To: Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): Sonoma County Public Infrastructure
Staff Name and Phone Number: Johannes J. Hoevertsz, 707-565-2550
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
2025 On-Call Engineering Design Services Agreements for Road and Bridge Infrastructure Improvement Projects
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
A) Approve shortlisted consultants and authorize the Director of Sonoma County Public Infrastructure to execute fourteen, three-year, On-Call Professional Services Agreements for engineering design services with an aggregate not-to-exceed amount for all fourteen contracts of $45,000,000.
B) Delegate to the Director of Sonoma County Public Infrastructure the authority to execute individual task orders under the Agreements for any amount up to the aggregate not-to-exceed value of $45,000,000.
C) Delegate to the Director of Sonoma County Public Infrastructure the authority to execute up to two, 1-year, no-cost time extensions, for a maximum potential contract period of five years.
end
Executive Summary:
Sonoma County Public Infrastructure (SPI) is requesting that the Board of Supervisors approve and authorize the Director of SPI to execute agreements with fourteen consultants that are experts in providing engineering design and related services. Each agreement is for an initial term of three years with the option of two, 1-year no-cost extensions. The aggregate not-to-exceed value for all fourteen agreements is $45,000,000; however, there is no guaranteed minimum quantity of work.
On-call engineering design services will augment SPI professional staff efforts to deliver a steadily increasing volume of road improvement projects. This is a result of the long-term investment made by the Board of Supervisors and the passage of Senate Bill 1 Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Program (SB1).
This new on-call list replaces the 2021 On-Call Engineering Design Services list, under which SPI issued 22 separate Task Orders for a range of services, including bridge constructability reviews and the design of numerous disaster recovery projects throughout Sonoma County. A total of $9,208,553 was awarded across the sixteen selected firms over a three-year period, each of which held contracts not-to-exceed $3,000,000.
While SPI may not use the full $45 million aggregate not-to-exceed value for all fourteen agreements, the requested not-to-exceed limit provides critical capacity to deliver infrastructure projects over the next three to five years, along with essential flexibility and time efficiency, particularly for critical disaster recovery projects, to address mid-project changes in federal and state requirements, and managing cost fluctuations across the industry.
The proposed agreements are a critical element of SPI’s capacity to deliver major infrastructure improvements rapidly, and effectively respond to disaster recovery efforts.
Discussion:
SPI is requesting Board approval of fourteen agreements for on-call engineering design services. These services include preparation of Plans, Specifications, and Estimates (PS&E) on a variety of projects including roadway improvements or structures (e.g., retaining walls and bridges), conducting bridge constructability reviews, and assisting with road disaster recovery projects.
The term for each contract is three years with the possibility of two, 1-year extensions at the Director’s discretion. The aggregate, not-to-exceed value of all 14 agreements is $45,000,000; however, there is no minimum quantity or value of work guaranteed, and any individual consultant can perform any value of work up to the aggregate, not-to-exceed limit. This structure has been adopted due to SPI’s expectation that some, or all of the projects may receive federal funding, and this approach is consistent with federal regulations and Caltrans’ guidance.
This new shortlist will replace the 2021 On-Call Engineering Design Services shortlist. There are open Task Orders for the 2021 Agreements which will remain active until the work is completed; however, no new Task Orders will be issued under the 2021 Agreements.
On December 17, 2024, in accordance with the Caltrans Two-Step Method and County Procurement policies, SPI issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to provide on-call engineering design services with the goal of having services available in July 2025. In response to the RFQ, SPI received 22 proposals and selected the 14 most qualified firms. The selected firms are, in alphabetical order:
• Biggs Cardosa Associates Inc.
• BKF Engineers, Inc.
• Coastland Civil Engineering, LLP
• Consor North America, Inc.
• Cornerstone Structural Engineering Group, Inc.
• CSG Consultants, Inc.
• Dokken Engineering, Inc.
• Geologic Associates, Inc.
• GHD Inc.
• Haley & Aldrich, Inc.
• Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.
• Kleinfelder, Inc.
• Mark Thomas & Company, Inc.
• MGE Engineering, Inc.
The primary selection criteria included understanding of work, similar experience, technical ability, and consultant qualifications (including key staff and subconsultants). Rates were not considered for selection criteria and were not received until after all proposals had been evaluated and the shortlist selected.
Should the Board approve the execution of the On-Call agreements as recommended, SPI will solicit individual proposals from the shortlisted consultants using project-specific Task Orders. Each Task Order will outline a defined scope of work, and each shortlisted firm will have the opportunity to submit a detailed proposal in response. SPI will evaluate the proposals and request a detailed cost estimate from the highest-ranked proposer based on the rates of compensation established in the On-Call agreements approved with this Board Item. SPI will then execute the individual task order for the project.
Though this method is time intensive at the beginning, it allows SPI to react quickly once the shortlist of On-Call Agreements is approved by the Board. A Request for Proposals may take from three to six months to go from proposal to executed contract; however, a Task Order can be advertised and awarded to a shortlisted firm in as little as two to three weeks.
While SPI may not use the full $45,000,000 value of these agreements, the requested not-to-exceed limit provides flexibility and critical capacity to deliver the infrastructure and recovery projects currently committed to and future disaster recovery efforts.
Strategic Plan:
This item directly supports the County’s Five-year Strategic Plan and is aligned with the following pillar, goal, and objective.
Pillar: Resilient Infrastructure
Goal: Goal 3: Continue to invest in critical road, bridge, bicycle, and pedestrian infrastructure.
Objective: Objective 2: Increase investment by 5% annually on preventive maintenance on all road infrastructure/facilities.
Racial Equity:
Was this item identified as an opportunity to apply the Racial Equity Toolkit?
No
Prior Board Actions:
7/13/2021 Item 31 - On-Call Engineering Design Services Agreements for Road and Bridge Infrastructure Improvement Projects
5/8/2018 Item 38 - On-Call Engineering Design Services Agreements for Road and Bridge Infrastructure Improvement Projects
Fiscal Summary
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
There is no direct fiscal impact from this Board Action as no contracts are being awarded at this time. Work authorized by the Task Order process outlined in this Board Item will be included in the annual Road Fund (11051-3401010x) Recommended Budget each year. The Road Fund derives its funding from a variety of sources including: the State Highway Users Tax, SB1, Federal and State Grants, as well as contributions from Sonoma County’s General Fund.
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
None.
Attachments:
On-Call Design 2025 Agreement
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
• Biggs Cardosa Associates Inc PSA
• BKF Engineers Inc PSA
• Coastland Civil Engineering Inc PSA
• Consor North America Inc PSA
• Cornerstone Structural Engineering Group Inc PSA
• CSG Consultants Inc PSA
• Dokken Engineering Inc PSA
• Geologic Associates Inc PSA
• GHD Inc PSA
• Haley Aldrich Inc PSA
• Kimley-Horn and Associates Inc PSA
• Kleinfelder Inc PSA
• Mark Thomas and Company Inc PSA
• MGE Engineering Inc PSA