HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 14164
City of Palo Alto (ID # 14164)
City Council Staff Report
Meeting Date: 5/16/2022 Report Type: Consent Calendar
City of Palo Alto Page 1
Title: Approval of Contract Number C22183804 With Jacobs Engineering
Group, Inc, (Jacobs) in the Total Amount Not-to-Exceed $880,569 to Provide
Engineering Services for the Joint Intercepting Sewer (JIS Rehab. )
Rehabilitation (Phase 1) at the Regional Water Quality Control Plant from the
Plant Repair, Retrofit, and Equipment Replacement capital project (WQ-
19002) in the Wastewater Treatment Fund
From: City Manager
Lead Department: Public Works
Recommendation
Staff recommends that Council approve and authorize the City Manager or their designee to
execute the attached contract with Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. (Jacobs) (C22183804) in an
amount not to exceed $880,569 for engineering services for the Joint Intercepting Sewer
Rehabilitation (Phase 1) project funded by the Plant Repair, Retrofit, and Equipment
Replacement Capital Improvement Project (WQ-19002) in the Wastewater Treatment Fund.
The contract amount includes $800,517 for basic services and $80,052 for additional services.
The contract term is through January 31, 2025.
Background
The City owns and maintains a 72-inch diameter trunk sewer, that serves as a transmission
system backbone for sewage flows into the Regional Water Quality Control Plant (RWQCP,
Plant). The trunk sewer, known as the Joint Intercepting Sewer (JIS), conveys raw wastewater
from Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, and a portion of Palo Alto. The JIS is a 72-inch
diameter sewer maintained by the RWQCP. The other City of Palo Alto sewers are maintained
by the City’s Utilities Department. The JIS is outside of the Plant’s property line and the largest
sanitary sewer in the City. The capacity allocation for the JIS is shown in Table 1 below. The JIS
conveys more than half of the Plant’s influent. It is approximately 9,000-feet long and is
generally aligned parallel to Highway 101, runs through the Baylands Nature Preserve, and runs
along the western edge of the closed City landfill. The trunk sewer was constructed in 1972 and
consists primarily of 13-foot-long sections of 60-inch and 72-inch reinforced concrete pipeline
without an internal lining or external coating. Gaskets are single or double-rubber gaskets at
bell and spigot joints. The need for rehabilitation or replacement of the Joint Intercepting
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Sewer was identified in the Long Range Facilities Plan (LFRP), which was adopted by the Council
in July 2012.
Table 1: Capacity Allocation and Cost Share
Item
Mountain
View Palo Alto Los Altos
Los Altos
Hills Total
Trunk Line Capacity
(million gallons per day) 50.00 14.59 12.00 3.41 80.00
Trunk Line Cost Share 62.50% 18.24% 15.00% 4.26% 100.00%
Field investigations were completed in December 2020. The field work included closed circuit
television (CCTV), sonar to estimate sewer sediment accumulation, and visual inspections. The
assessment prioritized which pipe segments, manholes, and junction boxes needed
rehabilitation; the highest priority segments and manholes are included in the Joint
Intercepting Sewer Rehabilitation (JISR) Phase 1 Project. The rehabilitation project includes
structural repairs to a section of the trunk sewer, approximately 2,400 feet long, where
evaluators found exposed or corroded rebar, cracks, fractures, joint separations, and offsets.
The field investigation revealed that the balance of the approximately 6,600 feet long trunk
sewer has less severe deterioration and could be reassessed and rehabilitated in a five-to-ten-
year time horizon as Phase 2. See attached sketch (Attachment A) showing project phases.
Discussion
In February 2021, an analysis of alternative rehabilitation methods was completed. The
alternatives analysis found cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) lining with temporary wastewater bypass
to be the most favorable JIS rehabilitation technology between manhole (MH) 4 and junction
box (JB) 1. The analysis also found grout repair coupled with epoxy lining or calcium aluminate
to be the most favorable manhole rehabilitation method. An approximate five-week long full
flow bypass is required because there are no redundant sewer lines to convey the JIS flow
during the CIPP relining work. Additionally, there are several laterals connected to the JIS
associated with the City landfill and RWQCP operations. These laterals along the Phase 1
project area will need to be incorporated into the bypass plan. The construction of this project
will be done under CIP project WQ-24000, when the funding will be available in FY 2024.
Scope of Services Description
The consultant will provide engineering services during all phases of the project: preliminary
design; design; permitting support; bid period services; and construction services. The
consultant will design the project such that relining work can be completed without
interruption to the Plant and pump station operations, except as allowed under special
circumstances. The consultant will provide overall coordination and management of
engineering (e.g., civil, structural, geotechnical, etc.), other professional services, and field
investigations required for the successful development of a consolidated set of detailed design
documents consisting of specifications and drawings that result in a final construction bid
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package. The key element of the design is the development of specification of the bypass
pumping system including redundancy requirements and contingency planning so that Plant
operations will not be interrupted during construction.
The Plant is unable to lower the water level in the most downstream segment (approximately
80 feet) of the JIS; so that section could not be accessed for evaluation during the field
investigation in 2020. This section will be evaluated by the consultant when flow is bypassed
during construction and it is accessible. The consultant will then recommend appropriate
rehabilitation method as part of this Phase 1.
Summary of Solicitation Process
On November 10, 2021, a request for proposals (RFP) for the project was posted on
the PlanetBids website, the City’s eProcurement platform, and 2028 vendors were notified. The
solicitation period was posted for 35 days and 2 proposals were received. The solicitation
closed on December 15, 2021. Due to the specialized nature of the work (e.g., the size of the
trunk sewer diameter as well as the complexity of the wastewater bypass near the RWQCP),
few engineering firms were expected to have the necessary experience.
Proposal Description/Number: Design Services for Joint Intercepting Sewer
Rehabilitation (Phase 1)/ RFP No. 183804
Proposed Length of Project: 20 months
Number of Vendors Notified: 2028
Number of Proposal Packages Downloaded 36
Total Days to Respond to Proposal: 35
Mandatory Pre-Proposal Meeting Date: November 22, 2021
Number of Firms Attendees at Pre-Proposal
Meeting 7 Firms. 11 attendees total
Public Link to Solicitation https://pbsystem.planetbids.com/portal/25569/
bo/bo-detail/88399
Number of Proposals Received 2
Range of Proposal Amounts Submitted: $321,250 to $800,517
The wastewater treatment enterprise’s capital improvement program consultant, Woodard &
Curran, estimated the cost of services for RFP No. 183804 to be between $750,000 and
$800,000.
Evaluation of Proposals
The proposals were evaluated and determined to be responsive to the criteria identified in the
RFP. An evaluation committee, consisting of staff from the Public Works Department RWQCP
and Woodard & Curran reviewed the proposals. The committee carefully reviewed each firm’s
qualifications and submittal in response to the criteria identified in the RFP, including quality
and completeness of proposal, quality and effectiveness of services, experience with projects of
similar scope and complexity (e.g. large diameter pipe rehabilitation, complicated bypassing
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design and operations, bypass support, etc.), prior record of performance, cost, proposer’s
financial stability, and ability to provide future maintenance and/or services.
A key differentiator between the proposals was the experience with projects of similar scope
and complexity section. The Jacobs proposal included 13 relevant projects to demonstrate
experience, including five large diameter (42-inch or greater) rehabilitation projects within the
past 10 years. The Harris proposal included 11 relevant projects and no large diameter
rehabilitation projects within the past 10 years. Jacobs proposal also included 6 projects with
complex bypass pumping similar to that required for the RWQCP. This element of the work
requires extensive coordination with RWQCP operations staff and understanding of plant
operating constraints, both of which Jacobs has experience with from previous RWQCP
projects. A summary of the relevant projects is summarized in Table 2 below.
Table 2: Project Comparisons
Project Type Harris Jacobs
Total Relevant Projects 11 13
Pipeline Rehabilitation Projects 7 9
Large Diameter Pipeline Projects 3 6
Large Diameter Pipeline Projects within Last 10 Years 0 5
Both firms were invited to participate in oral interviews on January 13, 2022. The evaluation
committee selected Jacobs. Jacobs’ proposed team meets the experience requirements, has a
good record on similar projects, and has an efficient and innovative approach to the project.
While the Jacobs cost proposal is significantly higher than the Harris proposal, the evaluation
concluded that Jacobs is substantially better prepared to manage and mitigate the
consequential risks presented by the project. More than half of the Plant’s influent flows will be
bypassed to facilitate the rehabilitation of the trunk sewer. The bypassing and relining activity is
in proximity to both salt water and freshwater marshes, further emphasizing the criticality of
the services.
This contract is on the City’s professional services template, which permits the City to terminate
without cause/for convenience by providing written notice to the contractor. In the event the
City finds itself facing a challenging budget situation, and it is determined that City resources
need to be refocused elsewhere, the City can terminate for convenience. Other options include
termination due to non-appropriation of funds or amending the contract to reduce the cost, for
example, by reducing the scope of work. The contract may also be temporarily suspended by
written notice of the City Manager
Timeline
The base design work is estimated to be completed fourteen months after the issuance of the
notice to proceed. Due to Plant operational constraints, the construction field activities can
only be performed during the dry season (targeted for 2024). Construction, including the
mobilization/demobilization, materials procurement and equipment set ups, is anticipated to
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take approximately ten months to complete.
Resource Impact
Funding for the design of this project, as recommended in this report, is available in the Fiscal
Year 2022 Plant Repair, Retrofit, and Equipment Replacement Capital Improvement Program
project (WQ-19002) in the Wastewater Treatment Fund and apportioned shares according to
agreements with Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, and Palo Alto. Stanford and East Palo
Alto Sanitary District do not have any share in this project. The cost allocation is restated below
in Table 3. The Palo Alto share of the project is 18.24% of the total expense.
Funding for construction of the Joint Intercepting Sewer Rehabilitation (Phase 1) project is
recommended as part of the FY 2023 Capital Budget (WQ-24000). This project is subject to
Council approval, and funding will be secured through revenue bond. The bond process will
commence when the design is progressed enough to identify the costs associated with
construction more closely.
Table 3: Cost Share
Item Unit
Mountain
View Palo Alto
Los
Altos
Los
Altos
Hills Total
Trunk Line
Cost Share % 62.50% 18.24% 15.00% 4.26% 100%
Policy Implications
Authorization of this project does not represent a change in existing policies.
Stakeholder Engagement
This project is part of the RWQCP’s major capital improvement program funded by Palo Alto
and the five additional partner agencies who use the RWQCP for wastewater treatment. The
five partner agencies are regularly updated on both the need for and the progress of
wastewater treatment capital work. Updates are provided each year at an annual meeting and
at other periodic meetings established to inform partner agency staff about the major capital
improvement program. With respect to Palo Alto itself, the open meetings on the budget
process serve as the main vehicle for engaging the community on both new projects such as
this and associated rate impacts.
Staff reached out to Mountain View, Los Altos, and Los Altos Hills staff to explain the project
and cost allocation. Mountain View recently completed CIPP relining work on a 42-inch
diameter sanitary sewer near Shoreline Park. Given Mountain View’s relevant recent
experience, City staff conducted outreach with their engineering and operational staff to
understand key technical issues in selecting a CIPP relining consultant.
In addition, staff have been reaching out to the water quality control plant community to gain
increased insight into significant capital improvements to existing infrastructure. This has
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helped continue to inform staff’s recommended approach to management of the capital
program and how to best position the City against risks, uncertainties, and complexities.
Environmental Review
The award of a contract for design services is not a project under the California Environmental
Quality Act (CEQA). Evaluation under CEQA will be completed prior to award of the
construction contract and commencement of the construction phase of the project. The
construction of the project is anticipated to be categorically exempt under CEQA Guidelines
Section 15301(b), as it consists of maintenance of existing wastewater treatment facilities with
no expansion of the existing use.
Attachments:
• Attachment A - Sketch Showing Phases
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Project #: 0038014.01Map Created: July 2020
0 0.1 0.20.05 Miles
Third Party GIS Disclaim er: This m ap is for reference and graphical purposes only and should not be relied upon by third parties for any legal decisions. Any reliance upon the m ap or data contained herein shall be at the users’ sole risk . Data Sources:
!Manholes and Structures
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REGIONAL
WATER QUALITY
CONTROL PLANT
REGIONAL
WATER QUALITY
CONTROL PLANT
FLOWFLOW
FIGURE 7: RECOMMENDED PROJECT PRIORITIZATION
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Palo AltoTrunk Sewer Trunk Sewer Interceptor
Attachment A