HomeMy WebLinkAbout03.b. Review Draft Position Paper To Authorize the General Manager to Execute: Four New As-Needed Profesional Engineering Services Agreements; Three Amendments to Increase Existing As-Needed Professional Engineering Services Agreements; CEQA ExemptPage 1 of 5
Item 3.b.
DCENTRALSAN
MEETING DATE: MAY 17, 2023
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
POSITION PAPER
DRAFT
SUBJECT: REVIEW DRAFT POSITION PAPER TO AUTHORIZE THE GENERAL
MANAGER TO EXECUTE:
1) FOUR NEW AS -NEEDED PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING SERVICES
AGREEMENTS, EACH FOR A FIVE-YEAR TERM WITH:
• BLACK & VEATCH CORPORATION, IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED
$800,000;
• BROWN AND CALDWELL, I N AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $500,000;
• HAZEN & SAWYER D.P.C., IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $700,000;
• HDR I NC. I N AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $1,800,000; AND
2) THREE AMENDMENTS TO INCREASE EXISTING AS -NEEDED
PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING SERVICES AGREEMENTS WITH:
• CAROLLO ENGINEERS, INC. FOR AN INCREASE IN THE AMOUNT
OF $500,000 FOR A TOTAL AGREEMENT AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED
$700,000;
• WEST YOST ASSOCIATES FOR AN I NCREASE I N THE AMOUNT OF
$850,000 FOR A TOTAL AGREEMENT AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED
$1,450,000;
• WOODARD & CURRAN, I NC. FOR AN I NCREASE I N THE AMOUNT OF
$600,000 FOR A TOTAL AGREEMENT AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED
$1,200,000; AND
3) FIND THESE AGREEMENTS ARE EXEMPT FROM THE CALIFORNIA
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITYACT (CEQA)
SUBMITTED BY: INITIATING DEPARTMENT:
AMANDA CAUBLE, ASSOCIATE ENGINEER ENGINEERING AND TECHNICAL SERVICES-
PDS-PLANNI NG AND APPLI ED RESEARCH
REVIEWED BY: DAN FROST, SENIOR ENGINEER
DANEA GEMMELL, PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DIVISION
MANAGER
NITIN GOEL, OPERATIONS OPTIMIZATIONS DIVISION MANAGER
EDGAR J. LOPEZ, PROVISIONAL DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING AND
TECHNICAL SERVICES
May 17, 2023 REEP Committee Meeting Agenda Packet - Page 9 of 33
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ISSUE
The Board of Directors (Board) authorization is required for the General Manager to execute agreements
in amounts greater than $200,000.
BACKGROUND
Six as -needed agreements were approved and executed in 2019 to provide as -needed collection system,
treatment plant, and recycled water program support projected for a three-year period for the Planning &
Applied Research and Special Projects & Asset Management Sections. Some of these 2019 agreements
have closed and the remaining are expected to close by the end of Fiscal Year 2022-2023.
On September 1, 2022, the Board authorized as -needed agreements for the Planning and Development
Services Division to support collection system program needs. The as -needed agreements discussed in
this position paper are to support anticipated treatment plant and recycled water program needs for the
Operation Optimizations, Resource Recovery and Planning and Applied Research groups.
As -needed agreements optimize procurement and management of as -needed services through a
consolidated list of pre -qualified consulting firms. These as -needed agreements are for specialized
expertise and professional experience for a variety of tasks that enable staff to address ongoing needs.
As -needed agreements are separate from individual consulting agreements typically issued by the Capital
Projects Division for evaluating and designing large capital improvement projects. The as -needed
agreements allow Central San staff to expedite and assign work to pre -qualified firms in an efficient and
responsive manner through the issuance of a task order which defines their respective scope of work,
project cost, and delivery schedule. Task orders are negotiated, reviewed and approved by the Division
Manager, released, and tracked following a similar task order release process that has also been used
successfully for both planning and capital project as -needed blanket purchase agreements.
Consultant Selection
Staff prepared and posted a Request for Qualifications on PlanetBids and the Central San website. On
February 24, 2023, 11 Statements of Qualifications were received and evaluated for the Planning and
Applied Research section and Resource Recovery and Operations Optimizations Divisions. After
evaluating the firms based on qualifications, experience, past performance, and availability, seven firms
were selected for as -needed agreements to support Central San's anticipated treatment plant and
recycled water program needs. A summary of these firms and some of the specialties are provided below
(the specialties are not considered an exhaustive list):
Black & Veatch offers expertise in asset management and optimization such as smart utility
initiatives, condition assessment, artificial intelligence/machine learning, and other dynamic asset
management planning and support. Black & Veatch also has expertise in incineration, air pollution
control, treatment plant feasibility studies and techno-economic evaluations for new technologies.
Brown and Caldwell offers expertise in asset management and optimization such as solids
process optimization support including incineration, expertise in PFAS and incineration research,
electrical system optimization, and development of real-time data analytics and smart utility systems.
Brown and Caldwell has worked with clients to bring data from many different sources together in a
comment environment through artificial intelligence/machine learning and virtual representations.
Brown and Caldwell have implemented digital transformation of data and analytics to optimize
chemical and energy consumption.
Carollo Engineers, Inc. offers expertise in asset management and optimization, such as ultraviolet
disinfection and recycled water process evaluations and optimizations, condition assessment,
infrastructure analytics platforms, and smart utility systems. Carollo has been successfully providing
as -needed services to Central San for the past few years.
Hazen and Sawyer offers expertise in asset management and optimization such as treatment plant
performance troubleshooting, response to process upsets, and microbiology evaluation and training.
May 17, 2023 REEP Committee Meeting Agenda Packet - Page 10 of 33
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Hazen and Sawyer also offers extensive experience in condition assessment and risk analysis for
asset management, and has been successfully providing as -needed services to Central San for the
past few years.
HDR offers expertise in asset management and optimization such as steam and boiler feedwater
chemical systems, treatment plant hydraulic modeling, treatment plant planning efforts, asset
assessments, optimizations, and applied research projects. HDR supported Central San with
evaluating optimization and upgrade opportunities to reduce nutrient loads for potential future
regulatory requirements. HDR offers expertise in recycled water customer feasibility studies,
recycled water master plans, condition assessments, water delivery reliability assessments, hydraulic
modeling, and distribution system evaluation and design. HDR is also actively engaged with the
Envision sustainability framework and Envision project assessments. HDR has been successfully
providing as -needed services to Central San for the past few years.
West Yost offers expertise in modeling platforms such as I nfoWater® used for recycled water
modeling, optimization of the recycled water distribution system operation, and technical expertise in
recycled water distribution system optimization and renovation. West Yost offers expertise in
wastewater treatment feasibility studies and technical/economic/regulatory evaluations for new
technologies and treatment concepts. West Yost has been successfully providing as -needed
services to Central San for the past few years.
Woodard & Curran offers expertise recycled water program development and implementation,
software modeling, and recycled water regulatory requirements, standards, guidelines, and
engineering reports. Woodard & Curran has been successfully providing as -needed services to
Central San for the past few years.
The selected firms demonstrated their experience in a range of areas, complete with references and
examples of successful projects. Overall, the selection of these top firms was based on their proven track
record of success, relevant expertise, and ability to provide ongoing technical support to the Planning &
Applied Research, Resource Recovery, Operations Optimization and Asset Management workgroups for
a wide range of future needs for the treatment plant and recycled water programs.
Of the above seven consultants, three of the consultants (Woodard & Curran, West Yost, and Carollo
Engineers) were also selected in 2022 to provide as -needed services for collection system program
needs. This position paper includes amendments to those three collection system program as -needed
services agreements to include additional as -needed support to the Planning & Applied Research,
Resource Recovery, Operations Optimization and Asset Management workgroups for treatment plant and
recycled water program needs.
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)
Staff has concluded that these actions are exempt from CEQA under District CEQA Guidelines Section
15262, since they allow for further planning and feasibility studies for possible future actions which Central
San has not approved, adopted, or funded, and the outcome of these tasks will not have a legally binding
effect on later activities. Approval of these actions will establish the Board's independent finding that these
agreements are exempt from CEQA. Central San will conduct an environmental evaluation of any
environmental -altering physical project that is proposed in the future as a result of these studies to
determine the need for any additional CEQA documentation.
ALTERNATIVES/CONSIDERATIONS
1. Execute 3-Year As -Needed Agreements. This alternative reduces the agreement limits to cover the
next 3 years of anticipated projects and tasks. Staff could return to the Board for approval to amend
the agreements for a fourth and fifth year of support. This alternative was not recommended because
it requires more administration and could limit the flexibility to assign task orders in Year 3 that are
anticipated to continue into Years 4 and 5.
May 17, 2023 REEP Committee Meeting Agenda Packet - Page 11 of 33
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2. Do Not Approve the Agreement. This alternative would be for the Board to direct staff not to execute
the agreement as proposed. Instead, staff could administer multiple agreements as -needed within
staff authority limits, similar to past practices. This is not recommended because it requires more
administration time to solicit, execute, and manage multiple agreements. Additionally, this alternative
would result in multiple agreements with the same consulting firm as tasks arise in order to keep
projects on track and maintain the current high level of service.
3. Hire Additional Staff. This alternative would be to direct staff to hire additional temporary and/or
permanent employees to augment staff's ability to complete the anticipated projects and tasks. This
is not recommended because the work requires specialty expertise that is provided from industry
leaders that perform similar tasks on a daily basis and have extensive experience across multiple
projects and customers, where Central San benefits from that wide -spread experience. Due to the
complex, as -needed, and temporary nature of these projects and tasks, it is recommended that
these needs be met through consulting support instead of temporary or permanent employees. The
as -needed agreements also enable Central San to access the consultant's wide range of industry
experts (e.g., liquid process, varying solids processes, energy, mechanical, regulatory, etc.) tailored
to the needs of the specific project or task.
FINANCIAL IMPACTS
The services provided are paid for and included in the Board -approved Budget. No additional funding for
these as -needed agreements is required.
This selection process and award of an agreement provides a go -to firm when support is required. This
allows Central San staff to expedite the process of completing work and addressing tasks as needed, and
to respond to needs in an efficient manner. Ongoing and additional specialty support needs are anticipated
to address upcoming projects and tasks.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Real Estate, Environmental, and Planning Committee reviewed this matter at the meeting on May 17,
2023, and recommended
RECOMMENDED BOARD ACTION
Authorize the General Manager to execute the following four agreements, each with a five-year term to
provide as -needed services:
• A professional engineering services agreement with Black and Veatch Corporation with a cost ceiling
of $800,000;
• A professional engineering services agreement with Brown and Caldwell with a cost ceiling of
$500,000;
• A professional engineering services agreement with Hazen and Sawyer, D.P.C. with a cost ceiling of
$700,000;
• A professional engineering services agreement with HDR, Inc. with a cost ceiling of $1,800,000;
and
Authorize the General Manager to execute amendments to increase the following three existing
professional engineering services agreements:
• Carollo Engineers, I nc. in the amount of $500,000 for a total agreement amount not to exceed
$700,000;
• West Yost Associates in the amount of $850,000, for a total agreement amount not to exceed
$1,450,000; and
May 17, 2023 REEP Committee Meeting Agenda Packet - Page 12 of 33
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• Woodard & Curran, Inc. in the amount of $600,000, for a total agreement amount not to exceed
$1,200,000; and
Find these agreements are exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)
Strategic Plan Tie -In
GOAL TWO: Environmental Stewardship
Strategy 1 - Achieve compliance in all regulations, Strategy 3 - Be a partner in regional development of local water
supply, Strategy 4 - Identify and advance sustainability initiatives, including reducing energy usage and emissions
GOAL FOUR: Governance and Fiscal Responsibility
Strategy 3 - Maintain financial stability and sustainability
GOAL FIVE: Safety and Security
Strategy 2 - Protect personnel and assets from threats and emergencies
GOAL SIX: Infrastructure Reliability
Strategy 1 - Manage assets optimally, Strategy 2 - Execute long-term capital renewal and replacement program
GOAL SEVEN: Innovation and Agility
Strategy 1 - Leverage data analytics to become a more efficient utility, Strategy 2 - Implement organization -wide
optimization, Strategy 3 - Be adaptable, resilient, and responsive
May 17, 2023 REEP Committee Meeting Agenda Packet - Page 13 of 33