November 18, 2025
TO: City Council
REQUESTED BY: Mathew Osborn, Superintendent
APPROVED BY: Robert A. Johnson, City Manager
SUBJECT: Engineering Design Services for Interagency Emergency Water Inter-Tie (26-003)
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. ACCEPT the proposal by Civiltec Engineering for the design and delivery of plans, specifications, and estimates for the Interagency Emergency Water Inter-Tie;
2. AWARD a contract to Civiltec Engineering in the amount of $69,145 with an additional 10% contingency for a total project cost of $76,060;
3. REJECT all other bids; and
4. AUTHORIZE the City Manager to execute the contract subject to review and concurrence by the City Attorney.
DISCUSSION:
The City of San Jacinto (City) seeks to improve the reliability and resilience of its municipal water system through the design and implementation of a new interagency water connection (inter-tie) with the Eastern Municipal Water District (EMWD). This inter-tie will serve as an emergency-only connection, allowing the City to receive water from EMWD during critical events such as system failures, maintenance outages, or other emergency situations that affect local water supply.
The City currently operates a municipal water system that includes a 16-inch water main along Main Street. In the same corridor, EMWD operates a parallel 12-inch water main that terminates as a dead end on Main Street, just west of Ramona Expressway near the Soboba Crossings shopping center.
To enhance system redundancy and ensure reliable water service under emergency conditions, the City proposes to establish an emergency interagency connection between the two systems.
The proposed connection point is located near the west side of the Soboba Crossings shopping center, within an existing City easement. Because EMWD’s main currently ends in a dead-end configuration, the project may require extending EMWD’s water main or installing a new connection via a tee prior to the termination point to reach the desired inter-tie location.
All design and construction work must conform to EMWD standards and be closely coordinated with both EMWD Development Services and the City of San Jacinto. The proposed connection location shown in Exhibit C is preliminary and subject to confirmation by both agencies. If the proposed site is determined to be unsuitable, the selected consultant will be responsible for identifying an alternative location acceptable to both parties, ensuring that the final connection lies within an existing easement.
Staff issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) on September 23, 2025, for the Engineering Design Services for Interagency Emergency Water Inter-Tie between the City of San Jacinto and Eastern Municipal Water District.
Because the estimated cost for the project exceeded the City’s informal procurement limits, staff conducted a formal solicitation process to ensure open competition and to attract as many qualified bidders as possible. The Request for Proposals (RFP) was publicly advertised to a broad range of engineering firms. Three proposals were received by the submittal deadline of October 23, 2025, at 10:00 a.m.
Proposers were asked to provide comprehensive engineering, coordination, and support services for the project, including design, agreement preparation, and construction support. Services include:
• conducting a project kickoff and field investigations to identify connection points and verify existing infrastructure;
• developing preliminary and final designs for the intertie connection, coordinating with EMWD and the City to ensure compliance with standards;
• confirming the connection location and integrating coordination efforts into the project scope;
• assisting in drafting the interagency agreement with recommended terms, flow direction, metering, backflow prevention, ownership responsibilities, and operational protocols; and,
• providing construction-phase support, including pre-bid meeting participation, responses to contractor inquiries, bid evaluation, and preparation of a recommendation for the lowest responsive and responsible contractor.
The final design package will include all required drawings, specifications, cost estimates, and digital AutoCAD files, with coordination of all utilities and EMWD facilities.
Proposals were evaluated according to the following criteria:
• Relevant experience and qualifications (25%)
• Approach and understanding of the project (20%)
• Familiarity with EMWD and City of San Jacinto requirements and coordination (15%) • Project team and availability (10%)
• Cost competitiveness (30%)
Each proposal was scored independently by City staff. Individual scores were then aggregated to determine a final ranking for each proposer. The following vendors submitted responsive proposals. The final evaluation scores are summarized below:
Vendor Score
Civiltec Engineering, Inc. 89.75
Engineering Resources of Southern California, Inc. 88.5 Albert A. Webb Associates 83.5
Civiltec Engineering, Inc., was selected as the most qualified firm based on the established evaluation criteria, which considered relevant experience and qualifications, project approach, familiarity with City and EMWD requirements, project team and availability, and cost competitiveness. Although Civiltec’s initial proposal was not the lowest bid, their qualifications, project understanding, and experience provided the highest value to the City. After selection, staff successfully negotiated a reduced price with Civiltec without any reduction in scope or services. The negotiated amount resulted in a cost slightly below the lowest original bid, providing both quality and cost efficiency for the project.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The total cost of the scope of work for Engineering Design Services for Interagency Emergency Water Inter-Tie (CIP Project 26-003) is $69,145, with an additional 10% contingency amount of $6,915 for a total project cost of $76,060.
Funding for this project was included and approved as part of the Fiscal Year 2025/26 Capital Improvement Program under Project No. 26-003. The project will be fully funded through the Water Enterprise Fund (Fund 050) and will have no impact on the City’s General Fund.
ATTACHMENTS:
City of San Jacinto and EMWD Inter-Tie Design RFP
Civiltec Proposal Negotiated
Albert A. Webb Associates Full Proposal
ESRC Full Proposal
Emergency Inter-Tie Final Grading Matrix