CITY OF SIGNAL HILL
STAFF REPORT
2175 Cherry Avenue • Signal
Hill, California 90755-3799
1/10/2023
AGENDA ITEM
TO:
HONORABLE MAYOR
AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM:
THOMAS BEKELE
PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
SUBJECT:
DESIGN AGREEMENT WITH SWA GROUP, INC. (SWA) FOR CITYWIDE MEDIAN LANDSCAPE AND IRRIGATION DESIGN SERVICES (PROJECT NO. 90.23006) AND
RESOLUTION FOR BUDGET ADJUSTMENT
Summary:
City Council will consider entering into a Design Services Agreement with SWA to prepare the Citywide Median Landscape and Irrigation Design Project (90.23006).
Recommendations:
1. Authorize the City Manager to enter into a Design Services Agreement with SWA to prepare the citywide median design, in a form approved by the City Attorney. The term of the agreement is for six months with a not-to-exceed contract amount of $174,680.
2. Authorize contingencies of $4,320 and up to a 180-day term extension pursuant to the City’s Purchasing and Contracting Guidelines, to be utilized if approved by the Public Works Director.
3. Adopt a resolution, entitled:
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SIGNAL HILL, CALIFORNIA,
AMENDING THE ADOPTED BUDGET AND AUTHORIZING BUDGET APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2022-23
Fiscal Impact:
The total cost of services to be provided by SWA is a not-to-exceed amount of $174,680. Funds in the amount of $100,000 are budgeted in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022-23 Capital Improvement Project (CIP) Budget for the Citywide Median Landscape and Irrigation Design Project (Project No.
90.23006). A budget amendment appropriating $79,000 from the Orange Avenue Bridge Railing Repair Project (Project No. 90.22005, to Project No. 90.23006 is recommended to fully fund the CITY OF SIGNAL HILL Page 1 of 5 Printed on 1/6/2023
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Repair Project (Project No. 90.22005, to Project No. 90.23006 is recommended to fully fund the contract amount and contingency. Staff anticipates Project No. 90.22005 to have remaining budget after receiving bids and executing a contract for the subject repairs. The City’s Purchasing and Contracting Guidelines allow for an additional 10% compensation contingency, however due to budget constraints the contingency amount for this agreement is $4,320, for a total contract authority of $179,000.
Strategic Plan Objectives:
Goal No. 4: Maintain and improve the public infrastructure.
Goal No. 5: Ensure an enhanced quality of life for the residents.
Background and Analysis:
On June 28, 2022, the Citywide Median Landscape and Irrigation Design Project was proposed in the FY 2022-24 CIP budget and was approved by City Council as part of the biennial Operating and Capital Budget. The scope of work for this project includes the re-design of landscaping and irrigation in the traffic medians throughout the City. The design will include new landscaping, hardscaping, and irrigation improvements. Existing monument signs will be updated to follow the City’s standard design. The construction of the approved design will be performed in a minimum of three separate construction phases, pending budget availability in future fiscal year CIP budgets.
On September 23, 2022, staff issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for Citywide Median Landscape Services on PlanetBids via the City’s online portal. Notice of the RFP was posted in accordance with Signal Hill Municipal Code Section 1.08.010 on the City’s website, at the City’s public notice locations, and published in the Signal Tribune newspaper on September 23, 2022. Responses were originally due on October 13, 2022.
The desired scope of services are described in detail in the RFP, and summarized below:
1. Lead and facilitate community outreach/workshop meeting and committee meetings;
2. Coordinate with utility companies and prepare utility plans;
3. Conduct field Design Review meetings with City staff;
4. Prepare a minimum of four concept plans and engineering estimates, incorporating City and community input where feasible;
5. Prepare construction plans, technical specifications, and special provisions; and
6. Provide complete set of as-built drawings.
After publishing the RFP, staff received feedback from multiple consulting firms advising staff that the original project budget estimate of $100,000 was insufficient to perform the full scope of services for this project. Staff re-evaluated the project scope and project budget and contacted several design firms for input. This research revealed that the City would not receive an acceptable amount of competitive proposals from qualified firms for this project as originally budgeted. To increase interest and competition for the project, staff published an addendum to the RFP modifying the scope and increasing the proposed budget to $175,000. The proposal due date was extended to November 18, 2022.
In response to the revised RFP, the City received three proposals from the following firms:
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1. Dake Landscape (Dake);
2. Lynn Capouya, Inc. (LCI); and
3. SWA.
Evaluation Process
The City utilized a three-member review committee consisting of the Public Works Director, Management Assistant, and Contracts Manager. A qualifications-based selection process was employed to determine the best-qualified respondent. The committee reviewed all three proposals according to the following evaluation criteria:
· Qualifications of the Firm: Technical experience in performing work of a similar nature, experience working with public agencies, and strength and stability of the firm. · Proposed Team and Organization: Qualifications of proposed personnel and key personnel, logic of organization, adequacy of labor commitment and resources to satisfactorily perform the requested services and meet the City's needs.
· Commitment and Availability: Firm’s current workload and ability to demonstrate and deliver the project based on the committed resources and within the proposed defined schedule. · Detailed Work Plan: Thorough understanding of the City's requirements and objectives, logic, clarity, specificity, and overall quality of work plan. · Defined Approach: Approach to carry out and acquire the field review data, perform the design in an efficient and effective manner, and ability to deliver quality final work product per the proposed project schedule.
The ranking criteria was weighted as indicated in Table 1 below:
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The results of the evaluation process were as follows:
Table 2.
Proposal Evaluations
Consultant Selection
On November 30, 2022, the review committee interviewed the three consultants that submitted proposals. Based on the results of the technical proposal evaluation and the interviews, staff determined that SWA best addressed the evaluation criteria and conveyed the most logical approach and methodology for the services requested by the City. As described in their proposal and verified by staff through the interview and reference-check process, SWA has significant experience and specialization in this type of project. SWA has recently prepared median design plans for the City of Thousand Oaks, and has completed other similar landscape architecture design projects for the agencies of Los Angeles, Culver City, Arcadia, and Santa Monica. Furthermore, City staff also has experience working with SWA on the ongoing project to update the Street Tree Master Plan, and can attest to their positive performance. Staff anticipates SWA’s experience on this project provides additional efficiencies in developing a cohesive median design consistent with existing plans.
Accordingly, the review committee concluded SWA was the best qualified firm for this service.
In accordance with best practice in qualifications-based selections for professional services, staff evaluated the proposed fee and negotiated adjustments to ensure completeness of the scope of services, reasonableness and competitiveness of fees, and sufficient budget. The total not-to-exceed fee of $174,680 is reasonable, competitive, and consistent with Staff’s estimates for the scope of services requested by the City.
Upon approval of the contract and issuance of notice to proceed, SWA will begin services in January 2023 with initial site and irrigation assessments, utility coordination, and community outreach and input efforts. SWA will then develop four concept plans for community and staff input to be presented at a March 2023 Council meeting prior to proceeding with preparing plans for construction. Final design plans for construction are estimated to be completed in July 2023.
Reviewed:
_________________________
Sharon del Rosario
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Approved:
_________________________
Joe Hoefgen
Attachments
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