REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
August 6, 2024
FROM
NOEL CASTILLO, Director, Department of Public Works - Solid Waste Management
SUBJECT
Title
Contracts to Provide On-Call General Engineering Services for Various San Bernardino County Landfills and Disposal Sites
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Award contracts to provide On-Call General Engineering Services for various San Bernardino County landfills and disposal sites, from September 10, 2024, to September 9, 2029, in the total aggregate not-to-exceed amount of $15,000,000, with the following vendors:
1. C.G. Resource Management and Engineering, Inc.
2. Fountainhead Consulting Corporation
3. GeoLogic Associates, Inc.
4. Merrell Johnson Companies
5. Project Partners, Inc.
6. SWT Engineering, Inc.
7. Tetra Tech BAS, Inc.
(Presenter: Noel Castillo, Director, 387-7906)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Operate in a Fiscally-Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
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. Sufficient appropriation and revenue are included in the SWMD 2024-25 budget and will be included in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
SWMD operates and manages the County's solid waste disposal system, which consists of five regional active sanitary landfills, nine transfer stations, and numerous closed landfills and disposal sites. The five regional active landfills provide refuse disposal for the County's Valley, Mountain, High Desert, and Low Desert Regions. As the owner and operator of these facilities, SWMD is regulated by numerous state and local agencies, including the following: three California Regional Water Quality Control Boards (Lahontan, Santa Ana, and Colorado River Basin Regions); California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle), the Local Enforcement Agency, and two Air Quality Management Districts (South Coast and Mojave Desert). In addition, SWMD's operations and capital projects often require negotiations with other federal, state, and local agencies, such as U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Army Corp. of Engineers, California Department of Transportation, Land Use Services, and cities located within the county.
In order for SWMD to maintain a disposal system that meets the disposal capacity needs of the residents of the county, and maintain good standing with the aforementioned regulatory agencies, it is necessary to retain technical assistance that is not available within SWMD staff. Often this assistance is needed immediately, making it impractical for SWMD to proceed with a request for proposal for a consultant for a specific project.
Approval of the recommended service contracts will provide SWMD with as-needed general engineering services to support the SWMD’s capital projects, including, but not limited to providing design services; construction support; equipment installation, modification and/or service; system(s) evaluations; regulatory assistance; and other various engineering needs for the County’s disposal system in compliance with various Federal, State, and local regulations.
The recommended contracts support the County and the Chief Executive Officer’s goals and objectives of operating in a fiscally-responsible and business-like manner by efficiently obtaining the most reasonable cost of services for the County and providing for the safety of County residents by properly operating and maintaining the County’s waste disposal system.
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 in the contract are not considered a “project” as defined in Section 15378 of CEQA Guidelines and no further environmental analysis is necessary.
PROCUREMENT
On April 17, 2024, Request for Proposal (RFP) No. PWG-124-SOLID-5349 for On-Call General Engineering Services (Services) for SWMD was released via the County’s Electronic Procurement Network (ePro). The RFP was sent to 287 firms via ePro. A mandatory pre-proposal conference was held on May 1, 2024 and was attended by 12 firms. Amendment No. 1 to the RFP was issued on May 9, 2024, clarifying the proposal process timeline and addressing proposers’ questions. On May 15, 2024, seven qualified proposals were received from:
|
Consultant |
Location |
|
C. G. Resource Management and Engineering, Inc. |
La Verne, CA |
|
Fountainhead Consulting Corporation |
Fontana, CA |
|
GeoLogic Associates, Inc. |
Apple Valley, CA |
|
Merrell Johnson Engineering, Inc |
Apple Valley, CA |
|
Project Partners, Inc. |
Laguna Hills, CA |
|
SWT Engineering, Inc. |
Ontario, CA |
|
Tetra Tech BAS |
Diamond Bar, CA |
One additional proposal was received but was deemed non-responsive as the firm had not attended the mandatory pre-proposal meeting.
A selection committee comprised of three representatives from SWMD was assembled to evaluate the written proposals. The representatives evaluated the proposals on the professional qualifications, cost, and proficiency to perform the Services set forth in the RFP. After reviewing and scoring the proposals, the selection committee found all seven firms were qualified to provide the required Services. The contracts are written in a manner to allow SWMD the flexibility of selecting the firm that best meets the needs for each project, while providing the most value to the County.
The proposed contracts will commence on September 10, 2024, and continue through September 9, 2029. The County maintains the right to terminate the contract(s) for convenience upon 30 calendar days’ written notice.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Maria Insixiengmay, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on July 10, 2024; Purchasing (Michael Candelaria, Lead Buyer, 387-0321) on July 10, 2024; Finance (Jessica Trillo, Administrative Analyst, 387-4222) on July 18, 2024; and County Finance and Administration (Paloma Hernandez-Barker, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on July 22, 2024.