Title
Request to Enter into Consulting Services Agreement with Placeworks, Rincon Consultants Inc., and Michael Baker International, Inc. for On-Call Environmental and Planning Services.
Staffreport
SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The Planning Services Division of San Leandro’s Community Development Department requests that the City Council authorize the City Manager to enter into Consulting Services Agreements with three qualified planning and environmental consulting firms to provide assistance with the preparation of environmental assessments and other planning services.
BACKGROUND
In light of the recent increase in application activity, the Community Development Department released a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) in September 2016 to establish a list of three qualified environmental consulting firms to assist the Planning Services Division with the preparation of environmental assessments under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). A selection panel scored Placeworks, Rincon Consultants Inc., and Michael Baker International, Inc. as the highest out of the sixteen responses received by the City.
Analysis
With an approved Consulting Services Agreement, the three recommended firms, Placeworks, Rincon Consultants Inc., and Michael Baker International, Inc., will be authorized to provide technical assistance preparing initial studies and environmental assessments for planning applications in accord with CEQA, as well providing application-related contract planning services. The three firms will be maintained on the City’s official on-call list for a three-year period. Work will be assigned to one of the three consultants following acceptance of a scope of work/task order and cost estimate based upon the individual requirements of a given application.
Project applicants will be provided with the detailed cost estimate of any required environmental work to be performed and fully responsible for the cost of any work performed by the consultants. Project applicants will be required to pay a deposit to the City for the full cost of the work prior to work commencing. A trust fund account titled CEQA Deposits has been established for this purpose.
The total cost of all work to be performed by each firm will not exceed $100,000 annually. Any applications requiring CEQA work that may exceed this amount, such as the preparation of an Environmental Impact Report, will be separately contracted through a competitive selection process following a formal Request for Proposals.
The Community Development Department has long relied on outside environmental planning firms to prepare independent environmental assessments on behalf of the City as required by the CEQA. Due to the recent increase in permit activity, staff opted to employ three different firms to provide additional flexibility. The City’s prior contract with MIG ended in October 2016. All three of the recommended firms are familiar with San Leandro and have local offices in the East Bay. Larger projects, such as the environmental impact reports prepared for the recently adopted General Plan and Shoreline Specific Plan, were prepared by Placeworks. Rincon Consultants, Inc. is performing the environmental assessment for the Bay Fair Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Plan currently underway. None of the firms that responded to the RFQ have an office based in San Leandro.
Legal Analysis
This report was reviewed by the City Attorney and approved as to form.
Fiscal Impacts
The work to be performed by the recommended firms will be fully funded by a deposit paid by project applicants to account number 701-220-2223. Approval of this item will have no fiscal impact to the City.
ATTACHMENTS to Resolution
• Draft Consulting Services Agreement for Placeworks
• Draft Consulting Services Agreement for Rincon Consultants
• Draft Consulting Services Agreement for Michael Baker International
PREPARED BY:
Andrew J. Mogensen, AICP
Planning Manager