CITY OF SIGNAL HILL
STAFF REPORT
2175 Cherry Avenue • Signal
Hill, California 90755-3799
3/22/2022
AGENDA ITEM
TO:
HONORABLE MAYOR
AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM:
COLLEEN T. DOAN
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
SUBJECT:
CONTRACT SERVICES AGREEMENTS FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES -
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
Summary:
City Council will consider authorizing the City Manager to execute seven on-call Contract Services Agreements with qualified firms on behalf of the Community Development Department:
· Two for on-call environmental analysis and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) compliance services;
· Three for on-call planning services; and
· Two for on-call landscape architecture/plan check services.
The Community Development Department utilizes these services to accomplish its annual goals as defined by the City Council in the approved annual Operating Budget.
Recommendations:
1. Authorize the City Manager to enter into a three-year Contract Services Agreement, with two additional one-year extensions, with De Novo Planning Group to provide on-call environmental analysis and CEQA compliance services, for a not-to-exceed amount of $200,000 annually, in a form approved by the City Attorney.
2. Authorize the City Manager to enter into a three-year Contract Services Agreement, with two additional one-year extensions, with EPD Solutions, Inc. to provide on-call environmental analysis and CEQA compliance services, for a not-to-exceed amount of $200,000 annually, in a form approved by the City Attorney.
3. Authorize the City Manager to enter into a three-year Contract Services Agreement, with two additional one-year extensions, with MIG to provide on-call planning services for a not-toCITY OF SIGNAL HILL Page 1 of 7 Printed on 3/17/2022 powered by Legistar™
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exceed amount of $200,000 annually, in a form approved by the City Attorney.
4. Authorize the City Manager to enter into a three-year Contract Services Agreement, with two additional one-year extensions, with Interwest Consulting Group Inc. to provide on-call planning services, for a not-to-exceed amount of $200,000 annually, in a form approved by the City Attorney.
5. Authorize the City Manager to enter into a three-year Contract Services Agreement, with two additional one-year extensions, with RRM Design Group to provide on-call planning services, for a not-to-exceed amount of $200,000 annually, in a form approved by the City Attorney.
6. Authorize the City Manager to enter into a three-year Contract Services Agreement, with two additional one-year extensions, with Architerra Design Group to provide on-call landscape architecture/plan check services, for a not-to-exceed amount of $200,000 annually, in a form approved by the City Attorney.
7. Authorize the City Manager to enter into a three-year Contract Services Agreement, with two additional one-year extensions, with David Evans and Associates Inc. to provide on-call landscape architecture/plan check services, for a not-to-exceed amount of $200,000 annually, in a form approved by the City Attorney.
Fiscal Impact:
Funding for professional on-call services is budgeted in the current FY 2021-22 Community Development Operating Budget and is primarily reimbursed by developer deposits. The proposed annual contract amounts are based on economic and development trends. Development-related reviews and services are offset by revenues generated from developer deposits. The authorization of on-call agreements does not award work to any of the selected firms; rather, it establishes a pool of resources from which to draw as project needs are identified in the future.
Strategic Plan Objective:
Goal No. 1: Ensure long-term fiscal stability.
Background:
The City’s Community Development Department consists of four divisions - Building Safety, Neighborhood Enhancement, Oil Field Services, and Planning - and performs a variety of services intended to protect, maintain, and develop an attractive, safe, and healthy environment for residents and the business community. The department’s approved personnel summary includes five full-time employees, one part-time employee, and one part-time intern.
On-Call Agreements
In response to recent economic and development trends, the Community Development Department model relies on professional consulting firms using on-call agreements to augment department capacity. The proposed use of on-call consultants is consistent with the City’s purchasing policies and CITY OF SIGNAL HILL Page 2 of 7 Printed on 3/17/2022
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capacity. The proposed use of on-call consultants is consistent with the City’s purchasing policies and supports the timely delivery of development projects.
On-call agreements are an efficient tool for providing technical staff support and reducing the time needed to identify qualified firms while adhering to the City’s purchasing policies. This enables the City to quickly respond to developer needs by utilizing specialized consulting services on an asneeded basis. Using consultants in these capacities also provides the City with the flexibility to control costs as workloads and demand fluctuate in response to development or project activity.
When it is determined that a project will require on-call planning, or CEQA environmental services, particularly on large or priority projects, staff will request a proposal from the list of qualified on-call consultants and assign the project or task depending on area of expertise, understanding of scope of services requested, proposed schedule, overall cost, and other criteria deemed relevant for the specific project or task. Staff will also verify that responding firms do not have a financial interest or potential conflict of interest involving either the applicant or the project. Once a firm is selected, staff will either provide a letter to proceed, or enter into a task specific contract with the firm.
On smaller projects, and specifically for landscape architecture plan check services, staff will use a rotation method of selecting the consultant firm for the service. This is similar to how staff assign oncall building plan check services between the three on-call building plan check firms. The rotation protocol assures all consultants receive a balanced share of work assignments.
Analysis:
On October 22, 2021, staff issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for Specialized Project Specific and On-Call Planning and Environmental Services. Interested firms were invited to propose on any combination of services they were qualified to provide.
Scope of Services
The scope of services requested was as follows:
I. Specialized Project Specific Professional Services
a. Assist with development of a scope of work, conduct an environmental analysis pursuant to CEQA, and prepare a CEQA-compliant document for a long-term extension of an existing oil and gas drill sites CUP.
b. Draft a General Plan Environmental Justice Element and update various other Elements such as the Safety Element, the Environmental Resources Element, the Circulation Element, and the Land Use Element.
c. Develop Objective Design Standards for residential projects in compliance with requirements of all applicable State laws.
d. Prepare an Accessory Dwelling Unit Development and Design Manual.
II. On-Call Professional Services
a. Environmental analysis and CEQA compliance services. b. Specialized oil field environmental services.
c. Soils and methane assessments.
d. Petroleum engineering services.
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e. Geologic and geotechnical services.
f. Water quality analysis.
g. Landscape architectural services.
h. Planning services.
i. Mailing house public noticing services.
j. Code enforcement services.
Evaluation Process
In response to the RFP, the City received 23 proposals, and all were deemed to be complete and timely.
In accordance with the qualifications-based selection procurement listed in the RFP, the Community Development Department established a Selection Committee, comprised of the Community Development Director, Planning Manager, and Economic Development Manager. The Selection Committee conducted a two-tiered evaluation process, consisting of an evaluation of all timely and complete proposals followed by interviews and reference checks for the top firms in each category.
The proposal evaluation criteria were as follows:
· Qualifications and Relevant Experience (Weight 25%)
o Years in business and qualifications of individuals and teams o Experience providing similar services to local government agencies o Service delivery time frames
· Thoroughness and Organization of Proposal (Weight 15%) o Includes all required elements of the proposal
o The proposal is organized, concise and thorough
o Demonstrates understanding of the scope of work
o Consultant’s approach to accomplishing the scope of work · Proposed Staff Experience (Weight 30%)
o Experience doing similar work and projects
· Cost Estimates (Weight 30%)
o Costs for providing the proposed scope of services
o Quality of work to be delivered based on consultant’s fee The interview evaluation criteria were as follows:
· Qualifications and Relevant Experience (Weight 40%)
o Demonstrated qualifications of individuals and the team o Experience providing similar services to local government agencies o Demonstrated understanding of the scope of work
o Demonstrated analytical ability and problem-solving skills o Identified specific procedures to be used to ensure communication between the consultant and the City
· Preparedness and Understanding of the Project (Weight 40%) o Demonstrated ability to provide sufficiently qualified and experienced personnel o Demonstrated availability of lead and all proposed team members o Consultant’s general approach to providing services and evaluating issues CITY OF SIGNAL HILL Page 4 of 7 Printed on 3/17/2022
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o Communication skills
o Demonstrated ability to deliver services using technology and computers o Cost estimates and delivery time
· Reference Checks (Weight 20%)
o Customer satisfaction
o Cost versus product level of service
o Communication strengths and analytical skills
o Other
Selection
Due to the high number of proposals received, staff prioritized review based on current and expected demand. As such, proposals for Scope of Services I. a and II. b - f were prioritized for review. At the February 22, 2022, City Council meeting, the Council approved contracts for the prioritized services with Catalyst Environmental Services, Citadel EHS, Earth Consultants International, Evans & Walker, Applied GeoKinetics, Mearns Consulting, LLC, and Orion Environmental, Inc.
The following firms submitted proposals in response to Scope of Services II. a. and II. g-h (Table 1).
The consultants highlighted in yellow have been selected for an on-call agreement based upon the criteria established above. It should be noted that the on-call agreement with Catalyst Environmental Services was approved at the February 22, 2022, City Council meeting, but is highlighted in Table 1 for reference.
The proposals for the Scope of Services for I. b-d and II. i will be presented at a future Council meeting. No proposals were received in response to Scope of Service II. j for code enforcement services.
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The proposed agreements with each of the recommended firms will enable the Community Development Department to secure timely professional services that will augment staff roles and provide key support and services throughout the initial and subsequent agreement terms. Staff is confident that each of the firms will be responsive in providing the City with high quality service while meeting the City’s demands and timelines. References have also been contacted for each firm and feedback has been satisfactory. Additional information on each of the recommended firms is provided below:
CEQA
· De Novo Planning Group is a land use and environmental planning firm located in Tustin specializing in community planning, environmental studies, design, and development services.
De Novo has prepared Environmental Impact Reports, negative declarations, initial studies, and National Environmental Policy Act analyses. De Novo has completed a wide range of environmental documents for different types of projects including hotels, mixed use, residential, industrial, parks, and alternative energy. · EPD Solutions is an environmental consulting company based in Irvine. EPD’s team is experienced in completing initial studies and mitigated negative declarations and all types of environmental documents. EPD’s staff is knowledgeable in all sections of the CEQA analysis, CITY OF SIGNAL HILL Page 6 of 7 Printed on 3/17/2022
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eliminating the need to hire specialized consultants for certain CEQA sections.
PLANNING
· MIG is a multi-disciplinary consulting firm located in Pasadena specializing in planning, design, communications, environmental, and engineering. The planning group has over 20 years of planning expertise. MIG works collaboratively with staff and has experience working with developers and residents alike on projects.
· Interwest is a multidisciplinary consulting firm with offices in Irvine. Interwest will provide oncall planning services and act as an extension of City staff. The assigned project manager has over 25 years of experience working with municipalities. Interwest currently provides the City’s Building Department with on-call plan check services.
· RRM is an experienced design and planning firm in San Juan Capistrano. RRM will provide on-call planning services. RRM’s approach focuses on frequent communication, collaboration, and accessibility.
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE/PLAN CHECK
· Architerra Design Group provides on-call landscape architect and plan check services to ensure Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance compliance for public agencies. With over 30 years’ experience, they have provided design consultation services for streetscapes, medians, public buildings, parks and trails; developed policies on landscaping design guidelines; and prepared user-friendly handouts for permitting counters. · David Evans and Associates (DEA) provides landscape plan checking, construction management, inspection, and general landscape architectural support. In addition, DEA offers a highly skilled and creative design team with a wealth of experience in park and recreation design, transportation and corridor master plans, streetscape and downtown revitalization, trail planning, and construction administration services.
The volume of work assigned to consultants will be dependent on City priorities, the need for specific services, and funding availability. As the demand for a specific scope arises, City staff will give direction to the appropriate consultant to complete the tasked scope of work based on the rates established in the Schedule of Compensation.
Reviewed:
_________________________
Sharon del Rosario
Approved:
_________________________
Hannah Shin-Heydorn
Attachments
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