COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Chenin Dow, Community Development Director
DATE: August 5, 2025
SUBJECT: Adoption of Resolutions to Award Five Professional Services Agreements for On-Call Building and Planning Services
Description:
The City Council will consider approving the award of Professional Service Agreements for On -Call Building and Planning Services, including Building Plan Review, Building Inspection Services, and Planning Services, to five consultants: 1) Bu reau Veritas North America, Inc.; 2) CSG Consultants, Inc.; 3) JAS Pacific; 4) MDG Associates, Inc.; and 5) TW Planning & Land Development, LLC.
Environmental Notice: The activity is not a “Project” as defined under Section 15378 of the California Envir onmental Quality Act State Guidelines; therefore, pursuant to State Guidelines Section 15060(c)(3) no environmental review is required.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. Adopt a Resolution awarding a Professional Services Agreement to Bureau Veritas North America, Inc. in an amount not to exceed $500,000 annually for On -Call Building and Planning Services; and
2. Adopt a Resolution awarding a Professional Services Agreement to CSG Consultants, Inc. in an amount not to exceed $300,000 annually for On -Call Building and Planning Services; and
3. Adopt a Resolution awarding a Professional Services Agreement to JAS Pacific in an amount not to exceed $750,000 annually for On -Call Building and Planning Services; and
4. Adopt a Resolution awarding a Professional Ser vices Agreement to MDG Associates, Inc. in an amount not to exceed $300,000 annually for On-Call Building and Planning Services; and
5. Adopt a Resolution awarding a Professional Services Agreement to TW Land Planning & Development, LLC in an amount not to e xceed $300,000 annually for On-Call Building and Planning Services; and
6. Authorize City Manager or designee to execute agreements. 2 BACKGROUND:
The City has experienced sustained levels of high -volume building plan submittals in recent years, particularly related to the construction of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs).
This has placed significant demands on the time of development review staff, from zoning clearance through plan review and building inspection. Additionally, special projects arise intermittently which require additional staffing support in Planning.
To provide optimal service to the public and ensure efficient plan review, as well as to meet permitting timelines mandated by the State of California for permit issuance for ADUs, staff recommends the onboarding of a roster of on -call consultants. These consultants will support Community Development’s ongoing efforts to substantially reduce development review and permitting timelines, facilitating development and further enhancing Santa Maria’s status as a business-friendly and pro-growth City.
Community Development has engaged the services of third-party building plan reviewers for a number of years. The current Request for Qualifications ( RFQ) 1) expands these services beyond building plan review to include building inspection and planning services, 2) aims to contract out the bulk of ADU reviews and inspections to increase efficiencies, meet State timelines and free up in -house staff time to focus on major projects, and 3) provided a ne w opportunity for firms to compete for the City of Santa Maria’s business and ensure these services are being provided as cost-effectively as possible.
DISCUSSION:
On June 9, 2025, a RFQ was issued. A total of five proposals were received on June 30, 2025.
Selection of qualified firms were made in accordance with the City’s Purchasing Guidelines. Because firms were permitted to submit on any or all of the services outlined in the RFQ, which included Building Plan Review, Building Inspection Services, and Planning Services, two separate review committees were established to ensure that reviewers were comparing like-for-like services. One selection committee was comprised of representatives from Building, Public Works Engineering, the Fire Department, Utilities, and Recreation and Parks; this team reviewed proposals for Building Plan Review and Building Inspection Services. A second committee, comprised of Planning staff reviewed the propo sals for Planning Services. Each committee independently evaluated and ranked the proposals, and the Building committee also conducted virtual interviews with the prospective firms.
After deliberations, the committees selected the following qualified fi rms to comprise the City’s on-call roster for the proposed services:
Bureau Veritas North America, Inc.
CSG Consultants, Inc.
JAS Pacific
MDG Associates, Inc.
TW Land Planning & Development, LLC
3 These firms offer a variety of areas of expertise, allowing for the provision of the three different areas of contemplated services (Building Plan Review, Building Inspection, and Planning). Redundancies will enable the City to be nimble, meeting the needs of the development community and general public as efficiently and effectively as possible.
The proposed Professional Services Agreements would be managed by the Community Development Department.
Alternative
The City Council could decide not to award these Professional Services Agreements and direct staff to conduct all associated efforts in -house. However, this alternative is not recommended, as an updated RFQ and corresponding Professional Services Agreement is necessary to ensure compliance with the City’s Purchasing Guidelines. Thus, direction to carry out all services in -house would not only eliminate the opportunity to reduce permitting timelines, it would likely lengthen them by preventing the current level of third- party plan review from being conducted. This could lead to delays in development and the potential of missing State-mandated review deadlines.
Fiscal Considerations
The City is under no obligation to expend any funds under these professional services agreements. All fees for On -Call Building and Planning Services will be based on a project-by-project basis, with full cost recovery from fees paid by the applicant for each associated project.
Impact to the Community
Awarding these agreements w ill enable the City to better meet the needs of the community. Development review timelines have a significant impact on the overall cost and resources required to complete a construction project, from home renovations to large-scale developments. The prop osed consultants will act as force multipliers, available on an on-call basis to ensure that the City can complete the development review process as efficiently as possible. This will serve to facilitate development and encourage investment in Santa Maria, further enhancing our status as a business -friendly City and enriching the quality of life through the development of new amenities for our residents.
ATTACHMENT(S)
A. Resolution – Bureau Veritas North America, Inc.
B. Resolution – CSG Consultants, Inc.
C. Resolution – JAS Pacific
D. Resolution – MDG Associates, Inc.
E. Resolution – TW Planning & Land Development, LLC
F. Professional Services Agreement – Bureau Veritas North America, Inc.
G. Professional Services Agreement – CSG Consultants, Inc.
H. Professional Services Agreement – JAS Pacific
I. Professional Services Agreement – MDG Associates, Inc.
J. Professional Services Agreement – TW Planning & Land Development, LLC