Public Works and Transportation Committee
October 27, 2026
RECOMMENDATION
AGENDA REPORT
Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt A Resolution: 1) Awarding A Professional Services Agreement With VSCE, Inc. For An Amount Of Five Million Dollars ($5,000,000) To Provide Construction Management Support Services For The Broadway Streetscape Improvements Project (Number 1008515); And 2) Adopting Appropriate California Environmental Quality Act Findings
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Approval of this resolution will authorize the City Administrator to negotiate and execute a professional services agreement in the amount of five million dollars ($5,000,000) with VSCE, Inc., to provide construction management support services, including special inspection, material testing and environmental monitoring services, for the construction of the Broadway Streetscape Improvements (Project). The contract complies with the City’s Local and Small Local Business Enterprise (L/SLBE) Program requirements.
Project improvements include red bus-only lanes, new bus shelters, seating and trash cans at bus stops, street trees, pedestrian crossings improvements, pedestrian lighting, and upgraded traffic signals on Broadway from 2nd Street to 11th Street and from 20th Street to Grand Avenue. The Project area has a higher proportion of residents who are Asian, seniors, disabled, and households with very low income compared to Oakland’s population overall. Upon completion, the Project will address disparities by improving safety, expanding accessibility and mobility options, and improving air quality and related health outcomes.
Approval of the resolution will also authorize the City Administrator to adopt appropriate California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) findings.
TO: Elizabeth Lake FROM: Josh Rowan,
Interim City Administrator Director of Transportation
SUBJECT: Broadway Streetscape Improvements
Construction Management Support
Services
DATE: October 5, 2026
City Administrator Approval Date: Elizabeth Lake (Oct 9, 2026 09:26:40 PDT) Oct 9, 2026
Elizabeth Lake, Interim City Administrator
Subject: Broadway Streetscape Improvements Construction Management Support Services Date: October 5, 2026 Page 2
Public Works and Transportation Committee
October 27, 2026
BACKGROUND / LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
Broadway north of 7th Street is located on the Oakland High Injury Network (HIN), which comprises 8% of Oakland streets yet accounts for 60% of the City’s severe and fatal traffic collisions. The corridor currently lacks accessible curb ramps, pedestrian-scale lighting, bus stop amenities, and transit supportive infrastructure. The successful construction management and delivery of the Project will improve these conditions. Council has taken funding- and contract procurement-related legislative actions to advance safety and access improvements along the Embarcadero West corridor, as summarized below:
• In 2022, City Council directed the City Administrator to accept and appropriate California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) grant funds to advance projects identified in a Memorandum of Understanding Between City and Port (the “City-Port MOU”), which includes this Project (Resolution No. 89519 C.M.S.).
• In 2024, City Council passed an ordinance amending Oakland’s Local and Small Local Business Enterprise (L/SLBE) Program, establishing contracting requirements for capital projects, including this Project (Ordinance No. 13825 C.M.S.). Award of the construction contract for this Project is consistent with the L/SLBE Program. • In 2026, City Council directed the City Administrator to take all actions necessary to apply for, accept and appropriate additional funds required to advance and complete projects identified in the City’s Capital Improvement Program in which the Project is a high-ranking project scoring an 87 out of 100 points (Resolution No. 91208 C.M.S.).
See Related Planning Efforts section, below, for more information on how the project incorporates a decade of planning efforts and consistency with other actions taken by City Council to advance safety and access improvements on the Broadway corridor.
ANALYSIS AND POLICY ALTERNATIVES
In accordance with Oakland Municipal Code (OMC) 2.04.051 and the provisions of the Administrative Instruction 150 for Professional Services Contracts, the City issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for construction management support services for the Project on July 31, 2026, seeking a consultant team most suitable for the Project. Proposals were due on August 27, 2026, and the City received two (2) proposals. The proposals were received from 3D Built, a firm headquartered in Roseville, California, and VSCE, Inc., a firm headquartered in Oakland, California. The compliance analysis performed by the Department of Workplace and Employment Standards (DWES) verifies VSCE, Inc.’s certification as an SLBE in the City of Oakland (Attachment A).
A panel reflecting the technical expertise necessary to accomplish the scope of work led the interview process. The panel included three (3) professionals including engineering and construction management experts from the City’s Department of Transportation (OakDOT) and the Department of Public Works (OPW). The panel ranked all proposals based on their submission (40% of total score) and based on a one-hour in-person interview (60% of total score). In addition to the panelists, an impartial observer from the Department of Workplace and Employment Standards (DWES) was present for the duration of the interviews. The panel Elizabeth Lake, Interim City Administrator
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scored the proposals based on the following criteria set forth in the RFP, with the maximum possible points for each category noted:
• Experience and qualifications (15 points)
• Project team organization and teamwork (25 points)
• Team (key/lead personnel) profile (20 points)
• Overall approval and project management (35 points)
• Client references from relevant projects (5 points)
• L/SLBE preference points (12.5 points)
Based on the criteria above, the panel determined that the top ranked firm was VSCE, Inc. The resolution authorizes the City Administrator to negotiate and enter into a professional services agreement with VSCE, Inc. in an amount of five million dollars ($5,000,000).
The VSCE, Inc. proposal exceeds the City’s Local/Small Local Business Enterprise (L/SLBE) program requirements, which, based on an availability analysis conducted by DWES is 50% L/SLBE, with at least 25% LBE and 25% SLBE participation. Compliance information has been verified by DWES (Attachment A).
All grant funding secured for the Project must be liquidated by June 30, 2030. Approval of this resolution will allow the Project to maintain its delivery schedule for Project completion by June 2030. Delaying this approval will put the project at risk of not meeting grant requirements and at risk of losing up to thirty million dollars ($30,000,000) for the construction management of the Project.
RELATED PLANNING EFFORTS
Downtown Oakland Specific Plan
On July 16, 2024, City Council adopted the Downtown Oakland Specific Plan (Resolution No. 90377 C.M.S.), which recommends the City “redesign Broadway to better serve transit and pedestrians.” DOSP also explicitly recommended upgraded lighting, high-visibility crosswalks, signage, and transit-only lanes.
Pedestrian Plan
In 2017, City Council unanimously adopted the Pedestrian Plan (Resolution No. 87808 C.M.S.), (Resolution No. 86809 C.M.), which prioritized pedestrian safety improvements along Broadway. Between 9th and 11th Streets within the Project area, the Plan recommends extending medians, providing curb bulbs, and upgrading signals to prioritize pedestrian safety.
The Project implements these recommendations.
Equitable Climate Action Plan (ECAP)
This Project supports ECAP (Resolution No. 88267 C.M.S.) transportation and land use policies and actions (TLU-4 and TLU-6) by delivering red bus-only lanes and other transit supportive amenities to improve transit access and reliability and constructing enhanced pedestrian facilities that reduce automobile dependence and encourage low-carbon transportation modes.
The Project also advances ECAP adaptation policies and actions (A-6) through the planting of new street trees along Broadway, which will regulate temperatures, sequester carbon, and mitigate air pollution in a corridor serving communities disproportionately impacted by Elizabeth Lake, Interim City Administrator
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environmental burdens. These improvements were designed with deliberate intention to reduce transportation-related emissions and deliver climate-resilient infrastructure to Downtown communities that have historically borne greater environmental and economic burdens.
FISCAL IMPACT
Sufficient grant funds are available to fund this contract. The Project will be funded through California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) grant funding. As detailed in the Background/Legislative History section above, City Council authorized acceptance and appropriation of the state grant funds to implement the Broadway Streetscape Improvements Project whereas a total amount of five million dollars ($5,000,000) has been appropriated in Project 1008515, Fund 2159 for construction management support services. As these funds will be supporting the construction of a capital project, the costs are one-time in nature and will span FY 26-27 through FY 29-30.
PUBLIC OUTREACH / INTEREST
Public outreach is part of OakDOT’s Capital Contract Equity Initiative. For this solicitation, OakDOT worked with OPW Capital Contracts Division and DWES to perform public outreach through legal ads, enhanced notifications, and pre-bid meetings.
On August 28, 2025, staff hosted a Doing Business with Oakland event in coordination with OPW and DWES to engage the consultant and contractor community. This meeting included information about the pre-qualification process and the steps to become a certified Small and Local Business Enterprise. It also highlighted upcoming construction opportunities, including this Project, and facilitated about 150 matchmaking sessions between 73 small businesses and four prime contractors.
Notifications of solicitation were distributed by several means. The first was the City’s iSupplier system, which was utilized to notify Oakland-certified local and non-local professional service providers (e.g., landscape architects, architects, engineers, contractors, and planning firms); regional trade and business groups, including the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, Oakland Black Board of Trade and Commerce, Bay Area Business Roundtable, and Construction Bidboard. Within a few days of registering in iSupplier, companies can access and review proposal requests in iSupplier, including by searching for specific projects based on North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code.
The legal notice for this solicitation was advertised on July 31, 2026, in the Oakland Tribune and the Oakland Post. In addition, information about the project was published in El Mundo, East Bay Express, and the Inter-City Express to supplement and target L/SLBE companies.
Finally, OPW Capital Contracts Division held a pre-bid meeting in partnership with DWES and the Project Manager on August 11, 2026, with eight (8) people in attendance virtually. The meeting’s purpose was to inform attendees about the Project, discuss compliance requirements, and provide an opportunity for consultants and sub-consultants to network and partner on the proposed work.
Elizabeth Lake, Interim City Administrator
Subject: Broadway Streetscape Improvements Construction Management Support Services Date: October 5, 2026 Page 5
Public Works and Transportation Committee
October 27, 2026
COORDINATION
Staff worked with the Office of the City Attorney, the Budget Bureau, OPW and DWES on the consultant procurement of the construction management support services for the Project and preparation of this report and legislation.
RACE AND EQUITY
In 2024, staff completed a Racial Equity Impact Analysis (REIA) on the Broadway Streetscape Improvements to understand the existing disparities, identify how the Project addresses disparities, and provide additional recommendations to the Project design team and the City.
The Project area is defined by seven census tracts that are within or adjacent to the Project corridor. This area has about 20,600 residents. Compared to Oakland’s population, this area has a higher proportion of residents who are Asian, seniors, disabled, and households with very low income. About 24% of households in the Project area make less than $20,000 per year. In addition, 40% of the Project area households do not have access to a personal vehicle. As highlighted in the REIA, traffic collisions disproportionately impact Black Oaklanders on this corridor, and the Project area residents are subject to worse air quality and associated health outcomes compared to Citywide trends. This Project will address disparities by enhancing safety, improving air quality and related health outcomes, and expanding accessibility and mobility options for all Oaklanders, especially people without vehicles or people living with a disability.
Additionally, the Project follows all applicable City contracting requirements that aim to provide the City’s residents and businesses with equitable access to the economic opportunities created by its contracts. The City’s contracting policies aim to use the power of the public purse to stimulate economic development through the support and empowerment of the local community, especially those that have been placed at a disadvantage in the past.
CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT (CEQA)
The Project is exempt under CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Sections 21080.25(b) (Pedestrian and Bicycle), 15301(c) (Existing Facilities, Highways and Streets), 15302(c) (Replacement or Reconstruction), 15303(d) (Small Structures), and 15304(h) (minor alterations to land). Each of the above exemptions provides a separate and independent basis for CEQA compliance. The City filed a Notice of Exemption with Alameda County and the Office of Planning and Research’s State Clearing House on February 20, 2024, for the Broadway Streetscape Improvements.
Elizabeth Lake, Interim City Administrator
Subject: Broadway Streetscape Improvements Construction Management Support Services Date: October 5, 2026 Page 6
Public Works and Transportation Committee
October 27, 2026
ACTION REQUESTED OF THE CITY COUNCIL
Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt A Resolution: 1) Awarding A Professional Services Agreement To VSCE, Inc. For An Amount Of Five Million Dollars ($5,000,000) To Provide Construction Management Support Services For The Broadway Streetscape Improvements Project (Number 1008515); And 2) Adopting Appropriate California Environmental Quality Act Findings.
For questions regarding this report, please contact Edmond Siu, Supervising Civil Engineer at (510) 238-3172.
Respectfully submitted,
Josh Rowan (Oct 7, 2026 10:18:27 PDT)
Josh Rowan
Director, Department of Transportation
Reviewed by:
Emily Ehlers, Interim Assistant Director
Edmond Siu, Supervising Civil Engineer
Beaver Boonsook, Transportation Engineer
Prepared by:
Audrey Harris, Supervising Transportation
Planner
Attachment (1):
Attachment A: Project’s Compliance Analysis Memorandum