COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Brett Fulgoni, Director of Public Works
DATE: September 15, 2026
SUBJECT: Adoption of Resolutions Approving Ten Professional Services Agreements for On -Call Environmental Planning and Permitting Services
Description:
The City Council will consider adopting Resolutions approving the award of On -Call Environmental Planning and Permitting Services to AECOM Technical Services, Inc.; BKF Engineers; EMC Planning Group Inc.; Kevin Merk As sociates, LLC.; Nichols Consulting Engineers, CHTD.; Ramboll Americas Engineering Solutions, Inc., Rincon Consultants, Inc.; Stearns, Conrad & Schmidt Consulting Engineers, Inc.; SWCA Environmental Consultants, Tetra Tech, Inc.
Environmental Notice: The activity is not a “Project” as defined under Section 15378 of the California Environmental Quality Act State Guidelines; therefore, pursuant to State Guidelines Section 15060(c)(3) no environmental review is required.
RECOMMENDATION:
1. Adopt a Resolution awarding a Professional Services Agreement to AECOM Technical Services, Inc. for On -Call Environmental Planning and Permitting Services with an aggregate not-to-exceed fee of $1,000,000 per fiscal year (July 1 through June 30), and a total aggre gate not-to-exceed amount of $2,000,000 for the full term of the Agreement; and
2. Adopt a Resolution awarding a Professional Services Agreement to BKF Engineers for On -Call Environmental Planning and Permitting Services with an aggregate not-to-exceed fee of $1,000,000 per fiscal year (July 1 through June 30), and a total aggregate not-to-exceed amount of $2,000,000 for the full term of the Agreement; and
3. Adopt a Resolution awarding a Professional Services Agreement to EMC Planning Group Inc. for On -Call Environmental Planning and Permitting Services with an aggregate not-to-exceed fee of $1,000,000 per fiscal year (July 1 through June 30), and a total aggregate not-to-exceed amount of $2,000,000 for the full term of the Agreement; and
4. Adopt a Resolution award ing a Professional Services Agreement to Kevin Merk Associates, LLC. for On-Call Environmental Planning and Permitting Services with an aggregate not-to-exceed fee of $1,000,000 per fiscal year (July 1 through June 2 30), and a total aggregate not-to-exceed amount of $2,000,000 for the full term of the Agreement; and
5. Adopt a Resolution awarding a Professional Services Agreement to Nichols Consulting Engineers, CHTD. for On-Call Environmental Planning and Permitting Services with an aggregate not-to-exceed fee of $1,000,000 per fiscal year (July 1 through June 30), and a total aggregate not -to-exceed amount of $2,000,000 for the full term of the Agreement; and
6. Adopt a Resolution awarding a Professional Services Agreement to Ramboll Americas Engineering Solution s, Inc. for On -Call Environmental Planning and Permitting Services with an aggregate not -to-exceed fee of $1,000,000 per fiscal year (July 1 through June 30), and a total aggregate not -to-exceed amount of $2,000,000 for the full term of the Agreement; and
7. Adopt a Resolution awarding a Professional Services Agreement to Rincon Consultants, Inc. for On-Call Environmental Planning and Permitting Services with an aggregate not-to-exceed fee of $1,000,000 per fiscal year (July 1 through June 30), and a total aggregate not-to-exceed amount of $2,000,000 for the full term of the Agreement; and
8. Adopt a Resolution awarding a Professional Services Agreement to Stearns, Conrad & Schmidt Consulting Engineers, Inc. for On-Call Environmental Planning and Permitting Servic es with an aggregate not -to-exceed fee of $1,000,000 per fiscal year (July 1 through June 30), and a total aggregate not -to-exceed amount of $2,000,000 for the full term of the Agreement; and
9. Adopt a Resolution awarding a Professional Services Agreement to SWCA Environmental Consultants for On -Call Environmental Planning and Permitting Services with an aggregate not-to-exceed fee of $1,000,000 per fiscal year (July 1 through June 30), and a total aggregate not -to-exceed amount of $2,000,000 for the full term of the Agreement; and
10. Adopt a Resolution awarding a Professional Services Agreement to Tetra Tech, Inc. for On-Call Environmental Planning and Permitting Services with an aggregate not-to-exceed fee of $1,000,000 per fiscal year (July 1 through June 30), and a total aggregate not -to-exceed amount of $2,000,000 for the full term of the Agreement; and
11. Authorize City Manager or designee to execute agreements.
BACKGROUND:
The City owns, operates, and maintains municipal infrastructure, structures, and facilities throughout the City. The City has active and pending projects that require planning and permitting assistance from Environmental Consultants. While the City employs Civil Engineers and Planners on staff, these buildings and facilities require profe ssional engineering beyond the capabilities and purview of the existing staff and their normal workloads; therefore, necessitating the hiring of outside consultants for such services.
Having on-call consultants who can provide these services will allow the City to deliver projects in a timely manner.
3 DISCUSSION:
On June 10, 2026, a Request for Proposal (RFP) was issued and advertised through the City’s e-Procurement Portal, PlanetBids. A total of sixteen proposals were received on July 14, 2026.
Selection of the best-qualified firms was made in accordance with the City’s Purchasing Guidelines. A selection committee, consisting of Engineering Division staff, independently evaluated and ranked the proposals. After deliberations, the top ten ranked firms chosen are as follows:
Firm and Location
AECOM Technical Services, Inc., Los Angeles, CA
BKF Engineers, Santa Barbara, CA
EMC Planning Group Inc., Monterey, CA
Kevin Merk Associates, LLC., San Luis Obispo, CA
Nichols Consulting Engineers, CHTD., Anaheim, CA
Ramboll Americas Engineering Solutions, Inc., Irvine, CA Rincon Consultants, Inc., Santa Barbara, CA
Stearns, Conrad & Schmidt Consulting Engineers, Inc., Long Beach, CA SWCA Environmental Consultants, San Luis Obispo, CA
Tetra Tech, Inc., Santa Maria, CA
The proposed Professional Services Agreements would be managed by the Engineering Division, and on -call Environmental Planning and Permitting would also be made available for use by other City Departments for funded projects.
Individual project task orders will be issued based on the firm’s expertise, workload capacity, services to be performed, schedule requirements, and hourly rates submitted in their proposal. All task orders will be issued based on an agreed -upon, written scope of work, implementation schedule, and maximum fee arrangement negotiated on a project- by-project basis.
Alternative(s)
City Council could decide not to award these Environmental Planning and Permitting Services Agreements and direct staff to issue Requests for Proposals for each project individually. However, this alternative is not recommended as there is a significant backlog of funded projects for which outside Environmental Planning and Permitting Services are required to augment City staff. Further, having pre-approved, on-call, as- needed firms readily available will allow for more efficient and timely delivery of projects, as multiple projects can be designed concurrently.
Fiscal Considerations
Fees for Environmental Planning and Permitting Services will b e based on a project -by- project basis and directly charged to individual project budgets. Each project is separately approved and budgeted by the City Council. The City is under no obligation to expend any funds under these Professional Services Agreements. 4 Impact on the Community
The additional use of Environmental Consultants will have a beneficial impact on the community by allowing the preparation of plans to be planned and designed in accordance with residents’ desires, while also complying with local , state, and federal statutes.
ATTACHMENT(S)
A. Resolution - AECOM Technical Services, Inc.
B. Resolution - BKF Engineers
C. Resolution - EMC Planning Group Inc.
D. Resolution - Kevin Merk Associates, LLC.
E. Resolution - Nichols Consulting Engineers, CHTD.
F. Resolution - Ramboll Americas Engineering Solutions, Inc.
G. Resolution - Rincon Consultants, Inc.
H. Resolution - Stearns, Conrad & Schmidt Consulting Engineers, Inc.
I. Resolution - SWCA Environmental Consultants
J. Resolution - Tetra Tech, Inc.
K. Agreement - AECOM Technical Services, Inc.
L. Agreement - BKF Engineers
M. Agreement - EMC Planning Group Inc.
N. Agreement - Kevin Merk Associates, LLC.
O. Agreement - Nichols Consulting Engineers, CHTD.
P. Agreement - Ramboll Americas Engineering Solutions, Inc.
Q. Agreement - Rincon Consultants, Inc.
R. Agreement - Stearns, Conrad & Schmidt Consulting Engineers, Inc.
S. Agreement - SWCA Environmental Consultants
T. Resolution - Tetra Tech, Inc.