September 23, 2025
Agenda Item No. 15
TO:
HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM:
Jaime Murillo, Acting Community Development Director - 949-644-3209, [email protected] PREPARED BY:
Benjamin M. Zdeba, AICP, Planning Manager - 949-644-3253, [email protected] TITLE:
Professional Services Agreements for On-Call Professional and Technical Environmental Services with Dudek, LSA Associates, Placeworks, and Kimley-Horn and Associates ABSTRACT:
For the City Council’s consideration is a request to approve three new professional services agreements and one amendment for professional and technical environmental services to support the Community Development Department (CDD). The City of Newport Beach (City) continues to experience strong private property development activity, which requires the support of qualified consultant services to supplement the staffing resources of CDD’s Planning Division, especially related to compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). These contract services will provide flexibility to respond to fluctuations in development activity, expanding during periods of growth and contracting during economic slowdowns.
CDD recently conducted a formal Request for Qualifications process to help identify firms providing professional support for these services, including on-call peer review of environmental documents, preparation of various environmental technical studies, and support for analyzing projects under CEQA. Following a thorough evaluation of all 23 proposals, staff recommends the City enter into three-year professional services agreements with the following firms:
Dudek;
LSA Associates, Inc.; and
PlaceWorks, Inc.
Staff also recommends the City amend an existing on-call agreement with Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. to extend the term and increase the budget.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
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; Approve and authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to execute a three-year professional services agreement with Dudek, with a not-to-exceed amount of $75,000, 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 LSA Associates, with a not-to-exceed amount of $75,000, 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 Placeworks, with a not-to-exceed amount of $75,000, in a form substantially similar to the agreement attached to the staff report; and Approve and authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to execute Amendment One to the professional services agreement with Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. to extend the term with a not-to-exceed amount of $120,000, in a form substantially similar to the agreement attached to the staff report.
DISCUSSION:
The Community Development Department (CDD) has experienced an increase in residential development activity because of the City’s recently adopted housing overlay in compliance with State Housing Element law. On-call agreements provide the City with flexibility to adapt to increased workloads and technical services demands during periods of development growth, while also allowing for the reduction during economic slowdowns.
CDD regularly relies on external consulting firms to support project review with professional and technical expertise, especially related to compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Given the required timelines for processing projects under State legislation like the Permit Streamlining Act and other housing-focused regulations, it is imperative that the City has adequate consultant support available to provide timely service without delay and to continue producing housing in alignment with the goals of the Housing Element. With an influx of applications, it is equally important to have multiple consultants to use for support.
Request for Qualifications (RFQ) No. 25-31 (On-Call Planning and Technical Environmental Services) was issued to identify a bench of on-call consultants who can provide professional and technical environmental services relating to the preparation of documents pursuant to the requirements of CEQA and/or the California Coastal Act, on an as-needed basis.
To ensure performance timelines are met, staff proposes entering into professional services agreements with three consulting firms for the upcoming three-year period. As Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. already has an on-call agreement with the City and placed within the top four proposals, staff proposes Amendment No. One to extend the term to June 2028 and to increase the budget. The approach of entering into agreements with multiple consultants will improve CDD’s ability to secure necessary resources and maintain service continuity during peak development periods.
Staff’s recommendation is based on the quality and clarity of the submitted proposals, the consultants’ relevant experience, and the availability of qualified personnel. Table 1 below lists the firms that responded to the RFQ and staff’s recommended consultant selections.
Table 1 – Proposer List
Proposals Submitted By:
Staff Recommendation:
Alta Environmental
Anchor QEA
Ascent Environmental, Inc.
AZTEC Engineering Group, Inc.
CAJA Environmental Services, LLC
Chambers Group, Inc.
CSG Consultants
De Novo Planning Group
Dudek
EcoTierra Consulting, Inc.
EPD Solutions
FirstCarbon Solutions
Interwest Consulting Group
Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.
LSA Associates, Inc.
Michael Baker International, Inc.
PlaceWorks
Psomas
Templeton Planning Group
Terracon Consultants, Inc.
UltraSystems Environmental
Willdan Engineering
WSP USA, Inc.
Dudek (new)
LSA Associates, Inc. (new)
PlaceWorks (new)
Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. (amendment)
FISCAL IMPACT:
The total cost for the four agreements, as presented, is not to exceed $345,000 over three years. The adopted budget includes sufficient funding for this request. It will be expensed to the Planning Professional Services Account in the Community Development Department, 01050501-811008. Furthermore, the cost of any City-directed peer reviews of applicant-directed environmental documents will be reimbursed by the applicant.
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 Dudek Attachment B - Professional Services Agreement with LSA Associates, Inc.
Attachment C - Professional Services Agreement with PlaceWorks, Inc.
Attachment D - Amendment No. One to the Professional Services Agreement with Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.
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Professional Services Agreements for On-Call Professional and Technical Environmental Services with Dudek, LSA Associates, Placeworks, and Kimley-Horn and Associates
September 23, 2025
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