TO:Andrew P. Powers, City Manager
FROM:Nader Heydari, Public Works Director
DATE:June 23, 2026
SUBJECT: On-Call Professional Services Agreements
RECOMMENDATION:
1. Approve on-call Professional Services Agreements with 126 firms for various services for a three-year term beginning July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029, with compensation not to exceed $250,000 per firm per fiscal year, $750,000 per firm over the three-year term, and $150,000 per individual Task Order.
2. Find that this action is not a project as defined under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
LEVINE ACT ITEM: Yes
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
No Additional Funding Requested. Funds will be identified on a project-by- project basis and charged to the appropriate account. If the required budget is not available, staff will return to City Council and request a budget appropriation.
Additional funding needed for the remaining contract term will be considered during the upcoming biennial budget process. Approval of the on-call agreements does not, in itself, appropriate project funding or obligate the City to expend the full contract limits.
BACKGROUND:
The City frequently engages professional consultants for various projects that require specific expertise. To ensure projects are completed in a timely and efficient manner, on-call agreements with pre-qualified consulting firms are executed in advance to facilitate implementation of projects. The on-call agreements also enable the City to quickly obtain professional services in urgent or emergency situations.
On-Call Professional Services Agreements
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The on-call agreement process allows staff to engage the services of pre-qualified professional consulting firms across 19 different service categories. These consulting firms may provide a variety of services on an as-needed basis, as detailed in the Scope of Work for each category (Attachment #1). Staff selects Professional consulting firms recommended for on-call agreements based on their expertise in one or more service categories outlined in each firm’s Statement of Qualifications (SOQ).
Firms were evaluated in response to the City’s Request for Proposals/ Qualifications (RFP/Q). The City invited interested and qualified firms to submit their qualifications for a three-year on-call agreement. Specific projects will be authorized through individual task orders, each capped at $150,000. Additionally, there is a $250,000 per fiscal year limit, with a total not-to-exceed limit of $750,000 over the three-year term.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS:
In accordance with Government Code section 4526 and Thousand Oaks Municipal Code section 3-10.401, staff solicited an RFP/Q. Unlike the low bid requirements of the Public Contract Code, contracts for professional, management, general, or special services should only be awarded to firms or persons who have demonstrated an adequate level of experience, competence, training, credentials, resources, staffing, and other professional qualifications necessary for more than satisfactory performance of the services solicited. The award of an RFP/Q is based upon a variety of factors that demonstrate the best value to the agency for the solicited scope of service. The cost of the service may be considered as one of those factors; however, the lowest cost is not the sole factor in deciding who will be awarded the contract.
A formal RFP/Q for professional services was publicly advertised on March 6, 2026, in the Thousand Oaks Acorn newspaper and on the City’s procurement website, OpenGov. The notice was viewed on OpenGov by 3,575 professional consulting firms for the following 19 professional service categories:
1. Civil Engineering
2. Climate Action, Sustainability, and Resilience Support Services
3. Construction Management and Cost Estimating
4. Electrical Consulting and Engineering
5. Emergency Management
6. Environmental Consulting and Monitoring
7. Geographic Information Systems
8. Geotechnical Services
9. Hydrology and Stormwater
10. Landscape Architecture
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11. Material Testing
12. Mechanical Engineering Services
13. Pavement Management
14. Public Outreach
15. Right-of-Way Services
16. Subsurface Utility Engineering
17. Surveying
18. Traffic Engineering
19. Water and Wastewater Consulting and Engineering Services On April 3, 2026, the City received a total of 127 SOQ submissions. Out of these, 126 firms met the minimum qualifications and are recommended for inclusion on the on-call list. The consulting firms are located throughout the country, including California, Illinois, North Carolina, and Texas. The City’s On-Call Professional Services Matrix (Attachment #2) contains the complete list of qualified firms. A six- member Public Works Committee was established to evaluate the SOQs based on the following qualification criteria:
1. Approach and project understanding of work required by the City.
2. Quality, clarity, responsiveness, conformance with the terms of this RFP/Q, and overall impression of proposal.
3. Qualifications and availability of key persons to be assigned to the contract resulting from this solicitation.
4. Work experience with the City.
5. Client references.
6. Demonstrated competence.
7. Reasonableness of cost (hourly rates).
Based on staff review of the SOQs and verification of the listed references, staff recommends awarding an on-call professional service agreement to 126 consulting firms. The existing on-call professional service agreements expire on June 30, 2026, and will be replaced by this new list of approved firms for a three- year term from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029. Inclusion on the City’s on-call list does not guarantee work.
A larger pool of executed professional service agreements enables the City to maintain competition, align consultant expertise with specific project needs, and respond more quickly to routine and emergency assignments across multiple service categories. The structure of these professional service agreements supports the timely delivery of infrastructure, environmental, and operational projects.
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Individual Task Orders will be issued as needed for approved projects. For each project, staff will solicit proposals from qualified firms within the relevant service category, and selection will be made in accordance with the City’s Purchasing Ordinance as outlined below:
1. Task Orders up to $100,000 may be issued on a rotational basis, based on consultant expertise, or after staff solicits at least three proposals from qualified firms within the applicable service category. Staff will negotiate the Task Order with the firm offering the best value to the City.
2. Task Orders between $100,000 and $150,000 require a minimum of three proposals for each specific service category and require City Council approval.
Task Orders of this value are negotiated and will be selected by staff based on best value to the City.
3. Projects over $150,000 will be selected through a separate formal RFP/Q solicitation process with a standalone professional services agreement subject to City Council approval.
Agreements recommended for approval are for a maximum of $250,000 per fiscal year, or $750,000 over the three-year term, with all agreements expiring on June 30, 2029. A sample Professional Services Agreement (Attachment #3) is included, and all executed on-call agreements with selected firms will be on file in the City Clerk Department. Funding for each Task Order will be identified on a project-by- project basis. A sample Task Order Form is included as Attachment #4.
LEVINE ACT (California Government Code § 84308):
This item is subject to the Levine Act. City Councilmembers who have received a campaign contribution of more than $500 (aggregated) within the preceding 12 months from a party or their agent/representative, or a financially-interested participant involved in this proceeding may do either of the following: (1) disclose the contribution on the record and recuse themselves from this proceeding; or if applicable (2) return the portion of the contribution that exceeds $500 within 30 days from the time the official knew or should have known about the contribution, and participate in the proceeding.
All parties and their agents/representatives must disclose on the record of this proceeding any aggregated contribution of more than $500 made to any Councilmember within the preceding 12 months. Councilmembers are prohibited from accepting, soliciting, or directing a campaign contribution of more than $500 (aggregated) from a party, their agent/representative, or a financially-interested participant during a proceeding and for 12 months following the date a final decision is made. In addition, a party, their agent/representative, or a financially- On-Call Professional Services Agreements
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interested participant is prohibited from contributing more than $500 (aggregated) to a Councilmember during a proceeding and for 12 months following the date a final decision is made. The completed Levine Act Forms for all 126 consultants are available for review by request to the Public Works Department by e-mail at [email protected] or by phone at (805) 449-2400.
COUNCIL GOAL COMPLIANCE:
Meets the following City Council goals:
C. Operate City government in a fiscally and managerially responsible and prudent manner to ensure that the City of Thousand Oaks remains one of California's most desirable places to live, work, visit, recreate, and raise a family.
F. Provide and enhance essential infrastructure to ensure that the goals and policies of the Thousand Oaks General Plan are carried out and the City retains its role and reputation as a leader in protecting the environment and preserving limited natural resources.
PREPARED BY: Paul Weinstein Associate Analyst
Attachments:
Attachment #1 – Scope of Work for On-Call Professional Consultants Attachment #2 – 2026-2029 On-Call Professional Services Matrix Attachment #3 – Sample Professional Services Agreement
Attachment #4 – Sample Task Order Form
DPW: 840-10\eat\Council\2026\062326\On Call Professional Services Agreements staff report.docx