City Council Memorandum
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL DATE: JUNE 9, 2026 FROM: PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT WARD: 1 SUBJECT: REJECT THE BID SUBMITTED BY ESTATE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION INC., OF CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA AS NON-RESPONSIVE AND AWARD BID NO. 8253 TO VOLTAIRE ENGINEERING INC., OF REDLANDS, CALIFORNIA, FOR THE 14TH STREET AND VINE STREET STORM DRAIN IMPROVEMENTS PORTABLE STORM SYSTEM PROJECT, IN THE AMOUNT OF $114,304 ISSUE:
Reject the bid submitted by Estate Design and Construction Inc. of Culver City, California as non-responsive and Award Bid No. 8253 to Voltaire Engineering Inc. of Redlands, California, for the 14th Street and Vine Street Storm Drain Improvements Portable Storm System Project, in the amount of $114,304.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
That the City Council:
Reject the bid submitted by Estate Design and Construction Inc. of Culver City, California as non-responsive; Award Bid No. 8253 to Voltaire Engineering Inc. of Redlands, California, for the 14th Street and Vine Street Storm Drain Improvements Portable Storm System Project, in the amount of $114,304; and Authorize the City Manager, or designee, to execute the Construction Agreement with Voltaire Engineering Inc., including making minor and non-substantive changes.
BACKGROUND:
The project is located on 14th Street at the underpass near Vine Street (Attachment 1). During high rain events, the underpass is prone to frequent flooding. The existing stormwater pump station, completed in 1975, is under capacity and cannot handle the inundated storm water during a storm event. As a result, City staff are mobilized with a portable storm drain system to aid in collecting and discharging water into the Riverside Canal open channel. The installation of the new storm drain improvements will allow City staff to quickly connect a mobile pump unit to the new storm drain line, alleviating flooding at the underpass.
The 14th Street undercrossing provides access to the Downtown / Central Business District, State Route 91 Freeway Ramps, Downtown Metrolink Station, Riverside Transit Agency Vine Street Mobility Hub, schools, and the Eastside Community. It is a major link in the City’s surface transportation network, and a flooding event can cause major disruptions to commerce and community access.
On February 7, 2025, the California Transportation Commission announced its recommendation to fund the City of Riverside' s request for $ 1.1M in funding to advance the development of plans, specifications and estimates (PS&E) for a long- term improvement to the pumping system at the 14th Street underpass. The funding is provided through the 2025 Local Transportation Climate Adaptation Plan. Staff will advance the PS&E process and work to secure an estimated $6M in construction funds through other grant funding opportunities. The proposed portable pumping solutions are an integral part of the City' s long- term strategy to address flooding during heavy rain events at this critical undercrossing.
The construction for this project was previously awarded to ACC & Engineering, LLC on June 10, 2025, as Bid No. 8156. After several months of delay, on January 5, 2026, ACC & Engineering submitted a request to withdraw their bid, citing unforeseen circumstances that had adversely affected the company’s operations. On March 3, 2026, the termination of contract was approved and the construction for the project was rebid as Bid No. 8253.
DISCUSSION:
Purchasing Overview
On March 17, 2026, the City’s Purchasing Division (Purchasing) issued Request for Bids (RFB) No. 8253 on PlanetBids seeking prospective bidders for the improvements to the 14th Street and Vine Street Storm Drain Portable Storm System project.
The solicitation notification is summarized in the table below Action
Number of Vendors
External Vendors Notified
0 City of Riverside Vendors Notified
349
Vendors who downloaded the Bid
49 Bids Received
9 The City did not host a pre-bid meeting, there were no questions asked, and no addenda were posted. Bid No. 8253 closed on April 7, 2026, with a total of nine (9) responses. Eight (8) bids were found to be responsive and responsible, with one (1) bid found to be nonresponsive due to subcontractor having the incorrect licensing to perform traffic control portion of the scope of work.
The bid results are listed in the table below:
Vendor
Location
Bid Total
Rank
Estate Design and Construction Inc.
Culver City, CA
$96,000.00
NR
Voltaire Engineering Inc.
Redlands, CA
$114,304.00
1 ISSA Electric Inc
Riverside, CA
$118,817.74
2 Three Peaks Corp
Calimesa, CA
$126,407.00
3 Christensen Brothers General Engineering Inc
Apple Valley, CA
$134,175.69
4 Prestige Prime Engineering
El Cajon, CA
$135,560.00
5 Diamond Construction
San Clemente, CA
$160,980.00
6 GCI Construction, Inc.
San Clemente, CA
$220,643.00
7 Bali Construction, Inc.
South El Monte, CA
$274,929.00
8 Engineer’s Estimate:
$108,146.00
Voltaire Engineering Inc. was deemed lowest responsive and responsible bidder. The bid was above the engineer’s estimated amount of $108,146.
This action is pursuant to Purchasing Resolution 24101, Section 508 which 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 action is compliant with Purchasing Resolution 24101.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The total fiscal impact of this action is $114,304. Sufficient funds to award the contract are budgeted and available in the Gas Tax Fund, 14th Street Underpass Storm Drain Project account 9887027-440223. The estimated total project costs including design engineering, construction, contingencies and contract administration are itemized in the table below:
Table 1. Total Project Cost
Task
Amount
Design Engineering (In House)
$11,430
Construction Contract (Voltaire Engineering, Inc.)
$114,304
Construction Contingencies (10%)
$11,430
Construction Engineering, Inspection, and Survey (In House) $11,430
Construction Materials Testing (From Approved Professional Consultants Panel) $11,430
Total
$160,024
Prepared by: Jeannette Guereca, Senior Engineer
Approved by: Nathan Mustafa, Interim Public Works Director Certified as to
availability of funds: Julie Nemes, Interim Finance Director Approved by: Kris Martinez, Assistant City Manager
Approved as to form: Rebecca McKee-Reimbold, Interim City Attorney Attachments:
Project Location Map
Award Recommendation
Bid 8253 – 14th St and Vine St SD Improvement Portable Storm System Projecth Page 5