FROM: James D. Herberg, General Manager
Originator: Kathy Millea, Director of Engineering
SUBJECT:
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GEOTECHNICAL TESTING SERVICES
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GENERAL MANAGER'S RECOMMENDATION
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RECOMMENDATION:
Approve an amendment to the Professional Services Agreement with Ninyo and Moore to provide on-call Materials Testing, Inspection, and Geotechnical Testing Services for Collection System and Treatment Plant projects, PSA2019-003, for an additional amount not to exceed $300,000, for a total contract amount of $600,000.
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BACKGROUND
The Orange County Sanitation District (Sanitation District) uses outside specialty Consultants for on-call materials testing, inspection, and geotechnical testing services in support of the Capital Improvement Program, small construction projects, and maintenance projects during the planning, design, and construction of facilities both inside the plants and for the collections systems.
RELEVANT STANDARDS
• Ensure the public’s money is wisely spent
PROBLEM
Currently, the Sanitation District has contracts with three firms that provide these services. One of these firms, Ninyo and Moore, is providing geotechnical inspection and testing services for the Newhope-Placentia Trunk Sewer Replacement Project, Project No. 2-72 B&C, and their current contract amount is not sufficient to adequately complete the work.
PROPOSED SOLUTION
Approve an amendment to increase the contract amount with Ninyo and Moore to provide the necessary geotechnical testing for this critical project. The additional amount is based upon a forecast to project completion. The Sanitation District awarded two other contracts to provide similar services and those firms are being utilized on other current Sanitation District projects. Using the same firm on this project brings consistency and efficiency for this difficult project.
TIMING CONCERNS
The Newhope-Placentia Trunk Sewer Replacement project in Anaheim is currently underway and continued support of this project is critical to ensure quality construction without delay.
RAMIFICATIONS OF NOT TAKING ACTION
Without the additional contract capacity, there would be increased risk in construction quality and code compliance in supporting the Capital Improvement Program, small construction projects, and maintenance projects.
PRIOR COMMITTEE/BOARD ACTIONS
February 2019 - Approved Professional Services Agreements to provide on-call Materials Testing, Inspection, and Geotechnical Testing Services for Collection System and Treatment Plant projects, PSA2019-003, for a three-year period effective May 1, 2019, for an amount not to exceed $300,000 per individual agreement ($900,000 total) with the following three firms:
• Ninyo & Moore
• SCST, Inc.
• Koury Engineering and Testing, Inc.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The three Professional Service Agreements span a three-year period. The recommended contract amounts were based on the average number and type of test and inspections utilized over the previous three years, and the needs anticipated one year ago for the next three years. Staff uses these Consultants on an as-needed basis only. The total agreement cost is not guaranteed, nor is it paid to the Consultant if their services are not used.
The on-call contracts were not intended to be tied to a specific project, but also the extent of support needed for geotechnical testing and inspection for the Newhope-Placentia project was underestimated. The original estimate was based on an average production for a project of this size, but this is influenced by many factors including the nature of the soils, the depth of construction, intersection sequencing, the type of trench shoring, and the complexity of the lateral tie-ins and utilities. This is a highly complex project and requires a significant amount of night and weekend work that was not correctly accounted for in the original forecast. The Sanitation District tries to utilize only a single firm for each project where possible for consistency and accountability.
CEQA
This is not a project as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), therefore CEQA does not apply.
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS
This request complies with authority levels of the Sanitation District’s Purchasing Ordinance. These funds are included in the individual project budgets that require these services.
ATTACHMENT
The following attachment(s) may be viewed on-line at the OCSD website (www.ocsd.com) with the complete agenda package:
• Professional Services Agreement Amendment
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