FROM: Robert Thompson, General Manager
Originator: Mike Dorman, Director of Engineering
SUBJECT:
title
PLAN2024-00 ON-CALL PLANNING STUDIES
end
GENERAL MANAGER'S RECOMMENDATION
recommendation
RECOMMENDATION: Recommend to the Board of Directors to:
A. Approve Professional Services Agreements with HDR Engineering, Inc.; Brown and Caldwell; Arcadis U.S., Inc.; Stantec Consulting Services Inc.; Black & Veatch Corporation; and Hazen and Sawyer for PLAN2024-00, On-Call Planning Studies master contracts, for the term of January 1, 2024, through December 31, 2026, with a maximum annual contract limitation not to exceed $1,000,000 per Consultant; and
B. Approve two (2) additional one-year optional extensions.
body
BACKGROUND
The Orange County Sanitation District (OC San) Purchasing Ordinance allows OC San to compile prequalified lists of firms to support engineering projects. The Purchasing Ordinance also allows the Professional Services Agreement to be extended for up to two additional one-year periods for a total term of five years. The Purchasing Ordinance delegates authority to the General Manager and Director of Engineering to solicit proposals for services to support engineering projects through individual task orders up to $500,000.
RELEVANT STANDARDS
• Sustain 1, 5, 20-year planning horizons
• Maintain a proactive asset management program
• Maintain a culture of improving efficiency to reduce the cost to provide the current service level or standard
PROBLEM
The Engineering Planning Division is responsible for CIP planning and often conducts planning studies to resolve complex engineering issues, including items frequently identified through the Asset Management Program. The normal procurement process to obtain professional engineering services is lengthy and requires significant administrative costs.
PROPOSED SOLUTION
Retain a prequalified list of firms to provide professional engineering services under the $500,000 threshold, in accordance with the Purchasing Ordinance. This will enable OC San to conduct these smaller studies with reduced administrative costs and an accelerated schedule.
TIMING CONCERNS
The current on-call planning studies agreements expired on October 31, 2023.
RAMIFICATIONS OF NOT TAKING ACTION
Without this prequalified pool of consultants for professional engineering services, OC San would need to request proposals from all consultants registered in OC San’s purchasing database, a process that requires additional time and resources.
PRIOR COMMITTEE/BOARD ACTIONS
N/A
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Consultant Selection
A Request for Qualifications for the PLAN2024-00 master contracts was developed and publicly advertised, and a notice was sent to multiple categories of firms registered in OC San’s purchasing database on August 22, 2023. The following evaluation criterion were described in the Request for Qualifications and used to determine the most qualified Consultants.
|
CRITERION |
WEIGHT |
|
Execution of Work |
29% |
|
Relevant Project Experience |
34% |
|
Team and Staff Qualifications |
37% |
Eight Statements of Qualifications were received on September 26, 2023, and subsequently evaluated in accordance with the evaluation process set forth in the Purchasing Ordinance by a preselected Evaluation Team consisting of the following three OC San staff: one Engineering Manager and two Engineering Supervisors. The Evaluation Team also included one non-voting representative from the Contracts Administration Division.
Each voting member of the Evaluation Team scored the Consultants using the evaluation criterion above. The results of this rating process are shown in Table 1, below. Based on the evaluation results, there was a clear natural break in the scores between the highest six scoring firms and the other firms. Therefore, the Evaluation Team did not deem it necessary to conduct interviews. Table 1 below summarizes the final scores.
Table 1 - Consultant Firm Scoring
|
Firm |
Execution of Work (Max. 29 Points) |
Relevant Project Experience (Max. 34 Points) |
Team and Staff Qualifications (Max. 37 Points) |
Total Score (Max. 100 Points) |
|
HDR Engineering, Inc. |
22 |
32 |
32 |
86 |
|
Brown and Caldwell |
23 |
29 |
31 |
83 |
|
Arcadis U.S., Inc. |
22 |
29 |
30 |
81 |
|
Stantec Consulting Services Inc. |
22 |
27 |
31 |
80 |
|
Black & Veatch Corporation |
21 |
25 |
31 |
77 |
|
Hazen and Sawyer |
20 |
29 |
28 |
77 |
|
Burns & McDonnell Western Enterprises, Inc. |
17 |
17 |
16 |
50 |
|
Simpson Gumpertz & Heger |
11 |
11 |
10 |
32 |
The Evaluation Team recommends approving contracts to the six highest-scoring firms: HDR Engineering, Inc.; Brown and Caldwell; Arcadis U.S., Inc.; Stantec Consulting Services Inc.; Black & Veatch Corporation; and Hazen and Sawyer. The selected firms demonstrated the most relevant experience with collection systems and wastewater treatment facilities related to the planning and development of engineering projects, proposed highly qualified staff, and exhibited the ability to successfully execute this type of work.
CEQA
N/A
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS
This request complies with authority levels of OC San’s Purchasing Ordinance. Budget for these task orders is included in the Master Planning Studies Program (M-Studies) budget for Fiscal Years 2023-2024 through 2026-2027 budget.
ATTACHMENT
The following attachment(s) may be viewed on-line at the OC San website (www.ocsan.gov) with the complete agenda package:
• Draft Professional Services Agreements