CITY OF GROVER BEACH
CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
Agenda Item No. 6
Placement: Consent
Meeting Date: June 22, 2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Matthew Bronson, City Manager
PREPARED BY: Erin Wiggin, CIP Manager
SUBJECT: Update of Approved List of Qualified Consultants for Construction Management and Geotechnical Engineering Services
RECOMMENDATION
Approve the updated list of qualified consultants for construction management and geotechnical engineering services related to upcoming Capital Improvement Projects and authorize the City Manager to execute Agreements for Consultant Services up to $400,000 based on approved scope and budget proposals.
BACKGROUND
The Public Works Department often relies on consultants as a staff resource for priority projects identified by the City Council. This is especially true with major capital projects where consultants typically provide civil engineering design, grant administration, materials testing and construction management services. Other services provided by consultants include geotechnical engineering, landscape architecture, project management, surveying, plan checking, and environmental clearance.
When procuring professional services, the department follows the Request for Proposals (RFP) process as outlined in the State Government Code. This process is typically followed to procure each professional service on a project. Per the Government Code, the City is required to advertise for proposals in a local publication, review the proposals received and rank the firms based on qualifications. The highest-ranking firm is then selected, and the City enters into price negotiations with that firm. If unsuccessful in negotiating a fair contract price, the City begins negotiations with the second-place firm and so on until a contract can be awarded. This process requires a great deal of staff time and resources while significantly impacting project schedules and staff’s ability to complete multiple projects.
In 2015, in an effort to expedite the delivery of projects and reduce staff time and costs associated with the procurement of professional services, Council established an approved list of qualified consultants to provide various consulting services for projects identified in the City’s Capital Improvement Program. The Government Code allows the City to use this process to prequalify professional consulting firms and individuals, create a short list of those most qualified, and then directly solicit price and scope proposals from the qualified list. Staff recommended that the list should be updated generally every 3-5 years. Given the last update in 2021 (2021 Staff Report), and a subsequent extension in 2024 (Staff Report 2024), approval of another update is being sought by staff at this time.
Staff Report: Approved List of Qualified Construction Management and Geotechnical Services Page 2 June 22, 2026
The Public Works Department advertised a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) on April 9, 2026 to gather Statements of Qualifications (SOQs) from firms interested in providing professional services in two categories: construction management services and geotechnical engineering services. Once Council re-establishes a list of approved consultants, staff can seek cost and scope proposals for construction management and/or geotechnical engineering services from consultants on the approved list. Being included on the list does not guarantee that a consultant will receive any assignments. The volume of work assigned to an approved consultant will depend on the consultant’s qualifications and availability as they relate to a specific project.
The RFQ closed on May 7, 2026, and SOQs were received from 11 firms interested in providing construction management services and two firms interested in providing geotechnical services.
The construction management firms are Cannon, BKF, Willdan, Vanier, Wallace, Fillipin, CLAD, L6 Engineering, PEI, WSC and C2PM. The geotechnical firms are Earth Systems and Engeo. A panel evaluated and ranked the proposals based on the advertised criteria, as per Government Code Section 4526 which states:
“Notwithstanding any other provision of law, selection by a state or local agency head for professional services of private architectural, landscape architectural, engineering, environmental, land surveying, or construction project management firms shall be on the basis of demonstrated competence and on the professional qualifications necessary for the satisfactory performance of the services required.
Staff’s recommendations are based on criteria that seeks to identify the qualifications and experience of the firm, qualifications and experience of the employees identified, past experience with projects of similar size and scope, capability to meet milestone and budget requirements, experience with Caltrans Standard Specifications and Standard Drawings (which are used as the reference standards to the adopted City standards), and any specialized project needs such as experience with specific techniques of pavement rehabilitation proposed for the City’s street projects. While all consultants who submitted SOQs had some degree of qualifications, staff recommends limiting the list of approved consultants to up to six of the most qualified and capable consultants. This recommendation provides for redundancy in available service, increases the likelihood that selected consultants will complete some level of work for the City, and assures that selected consultants are well qualified to complete work without additional assistance from staff.
It is important to note per the city’s purchasing policy, any firm The following tables indicate staff’s recommendations for the list of qualified consultants along with related notes for both construction management and geotechnical engineering services:
Table 1 Construction Management Firms
Firm Name Notes
CANNON Currently performs well for the city; extensive experience BKF Currently performs well for the city; extensive experience Willdan Engineering Currently performs well for the city; extensive experience Vanir Extensive experience
Wallace Group Currently performs well for the city
Fillipin Engineering Extensive local experience with similar sized projects Staff Report: Approved List of Qualified Construction Management and Geotechnical Services Page 3 June 22, 2026
Table 2 Geotechnical Engineering Firms
Firm Name Notes
Earth Systems
Recommend for design and construction phase geotechnical engineering services; performs well for the city
ENGEO
Recommend for design and construction phase geotechnical engineering services; performs well for the city
Staff would note that consultants not recommended for each list are not precluded from working with the city. The City reserves the right to bypass these lists for specific projects that are deemed more appropriate for a traditional RFP consultant selection process. This is typically the case for highly unique or specialized projects that are beyond more routine work scopes. Also, other firms that did not make the list due to limited experience or resources identified can be provided opportunities on smaller projects which would allow them to gain experience and skills necessary to be included on future lists.
Once Council approves this list of qualified consultants, the consultant selected to perform work under contract with the City using the City’s Consultant Services Agreement will agree to provide services based on hourly rates identified in their SOQ. The City will negotiate separate scope and fee estimates for each project. This methodology reduces time and staff resources necessary to procure consulting services since the consultant’s qualifications have already been determined, all the terms and conditions of the contract are in place, and the consultant’s insurance information is on record.
FISCAL IMPACT
There are no funding impacts to this staff report.
ALTERNATIVES
The Council has the following alternatives to consider:
1. Approve the updated list of qualified consultants for construction management and geotechnical engineering services related to upcoming Capital Improvement Projects and authorize the City Manager to execute Agreements for Consultant Services up to $400,000 based on approved scope and budget proposals; or
2. Do not accept staff recommendation and provide additional direction to staff.
PUBLIC NOTIFICATION
The agenda was posted in accordance with the Brown Act.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Approved list of Qualified Consultants
Multi-Year Goals
☐ Public Safety and Community Services ☐ Economic Development and Housing ☐ Community Infrastructure ☐ Financial and Organization Sustainability Council Priorities
☐ Water & Wastewater Infrastructure ☐ Community Engagement ☐ Street Improvements and Maintenance
Attachment 1
CITY OF GROVER BEACH
APPROVED LIST OF QUALIFIED CONSULTANTS
FOR
PROFESSIONAL CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT AND
GEOTECHNICAL SERVICES
CANNON
1050 SOUTHWOOD DRIVE
SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA 93401
VANIR
735 TANK FARM RD, STE 230
SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA 93401
BKF
811 EL CAPITAN WAY, SUITE 130
SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA 93401
WILLDAN
374 POLI STREET, SUITE 101
VENTURA, CA 93001
WALLACE
CLARION COURT
SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA 93401
FILLIPIN ENGINEERING
994 MILL STREET
SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA 93401
GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
EARTH SYSTEMS PACIFIC
4378 OLD SANTA FE ROAD
SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA 93401
ENGEO
2646 SANTA MARIA WAY, SUITE 107
SANTA MARIA, CA 93455