City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: March 19, 2024
Agenda Item: 5.C
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Rick Valte, Public Works Director, Public Works, Water Resources Subject: Award Professional Services Contract to Arcadis U.S. for Site Security Analysis & Updates to the City's Water, Wastewater, & Recycled Water Facilities
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Adopt a finding of Categorical Exemption pursuant to Section 15262 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines;
2. Award RFP #381 to Arcadis U.S., Inc. to analyze and design updates to the City’s current water, wastewater, and recycled water facilities’ physical security systems; and
3. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute an agreement with Arcadis U.S., Inc. in the amount not to exceed $845,000 over a 3-year period, with future year funding contingent on Council budget approval.
Summary
The City of Santa Monica, Department of Public Works – Water Resources Division owns and operates several facilities providing water, wastewater, and recycled water services to the community. To enhance site security measures for the City’s water and wastewater infrastructure, the Water Resources Division is proactively seeking analyses of existing site security measures and identify additional security measures, if necessary, to protect the City’s key physical assets relating to drinking water production, wastewater collection, and water recycling. This project supports the City’s goal of providing a safe, high-quality, and sustainable local water supply. Staff recommends that RFP #381 be awarded to Arcadis U.S., Inc. (Arcadis), and that an agreement be negotiated and executed to analyze and design site security measures for the City’s water and wastewater infrastructure.
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Discussion
The City’s Water Resources Division provides drinking water, wastewater, and recycled water services to over 93,000 residents and over 2,700 commercial customers. To provide these services, the City owns and operates several facilities including the Charnock Well Field, Charnock Treatment Plant, Olympic Well Field, Arcadia Water Treatment Plant, four drinking water reservoirs, the Sustainable Water Infrastructure Project (SWIP), Santa Monica Urban Runoff Recycling Facility (SMURRF), Moss Avenue Pump Station, stormwater harvesting tanks, and stormwater lift stations. A critical aspect to providing safe, clean, and affordable access to drinking water, wastewater collection and water recycling services involves ensuring physical security of the City’s water resource facilities. These facilities currently have varying degrees of physical security features, pending their location and potential security threats at each location, and have been updated on a facility-by-facility basis. As an example, the exterior fencing at SMURRF was recently replaced with taller, anti-climb fencing to prevent unauthorized individuals from entering the facility.
The Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 required drinking water utilities to conduct Risk and Resilience Assessments and create emergency response plans to submit to the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (US EPA). The City’s water and wastewater infrastructure is in compliance with the requirements and site security measures are continually reviewed as required by the US EPA. However, to further enhance security measures at the City’s water and wastewater facilities and to meet each site’s needs, staff is proactively seeking professional engineering services to incorporate industry best practices from professional organizations, such as American Water Works Association and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, to complement the site security guidelines established by the US EPA.
A comprehensive site security risk assessment for the City’s water, wastewater, and recycled water facilities will be conducted to recommend technologies and security plans for implementation at key water and wastewater facilities. The security plan will 3 of 5
address protecting the City’s assets against vandalism, theft, fire, or any other detrimental occurrences that may impact the City’s water and wastewater infrastructure or operations.
Staff recommends awarding RFP #381 to Arcadis as the best qualified firm and that an agreement be negotiated and executed to analyze and design site security measures for the City’s water resources assets. The best qualified firm also included additional services, that are optional, to implement recommendations from the site security assessment. These optional services are not guaranteed to the consultant and funds would only be expended for each optional service as authorized by City staff.
Vendor Selection
Bidder Recommendation
Best Bidder Arcadis, U.S., Inc
Evaluation Criteria
(include all that apply)
Training/credentials/experience, competence/skill, capacity/ability to perform services promptly, sufficiency of financial/other resources, character/reputation, ability to provide future services as needed and price.
Municipal Code SMMC 2.24.190
RFPs Received
Aanko Technologies, Inc. Arcadis U.S., Inc. Arup US, Inc. GHD Inc.
Bid Data
Date Posted Posted On
Advertise In
(City Charter & SMMC)
Vendors
Downloaded
Date Publicly
Opened
09/28/2023 City's Online
Bidding Site
Santa Monica Daily Press 42 11/09/2023
Best Bidder Justification
The proposals were reviewed by a selection panel consisting of staff from the Public Works Department – Water Resources Division. The proposal evaluations were based on project understanding/workplan including familiarity with industry best practices, previous experience with the City’s facilities, as well as similar utilities in Los Angeles and Orange Counties, ability to deliver, quality of product, cost, and compliance with City requirements. Based on the evaluation criteria and criteria in SMMC 2.24.190 the selection panel ranked Arcadis as the best qualified firm to 4 of 5
provide the City with a security assessment and design of site security features based on their extensive and prior experience in developing similar site security assessment services for other municipalities and agencies including the Orange County Sanitation Districts, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, East Valley Water District, and San Antonio Water System.
Environmental Review
The award contract for site security upgrades for water facilities is categorically exempt from CEQA pursuant to Section 15262 (Feasibility and Planning Studies) of the CEQA Guidelines. Section 15262 exempts feasibility or planning studies for possible future actions which the City has not approved, adopted, or funded. The Site Security Upgrades Study is only an assessment of security measures at each facility and does not include any construction activities.
Financial Impacts
Staff seeks authority to approve available funding from the Water and Wastewater funds to award an agreement with Arcadis U.S., Inc. to analyze and design updates to the City’s current water, wastewater, and recycled water facilities’ physical security systems. Future year funding is contingent on Council budget approval.
Agreement Request
FY 2023-2024 Budget
Request Amount Department Account # Future Years Amount Total Contract
Amount
$39,000 50500001.552010 $510,250 $549,250
$15,000 51500001.552010 $196,250 $211,250
$3,000 51500001.529420 $39,250 $42,250
$3,000 51500001.529450 $39,250 $42,250
$60,000 Total $785,000 $845,000
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Prepared By: Dinaz Kureishy, Civil Engineering Assistant Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. Oaks Initiative (Arcadis)
B. Levine Act Disclosure Form