To: Sonoma County Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): Public Infrastructure
Staff Name and Phone Number: Johannes J. Hoevertsz, 707-565-2550
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Architectural & Engineering Master Services Agreements Contracts Award
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Recommended Action:
Recommended action
A) Award the Master Services Agreements for as-needed architectural, engineering, and other capital project-related professional consulting services and delegate authority to the Director of Public Infrastructure to execute said Agreements, in form approved by County Counsel, with the following eight (8) firms each in an amount not-to-exceed $1,000,000, for an agreement term of three (3) years for a total of up to $8,000,000: Ross Drulis Cusenbery Architecture, Inc. (RDC), Interactive Resources, Inc., Kitchell/CEM, Inc., TLCD Architecture, Hammel, Green and Abrahamson, Inc. (HGA), COAR Design Group, William Duff Architects, Inc. (WDA), and AXIA Architects.
B) Authorize the following to execute Task Orders under the subject Agreements and contingent on availability of sufficient funding:
i. The Director of Public Infrastructure, for Task Orders each not to exceed $250,000; and
ii. The County Administrator, for Orders each up to $500,000.
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Executive Summary:
This Board item requests approval of multi-year Master Services Agreements for professional architectural, engineering, and other project-related professional consulting services for delivery of County capital projects. Having professional services consultants under contract on an as-needed basis minimizes the time and expense of individual capital projects since multiple, separate, project-specific procurements for such services are avoided.
Discussion:
The Public Infrastructure Department (SPI) Facilities Management and Development Division’s mission is to “plan, design, and manage County facility construction projects which meet user needs and provide safe, healthy, and aesthetic environments in a sensible, cost-effective manner.”
To fully accomplish this mission, work is occasionally supported by external professional service consultants that provide services such as architectural design, construction management, and various engineering specialties.
On smaller and schedule-sensitive projects, this process can add significant time and cost. To mitigate this, a competitive process to retain a pool of qualified firms to provide supportive services on such projects is undertaken through Master Services Agreements. With this pool, appropriate project teams are identified, and fee proposals are subsequently solicited and evaluated. This expedited process helps to save time and reduce costs. Utilizing Master Services Agreements, a consultant can be working on a defined scope project within a few weeks after the invitation to respond to a Task Order is sent. Projects accordingly get the advantage of early scope clarification, which can enhance the project initiation and execution.
Master Service Agreements do not preclude the County from procuring project-specific consultant services agreements if such an approach is best-suited for a specific project, and for larger projects where fees would exceed the pre-established limits.
Master Services Agreement
Master Services Agreements are open (“As-Needed”) contracts that do not in themselves describe a specific scope of work or fee. These are used at local, State and Federal levels as an expeditious and cost-effective means of procuring frequently used services. Agreement terms and billing rates are established in the MSA. The specific services that are provided through these agreements are negotiated based on a defined scope of work and agreed to and undertaken by issuance of a Task Order for that work.
An approved Master Services Agreement does not obligate the County to pay any consultant fees; only a County-approved Task Order obligates the County. Distribution of work will be made by aligning the Consultant’s skills, capacities, and similar project experience with that of the particular needs of the project.
In the last three years, MSA Task Orders have been issued for projects such as design of telecommunication towers and vaults, Juvenile Justice Commission (JJC) Greenhouse & Shed, Annapolis Fire Apparatus Garage, Evidence Storage Building, Main Adult Detention Facility (MADF) Tempered Water Heaters, Petaluma Veterans Building Seismic Retrofit, and numerous renovation projects. Services provided under the above referenced MSA Task Orders include, but are not limited to, project management, design, and construction support and observation services.
Terms and Conditions of Master Services Agreement
Staff is recommending that each new Master Services Agreement have a three (3) year term. Each Agreement’s total contract limit will be up to $1,000,000. Actual expenditures incurred will be determined by the number and value of the Task Orders issued under the Agreements.
Past practice was that the General Services Director was authorized to issue Task Orders up to $50,000, Task Orders up to $100,000 were approved by the County Administrator, and all other Task Orders required Board of Supervisors approval.
Now, due to inflation and other project demands, the delegated amounts are being updated and increased as follows: SPI Director to be delegated authority to issue Task Orders up to $250,000, and Task Orders up to $500,000 may be authorized by the County Administrator.
Master Service Agreements are non-exclusive, and the County is not obligated to issue task orders or use those retained consultants. Separate Requests for Proposals may be solicited for specific projects based on a variety of factors, such as when determined to be in the best interest of the County.
Consultant Selection
On July 26, 2023, staff issued a Request for Qualifications/Proposals for architectural/engineering consulting services and their structural, mechanical, plumbing, and electrical sub-consultants with the intent of creating a “pool” of consultants under open scope MSA contracts. The solicitation was advertised in the County Portal. <https://esupplier.sonomacounty.ca.gov/psc/FN92PRD/SUPPLIER/ERP/c/NUI_FRAMEWORK.PT_LANDINGPAGE.GBL?&> The Supplier Portal enabled invitations being sent to over 2,560 suppliers who had registered their interest in these types of contracts.
A total of 12 architectural/engineering consultants submitted each a written proposal in response to the solicitation (Attachment 1). One (1) written proposal was determined incomplete. Thus, 11 written complete proposals submitted by these firms were evaluated and ranked by staff according to selection criteria, which included experience with similar projects, staff qualifications and experience, project approach, quality assurance program, and references; financial statements and billing rates were reviewed for the top-ranking firms. Representatives from Public Infrastructure Facilities Development and Management participated on the evaluation teams.
Based on the criteria, the following were ranked the top firms which are recommended for Master Service agreement engagement:
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Architecture / Engineering Consultant |
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Ross Drulis Cusenbery Architecture, Inc. (RDC) |
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Interactive Resources, Inc. |
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Kitchell/CEM, Inc. |
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TLCD Architecture |
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Hammel, Green and Abrahamson, Inc. (HGA) |
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COAR Design Group |
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William Duff Architects, Inc. (WDA) |
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AXIA Architects |
Prior Board Actions:
11/17/20 - Authorize Chair to execute multi-year, Master Services Agreements with Brown Reynolds Watford Architects, Interactive Resources, Ross Drulis Cusenbery Architecture, TEF Design, TLCD Architecture; BKF Engineers, EBA Engineering, GHD Inc., ZFA Structural Engineers, and 15000 Inc.; AECOM, Hill International, Kitchell, OCMI Inc., and Vanir
07/18/17 - Authorize Chair to execute multi-year Master Services Agreements with AXIA Architects, DLR Group/KwanHenmi, Nichols, Melberg and Rossetto, Ross Drulis Cusenbery Architecture, BKF Engineering, GHD, Inc., Kitchell Inc., Lefler Engineering, MKM & Associates, Construction Development Solutions and Voorhis Robertson Justice Services
06/10/14 - Authorize Chair to execute multi-year Master Services Agreements with Ross Drulis Cusenbery Architecture, GHD, Inc., Kitchell Inc, Glass Architects, Construction and Development Solutions, TLCD Architecture, Voorhis Robertson Justice Services and Kwan Henmi Architecture + Planning
07/12/11 - Authorize Chair to execute multi-year, Master Services Agreements with Ross Drulis Cusenbery Architecture, Glass Architects, TLCD Architecture, Kitchell, Construction and Development Solutions, and A.G. Frey Company
Fiscal Summary
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FY 23-24 Adopted |
FY 24-25 Projected |
FY 25-26 Projected |
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Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
The Master Services Agreements do not identify specific projects and would be used only after the Board has approved funding for a capital project. For each project, a Task Order is prepared by the Capital Projects Manager or staff, with the scope and fee separately and clearly defined in the Task Order. Charges for services and deliverables provided by a consultant under the Master Services Agreement are funded by each project budget as described in the Task Order.
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
None
Attachments:
1-2023 Request for Proposal Respondents
2-2020 to 2023 Master Service Agreement Usage History
3-As-needed AE MSA-Template
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None