REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Award a Consultant Services Agreement to Biggs Cardosa Associates, Inc. in the Amount of $435,591 for Professional Services for the Preventive Maintenance of Various Bridges Project and Approve Budget Modification No. 5 in the Amount of $446,100 (F26-285)
Report
REPORT IN BRIEF
Approval is requested to award a consultant services agreement to Biggs Cardosa Associates, Inc. of San Jose in the amount of $435,591 for professional engineering services for the Preventive Maintenance of Various Bridges Project, as well as approval of a 10% contingency in the amount of $43,559 and approve a Budget Modification to appropriate a $446,100 grant from Caltrans.
EXISTING POLICY
Pursuant to Chapter 2.08 of the Sunnyvale Municipal Code, contracts for this type of service are awarded pursuant to a Request for Proposals (RFP) best value process, unless otherwise exempt from the competitive bidding process. Additionally, City Council approval is required for the award of contract for goods and/or services exceeding $250,000 in any one transaction.
Council Policy 7.1.5 Grants, Donations, Contributions and Sponsorships:
The City Manager may apply for grants of any dollar amount but shall notify the Council when grants are being pursued pursuant to Council Policy 7.1.1 (Fiscal - Long Range Goals and Financial Policies), B.4. (Grants and Intergovernmental Assistance). The City Manager may accept and appropriate grant funds up to $250,000 that do not require an unbudgeted local match or obligate the City to any unplanned ongoing expenses, through an administrative budget modification. Any grants of $250,000 or more, or that require an unbudgeted local match or obligate the City to unplanned ongoing expenses, shall require Council approval of a budget modification before funds can be expended by staff. The budget modification shall include the use to which the grant will be placed; the objectives or goals of the City that will be achieved through use of the grant; the local match required, if any, plus the source of the local match; any increased cost to be locally funded upon termination of the grant; and the ability of the City to administer the grant.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The action being considered does not constitute a “project” within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15378(b)(5) in that it is a governmental organizational or administrative activity that will not result in direct or indirect changes in the environment.
The consultant’s scope of work includes performing environmental studies as well as preparing required documentation necessary for project clearance under both CEQA and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) prior to City approval and commencement of any work involving physical changes to the environment. The project is anticipated to qualify for a CEQA Categorical Exemption under CEQA Guidelines 15301 and/or 15302, and NEPA Categorical Exclusion.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
The Preventative Maintenance of Various Bridges Project implements preventive maintenance and surface repairs for five bridges. Four of the five locations go over Calabazas Creek at Tasman Drive, Arques Avenue, Kifer Road, and Lochinvar Avenue. The fifth location on Mathilda Avenue passes over the Caltrain tracks at Evelyn Avenue.
Caltrans inspects the City’s bridges and overcrossings every two years and creates inspection reports that include maintenance recommendations to be performed by the City. The improvements at Tasman, Arques, and Kifer are a shared responsibility with the City of Santa Clara. Caltrans has federal grants available for this type of work from the Bridge Preventive Maintenance Program (BPMP). In December 2024, Caltrans authorized the City to use BPMP funds for preliminary engineering (design).
The City advertised a request for proposals (RFP) from licensed engineering firms to provide professional services for the design and preparation of bid documents and construction support for the Preventative Maintenance of Various Bridges Project. Specifically, the RFP for this project was first advertised in 2025 through PlanetBids. Only one proposal was received, so the City re-advertised the RFP in 2026 to increase competition. During the rebid period, the RFP was downloaded by 27 prospective bidders, and two proposals were received. Although three proposals are typically required, Caltrans allowed the City to proceed with the consultant selection process in accordance with grant procedures. A panel of City staff from the Department of Public Works evaluated the proposals and interviewed both consultants. The panel selected Biggs Cardosa Associates, Inc. as the top-ranked proposer based on the evaluation criteria from the RFP.
The recommended contract amount of $435,591 plus 10% contingency ($43,559) is within the BPMP grant authorization for preliminary engineering (design). BPMP provides 80% federal cost sharing ($356,880) and requires 20% local match ($89,220).
FISCAL IMPACT
Funding is available for the local match requirement for the grant in the amount of $82,904 in Fund 2501 - Gas Tax, under Project 831870 - Preventive Maintenance of Various Bridges. A project financial summary is included as Attachment 2 to this report.
Additionally, an estimated $9,350 of Sunnyvale’s local match will be reimbursed by the City of Santa Clara for this preliminary engineering (design) phase. Prorated actual costs will be split equally for three bridges at the Santa Clara-Sunnyvale border, as described the cost sharing agreement between the cities (Attachment 3). Cost sharing has also been arranged with Caltrans and the City of Santa Clara for construction, following design and bidding.
Budget Modification No. 5 has been prepared to appropriate Caltrans BPMP Grant funds of $446,100 and City of Santa Clara local match reimbursement funds of $9,350 for Project 831870 - Preventive Maintenance of Various Bridges.
Budget Modification No. 5
FY 2026/27
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Current |
Increase/ (Decrease) |
Revised |
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Capital Projects-General Assets SubFund |
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Expenditures |
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|
Project 831870 - Preventive Maintenance of Various Bridges |
$0 |
$455,450 |
$455,450 |
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Revenues |
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|
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Project 831870 - Preventive Maintenance of Various Bridges - Caltrans BPMP Grant |
$0 |
$446,100 |
$446,100 |
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Project 831870 - Preventive Maintenance of Various Bridges - City of Santa Clara Reimbursement |
$0 |
$9,350 |
$9,350 |
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|
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PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Council meeting agenda on the City's official-notice bulletin board at City Hall, at the Sunnyvale Public Library and in the Department of Public Safety Lobby. In addition, the agenda and this report are available at the City Hall reception desk located on the first floor of City Hall at 456 W. Olive Avenue (during normal business hours), and on the City's website.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Take the following actions:
- Award a Consultant Services Agreement to Biggs Cardosa Associates, Inc. of San Jose in the amount of $435,591 for professional engineering services for the Preventive Maintenance of Various Bridges Project in substantially the same form as Attachment 1 to the report;
- Authorize the City Manager to execute the agreement when all the necessary conditions have been met;
- Approve a 10% contingency in the amount of $43,559; and
- Approve Budget Modification No. 5 in the amount of $446,100.
Levine Act
LEVINE ACT
The Levine Act (Gov. Code Section 84308) prohibits city officials from participating in certain decisions regarding licenses, permits, and other entitlements for use if the official has received a campaign contribution of more than $500 from a party, participant, or agent of a party or participant in the previous 12 months. The Levine Act is intended to prevent financial influence on decisions that affect specific, identifiable persons or participants. For more information see the Fair Political Practices Commission website: www.fppc.ca.gov/learn/pay-to-play-limits-and-prohibitions.html
An “X” in the checklist below indicates that the action being considered falls under a Levine Act category or exemption:
SUBJECT TO THE LEVINE ACT
___ Land development entitlements
___ Other permit, license, or entitlement for use
_X_ Contract or franchise
EXEMPT FROM THE LEVINE ACT
___ Competitively bid contract*
___ Labor or personal employment contract
___ Contract under $50,000 or non-fiscal
___ Contract between public agencies
___ General policy and legislative actions
* "Competitively bid" means a contract that must be awarded to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder.
Staff
Prepared by: Lisa Vo, Principal Buyer
Reviewed by: Matthew Paulin, Director of Finance
Reviewed by: Aaron Burt, Director of Public Works
Reviewed by: Sarah Johnson-Rios, Assistant City Manager
Approved by: Tim Kirby, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. Draft Consultant Service Agreement
2. Project Budget Summary
3. Cost Sharing Agreement between Cities of Sunnyvale and Santa Clara