July 8, 2025
Agenda Item No. 13
TO:
HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM:
Seimone Jurjis, Assistant City Manager/Community Development Director - 949-644-3232, [email protected] PREPARED BY:
Tonee Thai, Deputy Community Development Director- Chief Building Official - 949-718-1867, [email protected] TITLE:
Professional Services Agreements for Building Safety Related Services with VCA Code, Jlee Engineering, Inc., CSG Consultants, and Bureau Veritas North American Inc.
ABSTRACT:
For the City Council’s consideration is a request to approve four professional services agreements for Building Safety-related services. The City of Newport Beach continues to experience strong private property development activity, which requires the support of qualified consultant services to supplement the staffing resources of the Community Development Department (CDD) Building Division. These contract services provide the flexibility to scale staffing in response to fluctuations in development activity, expanding during periods of growth and contracting during economic slowdowns.
CDD recently conducted a formal Request for Proposals (RFP) process to secure professional support for Building Safety services, including on-call plan review, inspection, permit processing, and staff augmentation. Following a thorough evaluation of multiple proposals, staff recommends the City enter into three-year professional services agreements with the following firms:
The Code Group
JLee Engineering, Inc.
CSG Consultants, Inc.
Bureau Veritas North America, Inc.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
a) Determine this action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) and 15060(c)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines because this action will not result in a physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly; b) Approve and authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to execute a three-year professional services agreement with The Code Group, dba VCA Code, with a not-to-exceed the amount of $500,000, in a form substantially similar to the agreement attached to the staff report; c) Approve and authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to execute a three-year professional services agreement with JLee Engineering, Inc. with a not-to-exceed the amount of $620,000, in a form substantially similar to the agreement attached to the staff report; Approve and authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to execute a three-year professional services agreement with CSG Consultants, Inc. with a not-to-exceed the amount of $500,000, in a form substantially similar to the agreement attached to the staff report; and Approve and authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to execute a three-year professional services agreement with Bureau Veritas North America Inc. with a not-to-exceed amount of $500,000, in a form substantially similar to the agreement attached to the staff report.
DISCUSSION:
The Community Development Department anticipates a significant increase in residential development activity because of the City’s recently adopted housing overlay in compliance with State Housing Element law. Contract services provide the City with the flexibility to adapt to increased workloads during periods of development growth, while also allowing for the reduction of services during economic slowdowns.
CDD regularly relies on external consulting firms to support plan review and staff augmentation functions. However, the availability of consultant personnel can vary depending on the firm’s internal staffing levels and existing contractual obligations at the time services are requested. In some instances, consultants have been unable to meet the City’s demand, resulting in delays in the timely processing of permits and reviews.
To mitigate these challenges and enhance service delivery, staff proposes entering into professional services agreements with four consulting firms for the upcoming three-year period. This approach will improve the department’s ability to secure necessary resources and maintain service continuity during peak development periods.
Staff’s recommendation is based on the quality of the submitted proposals, the consultants’ relevant experience, and the availability of qualified personnel. The following table summarizes the RFP submissions and staff’s recommended consultant selections:
RFP#: 25-37 — Building Plan Review
Scope: Provide Building Safety plan review services and staff augmentation.
Proposals Submitted By:
Staff Recommendation:
4LEAF, Inc.
Artin LLP
Bureau Veritas North America, Inc.
CSG Consultants
FEI Associates Consulting Engineers
Hayer Consultants, Inc.
Interwest Consulting Group
JLee Engineering, Inc.
JM Consulting Engineers, Inc.
Shums Coda Associates, Inc.
The Code Group, Inc.
Transtech Engineers, Inc.
TRB + Associates, Inc.
True North Compliance Services, Inc.
Urban37, Inc.
Willdan Engineering
The Code Group
JLee Engineering
CSG Consultants
Bureau Veritas North America, Inc.
RFP #: 25-37 — Building Inspection Services
Scope: Provide up to two qualified inspectors to assist City staff with timely inspection services.
Proposals Submitted By:
Staff Recommendation:
4LEAF, Inc.
Artin LLP
Bureau Veritas North America, Inc.
CSG Consultants
FEI Associates Consulting Engineers
Hayer Consultants, Inc.
Interwest Consulting Group
JLee Engineering, Inc.
JM Consulting Engineers, Inc.
Shums Coda Associates, Inc.
The Code Group, Inc.
Transtech Engineers, Inc.
TRB + Associates, Inc.
True North Compliance Services, Inc.
Urban37, Inc.
Willdan Engineering
The Code Group
JLee Engineering
CSG Consultants
Bureau Veritas North America, Inc.
RFP #: 25-37 — Building Permit Technician Services
Scope: Provide one qualified permit technician to assist City staff.
Proposals Submitted By:
Staff Recommendation:
4LEAF, Inc.
Artin LLP
Bureau Veritas North America, Inc.
CSG Consultants
FEI Associates Consulting Engineers
Hayer Consultants, Inc.
Interwest Consulting Group
JLee Engineering, Inc.
JM Consulting Engineers, Inc.
Shums Coda Associates, Inc.
The Code Group, Inc.
Transtech Engineers, Inc.
TRB + Associates, Inc.
True North Compliance Services, Inc.
Urban37, Inc.
Willdan Engineering
The Code Group
JLee Engineering
CSG Consultants
Bureau Veritas North America, Inc.
RFP #: 25-37 — On-Call Structural Review Service
Scope: Provide on-call plan review of complex structural design for conformance to the latest adopted codes and standards.
Proposals Submitted By:
Staff Recommendation:
4LEAF, Inc.
Artin LLP
BPR Consulting Group
Bureau Veritas North America, Inc.
CSG Consultants
FEI Associates Consulting Engineers
Hayer Consultants, Inc.
Interwest Consulting Group
JLee Engineering, Inc.
JM Consulting Engineers, Inc.
MRH Structural Engineers, Inc.
Shums Coda Associates, Inc.
The Code Group, Inc.
Transtech Engineers, Inc.
TRB + Associates, Inc.
True North Compliance Services, Inc.
Urban37, Inc.
West Coast Code Consultants, Inc.
JLee Engineering
FISCAL IMPACT:
The total cost for the four consulting firms is not to exceed $2,000,000 over three years. The adopted budget includes sufficient funding for this request. It will be expensed to the Professional Service account in the Community Development Department, 0105042-811008.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
Staff recommends the City Council find this action is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) (the activity will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment) and 15060(c)(3) (the activity is not a project as defined in Section 15378) of the CEQA Guidelines, California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Chapter 3, because it has no potential for resulting in physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly.
NOTICING:
The agenda item has been noticed according to the Brown Act (72 hours in advance of the meeting at which the City Council considers the item).
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment A–Professional Services Agreement with The Code Group, Inc. (VCA Code) Attachment B–Professional Services Agreement with JLee Engineering, Inc.
Attachment C–Professional Services Agreement with CSG Consultants, Inc.
Attachment D–Professional Services Agreement with Bureau Veritas North America, Inc. 13-3
13-1
Professional Services Agreements for Building Safety Related Services with VCA Code, Jlee Engineering, Inc., CSG Consultants, and Bureau Veritas North American Inc.
July 8, 2025
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