HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 2409-3488CITY OF PALO ALTO
CITY COUNCIL
Special Meeting
Monday, December 16, 2024
Council Chambers & Hybrid
5:30 PM
Agenda Item
10.Approval of Seven Professional Services Contracts C25192617, C24193306 - C24193311,
with Safebuilt, LLC, Integrated Design 360, CSG Consultants, Inc., 4LEAF, Inc., True North
Compliance Services, Inc., TRB and Associates, Inc., and West Coast Code Consultants,
Inc. in the Aggregate Total Not-to-Exceed Amount of $4,000,000 for On-Call
Development Services, Inspection, Plan Review, and Green Building Program Services for
a Period of Four Years. CEQA Status: Not a Project.
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City Council
Staff Report
From: City Manager
Report Type: CONSENT CALENDAR
Lead Department: Planning and Development Services
Meeting Date: December 16, 2024
Report #:2409-3488
TITLE
Approval of Seven Professional Services Contracts C25192617, C24193306 - C24193311, with
Safebuilt, LLC, Integrated Design 360, CSG Consultants, Inc., 4LEAF, Inc., True North Compliance
Services, Inc., TRB and Associates, Inc., and West Coast Code Consultants, Inc. in the Aggregate
Total Not-to-Exceed Amount of $4,000,000 for On-Call Development Services, Inspection, Plan
Review, and Green Building Program Services for a Period of Four Years. CEQA Status: Not a
Project.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that City Council approve and authorize the City Manager or designee to
execute the following seven contracts1 to provide on-call inspection, plan review, and green
building program services for a term of four years and an aggregate total amount not-to-exceed
$4,000,000. Seven Professional Services Contracts include: C25192617 with Safebuilt, LLC;
C25193306 with Integrated Design 360, LLC; C25193307 with CSG Consultants, Inc.; C25193308
with 4LEAF, Inc.; C25193309 with True North Compliance Services, Inc.; C25193310 with TRB and
Associates, Inc.; and C25193311 with West Coast Code Consultants, Inc.
BACKGROUND
The Planning and Development Services (PDS) Department relies on the use of on-call service
providers for project-specific expertise and application processing for development activity. In
June 2020, the City Council approved2 six contracts for on-call inspection and plan review
services, totaling $6 million over a four-and-a-half-year period. In taking this action the
department noted it was requesting less contract authority than ultimately needed over shorter
1 Professional Services Contracts: C25192617 with Safebuilt, LLC; C25193306 with Integrated Design 360, LLC;
C25193307 with CSG Consultants, Inc.; C25193308 with 4LEAF, Inc.; C25193309 with True North Compliance
Services, Inc.; C25193310 with TRB and Associates, Inc.; C25193311 with West Coast Code Consultants, Inc.;
https://recordsportal.paloalto.gov/Weblink/DocView.aspx?id=83180
2 City Council, June 22, 2020; Agenda Item #13, SR# 11255,
https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/v/1/agendas-minutes-reports/reports/city-manager-reports-
cmrs/year-archive/2020/id-11255.pdf
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period of time than previously exercised due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This phased approach
continues to be applied for the current set of contracts.
3, to
increase the contract limit to $9.75 million through December 31, 2024. As these on-call contracts
are set to expire on December 31, 2024, the City released a Request for Proposals (RFP) to ensure
continuity of service in 2025.
ANALYSIS
Table 1: Summary of Request for Proposal
Proposal Description 192617 On-Call Development Services
Proposed Length of Project
Number of Providers Notified
Number of Proposal Packages Downloaded
Total Days to Respond to Proposal
Pre-Proposal Meeting
Pre-Proposal Meeting Date
Number of Proposals Received
Proposal Price Range
Public Link to Solicitation
3 City Council, November 27, 2023; Agenda Item #10, SR# 2311-2203,
https://cityofpaloalto.primegov.com/Portal/viewer?id=0&type=7&uid=a202e6f2-cf19-425a-bac3-fb2d228938b4
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done previously. Each firm possesses the expertise to provide inspection and plan check services
for building, fire, and/or green building; grouping the on-call contracts provides the Development
Center with the flexibility needed to efficiently select the vendor best suited for any given project
in a timely fashion. On-call providers allow the City to scale services up or down based on
workload, staffing levels, technical expertise, and economic conditions. These resources also
provide specialized expertise required for policy consideration as it relates to Council priorities.
•Technical assistance with the City’s Green Building and Energy Codes.
•Policy updates between code adoption cycles to reflect mid-cycle amendments.
•Development of new Green Building and Energy Code Reach Codes for FY 2025 and FY
2026.
•Implementation of updated program materials, including policies, templates, and training
sessions for staff and the community.
•Assignment for Project Continuity: For large or complex projects, a single contractor will
be assigned to handle all related tasks, ensuring continuity and consistency in feedback
throughout the project's lifecycle.
•Standardized Guidance and Training: All contractors will receive standardized training
materials, policies, and templates to use when providing feedback.
•Quality Oversight: Staff will regularly review project communications and deliverables to
ensure feedback provided by contractors aligns with City standards and expectations.
•Conducting resume reviews to match service provider staff to specific project
requirements.
•Issuing individual task orders or work orders with defined project scopes.
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•Monitoring and verifying consultant timecards to ensure alignment with project
deliverables including quality of work.
•Processing and auditing invoices to confirm appropriate allocation of funds and
compliance with contract terms.
The current contract not-to-exceed amount of $9.75 million has been shared by a group of on-
call professionals over a four-and-a-half-year period. Shared work included permit processing,
plan check, inspection services, green building, as well as Inspector of Record work related to the
new Public Safety Building and the Fire Prevention on-call program services. The proposed
contract not-to-exceed of $4 million over a four-year period reflects a phased approach to
contract management providing an opportunity to review spending, assess performance, and
return to Council prior to contract lapse to update the not-to-exceed amount and determine
whether renewal terms are warranted based on projected needs and evolving City priorities.
FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT
Use of consultants for specific assistance is an efficient and effective use of resources, allowing
the Development Center to quickly access needed technical skills. The budget for these contracts
is included in the PDS Department’s adopted budget. The use of contractors for planning work is
contingent on (1) approved contracts with capacity to support the required scope; and (2)
availability of funding in the Department’s approved budget. No budget increase is requested.
No work will be assigned to consultants under these contracts unless there is sufficient operating
budget to cover the costs.
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
Professional planners and managers in the PDS Department participated in the development of
this recommendation to support departmental workload. The work associated with these on-call
contracts directly supports ongoing City Council priorities, which have been broadly shaped by
robust community engagement processes, including workshops, public meetings, and
stakeholder feedback.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Council action on this item is not a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)
because the approval of the contract is an administrative activity that will not result in direct or
indirect physical changes to the environment. CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(2); 15378(b)(5).
ATTACHMENTS
Professional Services Contracts can be found here:
https://recordsportal.paloalto.gov/Weblink/DocView.aspx?id=83180
APPROVED BY:
Jonathan Lait, Planning and Development Services Director