To: Sonoma County Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): Sonoma County Regional Parks
Staff Name and Phone Number: Bert Whitaker, 565-2041 Steve Ehret, 565-1107
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Regional Parks As-Needed Professional Service Agreements - Extensions
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Authorize County Executive or designee to execute a two-year extension for twelve (12) existing as-needed professional service agreements covering two different professional service disciplines: Landscape Architectural and Planning Services and Backcountry Trail Design Services. Regional Parks is recommending term extensions for all agreements for two years and recommends increasing the “shall not exceed” amount for eight (8) of the agreements.
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Executive Summary:
The adopted Five-Year Capital Project Plan for Regional Parks identifies 107 projects including regional trails, river and coastal access parks, community parks, and regional open space parks and preserves. The diverse and extensive list of projects recommended in the plan require a range of professional services. To expedite contracting for these services, the Regional Parks Department proposes that multi-year as-needed agreements with several firms for each professional services discipline be utilized. The Purchasing Agent and County Counsel office support this approach.
Regional Parks is requesting the Board approve multi-year extensions for 12 as-needed professional service agreements for two types of frequently used professional services: landscape architectural and planning services and backcountry trail design services.
Discussion:
The original twelve (12) contracts were approved by your Board on August 2, 2022. Contracting for services using multi-year, as-needed professional service agreements is consistent with the practice utilized by Regional Parks since 2009. In 2023, your Board accepted the Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan for years 2023 through 2028. In July 2024, your Board approved forty-one (41) new multi-year, as-needed professional services agreements with Regional Parks. Extending this group of contracts for two frequently used professional services disciplines related to the design and development of park and trail improvements has allowed Regional Parks to manage the current and near-term project demands.
These services are important for developing successful design solutions to complex park and recreation projects. Regional Parks continues to coordinate with the Purchasing Agent and County Counsel to develop and maintain an acceptable approach to establishing and amending these agreements. Having as-needed agreements in place results in improved efficiency for Regional Parks, County Counsel, and Purchasing by significantly reducing the number of single-project professional service agreements needed to be processed to complete the projects in the Department’s Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan. By eliminating the need to prepare individual requests for proposals, review, and process numerous contracts and associated board reports, staff costs can be minimized, and project schedules can typically be shortened by two to six months. The expiration date for each extended agreement shall be two years from the expiration date of the current contract term. The original request for proposals for these 12 agreements was released on June 8, 2022. Regional Parks will publish a request for proposals for a new round of multi-year, as-needed agreements before the final expiration date of the active as-needed agreements.
Staff will continue the practice of obtaining quotes from the multiple firms on the list for each project, thus ensuring the County is receiving the best price and product. As is standard with County as-needed agreements, there is no guarantee of any minimum amount of work for any consultant. The agreements’ maximum shall-not-exceed amounts are based upon projects that are identified in the Department’s accepted Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan. All funds expended will be consistent with the amounts appropriated for each project by the Board of Supervisors. The contract amounts also include contracting capacity for unforeseen projects that arise over the course of the contract period.
Twelve as-needed agreements are being recommended for two-year extensions, as set forth below. The new expiration date for each Agreement will be August 2, 2027.
Backcountry Trail Design Services
1. Haley & Aldrich (agreement assigned by Cal Engineering and Geology)
2. Pacific Watershed Associates - add $75,000 to the “shall not exceed” amount for a new total contract amount of $375,000
3. Restoration Design Group
4. Redwood Trails Alliance - add $275,000 to the “shall not exceed” amount for a new total contract amount of $575,000
Landscape Architectural and Planning Services
1. Environmental Science Associates - add $75,000 to the “shall not exceed” amount for a new total contract amount of $375,000
2. GHD, Inc. - add $75,000 to the “shall not exceed” amount for a new total contract amount of $375,000
3. Prunuske Chatham, Inc. - add $300,000 to the “shall not exceed” amount for a new total contract amount of $600,000
4. Quadriga Landscape Architecture and Planning, Inc.
5. Questa Engineering Corporation - add $125,000 to the “shall not exceed” amount for a new total contract amount of $425,000
6. Restoration Design Group, Inc. - add $150,000 to the “shall not exceed” amount for a new total contract amount of $450,000
7. Wallace Roberts and Todd, Inc.
8. WRA, Inc. - add $100,000 to the “shall not exceed” amount for a new total contract amount of $400,000
Pursuant to Article 5.2 (Contracting Out Bargaining Unit Work - Union Notice) of the Memorandum of Understanding between the County of Sonoma and SEIU Local 1021, SEIU was notified that the Sonoma County Regional Parks Department would request approval from the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors to contract out professional services. Regional Parks offered to discuss the services to be contracted out with SEIU 1021. The contracting would not result in the lay off or reduction in work hours for employees represented by the Union. Thus, there was no objection from SEIU 1021.
Strategic Plan:
N/A
Racial Equity:
Was this item identified as an opportunity to apply the Racial Equity Toolkit?
No
Prior Board Actions:
July 9, 2024, Board approved forty-one (41) Regional Parks As-Needed Professional Services Agreements for eleven (11) different professional service disciplines.
September 12, 2023, Board accepted the Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan for the period Fiscal Year 2023- 2024 through Fiscal Year 2027-2028
August 2, 2022, Board approved twelve (12) Regional Parks As-Needed Professional Services Agreements for two (2) different professional service disciplines: Landscape Architectural and Planning Services and Backcountry Trail Design Services.
July 12, 2022, Board approved amendments to extend the term of forty-nine (49) existing As-Needed Professional Services Agreements and increased the not to exceed amounts in twenty-two (22) of those agreements.
July 9, 2019, Board approved fifty-one (51) Regional Parks As-Needed Professional Services Agreements for eleven (11) different professional service disciplines.
July 11, 2017, Board approved a Regional Parks As-Needed Professional Services Agreement for Landscape Architectural Services.
June 6, 2017, Board approved an amendment to extend the terms of forty-two (42) existing Regional Parks As-Needed Professional Services Agreements that Regional Parks maintains with ten (10) different professional service disciplines and increased the not to exceed amounts in seven (7) of those agreements.
June 21, 2016, Board approved an amendment to extend the term of eight (8) existing Regional Parks As-Needed Agreements for Civil & Bio Engineering Services.
April 22, 2014, Board approved twenty (20) Regional Parks As-Needed Professional Services Agreements.
March 25, 2014, Board approved twenty-four (24) Regional Parks As-Needed Professional Services Agreements.
Fiscal Summary
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
No funds are specifically committed to these as-needed contracts. When work is required under one of these contracts it will be paid for from funds already budgeted in the FY 2025-26 Capital Budget. Given projected workload over the two-year contract period, estimated expenditures will be between $700,000 and $1,200,000 annually.
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
None
Attachments:
Amendment #1 Haley & Aldrich, Inc. (formerly Cal Engineering & Geology, Inc.)
Amendment #1 Pacific Watershed Associates, Inc.
Amendment #1 Restoration Design Group, Inc.
Amendment #1 Redwood Trails Alliance
Amendment #3 Environmental Sciences Associates
Amendment #3 GHD, Inc.
Amendment #3 Prunuske Chatham, Inc.
Amendment #3 Quadriga Landscape Architecture & Planning, Inc.
Amendment #3 Questa Engineering Corporation
Amendment #3 Restoration Design Group, Inc.
Amendment #3 Wallace Roberts & Todd, Inc.
Amendment #3 WRA, Inc.
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None