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Agenda Report
October 30, 2023
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: City Manager
SUBJECT: AUTHORIZE THE CITY MANAGER TO ENTER INTO A CONTRACT WITH ALLEGRA CONSULTING, INC. FOR THE CITYWIDE HISTORIC REPORT ON THE 710 DISPLACEMENT PLANNING PROJECTI
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the City Council:
1. Find that the proposed action herein is exempt from the California Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA guidelines Section 15061(b)(3) (Common Sense Exemption);
2. Authorize the City Manager to enter into a contract, as the result of a competitive selection process, as specified by Section 4.08.047 of the Pasadena Municipal Code, with Allegra Consulting, Inc. for the SR 710 Northern Stub Project in an amount not to exceed $200,000 for a period of three years. Competitive price bidding is not required pursuant to City Charter Section 1002(F) (contracts for professional or unique services); and
3. Authorize the City Manager to extend the three-year contract for up to two additional one-year periods.
BACKGROUND:
With Caltrans' relinquishment of the former State Route 710 land in June of 2022 and the actual transfer of property to the City of Pasadena in August 2022, the City has been tasked with planning and redeveloping this piece of land to best serve the community. In February 2023, the City Council created and appointed a 16-member Pasadena citizen Reconnecting Communities 710 Advisory Group to foster community engagement, civic participation and input on the vision, land use, transportation network, infrastructure, economics and restorative justice needed for this project and process of reconnecting the community.
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MEETING OF10/30/2023AGENDA ITEM NO.11
Contract for the Citywide Historic Report on the 710 Displacement Project October 30, 2023
The Reconnecting Communities 710 Advisory Group will collaborate with City staff and consultants in creating a vision and plan for the area. Several important factors will be considered during the planning process, including memorializing the history of the communities displaced during the State's freeway expansion. The historic consultants' job will be to understand, acknowledge, and accurately document the history of the displaced communities who once lived in what is now the 710 land area. The outcome from the historical consultants' work will result in the documentation of events and the historical information they gather relating to the displacement by the proposed freeway expansion years ago.
To ensure the historical portion of the planning process meets the goals and recommendations of the 710 Advisory Group, staff has undertaken a competitive selection process to engage qualified professionals to conduct historical research of the communities, resources, and institutions displaced by the State's 710 development.
A Request for Proposals (RFP) entitled Historic Report on the 710 Displacement was issued on June 6, 2023. The RFP was divided into three sections: Historical Data/Setting; an Oral History; and the Impacts of Freeways on Segregation in Pasadena. Dividing the historical report into three sections allows for the best-qualified proposals from consultants who may specialize in one area of historical reporting versus all three areas combined.
The proposal submittal period for the RFPs closed on August 15,2023,and a panel of three experienced staff members reviewed and evaluated all proposals utilizing the scoring criteria included in the RFP. During the initial evaluation cycle staff discovered a technical error pertaining to the weight assigned to the scoring of the "local" category of scoring. To rectify this, bidders were contacted and asked to resubmit their proposals, and the RFP was advertised for a second time. The second round of the submittal period closed September 21, 2023. During this second submittal period, two additional proposals were submitted.
The evaluation criteria and weights are as follows:
Criteria
Consultant experience
Weight
20 Proposed solution, work sample & additional materials45 Proposed schedule15
Cost schedule10
Local Pasadena business5
Small or micro-business5
TOTAL SCORE100
Three separate firms (one for each section) are recommended for award. Only one contract amount exceeds $75,000 and requires City Council approval. This is the Contract for the Citywide Historic Report on the 710 Displacement Project October 30, 2023
proposed consultant for the "Oral History" portion of the RFP. The other two categories - "Historical Data/Setting" and "Impacts of Freeways on Segregation in Pasadena" are below the $75,000 threshold and the City Manager has authority to enter into those contracts directly. Due to the high level of community interest, the names of the consultants recommended for award under the City Manager's procurement authority are included. They are as Architectural Resources Group for the "Historical Data/Setting" category and Regents of the University of California (UCLA) for the "Impacts of Freeways on Segregation in Pasadena" category. Please see attachment A for the complete list of firms that submitted proposals, their score and proposal cost.
Historical Data/Settinq and Impacts of Freeways on SegreQation in Pasadena Based on the selection panel's analysis of the proposals and with a score of 77.33 and a cost of $66,990, Architectural Resources Group, was determined to be the most qualified vendor in the historical data/setting category. Similarly, based on the panel's analysis of the proposals and with a score of 69.87 and a cost of $57,622, Regents of the University of California, was determined to be the most qualified vendor in the Impacts of Freeways on Segregation in Pasadena category.
Oral History Project
This is the sole category where the highest scoring proposal had a cost that exceeds $75,000 and requires City Council approval for the City Manager to enter into a contract. The Oral History Project RFP sought consultants with robust work expertise in accurately interviewing, collecting, and memorializing community voices and experiences. Because of the various groups of people and communities displaced during the 710 Freeway building process, selecting a consultant for the Oral History portion of the RFP that can communicate and document these communities' spoken stories and experiences across several languages and cultures is essential. Other items required for this portion of the RFP include:
The ability to conduct interviews with persons having knowledge of the people and events surrounding the displacement from freeway expansion; The resources to transcribe and provide audio recordings of interviews; Provide interview transcriptions in a document; and Present the summary of the interviews in three (3) presentations to the public.
The highest scoring proposal was submitted by Allegra Consulting, Inc., a local Pasadena firm. While Allegra Consulting, Inc. scored the highest amongst the group of other vendors, with a cost of $691,514 the cost ofAllegra Consulting, Inc.'s proposal is significantly higher than the rest of the submittals (#2 and #3 proposals cost $66,097 and $79,400 respectively). As a result, staff recommends the City Council place a cap in spending authority of $200,000, and Allegra Consulting has indicated its willingness to provide services fully responsive to the scope of work set forth in the RFP, within the $200,00 spending cap. Staff will then review core deliverables with Allegra Consulting, Inc. and work to achieve a cost that is more in line with all of the work needed to Contract for the Citywide Historic Report on the 710 Displacement Project October 30, 2023
complete this task. Please see Attachment B for a complete list of proposers, scores and costs submitted for this category.
COUNCIL POLICY CONSIDERATION:
The proposed contract awards will further the City Council goals to improve, maintain and enhance public facilities and infrastructure and support and promote the quality of life and local economy and the General Plan Land Use Element and would be consistent with Guiding Principle 2: "Pasadena's historic resources will be preserved.
Citywide, new development will be in harmony with and enhance Pasadena's unique character and sense of place. New construction that could affect the integrity of historic resources will be compatible with, and differentiated from, the existing resource," and Goal 8, regarding historic preservation: "Preservation and enhancement of Pasadena's cultural and historic buildings, landscapes, streets and districts as valued assets and important representations of its past and a source of community identity, and social, ecological, and economic vitality."
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
This project is exempt from CEQA review pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3). The contract award is covered by the general rule that CEQA applies only to projects which have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment.
Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to the provisions of CEQA.
Contract for the Citywide Historic Report on the 710 Displacement Project October 30, 2023
FISCAL IMPACT:
Sufficient funding exists in the General Fund Project Management Fund (105) to support this contract. Funding will be included in the City Manager's Office operating budget in future fiscal years.
Respectfully submitted,
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DAVID REYES
Assistant City Manager
Prepared by:
Wendy MaciS
Senior Project Manager
Concur:
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BRENDA E. HARyEY-yviLC
Assistant City Martag^r
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Approved by:
MIGUELj^ARQUEZ
City Manager
Attachments:
Attachment A: Evaluation Summary
Attachment B: Evaluation Summary
Attachment C: Historic Resources Group Taxpayer Protection Amendment Forms