REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
May 21, 2024
FROM
NOEL CASTILLO, Director, Department of Public Works - Solid Waste Management
SUBJECT
Title
Contracts for Routine Operations, Maintenance and Monitoring of the Landfill Gas Extraction and Treatment Systems for Various County Landfills and Disposal Sites
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve Contract with Stearns, Conrad and Schmidt, Consulting Engineers, Inc., dba SCS Engineers/SCS Field Services, in the amount of $15,651,386, to provide routine Operations, Maintenance and Monitoring of the Landfill Gas Extraction and Treatment Systems located at various County landfills and disposal sites for a five-year term, commencing on July 1, 2024, and ending on June 30, 2029.
2. Approve Contract with Tetra Tech BAS, Inc. in the amount of $11,446,290, to provide routine Operations, Maintenance and Monitoring of the Landfill Gas Extraction and Treatment Systems located at various County landfills and disposal sites for a five-year term, commencing on July 1, 2024, and ending on June 30, 2029.
(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. The proposed contract costs for routine services for operations, maintenance and monitoring (OM&M) of the various County landfills from Stearns, Conrad and Schmidt, Consulting Engineers, Inc., dba SCS Engineers/SCS Field Services (SCS Field Services) and Tetra Tech BAS, Inc. (Tetra Tech) will be funded with fee revenue. Sufficient appropriation and revenue will be included in the 2024-25 Recommended Budget and future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The proposed contracts will support the County Waste Disposal System operations from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2029, by providing routine OM&M of the landfill gas extraction and treatment systems for various County landfills and disposal sites. These services include, but are not limited to, the operation and monitoring requirements set forth in the California Code of Regulations, Title 27, South Coast Air Quality Management District Rule 1150.1 and Rule 431.1, and Mojave Desert Air Quality Management Rule 1126.
SCS Field Services and Tetra Tech will perform the routine landfill gas OM&M per Exhibit 1 of their contracts. These services include sampling, maintenance and inspection activities, agency notification, reporting, and project administration. A separate item is being presented to recommend non-routine OM&M services that are performed on an as needed or emergency basis.
These services allow SWMD to maintain compliance with the requirements set forth by California Code of Regulations, Title 27, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, State and Federal regulations. This action supports the County’s and the Chief Executive Officer’s goals and objectives of operating in a fiscally responsible and business-like manner by providing for the safety of the residents by operating and maintaining the County’s landfill gas extraction systems.
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 contracts are not considered a “project” as defined in Section 15378 of the CEQA Guidelines and no further environmental analysis is necessary.
PROCUREMENT
On December 12, 2023, Request for Proposals (RFP) No. PWG-124-SOLID-5190 for the OM&M of the Landfill Gas Systems and Support Services for the SWMD was entered into the County’s Electronic Procurement System (ePro) and released. The RFP was sent to 157 firms through the County’s ePro System. Three Amendments were issued during the RFP process. Amendment No .1, updating contact information and clarifying the proposal process, was issued on December 21, 2023, Amendment No. 2, modifying the proposal timeline and addressing proposers’ questions, was issued on January 22, 2024, and Amendment No. 3, providing additional clarifications, was issued on January 24, 2024. A mandatory pre-proposal conference was held on December 20, 2023, and was attended by three firms. On January 30, 2024, proposals were received from the following two firms:
|
Consultant |
Location |
|
SCS Field Services |
Long Beach, CA |
|
Tetra Tech |
Diamond Bar, CA |
A selection committee comprised of four representatives from SWMD evaluated the written proposals and ranked the firms in order of desirability based on their professional qualifications and demonstrated competence for the services required in the RFP. Oral interviews were not conducted per the RFP due to only receiving two written proposals. The selection committee ranked both proposals and found both to meet the minimum qualifications as set forth in the RFP.
In accordance with the County’s Procurement Policy 11-04, contract negotiations were conducted to determine a fair and reasonable cost for the scope of the work. The OM&M of the landfill gas extraction and treatment systems at the various sites were divided by awarding the Hesperia, Mid-Valley, San Timoteo and Yucaipa landfills to Tetra Tech and the Barstow, Big Bear, Colton, Heaps Peak, Landers, Milliken, and Victorville landfills to SCS Field Services.
If approved, the proposed contracts will commence on July 1, 2024, and continue through June 30, 2029. The County maintains the right to terminate the contracts for convenience upon 30 days’ written notice.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Maria Insixiengmay, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on April 4, 2024; Purchasing (Michael Candelaria, Lead Buyer, 387-0321) on April 19, 2024; Finance (Jessica Trillo, Administrative Analyst, 387-4222) on May 3, 2024; and County Finance and Administration (Paloma Hernandez-Barker, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on May 6, 2024.