City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: February 27, 2024
Agenda Item: 5.D
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: David Martin, Director, Building & Safety
Subject: Award RFP to True North Compliance Services and Willdan Engineering for Temporary Staffing
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Adopt a finding of no possibility of significant effect pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) (Common Sense Exemption) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines;
2. Award RFP# 385 to True North Compliance Services, Inc. and Willdan Engineering for temporary building inspection and plan review services for the Community Development Department.
3. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute an agreement with True North Compliance Service, Inc., in an amount not to exceed $225,000 (for three years, with two-additional one-year renewal options in the amount of $75,000, on the same terms and conditions) for a total amount not to exceed $375,000 over a five-year period, with future year funding contingent on Council budget approval.; and
4. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute an agreement with Willdan Engineering, in an amount not to exceed $150,000 (for three years, with twoadditional one-year renewal options in the amount of $50,000, on the same terms and conditions) for a total amount not to exceed $250,000 over a five-year period, with future year funding contingent on Council budget approval.
Summary
Temporary staffing services are being requested in an effort to ensure the ability of the Building and Safety Division’s Inspection and Plan Check sections to continue to meet established service goals during temporary staff vacancies. Temporary staffing is necessary to provide support during times when positions are vacant, when a current eligibility list does not exist to fill the position immediately to ensure that services remain 2 of 5
at acceptable levels, and to prevent untenable volumes, excessive workload, and delays. Staff recommends executing contracts with True North Compliance Services and Willdan Engineering, to ensure the maintenance of service levels during these temporary staffing shortages.
Discussion
Building and Safety staff have found it difficult to provide services to customers in acceptable timeframes during the past few years due to temporary staff vacancies. This has resulted in wait times for customers to receive inspections increasing from two or three days to two to four weeks. These delays lead to contractors either having to delay construction for weeks until an inspection can be performed, costing them and their clients’ money, or contractors moving forward with their work without an inspection, which causes safety issues and potential delays when an inspection is finally performed – all of which negatively effects safety and the pace of the City’s development towards achieving housing goals and economic recovery.
Similarly, the Plan Check section has been unable to meet service level goals due to temporary and long-term staff vacancies and service delays have meant extended wait times to receive an approved set of plans, which delays construction and costs customers time and money.
To address these issues, staff recommends executing contracts with two temporary staffing agencies to provide qualified professionals to the Building and Safety Division while positions within the Division are vacant. The Division has implemented service enhancements over the past couple of years to facilitate improved processes; however, maintaining acceptable service levels is difficult when there are ongoing temporary staff vacancies. Procuring these contracts as a backup will assist during these temporary periods of staffing shortages and help prevent service delays from increasing, as well as help the Division address already existing backlogs. This will increase customer satisfaction, avoid excessive workloads among existing full-time staff, and help ensure that the City meets internal and external expectations for promoting development, businesses, housing, and the safety of the built environment. 3 of 5
Temporary staff for inspections and plan check services authorized by this contract request will be utilized when temporary vacancies exist within the Building and Safety Division. The cost of temporary staffing will be offset by vacancy savings and fees collected for plan review and building permits.
The Building and Safety Division will continue to pursue permanent staffing, as City financial resources permit.
Vendor Selection
Bidder Recommendation
Best Qualified Firms True North Compliance Services, Inc (Primary Vendor) Willdan Engineering (Secondary Vendor)
Evaluation Criteria The training, credentials and experience of the firm; the demonstrated competence, ability, capacity and skill of the firm to provide the service promptly, within the time specified, and without delay; the capacity of the firm to provide the service promptly, within the time specified, and without delay; and the character, integrity, reputation and judgment of the firm; the ability of the firm to provide such future service as may be needed; and the price which the firm proposes to charge, including whether the price is fair, reasonable and competitive. The City shall have absolute discretion in determining the applicability and weight of the criteria listed above
The City is not required to select the proposal with the lowest price.
Municipal Code SMMC 2.24.190
RFP Data
Date Posted Posted On
Advertise In
(City Charter & SMMC)
Vendors
Downloaded
Date Publicly
Opened
10/11/2023 City's Online
Bidding Site
Santa Monica Daily Press 21 11/02/2023
Justification to Award
This Request for Proposals (RFP) went through the formal bid process in OpenGov.
Six responses were received, all of which were reviewed by a three-person selection committee consisting of Building and Safety supervisory staff. True North Compliance Services is recommended as the best qualified vendor, with Willdan Engineering RFPs Received
Vendor 1 True North Compliance Services, Inc. Vendor 4 CSG Consultants, Inc.
Vendor 2 Willdan Engineering Vendor 5 Bureau Veritas NA Inc Vendor 3 JLee Engineering, Inc. Vendor 6 The Code Group, Inc (VCA Code) 4 of 5
recommended as the secondary vendor. Staff feel that two contractors are necessary in this situation for several reasons. One is that both inspection and plan review services are necessary in this case and it has been historically difficult, at times, to identify vendors with staff available to provide those services every time they are needed. Staff would like to have a second vendor in place in the event that, at some point in the future, True North does not have staff available to fulfill Building and Safety’s needs. Additionally, temporary staff are required to not have participated in the CalPERS system. Given that most potential Plan Check Engineers or Building Inspectors have worked for a municipality at some point in their careers, this requirement further limits an already small pool of eligible temporary staff members.
Therefore, having a vendor available and contracted in support will help ensure that vacancies can be augmented with temporary staff whenever they occur.
Environmental Review
The award agreement is exempt from CEQA pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines. The award agreement is covered by the common-sense exemption which states that CEQA does not apply, “where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment.” The agreement will provide the City with administrative support, and temporary staff will perform the same duties as full-time staff. Therefore, it can be seen with certainty that the agreement would not result in adverse physical impacts on the environment, and as such, is exempt from CEQA.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Staff seeks contract authority to approve available funding from the General Fund to award professional service agreements for temporary staffing services with True North Compliance Services, Inc. for an amount not to exceed $375,000 and with Willdan Engineering for an amount not to exceed $250,000. These services would only be utilized when temporary vacancies exist within the Building and Safety Division.
Professional Service Agreement Request: True North Compliance Services, Inc.
FY 2023-24 Future Years Amount Department Account # Account Description Total Contract 5 of 5
Request Amount Amount
$75,000 $300,000 01700004.552010 Prof. Services $375,000 Professional Service Agreement Request: Willdan Engineering FY 2023-24 Request
Amount Future Years Amount Department Account # Account Description Total Contract Amount $75,000 $175,000 01700004.552010 Prof. Services $250,000 Prepared By: Kevin Purcell, Principal Administrative Analyst Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. True North Oaks Signed
B. Wildan Oaks Signed
C. Levine Act True North
D. Levine Act WILLDAN
E. Written Comments