City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: March 11, 2025
Agenda Item: 4.B
1 of 6
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Rick Valte, Public Works Director, Public Works, Engineering and Street Services
Subject: Award Request for Proposal SP2721 and Agreements for On-Call Civil Engineering Design Services
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Adopt a finding of exemptions pursuant to Section 15262 and Section 15061(b)(3) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines;
2. Award RFP #SP2721 On-Call Civil Design to Tetra Tech, Inc., Stantec Consulting Services, Inc., and Willdan Engineering to provide on-call civil engineering design services for the Public Works Department; and
3. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute agreements with Tetra Tech, Inc., Stantec Consulting Services, Inc., and Willdan Engineering, each in an amount not to exceed $1,500,000 over a five-year period, with one (1) fiveyear renewal option to extend in the amount of $1,500,000 on the same terms and conditions, for a total amount not to exceed $3,000,000 per agreement and $9,000,000 total for all three agreements over a ten-year period, with future year funding contingent on Council budget approval.
Summary
The Public Works Department remains committed to prioritizing infrastructure maintenance, safety enhancements, and adopting innovative approaches to streamline project delivery. These efforts align with the City Council’s goals of fostering a Clean and Safe Santa Monica while building a Sustainable and Connected Community. To efficiently address smaller-scale and time-sensitive projects, Public Works utilizes oncall civil engineering design services. Staff recommends awarding three agreements to Tetra Tech, Inc., Stantec Consulting Services, Inc., and Willdan Engineering to provide 2 of 6
on-call civil engineering design services for the Public Works Department, in an amount each not to exceed $1,500,000 over a five-year period, with one (1) five-year renewal option to extend in the amount of $1,500,000 on the same terms and conditions, for a total amount not to exceed $3,000,000 per agreement and $9,000,000 total for all three agreements over a ten-year period. The recommended agreements would only be utilized, on an as-needed basis, if funding is available and approved by Council, as reflected in the Adopted Operating and Capital Program Budget.
Discussion
Staff have utilized an on-call civil engineering design agreement mechanism since August 2018, when Council awarded a similar on-call design agreement to Kimley-Horn and Associates (Attachment A). This process allows the City to respond promptly to urgent infrastructure design needs and reduces the demand on administrative bandwidth. With the current agreement nearing completion, a new design agreement is necessary.
To preserve this efficiency in design and project delivery, staff proposes to continue the on-call civil engineering design model. Utilizing on-call consultants through as-needed agreements could reduce delivery timelines by up to eight months. This enables faster implementation of high-priority roadway safety projects and enhances the City’s ability to deliver timely and effective solutions.
On-call civil engineering firms would be equipped to quickly produce designs and construction documents for a variety of projects, including but not limited to:
• Water/sewer/recycled water main replacement.
• Storm drain improvements and stormwater infrastructure. • Roadway paving and reconstruction.
• Concrete sidewalk and curb ramp improvements, including ADA upgrades. • Concrete curb, gutter, and alley improvements.
• Parking structure repair and rehabilitation.
• Street lighting / EV charging improvements.
• Watershed management.
3 of 6
• Geotechnical inspection and risk mitigation.
• Streetscape improvements.
• Structural design, retrofit, repairs, evaluation, including Marine and pier work. • Mobility including Traffic Engineering and Temporary Traffic Control.
RFP process:
On October 30, 2024, staff issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for on-call civil engineering design services. Proposals were evaluated based on experience, references, work plan and timelines, project team, and cost. Based on this evaluation, staff recommends awarding as-needed professional services agreements to Tetra Tech, Inc., Stantec Consulting Services, Inc., and Willdan Engineering as the best-qualified firms. Each agreement will be for an amount not to exceed $1,500,000 over a five-year period, with one five-year renewal option under the same terms and conditions, bringing the total not-to-exceed amount for all three contracts to $9,000,000 over ten years.
The three recommended on-call firms would be utilized on an as-needed basis only.
Staff would issue a Task Order Request (Request) inviting proposals from the three oncall firms. A Task Order would be awarded to the best task order response in an amount not to exceed $1,000,000 per Request. Proposals would be evaluated and ranked based on criteria defined in the Request. Funding for individual task orders would come from various accounts already approved by Council as a part of the City’s Capital Improvement Program budget. Projects are funded by various sources, including grants, local return funds, City enterprise funds, such as Water and Wastewater, Beach, Pier, BBB, as well as General Fund when funding is available.
Consultant Selection
Bidder Recommendation
Best Qualified
Firms
Tetra Tech, Inc. Stantec Consulting
Services, Inc.
Willdan Engineering
Evaluation
Criteria
Experience (expertise and past performance in relevant projects), References (client feedback and reliability), Work Plan/Timelines (approach to project execution and adherence to schedule).
Project Team (qualifications and capability of assigned 4 of 6
personnel), and Cost (competitiveness and value of the proposed pricing). These criteria ensured a comprehensive assessment of each firms’ abilities to successfully complete the project.
Municipal Code SMMC 2.24.190
RFP Data
Date
Posted Posted On
Advertised In
(City Charter &
SMMC)
Vendors
Downloaded
Submittals
Received
Date
Publicly
Opened
10/30/2024 City's Online
Bidding Site
Santa Monica
Daily Press 127 19 12/16/2024
Justification to Award
Vendor proposals were reviewed by a panel from the Public Works Department and evaluated using the evaluation criteria above. Based on these criteria, the vendors listed above are recommended as the best qualified firms to be awarded a contract.
The RFP stated three consultants would be selected to ensure competitiveness among the on-call consultants when proposing for future Requests. Staff recommends Tetra Tech, Inc., Stantec Consulting Services, Inc., and Willdan Engineering as the best qualified firms to provide on-call civil engineering design services and be awarded as-needed services agreements. An efficient, pre-qualified procurement process in place ensures cost savings in both design and construction by reducing delays and administrative costs associated with issuing multiple standalone RFPs. A longer agreement term and increased contract authority allows for greater flexibility to address critical infrastructure needs while maintaining financial oversight through task order approvals.
Environmental Review
The award of as-needed professional services agreements for on-call civil engineering design services is exempt from CEQA pursuant to Section 15262 (Feasibility and Planning Studies), which exempts feasibility and planning studies for possible future actions which the agency, board, or commission has not approved, adopted, or funded.
Additionally, the agreements are categorically exempt from CEQA pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) (Common Sense Exemption) of the CEQA Guidelines which states that CEQA does not apply “where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility 5 of 6
that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment.” These agreements will provide for design services. It can be seen with certainty that the agreements would not result in adverse physical impacts on the environment, and as such, is exempt from CEQA.
Past Council Actions
Meeting Date Description
08/14/2018 (Attachment A) Council gave staff direction to implement on-call design services.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Staff seeks authority to award as-needed professional services agreements with Tetra Tech, Inc., Stantec Consulting Services, Inc, and Willdan Engineering for on-call civil engineering design services. Awarding the recommended agreements does not negatively impact any previously unfunded or future projects, as the agreements would only be utilized for funded City projects, as reflected in the adopted operating and capital improvement program budgets. Each agreement amount is not to exceed $1,500,000 over a five-year period, with one (1) five-year renewal option in the amount of $1,500,000, for a total amount not to exceed $3,000,000 per agreement over ten years and a total of $9,000,000 total for all agreements. Expenditures would be incurred upon the issuance of a task order by the Public Works Director.
Prepared By: Jonathan Maldonado, Civil Engineering Associate Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. August 14, 2018 Staff Report
6 of 6
B. Tetra Tech - Levine Act
C. Tetra Tech - Oaks Initiative
D. Stantec - Levine Act
E. Stantec - Oaks Initiative
F. Willdan - Levine Act
G. Willdan - Oaks Initiative