REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
May 23, 2023
FROM
BRENDON BIGGS, Director, Department of Public Works - Solid Waste Management
SUBJECT
Title
Contract with Geo-Logic Associates, Inc. to Provide Routine Water Quality Monitoring and Response Program Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve Contract with Geo-Logic Associates, Inc., in the not-to-exceed amount of $2,983,290, to provide routine Water Quality Monitoring and Response Program services for San Bernardino County landfills and disposal sites, for the five-year term of July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2028.
(Presenter: Brendon Biggs, Director, 387-7906)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost) as the Department of Public Works - Solid Waste Management Division (SWMD) is financed by fee revenue. SWMD establishes fees that are charged to the public and other agencies for utilization of the County’s Waste Disposal System. The Contract cost of $2,983,290 for routine Water Quality Monitoring and Response Program services from Geo-Logic Associates, Inc. (GLA) will be funded with SWMD fees. Sufficient appropriation and revenue have been included in the 2023-24 Recommended Budget and will be included in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The recommended Contract will support the County Waste Disposal System operations from July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2028, by providing routine Water Quality Monitoring and Response (WQM&R) Program services for all the County’s 39 landfills and disposal sites. Services to be provided will be performed in accordance with the requirements set forth in California Code of Regulations Title 27 (Title 27), Chapter 3, Subchapter 3, Article 2, Sections 20380 through 20435 and the Regional Water Quality Control Boards’ directives.
Title 27 regulations require owners and operators of waste management units, such as landfills, to undertake a program in compliance with its provisions for the purpose of detecting, characterizing, and responding to releases to groundwater, surface water, or the unsaturated zone beneath the waste management unit. As such, SWMD has instituted the routine WQM&R Program to comply with the requirements of Title 27.
The recommended consultant, GLA, will perform the routine WQM&R Program services per Exhibit 1 of the Contract. These services include sampling activities, laboratory analysis, data analysis, agency notification of contaminant release to groundwater, reporting, and project administration. Reports are submitted to the appropriate agencies on a quarterly, semi-annual, and annual basis.
These services allow SWMD to maintain compliance with the requirements set forth by Title 27, the United States Environmental Protection Agency Federal Clean Water Act and several California Regional Water Quality Control Boards. Coordination with these agencies to maintain compliance with regulatory requirements supports the County and the Chief Executive Officer’s goals and objectives by providing for the safety, health, and social service needs of County residents.
Review for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) was conducted by the Department of Public Works Environmental Management Division. It was determined that the activities listed in the Contract are not considered a project as defined in Section 15378 of the CEQA Guidelines and no further environmental analysis is necessary.
PROCUREMENT
On February 1, 2023, Request for Proposals (RFP) No. PWG-123-SOLID-4835 for WQM&R Program and Support Services was entered into the County’s Electronic Procurement System (ePro) and released. The RFP was sent to 146 firms through the County’s ePro System. On February 13, 2023, RFP Amendment No. 1 was issued and on February 16, 2023, RFP Amendment No. 2 was issued. A mandatory pre-proposal conference was held on February 8, 2023, and was attended by four firms. On March 1, 2023, proposals were received from the following three firms:
|
Consultant |
Location |
|
Geo-Logic Associates, Inc. |
Ontario, CA |
|
Geosyntec Consultants, Inc. |
Ontario, CA |
|
Tetra Tech BAS, Inc. |
Diamond Bar, CA |
A selection committee, comprised of three representatives from SWMD evaluated written proposals and conducted interviews with the three firms on March 13, 2023. GLA was selected as the most qualified firm to provide the routine WQM&R Program services based on their technical approach to the scope of work, experience with projects of similar nature and size, and overall cost. A protest was filed by Geosyntec Consultants, Inc., however, after review by the Purchasing Department, it was determined there were no grounds for the protest and it was denied.
After selecting GLA in accordance with the County’s Procurement Policy, negotiations were conducted to determine a fair and reasonable cost for the scope of work for the contract.
If approved, the proposed Contract will commence on July 1, 2023, and continue through June 30, 2028. The County maintains the right to terminate the Contract for convenience upon 30 days’ notice.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Maria Insixiengmay, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on April 18, 2023; Purchasing (Jason Cloninger, Lead Buyer, 387-8258) on April 28, 2023; Finance (Carl Lofton, Administrative Analyst, 387-5404) on May 4, 2023; and County Finance and Administration (Paloma Hernandez-Barker, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on May 8, 2023.