CITY OF SAN MATEO
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CITY OF SAN MATEO
Agenda Report
City Hall
330 W. 20th Avenue
San Mateo CA 94403
www.cityofsanmateo.org
Agenda Number: 25 Section Name: {{section.name}} Account Number: 72-4671 File ID: {{item.tracking_number}} TO: City Council
FROM: Alex Khojikian, City Manager
PREPARED BY: Public Works Department
MEETING DATE: June 16, 2025
SUBJECT:
Staff Augmentation Services for the Wastewater Treatment Plant — Amendment RECOMMENDATION:
Approve Amendment No. 2 with waterTALENT LLC for staff augmentation services for the wastewater treatment plant in the amount of $200,000, for a new total agreement amount of $699,000, and extending the term through June 30, 2026; establish a $100,000 contingency reserve; and authorize the Public Works Director to execute the amendment in substantially the form presented and issue change orders within the contingency amount.
BACKGROUND:
The City is currently constructing a new facility for the liquids treatment portion of the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP). The new WWTP facilities are expected to be commissioned in the middle of 2025. In the months leading up to the new facility coming online and during actual startup, WWTP staff will need to attend numerous trainings, observe clean water testing, and keep both the existing and new WWTP facilities operational for up to a month during the transition from the old to the new facilities. This significant increase in demand for WWTP staff’s time and focus is not feasible with the quantity of City staff at the WWTP. The operational priority is to ensure WWTP staff are fully trained and capable of operating the new facilities during this transitional period.
To allow staff to focus their time and effort where necessary in support of the startup of the new facilities, in August 2024, staff solicited proposals for staff augmentation services to operate and maintain the existing facilities.
As a result, staff executed an agreement on August 30, 2024, with waterTALENT LLC for staff augmentation services for the WWTP for an amount of $99,000, which was expedited to manage the City’s risk of temporarily having WWTP Operations staff unavailable due to the potential employee strike from the SEIU Local 521 Maintenance Unit.
In September 2024, City Council approved Amendment No. 1 to increase the amount of the agreement by $400,000, for a new agreement amount of $499,000, to address the anticipated costs associated with the operational startup of the new plant facilities.
Startup of the new WWTP Facility has been delayed and in the interim some of the agreement funds were used to mitigate the effects of temporary staffing shortages. Delays in the startup of the new facility have also extended the need for this staff augmentation partially into Fiscal Year 2025-26, requiring an extension of the term of the agreement.
This Amendment No. 2 will increase the overall dollar amount by $200,000 and extend the length of the agreement to June 30, 2026. Staff also recommends establishing a $100,000 contingency reserve to allow for any unforeseen needs during the critical startup period of the new WWTP.
CITY OF SAN MATEO
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BUDGET IMPACT:
Sufficient funds are available in the FY 2025-26 WWTP operating budget to cover the cost of this Amendment and the contingency reserve.
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION:
Approval of this amendment is not a project subject to CEQA, because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that approval of an amendment to provide staff augmentation services may have a significant effect on the environment. (CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3).)
NOTICE PROVIDED
All meeting noticing requirements were met.
ATTACHMENTS
Att 1 – Amendment No. 2
STAFF CONTACT
Robert Learmonth, Wastewater Treatment Plant Manager
[email protected]
650-522-7386
Deryk Daquigan, Deputy Public Works Director
[email protected]
650-522-7287