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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07. Follow-up discussion to May 10, 2016 presentation from District Counsel Kent Alm on implementing a design-build process, and alternative delivery methods for Central San 7. UPDATE ON DESIGN-BUILD AND ALTERNATIVE DELIVERY MFOR CENTRAL SAN SENATE BILL 785 (2014) Engineering and Operations Committee June 6, 2017 Presented by Kent Alm, District Counsel . __, , Jean-Marc Petit, Director of Engineering and Technical Services ow WNW DESIGN- BUILD METHOD • Anew design-build law (DB) became effective January 1 , 2015, pursuant to Senate Bill (SB) 785. It is located in Public Contract Code sections 22 1 60-221 69 which is applicable to special districts including Central San. • SB 785 repeals most of the previously existing laws that may have authorized DB for local agencies under specific circumstances. BENEFITS OF DB • Possible benefits of DB contracting, over the traditional design-bid-build approach. These benefits potentially include: Greater flexibility in the contract award (low bid or best value). M A single point of accountability (eliminates designer and contractor conflicts). A Ability to attract higher quality construction work on specialty or atypical projects. Fewer change orders and claims. Faster project completion. Increased cost certainty. More opportunity for innovation. DISADVANTAGES OF DB • The owner may not have the comfort and control of having its design engineer act as its agent during the project. Even if Central San has an independent design engineer involved in oversight of the project, its design engineer will not have as much control or insight into the design details. • As such, with DB, Central San will lose some control of the design process. Design is managed through approval of design documents and submittals during both the design and construction process. While some design elements may be specified, typically the DB contractor is given flexibility in design. • DB construction method may not be as competitive. • Contract management is more challenging as well. Contract administration overall requires more collaboration. Absence of effective collaboration may result in less than satisfactory project results. SB 785 OVERVIEW • Agency must develop an organizational conflict of interest policy and then prepare documents setting forth the scope and estimated price of the project. • The scope documents may include desired design characteristics, performance specifications covering materials and equipment, preliminary plans or layout, or "other information deemed necessary to describe adequately the local agencies need.' • Agency may prequalify proposers through Request for Qualifications (RFQ) process before inviting those prequalified proposers to submit proposals in response to a Request for Proposal (RFP). • Allows agency to award a contract on the basis of the "best value" to the agency, which requires the establishment objective criteria including at a minimum, price, technical design and construction expertise, and life cycle costs over 15 or more years. • The dollar threshold under SB 785 is minimum $1 million. ------------M M c C fel PRE QUALIFICATIONS • During the prequalification process, local agencies are now authorized to either formally prequ lify proposers or shortlist proposers. • This provides useful flexibility in that shortlisting allows an agency to determine how many proposers will be allowed to participate in the proposal process after the statements of qualification have been submitted and reviewed. In other words, the agency has the discretion to create a large or small shortlist depending on the quality of the qualification statements submitted. • The alternative is a true prequalification process where an objective qualification standard is established in the RFQ document, which must then be applied to advance all proposers that have met that standard even if the number of proposers is larger or smaller than ideal. EWTRtL COIN' AtO7 RFP PROCESS The RFQ must include each of the following elements: • Basic scope of the project • Expected cost range • Methodology that will be used to evaluate � proposals • Procedure for final selection • Significant factors that agency will consider in evaluating proposals • Standard template for Statement of Qualifications .,r1, CONFLICTS • There is significant guidance regarding organizational conflicts of interest. The local agency must adopt written guidelines. • These guidelines should be drafted carefully and should address potential conflicts between the District staff and Board Members and entities that may seek to propose. Ideally, the guidelines should include a screening process at the outset of the procurement in conjunction with the prequalification process. Another concept which must be addressed is dealing with conflicts between District retained consultants and DB proposers. • The basic principal is that where a firm has a role in assisting the District with planning or developing a project during its initial stages, it is barred from competing for the DB contract or other subcontracts for the DB firm. • This prohibition could include a consultant preparing an environmental review, and would include an engineering consultant that seeks to participate on the DB team after assisting the agency in the development of the initial design concepts. _ DESIGN- BUILD-OPERATE PROHIBITED • SB 785 now expressly prohibits the award of a contract for design-build-operate services, except for operations during a training or transition period. (Public Contract Code section 22164(a)(2).) • If the District desires to award a contract that includes an operation component after a new facility is constructed, it must use other contracting authority, such as under the Infrastructure Financing Act applicable to fee producing infrastructure facilities. (Government Code section 5956- 5956. 10) or the Energy Conservation Contract statutes (Government Code section 4217. 1 0-4217. 18.) OTHER REQUIREMENTS • SIB 785 includes a new requirement for DB contractors to provide an "enforceable commitment" to use a "skilled and trained workforce" at the RFQ stage of the process. (Public Contract Code section 22164(c).) Alternatively, there must be a project labor agreement in place meeting stated requirements. • SIB 785 requires a payment bond in an amount not "less than the performance bond." (Public Contract Code section 22165(a).) • Finally, the agency must issue a written statement in conjunction with the contract award setting forth the basis of the award. (Public Contract Code section 22164(f)(5).) REALITY HECK : DB IST DIDEAL FOR EVERY PROJECT • DB may not be ideal for every project. For instance, where an agency seeks close control over design details, design-bid-build may be a better choice, because the agency will be able to monitor, revise and fine tune the design before the project is put out to bid. Similarly, where an agency wants to keep the initial conceptual designer on board to complete the design, DB is not an option because organizational conflict of interest rules preclude the initial designer from participating on the final project. • It is also important to note that the prequalification process extends the time to contract award by several months. However, the time spent prequalifying and ranking proposals carefully may be reflected in a higher quality DB contractor, which in turn may lead to higher quality and more efficient work. • There is a ramp-up required in terms of educating internal staff and management as to how the process works. For the agency's first DB project, additional effort will be required to prepare new RFQ and RFP documents and procedures that comply with SB 785. Where the design work is relatively simple and DB would not result in significant efficiencies, the time and effort involved in the ramp-up may not be worth it. • For certain projects, DB may be a significant improvement over design-bid-build, and might well enhance the way Central San proceeds with certain capital projects going forward. _e S9 COMMENTS AND QUESTION � t EltmL.ti owat'i 54 l! o F IPF"-, wow ME