DEPARTMENT: Transportation & Capital Improvements Department
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Mike Frisbie, P.E.
COUNCIL DISTRICT(S) IMPACTED: City Wide
SUBJECT:
Professional Services Agreements for On-Call Environmental Consulting Services
SUMMARY:
An ordinance authorizing the execution of five (5) On-Call Professional Services Agreements with ATC Group Services LLC, Baer Engineering & Environmental Consulting, Inc., Raba-Kistner, Inc., SWCA, Inc., and Terracon Consultants, Inc., each in an amount not to exceed $600,000.00 per year and each for a term of one (1) year, with an option to renew any or all of the agreements, for three (3) one-year extensions under the same terms and conditions.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The Transportation & Capital Improvements Department (TCI), through its Environmental Management Division (EMD), oversees environmental assessments and remediation activities and utilizes these on-call environmental consulting contracts on an as-needed basis to assist with various environmental investigations. EMD had five previous contracts for on-call Environmental Consulting Services with Raba Kistner, Weston Solutions, Kleinfelder, Freese & Nichols, and GeoStrata Environmental Consultants. These contracts expired in April 2017.
Through the delivery of the 2017-2022 Bond Program, there will be a vast quantity of environmental assessments that need to take place prior to moving projects into construction, to include assessments for federally funded projects. These on-call contracts will allow staff to continue addressing assessment and remediation strategies for capital projects and adhere to the current construction schedule. The City makes no minimum guarantee pertaining to the volume of work that may be expected from each consultant under these on-call contracts.
Staff will utilize these On-Call Environmental Consulting Services on an as-needed basis, to assist with various assessment projects. The environmental consulting services that may be performed through these agreements include but are not limited to the following:
• Phase I Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs) - due diligence assessments of property based on historical operations and visual observations to identify potential environmental impairments. Typically, soil and groundwater samples are not collected for traditional Phase I ESAs;
• Phase II ESAs - secondary environmental investigations intended to confirm the presence and/or absence of contaminants, and to delineate the extent of contamination using drilling, sampling and laboratory analyses;
• Environmental oversight during construction - oversight of environmental remediation projects, and analyses to determine risk associated with soil or groundwater contamination during construction;
• NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) - a required analysis of environmental impacts associated with a proposed federally funded project;
• Environmental Audits - Studies to ensure environmental compliance associated with current operations of City facilities.
Procurement of Services
A Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for Professional Environmental Consulting Services was released on February 24, 2017. Sixteen firms responded and submitted their Statement of Qualifications (SOQ). A selection committee made up of City staff from TCI evaluated and scored the SOQs based on the published evaluation criteria, which included experience, background and qualifications of the firms, their subconsultants and key personnel, the firms' project approach and management plan, and teams experience with San Antonio region issues. The selection committee recommends that contracts be awarded to the five (5) firms.
A Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Good Faith Effort Plan goal has been set at 10%. ATC Group Services LLC has committed to 10%, Baer Engineering and Environmental Consulting, Inc. has committed to 90%, Raba-Kistner, Inc. has committed to 10%, SWCA, Inc. has committed to 10%, and Terracon Consultants, Inc. has committed to 11% utilization on this contract.
The Discretionary Contracts Disclosure Form, as required by the City’s Ethic Ordinance for all Projects, where subjective criteria are used to select the Contractor or consultant rather than by low bid, are attached.
ISSUE:
This ordinance authorizes the execution of five (5) on-call professional consulting services agreements with ATC Group Services LLC, Baer Engineering & Environmental Consulting, Inc., Raba-Kistner, Inc., SWCA, Inc., and Terracon Consultants, Inc., each in an amount not to exceed $600,000.00 per year., and each for a term of one (1) year, with an option to renew each or any or all of the agreements, for three (3) optional one-year extensions under the same terms and conditions.
The services provided by these agreements include On-Call Environmental Consulting Services related to Transportation and Capital Improvement Projects, including delivery of the 2017-2022 Bond Program.
ALTERNATIVES:
As an alternative option, the City could release another Request For Qualifications (RFQ) for each project as needs are identified. However, this will result in delaying environmental work, and impeding the City’s ability to comply with local, state and federal environmental regulations.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Each of the agreements shall have a value not to exceed $600,000.00 per year. Each renewal of the respective agreements shall be for identical terms and subject to available funding. No funds are appropriated by this action. Funds for this contract shall be allocated from specific project funds at the time the work is required. Amounts will be transferred from available funding sources identified within the scope and source, as projects are assigned by various City departments. The City makes no minimum guarantee pertaining to the volume of work that may be expected from each consultant under these five (5) on-call contracts.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends approval of this ordinance, authorizing five (5) professional services agreements for On-Call Environmental Consulting Services.