Agenda Report
Fullerton City Council
MEETING DATE: AUGUST 18, 2026
TO: CITY COUNCIL / SUCCESSOR AGENCY
SUBMITTED BY: STEPHEN BISE, P.E., PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR PREPARED BY: ANDREW GRAJEDA, WATER SYSTEMS MANAGER
JEROME JOAQUIN, PUBLIC WORKS ADMIN. MANAGER
SUBJECT: MAINTENANCE SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH BIG BEN, INC. FOR EMERGENCY WATER SERVICES
SUMMARY
Staff requests City Council approve a Maintenance Services Agreement with Big Ben, Inc., a qualified on-call contractor, to provide as-needed emergency services for water infrastructure failures and repairs to quickly restore water services.
PROPOSED MOTION
Approve Maintenance Services Agreement with Big Ben, Inc., “piggybacking” on an existing competitively bid City of Anaheim agreement.
Authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute the Maintenance Services Agreement, in a form approved by the City Attorney.
ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS
Approve Proposed Motion.
Other options brought by City Council.
PRIORITY POLICY STATEMENT
This item matches the following Priority Policy Statements:
Public Safety
Infrastructure and City Assets.
FISCAL IMPACT
The agreement cost will depend on the frequency and scope of work for emergency water infrastructure services. The Water Fund (Fund 44) has sufficient funds budgeted in Public Works Water Operations to address emergency repairs and services. Staff requests no additional appropriation at this time.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
The City water infrastructure has and will continue to experience emergencies. The amount and type of emergencies can vary greatly. In most instances, Water Operations staff have the tools, equipment and materials to make repairs.
However, a Maintenance Services Agreement (MSA) for as-needed emergency repair would improve emergency planning for repairs requiring specialty equipment, lacking available staff and/or during severe emergencies.
The Water Operations and Purchasing division explored options to meet these needs and reviewed as-needed emergency water service repair agreements from several surrounding cities including agreements from neighboring cities that permit a piggyback option. Procurement policy allows other public agencies to utilize a current agreement, assuming it meets their needs, without publicly bidding a new agreement. This is often referred to as “piggybacking” and is a widely accepted practice for public agencies.
Fullerton Municipal Code Section 2.64 and City Procurement Policy 4.1.2 permit piggyback agreements in lieu of formal bidding when another public agency competitively solicited the contract. Piggybacking saves the City significant time and resources by “piggybacking” off another agency’s competitively bid agreement.
The City of Anaheim Master Agreement with Big Ben, Inc. went through a competitive RFP process in 2024 (Attachment 2). This guarantees the City with a low competitive bid, a responsive and responsible bidder and a qualified on-call contractor to perform emergency water infrastructure repairs and services. Staff recommends approving the MSA with Big Ben, Inc. through a piggyback method on the City of Anaheim agreement to support department efforts to address emergency water services.
Attachments:
Attachment 1 – Maintenance Services Agreement with Big Ben, Inc.
Attachment 2 – Copy of City of Anaheim’s Agreement
Attachment 3 – City of Anaheim RFP for Master Agreement cc: City Manager Eddie Manfro
Maintenance Services Agreement with Big Ben, Inc. for Water Emergency Services August 18, 2026 - Page PAGE \* MERGEFORMAT 2