October 22, 2024
Public Works
DATE: October 22, 2024
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM:
Daniel Chavarria, P.E., Director of Public Works
Robert Armijo, P.E., Deputy Director of Public Works
Mike Owyang, EIT, Assistant Engineer
Subject:
Resolution to Award a Contract with Arup US, Inc. for the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Fleet and Infrastructure
Transition Plan
FINANCIAL IMPACT: The proposed expenditure of an amount not to exceed $250,000.00 shall be funded from the Environmental and
Community Investment Agreement (ECIA) Fund 1017.
Staff is recommending City Council to appropriate funds in an amount not to exceed $250,000 (Account String:
11731331-400201-23ZEV).
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
7/25/2017
2/27/2018,
10/2/2018,
10/16/2018,
11/19/2019,
12/17/2019,
7/7/2020,
3/2/2021,
12/21/2021,
07/11/2023
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
The City staff requests City Council approval of a
resolution to award contract to Arup US, Inc. for the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Fleet and Infrastructure
Transition Plan.
AGENDA
REPORT
October 22, 2024
RECOMMENDED ACTION: ADOPT a resolution to award a contract to Arup US, Inc. for the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Fleet and
Infrastructure Transition Plan in an amount not to exceed $250,000 and APPROPRIATE funds in an amount not to
exceed $250,000 in the Environmental and Community
Investment Agreement (ECIA) Fund 1017 – Public Works
Department (Mike Owyang 510-621-1363/Robert Armijo
510-620-5477/Daniel Chavarria 510-620-5478).
DISCUSSION:
Background
The City of Richmond operates around 400 vehicles within its Fleet Division. This fleet includes sedans, pick -up trucks, medium and heavy -duty vehicles, off -road equipment, and emergency response vehicles. Among these, there are five (5) electric vehicles and seventy-nine (79) hybrid vehicles.
The City aims to align with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) Zero -Emission Vehicle Program under the Advanced Clean Cars initiative. The Fleet Division of the Public Works Department must adhere to zero-emission standards to achieve California’s air quality and greenhouse gas reduction targets. Currently, a small portio n of the fleet consists of ZEVs, indicating significant potential for the City to expand its use of battery - electric, hydrogen fuel cell, and plug-in electric vehicles.
Historically, California began implementing programs to reduce vehicle emissions in 1990 through the Low Emission Vehicle regulation, which required that 10% of new vehicle sales be zero -emission. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) further mandated that by 1998, 2% of vehicles produced for sale in California by major auto manufacturers must be ZEVs, increasing to 5% in 2001 and 10% in 2003. CARB recognized the need for biennial reviews of the program before these deadlines to make necessary adjustments based on technological advancements. In subsequent years, the ZEV mandate and its ti meline were modified due to factors such as availability, market demand, costs, incentives, and legal challenges. The latest initiative is the Advanced Clean Cars II regulations, adopted in 2022, which established new low -emission and zero-emission vehicle standards for model years 2026 to 2035.
Analysis:
October 22, 2024
In accordance with the CARB regulation on ZEVs, the City has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit bids and proposals for consulting services for the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Fleet and Infrastructure Transition Plan.
The consultant is expected to perform the following tasks for the City:
1. Review current and upcoming hydrogen and electric vehicles to replace the City’s fleet, including their projected cost and other potential barriers to the fleet transition.
2. Perform a capacity assessment of current and future City buildings to accommodate the additional electrical load from charging operations, evaluate potential grid impacts, and identify any backup generator or alternative energy storage requirements for emergency response. Additionally, assess the feasibility of hydrogen storage at City-owned facilities.
3. Identify and evaluate financing mechanisms and strategies
4. Develop two (2) masterplans with phasing and implementation strategies The City received proposals from six (6) consulting firms. The proposals were assessed by a panel of City staff. The list was subsequently narrowed down to four (4) consultants that ranked the highest based on the criteria below.
PARTICULARS POINTS
Strategic Approach and Experience 10 points
Technical Assessment 10 points
Infrastructure Planning 10 points
Financial Analysis and Funding Strategies 10 points
Policy and Regulatory Compliance 10 points
Implementation Roadmap 10 points
Training, Maintenance, and Support 10 points
Stakeholder Engagement, and Reporting 10 points
Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting 10 points
TOTAL 90 points
The four (4) highest ranked consultants moved to the next phase of selection process which was the panel interview. After the interviews, the panel ranked the interviewees as follows.
ZEV Fleet and Infrastructure Transition Plan Tally Sheet Arup US, Inc. 1st
ICF Incorporated LLC 2nd – Tie
Frontier Energy 2nd – Tie
Matrix Consulting 4th
October 22, 2024
The consultant that received the highest evaluation is Arup US, Inc.
The total proposed cost amount of Arup US, Inc. is $213,100. City staff recommends that City Council appropriates an amount not to exceed $250,000 to cover Arup US, Inc’s fee and have extra funds for any addition or modification to the scope, as needed wit hin the project duration.
On September 11, 2024, City staff has presented the proposed hiring of Arup US, Inc. to conduct the study on the ZEV Fleet and Infrastructure Plan to the Environmental and Community Investment Agreement (ECIA) Transportation Oversight Committee, which advises the City Council to approve the use of ECIA Fund 1017 . ECIA voted in favor to recommend the proposal to City Council for approval, contingent upon the consultant's ability to provide data demonstrating how Arup US, Inc. involvement will reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It is important to note, however, the Arup US, Inc. will only be able to generate data on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions once the study on the ZEV Fleet and Infrastructure Transition Plan is comme nced. The hiring of Arup US, Inc. serves as a tool for the City to effectively and efficiently achieve its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Conclusion
In conclusion, City staff requests that the City Council adopts the Resolution to award a contract to Arup US, Inc. for the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Fleet and Infrastructure Transition Plan and appropriate an amount not exceeding $250,000 to cover the services for the development of the infrastructure transition plan.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – Resolution
Attachment 2 – Contract
Attachment 3 – Request for Proposal (RFP)
Attachment 4 – Arup US, Inc.’s Proposal