REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT
AND RECORD OF ACTION
March 1, 2022
FROM
BRENDON BIGGS, Chief Flood Control Engineer, Flood Control District
SUBJECT
Title
Contract with CASC Engineering and Consulting, Inc. for the Rialto Channel from Willow Avenue to Etiwanda Avenue in the City of Rialto
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Acting as the governing body of the San Bernardino County Flood Control District:
1. Approve contract with CASC Engineering and Consulting, Inc., in the amount of $1,307,806 for the period of March 1, 2022 to March 1, 2027 to provide professional civil engineering and design services for the Rialto Channel from Willow Avenue to Etiwanda Avenue in the City of Rialto.
2. Authorize the Chief Flood Control Engineer or designee to add and/or delete services and reallocate funding between tasks as required to complete the work outlined in the contract without increasing the total cost of the contract.
(Presenter: Brendon Biggs, Chief Flood Control Engineer, 387-7906)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Ensure Development of a Well-Planned, Balanced, and Sustainable County.
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). The San Bernardino County Flood Control District (District) is funded by property taxes, fees, and other local, state, and federal funding. The proposed contract with CASC Engineering and Consulting, Inc. (CASC) will cost $1,307,806 for professional civil engineering and design services for the Rialto Channel from Willow Avenue to Etiwanda Avenue in the City of Rialto (Project) and will be funded with property tax revenue. Sufficient appropriation and revenue have been included in the District’s 2021-22 budget (1920002522-F01669) and will be included in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Rialto Channel system is approximately 5.5 miles long, commencing at the outlet of Cactus Basin flowing south and eventually out-letting into the Santa Ana River. A majority of the system is undersized and overtops during rain events. The Project proposes to address the portion of Rialto Channel, between Willow Avenue and Cactus Basins, which is primarily 3 miles of an earth-graded channel, and also encompasses 13 roadways and one railway crossings within the City of Rialto (City).
Under the proposed contract, CASC will provide professional civil engineering and design services for the Project for construction of a combination of trapezoidal concrete channel, rectangular concrete channel, and reinforced concrete box culverts. CASC has a deep understanding of the Project because it originally prepared a 50 to 65% complete plan set from 2002-2012, before the Project was put on hold for Cactus Basins 3-5 to be constructed as a drainage attenuation system that was necessitated by the construction of the I-210.
This Project will increase the capacity of the portion of the Rialto Channel, between Willow Avenue and Cactus Basins, to ultimate conditions. Constructing this section of the Rialto Channel will reduce flooding of adjacent property and complete an additional section of the Rialto Channel that will be needed in the future to improve the system to ultimate conditions.
The Project will also aid the City by providing an improved regional drainage facility into which the City can tie their local drainage projects, which, in turn, will facilitate local development.
PROCUREMENT
The proposed contract is the result of a non-competitive procurement due to the following justification. On May 7, 2002, following a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) process, the Board of Supervisors approved Contract No. 02-325 (Contract) with AEI-CASC Engineering (AEI-CASC) in the amount of $342,768. The District contracted with AEI-CASC for preparation of construction plans and specifications for twelve crossings in the reach of Rialto Channel from Bloomington Avenue to Etiwanda Avenue. AEI-CASC’s scope of services included field survey services to develop the channel’s ultimate alignment and accurately establish the District’s right-of-way for future channel improvements.
AEI-CASC prepared a hydraulic analysis and preliminary ultimate design for the Rialto Channel and completed approximately 50% of the design/contract documents before the District terminated the Contract due to reasons unrelated to AEI-CASC’s performance.
AEI-CASC subsequently became CASC and has the experience and understanding of the Project needs and has completed a majority (approximately 50%) of the work required to undertake the civil engineering and design services for the Project. The non-competitive procurement will result in less duplication of time, effort and cost, versus starting with a new firm. Also, it will be beneficial to the District to work with one design firm in the event that there are design issues during or after construction. Construction of the Project is estimated to begin in Summer 2024.
The District and CASC each reserve the right to terminate the contract for any reason with a 30-day advance written notice of termination.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Sophie A. Akins, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on December 7, 2021; Finance (Jessica Trillo, Principal Administrative Analyst, 387-4222) on February 9, 2022; and County Finance and Administration (Paloma Hernandez-Barker, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on February 14, 2022.