CITY OF MENIFEE
SUBJECT: Public Works On-Call Stormwater Related Services Bid Rejection
MEETING DATE: December 17, 2025
TO: Mayor and City Council
PREPARED BY: Chris Gehrki, Management Analyst II
REVIEWED BY: Nick Fidler, Public Works Director
APPROVED BY: Armando G. Villa, City Manager
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RECOMMENDED ACTION
1. Reject all bids received in response to Notice Inviting Bids No. 2026-01 On-Call Stormwater Related Services, in accordance with Public Contract Code § 20166 and authorize staff to issue a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to establish one or multiple on-call contractors.
DISCUSSION
On September 8, 2025, staff solicited competitive bids for the Notice Inviting Bid (NIB) 2026-01, On-Call Stormwater Related Services through PlanetBids. Keeping storm drains and catch basins clean and free of debris is a requirement of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). Compliance with NPDES and other stormwater mandates require regular inspection of all catch basins and replacement of filters located within certain catch basins.
NIB 2026-01 was advertised for 30 days with a bid opening date of October 8, 2025. The bid specifications required all bidders to bid on five separate stormwater maintenance service line items; three of which are considered routine in nature, and two that are considered extraordinary or emergency services that would only be requested should a need arise. The City received a total of four bids which are summarized in Table 1 below.
TABLE 1 – BID RESULT SUMMARY
Firm Name Total Bid Amount
American Integrated Services, Inc. $2,022.00
Southwest Infrastructure, Inc. $4,260.00
Downstream Services, Inc. $5,460.00
United Storm Water, Inc. $11,540.50
The Total Bid Amount column in Table 1 represents each firm’s collective total of the cost proposed to perform one response for each type of service in the line-item bid. The bid solicitation resulted in a wide range of proposed service costs when totaled in this way.
City of Menifee Staff Report
On-Call Stormwater Related Services Bid Rejection
December 17, 2025
2 7
9 2
Upon further evaluation of the bid results, staff determined that separating bid items into those used more frequently and those used less often demonstrated that the lowest responsible bidder for one service was not the lowest bidder overall when the other service costs were totaled. For example, the apparent low bidder for routine maintenance, which is the most frequent cost incurred, was not the lowest bidder for extraordinary or emergency type services. Given the wide range of costs proposed, and the large inventory of City stormwater facilities to be maintained, staff determined it would be more economical, and operationally efficient, to develop a short list of multiple vendors to be contracted for on-call stormwater-related services.
The competitive bid process initially performed does not permit award of contract to multiple vendors. Development of a short list of vendors would require that City Council reject the current bids and authorize staff to readvertise for services. If the proposed bid rejection is approved, a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) solicitation would be administered that would allow staff to evaluate all responding firms more comprehensively on aspects such as response time, staffing and equipment readiness, emergency service capacity, and not simply service cost. Developing a short list would also provide an opportunity for multiple vendors to provide on-call services to the City as well as maintaining price competitiveness for the City.
Public Contract Code § 20166 allows a legislative body, in its discretion, to reject any bids and readvertise. The attached Notice of Intent to Cancel Bid has been posted on Planetbids. If bid rejection is approved, a notification confirming rejection of all bids would be sent to the firms listed in Table 1. Subsequently, staff would readvertise on-call stormwater-related services through the issuance of a RFQ. Upon completion of the RFQ process, staff would return to City Council with any recommendations for establishing an approved short list of on-call vendors. Below is a tentative schedule reflecting the proposed rebid of the project:
Action Date
RFQ Opening January 2026
Approval/Award by City Council March 2026
On-Call Services Available April 2026
The schedule above assumes no unforeseen delays.
STRATEGIC PLAN OBJECTIVE
Safe and Vibrant Community
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with the recommended action. It is anticipated that administering an RFQ would allow staff to establish a short-list of multiple vendors which would better support operational flexibility for maintenance, ensure multiple options for emergency response during storm events, and ensure services are delivered cost effectively.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Notice of Intent to Cancel Bids