City Council Memorandum
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL DATE: APRIL 8, 2025 FROM: MUSEUM DEPARTMENT WARD: 1
SUBJECT: AWARD BID NO. 8144 FOR MUSEUM OF RIVERSIDE REHABILITATION AND EXPANSION TO BNBUILDERS OF IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, IN THE AMOUNT OF $28,552,072 WITH 15% CHANGE ORDER AUTHORITY IN THE AMOUNT OF $4,282,811 FOR A TOTAL AMOUNT OF $32,834,883; AND REJECT BID FROM CLARK CONSTRUCTION GROUP ISSUE:
Award Bid No. 8144 for Museum of Riverside rehabilitation and expansion to BNBUILDERS of Irvine, California in the amount of $28,552,072 with 15% change order authority in the amount of $4,282,811 for a total amount of $32,834,883; and reject bid from Clark Construction Group.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
That the City Council:
Award Bid No. 8144 for Museum of Riverside rehabilitation and expansion to BNBuilders of Irvine, California for a construction contract in the amount of $28,552,072; Approve 15% change order authority for Bid No. 8144 for Museum of Riverside rehabilitation and expansion to BNBuilders in the amount of $4,282,811 for a total contract amount of $32,834,883; Reject bid from Clark Construction Group; and
Authorize the City Manager, or designee, to execute the construction contract with BNBuilders, including making minor and non-substantive changes.
BACKGROUND:
The main facility of the Museum of Riverside (Museum) is located at 3580 Mission Inn Avenue in a building designed in 1912 as a U.S. Post Office by James K. Taylor, a principal draftsman at the United State’s Architect’s Office. The Neo-Classical style of the building was common for early twentieth-century government structures; the building also reflects the Mission Revival materials and details typical of its Southern California location. The Museum has operated this facility since 1948, when it occupied the basement and shared the facility with the Police Department. In 1965, after the departure of the Police Department, the Museum began to maintain and operate the entire structure. The building was augmented or altered in 1928, 1954, and 1967.
Since September 5, 2017, the structure at 3580 Mission Inn Avenue has been temporarily closed to the public in preparation for renovation and expansion.
On August 30, 2018, Request for Proposals (RFP) No. 1851 was issued for Phase I Conceptual Design Services for the Museum of Riverside to be used as a basis for planning the renovation and expansion of the structure and providing cost estimates for Phase II design and construction. This process resulted in the selection of the then-named Pfeiffer Partners Architects, Inc., Los Angeles office.
On April 23, 2019, City Council approved a Professional Consultant Services Agreement with Pfeiffer Partners Architects, Inc., in the amount of $99,220. The outcome of Phase I design concept work was presented to the Budget Engagement Commission in February 2020, resulting in their support for the staff-recommended option of renovation of the historic 1912 Main Museum with a two-story addition.
On October 4, 2022, City Council unanimously approved borrowing authority for the project at $35 million, which included approval of Professional Consultant Services Agreement with Pfeiffer, a Perkins Eastman studio (Pfeiffer), to complete Phase II architectural design services in an amount not to exceed $2,546,544. In April 2023, an updated cost estimate received from Pfeiffer resulted in an increase in project costs to $45 million, reflecting the dramatic escalation in materials and labor costs affecting the construction industry nationwide. The increase in cost was not the result of changes to the project’s original scope.
The project was presented twice to the Cultural Heritage Board: 1) at a workshop session on April 19, 2023, and 2) on August 16, 2023. A Certificate of Appropriateness was issued for the project after the August meeting.
On December 12, 2023, City Council approved the design approach for the renovation and expansion of the Museum of Riverside’s downtown site, authorized the transfer and appropriation of $10,000,000 from the General Fund Infrastructure Reserves to the Capital Outlay Fund, Museum Expansion and Renovation project account, for a total project budget of $45 million. At that meeting, City Council determined that the project is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
On September 17, 2024, City Council conducted a public hearing and adopted resolutions that authorize the issuance of the Riverside Public Financing Authority Tax Exempt Lease Revenue Bonds in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $73 million to finance the construction of the Riverside Museum rehabilitation and renovation project, refinance the 2012A Lease Revenue Bonds, and authorize the execution and delivery of associated financing documents. Such authorization provided that the City may finance each component together as a single series of bonds or as separate issues, depending on market interest rates and the construction timeline of the Museum Project. The Council action included returning the $10,000,000 allocation of infrastructure reserves to the General Fund, reflecting the decision to fully finance the Museum project with bond proceeds.
DISCUSSION:
Request for Qualifications (RFQ) No. 2371 was posted on the City’s online bidding system, Planet Bids, on April 23, 2024, to pre-qualify contractors to be eligible to bid on the Museum Rehabilitation and Expansion project.
The RFQ notification is summarized in the table below:
Action
Number of Vendors
External Vendors Notified
500
City of Riverside Vendors Notified
466
Vendors who downloaded the RFP
94 Proposals received
11 A non-mandatory pre-proposal meeting was held on May 2, 2024, with 24 vendors in attendance. RFQ No. 2371 closed on May 31, 2024, with a total of eleven (11) responses. Of the eleven (11) responses, nine (9) were found to be responsive and responsible. Under the guidance of the Purchasing Division, four (4) City staff and three (3) individuals from Pfeiffer Partners Architects, Inc., evaluated the proposals. The vendors with the highest points and within a competitive range were added to the short-list of pre-qualified vendors eligible to bid on the rehabilitation and expansion of the downtown Museum site, which resulted in three (3) vendors being qualified. The evaluation criteria, total points, and rankings are summarized below.
Round 1
Evaluation Criteria
Total Points
Qualifications
50%
Experience (Projects of similar size & scope)
30%
Professional References
20%
Evaluation Results
Vendor
Location
Total Average Points
Rank
Clark Construction Group, CA - LP
Costa Mesa, CA
834.98
1 Swinerton Builders
Santa Ana, CA
834.27
2 BNBuilders
Irvine, CA
822.87
3 S.J. Amoroso Construction Co., LLC
Redwood City, CA
698.57
4 PCL Construction Services, Inc.
Glendale, CA
684.27
5 Bernards Bros. Inc.
Ontario, CA
672.85
6 Stronghold Engineering, Inc.
Perris, CA
667.16
7 2H Construction Inc
Signal Hill, CA
560.00
8 Pinner Construction Co., Inc.
Anaheim, CA
533.59
9 HITT Contracting*
Falls Church, VA
N/A
N/A
Spec Construction Co., Inc.*
Ontario, CA
N/A
N/A
*Vendors were found to be nonresponsive for not meeting the minimum historic preservation project experience.
Request for Bid (RFB) No. 8144 was posted on the City’s online bidding system, Planet Bids, on December 17, 2024, inviting the three (3) pre-qualified vendors to provide bids on the Museum Rehabilitation and Expansion.
A mandatory pre-bid meeting was held on January 9, 2025, with all three (3) pre-qualified vendors in attendance. RFB No. 8144 closed on February 11, 2025, with bids received from all three (3) pre-qualified vendors. Two responses were found to be responsive and responsible, with one bid from Clark Construction Group (Clark), being disqualified from consideration due to a confirmed violation of Section 2-1.3.1 of the Special Provisions. The City determined that Clark engaged in direct communication with City staff outside of the designated procurement channels, which is expressly prohibited prior to the release of a notification of intent to award. The bid results are listed in the table below.
Vendor
Location
Total Cost
BNBuilders
Irvine, CA
$28,552,072
Swinerton Builders
Santa Ana, CA
$31,297,532
Clark Construction Group, CA – LP*
Costa Mesa, CA
$27,899,909
*Vendor disqualified
Purchasing Resolution 24101, Section 508 Awards states, “Contracts procured through Formal Procurement shall be awarded by the Awarding Entity to the Lowest Responsive and Responsible Bidder.” The Purchasing Manager concurs that the recommended actions are in accordance with Purchasing Resolution 24101.
The General Services Director concurs with the award recommendation.
STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT:
Community Trust – This project promotes community trust by honoring the commitment made in 2017 to reopen the Museum with a renovated and expanded museum.
Equity – This project improves access to the Museum of Riverside. All programs and services will be offered equitably.
Fiscal Responsibility – Competitive procurement was used to secure the lowest cost for this project.
Innovation – This project incorporates modern building features for the Museum expansion.
Sustainability & Resiliency – This project will improve the longevity of infrastructure through the rehabilitation of the historic 1912 post office Main Museum building.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The total fiscal impact of this action is $32,834,883, which will be funded by bond proceeds. The projected cost for the Main Museum rehabilitation and expansion is not to exceed $45 million as summarized below:
Description
Bond-eligible
Non-bond eligible
Construction agreement
$28,552,072
15% construction contingency
$4,282,811
Total Construction Cost
$32,834,883
Design fees
$2,546,544
Exhibition design and fabrication, reopening program expenses $3,040,250
Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment (FF&E)
$1,815,000
Permits, testing, surveys, inspections, investigative demo, site work, signage $1,401,000
Temporary facilities for staff and collections, movers
$480,282
Research, documentation, reopening operational expenses, translation services, public engagement, owner’s allowance $1,499,309
City administrative
$250,000
Variance: project budget compared to $45M City Council-approved allocation $1,132,732
Sub-totals
$41,637,677
$3,362,323
Total project cost
$45,000,000
Prepared by: Robyn G. Peterson, Ph.D., Museum Director Certified as to
availability of funds: Kristie Thomas, Finance Director/Assistant Chief Financial Officer Approved by: Kris Martinez, Assistant City Manager Approved as to form: Jack Liu, Interim City Attorney
Attachments:
Bid Award Recommendation
Presentation
Bid Award -8144 Museum rehab ● Page 2