REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Award of Contract for a Comprehensive Citywide Evaluation of Bridges, Culverts and Levees
Report
REPORT IN BRIEF
Approval is requested to award a contract to NV5, Inc. (Nolte Associates) in the amount of $180,000 to compile an inventory listing, conduct field inspections and create a database and digital GIS mapping for all bridges, culverts and levees within the City. Approval is also requested for a 10% contract contingency in the amount of $18,000.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This contract award to evaluate the City’s bridges, culverts and levees is not a project as defined in Section 15378 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), because it will not result in a physical change to the environment.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
The recommended contract award to NV5 is for the creation of a complete electronic database of all bridges, culverts and levees within the City of Sunnyvale. The work consists of researching, inspecting, evaluating and reporting on the conditions of all the structures. The database will be in a format that is easy to access, search, and update, and will be an improvement over the existing spreadsheet files. This will help ensure serviceability by identifying repairs needed to stop structural deterioration and avoid hazardous conditions. The database will also be linked to the City’s GIS system and will include documentation of ownership and maintenance responsibilities, as well as information on the current condition of each structure. Project work also requires inspections and evaluations for any structures that do not have current inspection reports.
Work under the contract includes the inspection and evaluation of approximately 60 bridges/culverts and 50,000 lineal feet of levees owned by the City. The consultant will perform these inspections and prepare asset management plans which recommend repair scope, schedule and cost.
The actual inspection of the City’s larger bridges is not included as part of this contract. These bridges are inspected by a Caltrans engineer every two years as part of the Caltrans Highway Bridge Program. Caltrans determines the physical and functional conditions of each bridge, and provide all of the data required by federal and state regulations. If any existing problems are noted in the reports, the City conducts the required maintenance. The inspection reports for the larger bridges will be obtained from Caltrans by NV5 and incorporated into the new database, along with recommendations to prioritize repairs.
A Request for Proposals (RFP) for the project was sent directly to several Bay Area structural engineering firms who specialize in bridge work, based on the Sunnyvale Works prequalification program. Two proposals were received from Biggs Cardosa Associates and NV5, with initial proposed pricing ranging from $200,000-$230,000. The proposals were evaluated by Public Works Engineering and Operations staff. Both firms presented significant qualifications and experience with bridge and levee inspections. NV5 was ultimately selected due to their comprehensive approach to the project, especially with regard to electronic file management and incorporating the bridge and levee inventory into the City’s GIS system. Subsequent scope and fee discussions resulted in a negotiated contract amount of $180,000.
FISCAL IMPACT
Budgeted funds in the amount of $200,000 are available in Capital Project 827690 (Evaluation of Bridges and Levees).
Funding Source
The majority of this project is funded by the Gas Tax Fund with $50,000 of the funding provided by the Wastewater Management Fund for the levees associated with wastewater operations.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Council agenda on the City's official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall, at the Sunnyvale Senior Center, Community Center and Department of Public Safety; and by making the agenda and report available at the Sunnyvale Public Library, the Office of the City Clerk and on the City's website.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Award a contract, in substantially the same format as Attachment 1 and in the amount of $180,000, to NV5, Inc. for the subject project, and authorize the City Manager to execute the contract when all the necessary conditions have been met; and approve a 10% contract contingency in the amount of $18,000.
Prepared by: Pete Gonda, Purchasing Officer
Reviewed by: Grace K. Leung, Director, Finance
Reviewed by: Kent Steffens, Assistant City Manager
Approved by: Deanna J. Santana, City Manager
ATTACHMENT
1. Draft Consultant Services Agreement