City Council Memorandum
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL DATE: SEPTEMBER 16, 2025 FROM: PUBLIC UTILITIES DEPARTMENT WARD(S): ALL
SUBJECT: PROFESSIONAL CONSULTANT SERVICES AGREEMENT FROM RFP NO. 2434 FOR PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING SERVICES TO PERFORM ELECTRICAL STUDIES AT VARIOUS WATER UTILITY FACILITIES WITH KEWO ENGINEERING CORPORATION, INC. OF DIAMOND BAR, CALIFORNIA FOR A FIVE-YEAR TERM UNTIL DECEMBER 31, 2030, IN A NOT-TO-EXCEED AMOUNT OF $150,000 ANNUALLY ON AN AS-NEEDED BASIS ISSUE:
Approve a Professional Consultant Services Agreement from RFP No. 2434 for Professional Engineering Services to Perform Electrical Studies at Various Water Utility Facilities with KEWO Engineering Corporation, Inc. of Diamond Bar, California, for a Five-Year Term until December 31, 2030, in a not-to-exceed amount of $150,000 Annually on an as-needed basis.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
That the City Council:
Approve a Professional Consultant Services Agreement from RFP No. 2434 for Professional Engineering Services to Perform Electrical Studies at Various Water Utility Facilities with KEWO Engineering Corporation, Inc. of Diamond Bar, California, for a Five-Year Term until December 31, 2030, in a not-to-exceed amount of $150,000 Annually on an as-needed basis; and Authorize the City Manager, or designee, to execute the Professional Consultant Services Agreement and any other documents necessary to effectuate the project described herein, as well as the ability to make minor non-substantive changes in accordance with all purchasing policies.
BOARD RECOMMENDATION:
On August 11, 2025, the Riverside Board of Public Utilities unanimously approved the following recommendations: That the City Council: 1) Approve a Professional Consultant Services Agreement from RFP No. 2434 for Professional Engineering Services to Perform Electrical Studies at Various Water Utility Facilities with KEWO Engineering Corporation, Inc. of Diamond Bar, California, for a Five Year Term until December 31, 2030, in a not-to-exceed amount of $150,000 annually on an as needed basis; and 2) Authorize the City Manager, or designee, to execute the Professional Consultant Services Agreement and any other documents necessary to effectuate the project described herein, as well as the ability to make minor non-substantive changes in accordance with all purchasing policies.
BACKGROUND:
The Riverside Public Utilities Department (RPU) operates a variety of essential water utility facilities that rely on electrical systems, including booster stations, groundwater wells, and water treatment plants. To ensure the continued safe and efficient operation of these facilities, it is important to conduct comprehensive electrical studies at each location. These studies are designed to identify potential hazards, address system deficiencies, and confirm compliance with current electrical standards and regulations to ensure a safe working environment for RPU personnel.
DISCUSSION:
Staff are seeking the services of a qualified vendor to perform professional engineering services to perform electrical studies at various water utility facilities on an as-needed basis.
Solicitation Process and Vendor Selection
On January 30, 2025, the City’s Purchasing Division (Purchasing) issued Request for Proposals (RFP) No. 2434 for a qualified vendor to perform professional engineering services for electrical studies at various water utility facilities.
The solicitation notification is summarized in the table below:
Action
Number of Vendors
External Vendors Notified
500
City of Riverside Vendors Notified
207
Vendors who downloaded the RFP
38 Proposals received
4 A non-mandatory pre-proposal meeting was held on February 11, 2025, with eleven (11) individuals in attendance. A total of four (4) questions were received from prospective proposers, and no addenda were issued. On March 5, 2025, four (4) proposals were received in response to RFP No. 2434. One (1) proposal, submitted by Samearth Consulting Engineers, Inc., was deemed non-responsive due to not meeting the minimum experience requirement specified in the RFP requiring at least eight (8) years of experience, within the past ten (10) years under a legally registered business name, in providing services of a similar type and scope as described in the Scope of Services. The experience requirement was established to ensure that each vendor possesses the necessary expertise and background to successfully complete the project.
Under the guidance and oversight of the assigned representative from Purchasing, a three (3) member panel consisting of three (3) staff from RPU evaluated the proposals. Each of these three (3) individuals evaluated and ranked the proposals independently and input their scores into the online evaluation portal.
The evaluation criteria and respective weightings were established in collaboration with Purchasing using industry best practices and in consideration of the project needs. Because of the specialized nature of this work, it is essential that the selected vendor have the qualifications and experience, along with a superb understanding of the work and a verified track record needed to successfully complete the work. Fair and reasonable pricing is a very important consideration as well to ensure overall good value for the City. The weightings were allocated according to the relative importance of each evaluation criterion based on the project needs.
The vendors who submitted proposals for RFP No. 2434, along with their respective proposal scores, are summarized in the table below:
Vendor Name
City Location
Proposed Fee
Weighted Score Evaluations
Electrical Study for one (1) Groundwater Well Facility
Electrical Study for one (1) Booster Station Facility
Project Understanding
(20%)
Approach and Methodology
(25%)
Qualifications and Experience
(30%)
Professional References
(5%)
Pricing
(20%)
Total Proposal Score
Rank
KEWO Engineering Corporation, Inc.
Diamond Bar, CA
$8,500.00
$8,500.00
186.67
225.00
260.00
33.33 200.00
905.00
1 Power Engineers
San Diego, CA
$30,576.52
$37,539.52
153.33
166.67
220.00
35.00 24.96
599.96
2 S Y Lee Associates, Inc.
Glendale, CA
$67,279.30
$88,075.46
140.00
175.00
220.00
40.00 10.94
585.94
3 Samearth Consulting Engineers, Inc.*
El Cajon, CA
$8,300.00
$10,400.00
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
*Non-responsive proposal
Estimated Budget Range: $10,000 – $12,500 per facility
As part of the selection process outlined in the RFP, the highest ranked vendors, within a competitive range from the initial evaluation, may be invited to participate in interviews to help gain greater insight into the experience and capabilities of their proposed personnel. Interviews were not scheduled, however, due to the natural gap between the rankings of KEWO Engineering Corporation and the other vendors.
Pricing is to remain firm for the contract term.
Project and Fiscal Breakdown
Work Type:
Performed By:
Amount:
As-Needed Electrical Studies
KEWO Engineering Corporation, Inc.
Not-to-Exceed $150,000 Each Fiscal Year
Reimbursements:
None
Anticipated Start Date:
September 2025
Anticipated Duration:
5 Years
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, except that… (c) Contracts procured through Formal Procurement for Services or Professional Services, where a Request for Proposals or Request for Qualifications was used to solicit Bids, shall be awarded by the Awarding Entity in accordance with the evaluation criteria set forth in the Request for Proposals or Request for Qualifications.” The Purchasing Manager concurs that the recommended actions are in accordance with Purchasing Resolution No. 24101.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The fiscal impact will not exceed $150,000 each fiscal year. Sufficient funds are available in the Public Utilities Water Engineering Professional Services Account No. 6210000-421000 for FY 25/26. Funding in future years will be included as part of the biennial budgeting process.
Prepared by: David A. Garcia, Utilities General Manager Certified as to
availability of funds: Kristie Thomas, Finance Director/Assistant Chief Financial Officer Approved by: Rafael Guzman, Assistant City Manager
Approved as to form: Rebecca McKee-Reimbold, Interim City Attorney Attachments:
Award Recommendation – RFP No. 2434
Professional Consultant Services Agreement
Presentation
RFP No. 2434 – Professional Engineering Services for Electrical Studies at Various Water Utility Facilities ● Page 2