CITY COMMISSION AGENDA ITEM

Department:	Utilities		Commission Meeting Date:  May 15, 2018
Staff Contact:	Chris Rice, Project Engineer
Recommendations/Options/Action Requested:
Authorize use of two consultants, Professional Engineering Consultants (PEC) and George Butler Associates (GBA), to provide watermain replacement engineering services from 2018 to 2020.
Executive Summary:		Department of Utilities staff continuously evaluates the condition of the water distribution system based on the occurrence of main breaks, pipe material and age, capacity, and fire protection needs. Based on these criteria, watermains are targeted for replacement over a two-year period. A total of $11.54 million dollars is allocated within the CIP (Project No. UT9902CIP) for Watermain Replacement/Relocation in years 2018, 2019, and 2020. Since 2008, the department has supplemented staff recommendations with the recommendations of an outside consultant by soliciting Requests for Qualifications (RFQs) for an engineering firm to develop a Basis of Design Report (BDR) followed by approximately two years of design services. Upon review and approval of the BDR by the department, individual Engineering Service Agreements (ESAs) were negotiated with the selected firm for the detailed design of each watermain within the study to be constructed over a period of approximately two years. The department has received three reports and completed more than 25 projects using this method over the past ten years. While this method has historically been successful, the department intends to modify the watermain replacement program going forward. Staff has found that the development of a BDR at the beginning of each two-year program cycle limits the department’s ability to respond quickly to changing conditions within the distribution system such as main breaks or other circumstances. Eliminating the BDR would allow the program to be more responsive to changing needs and encourage more internal collaboration in selecting and prioritizing watermain replacement locations. As the Utilities Department and Public Works continue to become more integrated over the next two years, there will be additional opportunities for increased collaboration and coordination on watermain, street, and storm projects that would not be addressed by a BDR. The department is proposing to engage two engineering firms in the 2018 - 2020 watermain replacement program. The addition of a second firm is intended to better manage the resources of utilities staff as well as consultants. Project locations will be selected by department staff and assigned to each firm as part of a rolling design/construction schedule. This will allow the department to maintain a consistent workload across engineering and inspection staff. Staff has selected two firms via a competitive request for qualifications process consistent with the City’s purchasing requirements for professional services with expenditures exceeding $50,000. Projects will be assigned to each of the competitively selected firms and ESAs will be negotiated for each project for the duration of the program. Although an individual ESA may exceed $50,000, RFQs will not be solicited for each watermain relocation project. Selection Process On March 8, 2018, staff advertised the RFQ via Demand Star and direct mailing. On April 6, 2018, in response to the Request for Qualifications, staff received proposals from ten firms. Proposals were received from BG Consultants, Black & Veatch, Burns & McDonnell, CFS Engineers, Davidson AE, GBA, HDR, Landplan Engineering, PEC, and Renaissance Infrastructure Consulting. A review committee consisting of Department of Utilities staff evaluated the proposals. GBA and PEC were judged to be the highest qualified respondents for the requested services. Respondents were evaluated in the following categories: · Project Knowledge and Approach · Project Qualifications and Experience · Key Project Staff and Experience · Related Local Experience with Department of Utilities Staff · Proximity PEC and GBA consistently outscored other respondents in the areas of project knowledge, approach, project qualifications, and experience. Both firms provided well-detailed approaches that included aspects of a project from initial concepts through construction observation, the significance of working in fully developed environments, mitigating traffic impacts, and limiting conflicts with existing utilities. PEC provided a thorough discussion of previous project experience with the City including 23 projects completed since 2013. GBA provided a list of relevant projects completed in neighboring communities as well as emphasized their ability to perform an in-house constructability review of proposed designs.
Strategic Plan Critical Success Factor		Innovative Infrastructure and Asset Management Core Services
Fiscal Impact (Amount/Source):		The financial impact to the City with this authorization will be determined through ESA negotiations performed for each project. This program was identified in the 2018 Utilities Department budget and 2019-2022 CIP as project number UT9902. A total of $11.54 million is allocated for watermain replacement across years 2018, 2019, and 2020.
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Reviewed By: (for CMO use only)

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