City Council
Staff Report
From: City Manager
Report Type: CONSENT CALENDAR
Lead Department: Utilities
Meeting Date: February 12, 2024
Staff Report: 2311-2253
TITLE
Approval of Contract No. C24188884 With WaterTALENT, LLC for Temporary Consultant Support for Public Works and Utilities Departments in a Not to Exceed Amount of $1,896,000 Over Three Years, With Two One-Year Extension Options; Not to Exceed $830,400 for Year One and Not to Exceed $532,800 per Year for Years Two and Three and Optional Extensions if Authorized; CEQA Status - Not a Project
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the Council (1) approve and authorize the City Manager or designee to execute a contract with WaterTALENT (Contract C24188884) to provide support for key services for Utilities Operations and Public Works Regional Water Quality Control Plant (RWQCP) for an amount not to exceed $1,896,000 over three years; not to exceed amount for year one is $830,400 and not to exceed amount for years two and three is $532,800 per year; and (2) authorize City Manager or designee to approve two optional one-year extensions at an additional not to exceed amount of $532,800 per year.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Utilities and Public Works Departments have critical operations that require specialized expertise and certifications to perform. There is a limited number of workers in California with the necessary qualifications. WaterTALENT employs a pool of consultants with the requisite certifications who can provide temporary operational support on an on-call basis. Due to existing vacancies and additional attrition anticipated over the next several years, staff is recommending a three-year contract with the option for two one-year extensions. This will provide Utilities and Public Works adequate time for current City employees to gain the necessary certifications and/or to hire additional qualified employees. The contract will be funded by salary savings from vacant staff positions.
BACKGROUND
The Utilities Department and the Public Works Department require temporary consultant support on projects that require specialized expertise and certifications. Existing staff are not
qualified or do not have the appropriate certifications to perform these tasks and there are a limited number of qualified candidates outside the City to perform the tasks. Both the Utilities Department and the Public Works Department have an immediate need for support services from qualified consultants in the short term to ensure a reliable level of service is maintained.
These projects require both a high level of experience coupled with State Water Resources Control Board Certifications that take years to obtain, and there is a limited number of candidates that are appropriately certified and qualified to perform the tasks. To illustrate the limited pool of potential candidates, current listings by the State Water Resources Control Board indicate that there are 1,220 Grade 5 Water Distribution Operators and 1,097 Grade 5 Wastewater Treatment Plant Operators licensed at this time in California; a Grade 5 license is required to perform certain necessary high-level tasks. Only 10% of certified operators (i.e., approximately 100) live sufficiently close to Palo Alto where they would not require relocation. Cost of living and commute challenges also add to the difficulty of recruiting. These functions are critical to the operations of essential City services and may only be performed by individuals that hold the required certifications.
WaterTALENT is a firm that offers certified, temporary support services to meet the City’s needs while the City continues the recruitment process. Contractors provided by WaterTALENT are typically highly experienced retirees that have performed similar work for other agencies. This service will allow the City to bridge vacancies with temporary, certified support in critical tasks and maintain operations while continuing recruitment efforts to find permanent candidates.
This temporary support solution will be funded through salary and benefit savings generated by departmental staffing vacancies. As a result, there will be minimal budget impacts.
ANALYSIS
The Departments will use WaterTALENT contractors strictly on an as-needed basis. Once current vacancies are filled, both departments would only need to utilize this contract if additional positions requiring certification were to become open and are not able to be filled in a timely manner. If the City can train and retain staff for these types of critical positions, this contract may not be utilized for the years specified under the contract term. Staff is requesting a three-year term with the option for two one-year extensions for this contract to allow Departments to move proactively to meet critical task support requirements without the time constraints of the City’s procurement and contracting process.
A Request for Proposal (RFP 188884) for temporary certified support was posted on OpenGov Procurement for 22 days; the only bidder was WaterTALENT. WaterTALENT provides staffing services at an hourly rate depending on the task and certifications required. These rates range between $160 and $200 per hour and are inclusive of all costs, with no additional fees or reimbursables. The contract includes an annual rate escalator of $5 per hour beginning on the annual contract renewal date. This staffing is on an on-call basis, and no duration or compensation commitment is required.
Current vacancies and potential upcoming vacancies include:
Utilities Department
Supervisor, Utilities (for Water Transmission Division): This position must hold a Grade 2 Water Treatment Certificate and a Grade 5 Water Distribution Certificate and is responsible for the quality and oversight of the drinking water system for the City of Palo Alto. This includes sampling schedules, water cycling, maintenance of transmission and storage facilities, federal, state, and regional reporting, and regulation compliance. This position also acts as the liaison with the State Drinking Water regulatory agency and develops programs to meet the evolving testing needs for the City. The Contractor will coordinate with field personnel and other City divisions.
Public Works Department
Supervisor, WQC. The person providing this service must hold a Grade 3 State Water Resources Control Board Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator Certificate and is responsible for supervising activities and participating in the monitoring, operating, servicing, troubleshooting, and maintenance of applicable equipment and tools to ensure proper operations, which includes:
analyzing and reviewing work processes; scheduling maintenance; interpreting raw data; monitoring activities for compliance with applicable laws, ordinances, codes, rules, regulations, policies, procedures, and standards; ordering supplies and inventory; and/or, performing other related duties. The Supervisor position monitors compliance with applicable water quality standards while maintaining the City's investment in the plant infrastructure, oversees the City's compliance with OSHA mandates for plant personnel, and conducts plant hazard inspections and job safety analysis.
Assistant Manager, Water Quality Control (WQC) Operations: The person providing this service must hold a Grade 5 State Water Resources Control Board Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator Certificate. The Assistant Manager is responsible for managing section activities within the WQC plant operations division and participates in the monitoring, operating, servicing, troubleshooting, and maintenance of applicable equipment and tools to ensure proper operations, which includes: analyzing and reviewing work processes; scheduling maintenance; interpreting raw data; monitoring activities for compliance with applicable laws, ordinances, codes, rules, regulations, policies, procedures, and standards; ordering supplies and inventory; and/or, performing other related duties. The Assistant Manager also monitors plant effluent quality to ensure compliance with discharge limits and ensures compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws, rules, regulations, and policies. They must also prepare, review, interpret, and analyze a variety of information, data, and reports; and make recommendations and presentations based on findings.
Manager, WQC: The person providing this service must hold a Grade 5 State Water Resources Control Board Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator Certificate. This position is responsible for managing the operations and maintenance of the water quality control plant and recycled water plant, including laboratory operations, overseeing the development and administration of policies, procedures, programs, goals, and objectives. This position also participates in annual and long-range planning activities to anticipate and coordinate the need for, or reduction of, future resources and develops and implements quality standards for water quality control operations and maintenance activities. The Manager, WQC also reviews, prepares, and presents reports on division programs and activities; disseminates compliance reports to applicable federal, state, and local regulatory agencies as well as establishes quality standards for operations and maintenance activities to ensure acceptable levels of performance. The Manager WQC oversees facilities to ensure compliance with applicable OSHA and City safety standards and programs and oversees the maintenance and operation of applicable plant facilities.
FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT
Funding for the first year of the contract is available in the FY 2024 Utilities and Public Works budgets. The costs for WaterTALENT consultant hours will be funded through salary and benefit savings generated by departmental staffing vacancies. Estimated cost breakdown by department and required certification:
Dept. Certificate Type Hourly Rate
Utilities Grade 5 (Water Distribution Certificate) $190 Public Works Grade 5 (SWRCBWTPOC) $190
Public Works Grade 3 (SWRCBWTPOC) $160
* Note: SWRCBWTPOC is State Water Resources Control Board Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator Certificate. Chart does not reflect an annual $5.00 per hour escalation after year one.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Council action on this item is not a project subject to review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because the contract with WaterTALENT for consultant support for utility operations is a continuing administrative or maintenance activity under section 15378(b)(2) of the CEQA Guidelines.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: Contract with WaterTALENT
APPROVED BY:
Dean Batchelor, Director Utilities
Staff: Matt Zucca, Assistant Director WGW Utilities