Fremont City Council Meeting: 07/14/26 07:00 PM
3300 Capitol Avenue Div/Dept: Community Development
Fremont, CA 94538 Category: Agreements and Contracts
SCHEDULED
Sponsors:
COUNCIL STAFF REPORT (ID # 5723) DOC ID: 5723
Updated: 7/10/2026 9:20 AM by Alberto Quintanilla Page 1 On-Call Land Use And Development Consultant Services Authorize the City Manager or Designee to Execute Master Service Agreements with Consulting Firms to Support Land Use and Development Services.
Contact Persons:
Name: Jennifer Craven Joel Pullen
Title: Business Manager Community Development Director
Div/Dept: Community Development Community Development
Phone: 510-494-4554 510-494-4436
E-Mail: [email protected] [email protected]
Executive Summary: Community Development utilizes a number of on-call consulting services to support land use and development-related permitting services. On-call consultants provide expertise that staff does not have (e.g., acoustical noise and vibration analysis) or provide supplemental staffing during periods of peak demand (e.g., extra inspection staffing). This action supports the City Council Priorities of economic development and public safety by preserving the City’s ability to move development applications forward in a timely manner while ensuring we maintain the quality of life and safety of the built environment. Staff requests that the City Council authorize the City Manager or designee to execute master service agreements with the consultants described in this report and listed in the Recommendation section.
Discussion/Analysis: In September 2025, Community Development released a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) on BidNet Direct (the City’s web based on-line bidding service) for on-call consultant services that support land use and development permit processing. These consultants provide services that staff do not have expertise to provide or provide supplemental staffing during periods of peak demand. These agreements are intended to support all on-call consultant service needs for the next five years.
Eighteen firms submitted Statements of Qualifications (SOQs), each representing the range of on-call services required to support land use and development permit processing requests in Fremont. All respondents were determined to be qualified to provide their technical specialty, and the combination of all of these consultants provides adequate breadth of support to meet the City’s land use and development permit processing needs.
However, one of these vendors has an active on-call agreement with the City to provide the same services, so it has been removed from this new list.
Council Staff Report (ID # 5723) Meeting of July 14, 2026 Updated: 7/10/2026 9:20 AM by Alberto Quintanilla Page 2 Through the RFQ evaluation process, consultants are evaluated based on their experience in their technical fields, similar experience in other jurisdictions, reputation/references, knowledge of City and legal processes and requirements, and agreeability with City contracting requirements.
The majority of work completed by the on-call consultants will be funded directly by the private party applicants requesting a planning entitlement or building permit. To a lesser extent, these firms may support project work on City-initiated projects (e.g., technical fee study). Master Service Agreement (MSA) terms and not-to-exceed maximum dollar amounts are based on the volume of past use of these specialties, with an understanding that development activity is variable. The MSA/Task Order process constrains rate increases over time, provides for timely consultant responses in compliance with the purchasing ordinance, and builds consultant familiarity with the city’s policies to further streamline reviews.
The firms that submitted an SOQ are listed below under the technical specialty for which they are qualified to provide on-call consultant services.
• Full-Service Planning Firms: Full-service planning firms provide a broad range of services such as environmental analysis [California Environmental Quality Act(CEQA)/National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) including the individual technical subjects], land use/community planning, community outreach, historic resource analysis, and project management services. The following full-service firms are qualified to provide service in Fremont:
o Good City Company
o PlaceWorks, Inc.
o Urban Planning Partners, Inc.
• Environmental Services: Environmental service firms provide a range of technical analysis when required by requests for development entitlements and permits. These services include analysis required under CEQA, NEPA, and the Fremont Municipal Code.
o Circle Point
o David J. Powers
o Triple HS (dba HT Harvey & Associates)
o Illingworth & Rodkin, Inc.
o Lamphier-Gregory
o SLR International Corporation
Council Staff Report (ID # 5723) Meeting of July 14, 2026 Updated: 7/10/2026 9:20 AM by Alberto Quintanilla Page 3 • Historic Services: Historic resource firms provide a range of services related to establishment of and/or modification to existing historic resources. These include analysis required under State and federal law, and the Fremont Municipal Code, as well as assistance in determining if proposed modifications to historic resources are compatible (as required under law).
o Architectural Resources Group, Inc.
o Galvin Preservation Associates, Inc. (dba GPA Consulting) o Page & Turnbull, Inc.
• Economic and Fiscal Services: Economic and fiscal firms typically provide analysis on City-initiated projects, such as the affordable housing ordinance and development impact fee nexus studies, and also review the financial impacts of commercial and industrial General Plan Amendments.
o BAE Urban Economics, Inc.
• Building, Fire, and Hazardous Materials Code Plan Review and Inspection Services: The firms below provide on-call services during periods of peak demand when there are more requests for plan review and building inspections than City staff can support. The hazardous materials plan review and inspection services are wholly outsourced due to the uniqueness of the specialty; no staff position contains the expertise required to do this work.
o 4LEAF, Inc.
o CSG Consultants, Inc.
o Forster Consulting Services
o Urban37, Inc.
Fiscal Impact: The majority of on-call work to be completed by these consultants will be funded directly by the private party requesting a land use entitlement or building permit. As necessary, these consultants may also complete on-call work for City-initiated projects (e.g., fee updates, land use planning, public works projects). Under these circumstances, the consultant work is funded by the approved project budget.
Environmental Review: Environmental review is not required as the master service agreement(s) are exempt and not a project pursuant to, without limitation, California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Sections 15061(b)(3) and 15378(b)(2), (4) and/or (5). It can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that authorization of the agreement(s) Council Staff Report (ID # 5723) Meeting of July 14, 2026 Updated: 7/10/2026 9:20 AM by Alberto Quintanilla Page 4 will have a significant effect on the physical environment. Each of the foregoing provides a separate and independent basis for CEQA exemption.
Attachments: None.
Recommendation: Approve and authorize the City Manager or designee to enter into and take all steps reasonable and necessary to implement on-call master service agreements with the consultants listed below.
1. Approve and authorize the City Manager or designee to execute a Master Service Agreement with Good City Company for on-call planning and environmental review services for a term of five years in an amount not to exceed $500,000;
2. Approve and authorize the City Manager or designee to execute a Master Service Agreement with PlaceWorks, Inc. for on-call planning and environmental review services for a term of five years in an amount not to exceed $500,000;
3. Approve and authorize the City Manager or designee to execute a Master Service Agreement with Urban Planning Partners, Inc. for on-call planning and environmental review services for a term of five years in an amount not to exceed $500,000;
4. Approve and authorize the City Manager or designee to execute a Master Service Agreement with Circle Point for on-call environmental review consultant services for a term of five years in an amount not to exceed $500,000;
5. Approve and authorize the City Manager or designee to execute a Master Service Agreement with David J. Powers for on-call environmental review consultant services for a term of five years in an amount not to exceed $500,000;
6. Approve and authorize the City Manager or designee to execute a Master Service Agreement with Triple HS (dba HT Harvey & Associates) for on-call biological resources consultant services for a term of five years in an amount not to exceed $500,000;
7. Approve and authorize the City Manager or designee to execute a Master Service Agreement with Illingworth & Rodkin for on-call acoustic, vibration, and air quality consultant services for a term of five years in an amount not to exceed $500,000;
8. Approve and authorize the City Manager or designee to execute a Master Service Agreement with Lamphier-Gregory for on-call environmental review consultant services for a term of five years in an amount not to exceed $500,000;
Council Staff Report (ID # 5723) Meeting of July 14, 2026 Updated: 7/10/2026 9:20 AM by Alberto Quintanilla Page 5
9. Approve and authorize the City Manager or designee to execute a Master Service Agreement with SLR International Corporation for on-call planning and environmental review services for a term of five years in an amount not to exceed $500,000;
10. Approve and authorize the City Manager or designee to execute a Master Service Agreement with Architectural Resources Group, Inc. for on-call historic resources and planning consultant services for a term of five years in an amount not to exceed $500,000;
11. Approve and authorize the City Manager or designee to execute a Master Service Agreement with Galvin Preservation Associates, Inc. (dba GPA Consultants) for on-call historic resources and planning consultant services for a term of five years in an amount not to exceed $500,000;
12. Approve and authorize the City Manager or designee to execute a Master Service Agreement with Page & Turnbull, Inc. for on-call historic resources and planning consultant services for a term of five years in an amount not to exceed $500,000;
13. Approve and authorize the City Manager or designee to execute a Master Service Agreement with BAE Urban Economics, Inc. for on-call economic and fiscal planning and analysis consultant services for a term of five years in an amount not to exceed $500,000;
14. Approve and authorize the City Manager or designee to execute a Master Service Agreement with 4LEAF, Inc. for on-call Building and Fire Code plan review and inspection review consultant services for a term of five years in an amount not to exceed $500,000;
15. Approve and authorize the City Manager or designee to execute a Master Service Agreement with CSG Consultants, Inc. for on-call Building and Fire Code plan review and inspection consultant services for a term of five years in an amount not to exceed $500,000;
16. Approve and authorize the City Manager or designee to execute a Master Service Agreement with Forster Consulting Services for on-call hazardous materials plan review and inspection consultant services for a term of five years in an amount not to exceed $750,000; and
17. Approve and authorize the City Manager or designee to execute a Master Service Agreement with Urban37, Inc. for on-call Building and Fire Code plan review and inspection consultant services for a term of five years in an amount not to exceed $500,000.