City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: June 9, 2026
Agenda Item: 4.D
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Christopher Dishlip, Director of Public Works, Water Resources Division Subject: Award Request for Bid #SP2779 and Authorization to enter into Agreement With Murray Plumbing & Heating for Process Mechanical Services Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Adopt a finding of categorical exemptions pursuant to Section 15301 (Existing Facilities) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines;
2. Award Bid #SP2779 to Murray Plumbing and Heating Corporation for process mechanical services for the Public Works Department; and
3. Authorize the City Manager to execute an agreement with Murray Plumbing and Heating Corporation in an amount not to exceed $5,000,000 over a five-year period, with future year funding contingent on Council budget approval.
Summary
The City of Santa Monica (City) – Department of Public Works, Water Resources Division remains committed to prioritizing infrastructure maintenance and safety enhancements to ensure the continued delivery of reliable water and wastewater services for the community. The Water Resources Division maintains a comprehensive network of water and wastewater infrastructure, including three well fields, five advanced water treatment facilities, four water storage reservoirs, stormwater harvesting tanks, pumping facilities, and hundreds of miles of pipelines that serve the City. While City staff perform routine operations and maintenance, specialized and urgent work, such as emergency repairs, equipment replacements, and complex mechanical services, requires additional contractor support to ensure timely response and minimize service disruptions. Staff recommends awarding the mechanical services RFB #SP2779 to Murray Plumbing and Heating Corporation in an amount not to exceed 2 of 4
$5,000,000 for a five-year term, with future funding contingent on Council budget approval.
Discussion
Process mechanical services are necessary to support the continued operation, maintenance, and reliability of the City’s water production, water treatment, water recycling, and distribution infrastructure. The City’s water system includes complex facilities and equipment such as pumps, valves, advanced water treatment systems, reservoirs, and associated mechanical and chemical systems. As part of the 2018 Sustainable Water Master Plan, the City added several new advanced water treatment facilities that increased complexity and maintenance requirements for the Water Resources Division. While City staff perform routine operations and maintenance, the breadth, specialization, and urgency of certain repair and construction activities require supplemental contractor support to ensure timely and effective response, particularly for emergency conditions, unforeseen equipment failures, and large or specialized repairs.
Additionally, the scope of this contract would provide the City with flexibility to address both planned and unplanned work on an as-needed basis without delay. The contractor can respond rapidly to emergencies, perform specialized mechanical and process work, and support ongoing operational maintenance needs, allowing City staff to focus on core operational responsibilities such as system monitoring, regulatory compliance, and water quality management. Executing this contract ensures continuity of service, minimizes risk to public health and infrastructure, enhances system resiliency, and supports the City’s ability to maintain a safe and reliable water system.
Vendor Selection
Bidder Recommendation
Best Bidders Murray Plumbing and Heating Corporation
Evaluation Criteria Ability and experience with similar projects, qualifications of contractor, response time, and cost.
Municipal Code SMMC 2.24.180
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Submittals Received
Metro Builders &
Engineers Group,
Ltd.
$34,364.94 Tiger Construction
LLC $27,254.87
Murray Plumbing and
Heating Corporation $36,135.17
W.A. Rasic
Construction
Company, Inc.
$44,469.30
Bid Data
Date
Posted Posted On Advertised In (City Charter & SMMC)
Vendors
Downloaded
Date
Publicly
Opened
03/05/2026 City’s Online
Bidding Site Santa Monica Daily Press 51 04/06/2026
Justification to Award
Vendor proposals were evaluated by an evaluation committee comprised of staff from the Public Works Department, based on the evaluation criteria above. The evaluation committee recommends Murray Plumbing and Heating Corporation (Murray) for award as the best bidder. Murray’s experience working at D.C. Tillman Advanced Water Purification Facility performing process mechanical and equipment installation, as well as on-call emergency mechanical service contracts with LA Sanitation, shows that they are highly qualified in performing similar work for the City. In addition, Murray has an emergency response time of two hours.
Environmental Review
The contract for operations and maintenance services of the City’s existing water facilities is categorically exempt from CEQA pursuant to Section 15301 of the CEQA Guidelines. Section 15301 exempts Class 1 (Existing Facilities) projects from CEQA, which include the operation, repair, maintenance, permitting, leasing, licensing, or minor alteration of existing public or private structures, facilities, mechanical equipment, or topographical features, involving negligible or no expansion of existing or former use.
The award of the contract would allow for the continuance of multiple facilities’ operations and would not expand or materially change existing facilities or operations. 4 of 4
Therefore, the project is categorically exempt as set forth in Section 15301 of the CEQA Guidelines.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Staff seeks authority to approve available funding from the Water and Wastewater Funds to award an agreement with Murray Plumbing and Heating Corporation for process mechanical services for the Water Resources Division.
Contract Request (Murray Plumbing and Heating Corporation) FY 2026-27
Request Amount Future Years Department Account # Total Contract Amount $700,000 $2,800,000 50500001.550010 $3,500,000
$300,000 $1,200,000 51500001.550010 $1,500,000
$1,000,000 $4,000,000 Total $5,000,000
Funds will be included in the proposed Operating Budget for FY 2026-27. Future year funding is contingent on Council budget approval.
Prepared By: Dinaz Kureishy, Civil Engineering Assistant Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. FY 25-26 Oaks Initiative (Murray Plumbing and Heating) B. FY 25-26 Levine Act (Murray Plumbing and Heating)