)
Coordination and review of materials testing, laboratory services, and specialty inspections
Materials Testing and specialty inspection and testing services Storm Water Quality Inspections/ SWPPP inspection and monitoring Public Outreach support and stakeholder coordination
Support for project acceptance, final inspections, closeout including warranty inspections, and preparation of record documents
Environmental Services
The selected three (3) firms (David J. Powers & Associates, Huffman-Broadway Group, and TRC Engineers) shall prepare permit applications and supporting documentation to obtain authorizations from regulatory agencies, prepare surveys and impact analyses for CEQA and NEPA review, perform on-site monitoring during construction, perform biological surveys and analysis, prepare mitigation plans to satisfy regulatory agency approval, prepare technical reports for regulatory agencies, and other relevant services as identified.
Materials Testing Services
The selected two (2) firms (Consolidated Engineering Laboratories and Inspections Services) shall perform specialty testing for CIP and other infrastructure projects during construction including soils (soil compaction) and asphalt paving borings, laboratory testing, non-destructive testing, pavement condition surveys, materials testing for asphalt (AC compaction), concrete, masonry, and steel (welding, coatings, reinforcing
steel), site investigations, and other relevant services as identified in accordance with project specifications and regulatory requirements.
Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing Engineering Services
The selected two (2) firms (Advance Design Consultants and Interface Engineering) shall provide engineering services including evaluations and condition assessments of existing systems; preparation of engineering studies and technical reports; preparation of plans, specifications, and cost estimates for various Capital Improvement Projects including elevators, heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), electric vehicle charging, electrical systems at pump stations or within buildings, fire protection systems, energy efficiency and sustainability analyses; and other relevant services as identified.
Structural Engineering Services
The selected three (3) firms (Biggs Cardosa Associates, Moffat & Nichol, ZFA Structural Engineers) shall provide engineering design services and preparation of plans, specifications, and cost estimates for Capital Improvement Projects including vertical structures (buildings, retaining walls, bulkheads, bridges); structural evaluations and condition assessments for renovations, retrofits, rehabilitations, and replacements of existing structures; peer review of structural design and constructability reviews; emergency structural evaluations, damage assessments, stabilization recommendations, and engineering support for urgent repairs; and other relevant services as identified.
Traffic Engineering and Transportation Services
The selected three (3) firms (Fehr & Peers, Hexagon Transportation Consultants, and Traffic Patterns) shall provide services to design transportation-related projects throughout the City including those identified in the CIP. Work may include performing traffic counts, traffic studies and modeling; conducting speed surveys; preparation of traffic calming plans; preparation of signage and striping plans; preparation of traffic control plans; performing signal design and signal timing assessments; evaluating warrants for stop signs, traffic signals, etc.; preparation of studies and reports; design of bicycle facilities, pedestrian facilities, and accessibility enhancements; evaluation of Traffic Review Committee requests; review of development applications, traffic impact analyses, and site circulation plans; and other relevant services as identified.
Task Order Process
Selected firms will work under the Engineering Manager and the respective Project Engineers. A letter proposal will be requested from a firm when services are required.
The letter proposal will set forth the scope, fee, personnel, and time of performance for the task. Staff will review the letter and negotiate scope and fee. The letter proposals will be approved through a task order under the master agreement for a not-to-exceed
amount for City funded projects; and without limitation for non-City funded projects such as those that support private land development review which are reimbursable and costs are “passed through” to the developer or utility company.
The master agreement includes the same language as the City’s standard professional services agreement, and will specify the billing rates, personnel to be assigned, and other terms as identified in the City’s standard professional services agreement. The master agreement has been reviewed by the City Attorney. Each agreement will be for three years from July 20, 2026 through July 19, 2029, with an option to extend yearly for up to two additional years.
A large number of Capital Improvement Projects will utilize one or more of these contracts for design and construction services. Priority projects that are expected to utilize these contracts in the next year include: Lagoon Pump Station Rehabilitation and Capacity Enhancement (301-717), Lagoon Intake Structure Rehabilitation (301- 721), Install Electric Vehicle Charging Stations (301-725), Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvements, Street Rehabilitation (FY26/27), Emergency Generator Replacement (455-705), Transportation Safety Signalization Upgrades (301-698), Shell Bridge Sanitary Sewer Force Main Rehabilitation (455-710), Light Installation at Boothbay Park (301-713), Renovate Elevators in City Buildings (301-708), and Install Rear Security Gates (301-707).
CEQA
This action is categorically exempt pursuant to the adopted Guidelines for the Implementation of the California Environmental Quality Act, Section 15061(b)(3), in that it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that this action will have a significant effect on the environment and does not involve approval of any specific project that may have a significant effect on the environment.
FISCAL IMPACT
The authorization of the attached master agreements would not result in a direct expenditure of City resources. Tasks would be assigned through the master agreement to meet the needs and demands identified for each future fiscal year through the adoption of the annual operating budget and the Capital Improvement Program.
The contract amount for services would be identified for each project, depending on the scope of work/services, and the number and type of professionals/technicians used.
The costs of these services are budgeted in the operating program or capital project for which the services are needed or paid for by the fees obtained from developers for any work associated with land development projects. No additional appropriations are requested at this time.
If a scope of work exceeds the City Manager’s authority of $50,000, staff will return to the City Council to seek approval to award the task. Tasks that support private land
development review are reimbursable, and the costs of these services would be authorized at staff level. Staff collects a deposit from the developer based on the negotiated proposal amount prior to the work being performed.
CITY COUNCIL VISION, MISSION, AND VALUE/PRIORITY AREA
Facilities and Infrastructure
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1 – City Resolution
Attachment 2 – EMID Resolution
Attachment 3 – Master Professional Services Agreement – Blair, Church & Flynn Consulting Engineers
Attachment 4 – Master Professional Services Agreement – Nichols Consulting Engineers
Attachment 5 – Master Professional Services Agreement – NV5 Attachment 6 – Master Professional Services Agreement – Verde Design Attachment 7 – Master Professional Services Agreement – Integrated Design 360 Attachment 8 – Master Professional Services Agreement – CSG Consultants Attachment 9 – Master Professional Services Agreement – Ghirardelli Associates Attachment 10 – Master Professional Services Agreement – HydroScience Engineers Attachment 11 – Master Professional Services Agreement – Carollo Engineers Attachment 12 – Master Professional Services Agreement – Schaaf & Wheeler Consulting Civil Engineers
Attachment 13 – Master Professional Services Agreement – Kennedy/Jenks Consultants
Attachment 14 – Master Professional Services Agreement – Marina Construction Management
Attachment 15 – Master Professional Services Agreement– Swinerton Management & Consulting
Attachment 16 – Master Professional Services Agreement– David J. Powers & Associates
Attachment 17 – Master Professional Services Agreement – Huffman-Broadway Group Attachment 18 – Master Professional Services Agreement – TRC Engineers Attachment 19 – Master Professional Services Agreement – Consolidated Engineering Laboratories
Attachment 20 – Master Professional Services Agreement – ISI Inspection Services Attachment 21 – Master Professional Services Agreement – Advance Design Consultants
Attachment 22 – Master Professional Services Agreement – Interface Engineering Attachment 23 – Master Professional Services Agreement – Biggs Cardosa Associates Attachment 24 – Master Professional Services Agreement – Moffatt & Nichol Attachment 25 – Master Professional Services Agreement – ZFA Structural Engineers
Attachment 26 – Master Professional Services Agreement – Kier & Wright Civil Engineers and Surveyors
Attachment 27 – Master Professional Services Agreement – WHB Engineers Attachment 28 – Master Professional Services Agreement – Fehr & Peers Attachment 29 – Master Professional Services Agreement – Hexagon Transportation Consultants
Attachment 30 – Master Professional Services Agreement – Traffic Patterns