HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 2502-4128CITY OF PALO ALTO
CITY COUNCIL
Monday, May 05, 2025
Council Chambers & Hybrid
5:30 PM
Agenda Item
9.Approval of Contract Change Order No. 1 in the Amount of $1,500,000 to Contract
C23186274 with Monterey Mechanical Company, for On-Call Emergency and Critical
Construction Services at the Regional Water Quality Control Plant, for a Total
Compensation Not-to-Exceed Amount of $3,000,000, funded by Wastewater Treatment
Fund Capital Improvement Plant Repair, Retrofit, and Equipment Replacement Capital
Project (WQ-19002); CEQA Status – Not a Project
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City Council
Staff Report
From: City Manager
Report Type: CONSENT CALENDAR
Lead Department: Public Works
Meeting Date: May 5, 2025
Report #:2502-4128
TITLE
Approval of Contract Change Order No. 1 in the Amount of $1,500,000 to Contract C23186274
with Monterey Mechanical Company, for On-Call Emergency and Critical Construction Services at
the Regional Water Quality Control Plant, for a Total Compensation Not-to-Exceed Amount of
$3,000,000, funded by Wastewater Treatment Fund Capital Improvement Plant Repair, Retrofit,
and Equipment Replacement Capital Project (WQ-19002); CEQA Status – Not a Project
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Approve and authorize the City Manager or their designee to execute Change Order
No. 1, adding $1,500,000 to Contract C23186274 with Monterey Mechanical Company
for on-call emergency and critical construction services at the Regional Water Quality
Control Plant, for a revised total amount not-to-exceed of $3,000,000; and
2. Approve an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2025 Adopted Capital Budget Appropriation
for the Wastewater Treatment Fund (requires a 2/3 majority vote) by:
a. Increasing the Plant Repair, Retrofit, and Equipment Replacement Project
(WQ-19002) appropriation by $1,500,000; and
b. Decreasing the Wastewater Treatment Fund balance by $1,500,000.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Regional Water Quality Control Plant (RWQCP) is an essential industrial facility that treats
wastewater from Palo Alto and its regional partner cities. Because of its critical role, the City
maintains on-call construction services with a contractor to respond quickly in the event of a
serious equipment or process failure that is too large or complex for the RWQCP maintenance
staff to handle. With three work orders already placed to the contractor under the existing
contract, the initial funds are nearly depleted. Change Order No. 1 will add more funds to the
contract to continue critical repairs and maintenance at the RWQCP.
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BACKGROUND
The RWQCP is a 25-acre industrial complex containing a number of complex treatment unit
processes. The RWQCP facilities operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The facilities include steel
and concrete buildings, tanks, pumps, pipes, valves, motors, and other industrial machinery. The
aging infrastructure must be maintained in a state of operational readiness to meet federal,
state, and local regulations.
A competitive bid process was conducted in late 2022 and on March 6, 2023, Council approved a
contract with Monterey Mechanical Company (MMC) for $1.5 million through March 15, 2028 to
provide critical and emergency construction services for the RWQCP.1 Over the past 11 years,
MMC has consistently provided high-quality, timely, and cost-effective services for the RWQCP
over the course of several previous on-call construction contracts. MMC has completed or is
actively engaged in several critical work orders under the current contract, summarized as
follows:
Work Order 2301 - Repair of the RWQCP Outfall Pipeline in Embarcadero Road. During heavy
rains in January 2023 and February 2023, staff discovered the pipe was leaking at joints, raising
concerns about potential sinkhole formation. MMC was called in to assess the situation and plan
for repairs. The work involved excavating the road, carefully working around existing
underground utilities, and sealing the leaks from the exterior of the pipe. MMC used caution not
to damage the pipe, as the pipe is always in service, conveying treated effluent from the RWQCP
to the Bay. The work entailed driving sheet piles 10-feet into the subsurface and repairing the
leaks with a hydrophilic concrete grout and polyurethane foam injection into the joints. MMC
also had to plate and unplate the excavated road surface daily and implement traffic control to
reroute vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists. The final cost for this work order was $635,000.
Work Order 2302 – Replace Blend Tank Pipe and Valves. On November 13, 2024, a section of pipe
in the Blend Tank Mixing Pumps recirculation line ruptured, causing sludge to spray into the air.
Operations quickly isolated the system, and MMC was promptly called in to assess the situation
and determine a course of action. The immediate task was to replace the damaged section of
pipe to return the system to service. MMC was able to source and install a replacement pipe
section within 10 days. While the system was being assessed, staff discovered that the entire 25-
year-old piping system in the Blend Tank Mixing Pumps was in poor condition and required full
replacement. Given the urgent need for these repairs, MMC was tasked with sourcing the
necessary materials, including ductile iron glass-lined pipes and valves. The key challenge was the
long lead time for delivery: the valves required up to 52 weeks for delivery. Recognizing this, staff
directed MMC to immediately initiate a work order so that replacement could proceed as soon as
1 City Council, March 6, 2023; Agenda Item #5; SR #2212-0703
https://recordsportal.paloalto.gov/Weblink/DocView.aspx?id=82227
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possible. In early January 2025, MMC provided pricing for the required materials, with the total
cost for material supply and installation amounting to $847,000.
Work Order 2303 – Aeration Basin No. 4 (AB-4) Base Concrete Leak Repairs. AB-4 has been out of
service for more than a year as part of a major construction project. After AB-4 was re-filled in
preparation to return it to service, staff discovered some weeping / leaks at the concrete
foundation along the south wall of the basin. MMC was called in along with their specialty epoxy
injection subcontractor. The subcontractor arrived at site (on a Saturday), pinpointed the areas of
leakage, and injected polyurethane foam into the concrete to seal the leaks. This work was
completed within a week of discovery, and the total cost for these repairs was $5,835.
ANALYSIS
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FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT
The recommendation in this report will approve a change order to increase the authorized
contract amount with MMC. To fund the change order, the report also recommends a budget
amendment to increase the Wastewater Treatment Fund’s Plant Repair, Retrofit, and Equipment
Replacement capital project (WQ-19002) by $1,500,000.
The Plant Repair, Retrofit, and Equipment Replacement project utilizes a distinctive funding
approach that includes multiple contracts over several fiscal years. The anticipated expenses are
forecasted to project the necessary revenue needed from the partners to fund this project for
future fiscal years. Palo Alto treats combined wastewater from Palo Alto, Los Altos, Los Altos
Hills, Mountain View, Stanford University, and East Palo Alto Sanitary District (partners). Palo
Alto’s share of this project is approximately 37%, and the other five agencies’ share is
approximately 63%, based on the volume and strength of wastewater contributions of each
partner. The Fiscal Year 2025 budget for WQ-19002 approved by Council is $13.4 million. The
contracts listed in Table 1 are some examples of the larger contracts that were encumbered in
the first year when the contract was signed, but the spending is over multiple fiscal years, with
the expenses billed per the partner agreements.
Table #1: Example of some of the larger projects that are funded out of WQ-19002
Project Description Total Cost Palo Alto Share Estimated Time
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*Palo Alto’s share of the project is being reimbursed by Valley Water by the Guiding Principle Five (GP5) grant.4
Increasing the Fiscal Year 2025 Adopted Capital budget appropriation by $1.5 million for WQ-
19002 will provide the necessary funding to use this on-call construction contract for immediate
repairs to the Dual Media Filters (DMF) and $0.9 million for future repair needs. This request
increases the Fiscal Year 2025 appropriation to $14.9 million.
2 City Council, October 28, 2024; Agenda Item #5; SR #2408-3389
https://recordsportal.paloalto.gov/Weblink/DocView.aspx?id=83060
3 City Council, June 10, 2024; Agenda Item #6; SR #2405-2993
https://recordsportal.paloalto.gov/Weblink/DocView.aspx?id=82887
4 City Council. June 3, 2024; Agenda Item #6; SR #2404-2877
https://recordsportal.paloalto.gov/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=82864
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STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
ATTACHMENTS
APPROVED BY:
Contract Change Order City of Palo Alto
Department: Public Works WQCP
Contract Number: C23186274
CONTRACT CHANGE ORDER PAGE 1 OF 3
Contract Change Order #01
Project Title: On-Call Emergency Construction Services Project No.: WQ - 19002
Contract Number: C23186274 Date: 3/24/2025
Contractor: Monterey Mechanical Company Change Order: 01
Description of Change Order
Background Information: The 5-year contract runs from March 21, 2023 to March 15, 2028 for
$1,500,000 ($300,000 / year) to cover the cost of immediate mobilization and
construction costs by the on-call contractor for handling emergency and
urgent construction services at the Palo Alto Regional Water Quality Control
Change Order Justification: Work Order -2301 expenses of $634,535 have been disbursed for emergency
and urgent construction services. Work Order -2302, underway with budgeted
expenses of $847,000, will nearly deplete the contract budget. Work Order -
2304 budgeted expenses is $650,000, and there are insufficient funds to
execute this work order.
Another $1,500,000 is requested to replenish the contract with funds to
execute Work Order -2304 and to cover future unforeseen urgent and
emergency work over the next three years. This C/O will be subject to
approval by the Palo Alto City Council.
Description of Work to be Performed: Unexpected breakdowns or failures of equipment, piping, electrical, concrete,
Incorporates Field Order Number(s): N / A
Cost Time
This change order will:
No cost change: N/A
Increase cost by $ 1,500,000
Decrease cost by $ N/A
This change order will:
No change in time
Increase time by days
Decrease time by days
The date of completion as of this change order
remains as:
March 15, 2028
G/L account number (s):31651
CONTRACT CHANGE ORDER PAGE 2 OF 3
Basis for change in cost:
Unit price(s)
Lump sum
Cost plus
Other:
Contract Change Order – continued
CONTRACTOR CERTIFICATION: The undersigned Contractor approves this Change Order as to the changes, if any, in
the contract price specified for each Line Item and as to the extension of time allowed, if any, for completion of the entire
work on account of each Line Item, and agrees to furnish all labor and materials and perform all work necessary to
complete any additional work specified therein, for the consideration stated therein. It is understood that the time and cost
adjustments set forth in this Change Order include full compensation for any impacts or delays associated with the Line
Items addressed in this Change Order.
CLAIM PROCEDURE: Any items in Contractor’s Change Order Request that are not included in this Change Order are
hereby deemed rejected as of the date of this letter. If Contractor wishes to dispute this rejection, it may submit a Claim
pursuant to Section 4.2 of the Contract General Conditions within thirty (30) days of the date of this Change Order.
Accepted for Contractor: Accepted for City of Palo Alto:
By: By:
Title: Monterey Mechanical Co. Project Manager Title: Public Works Department - Project Manager
Date: Date:
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Description Amount Reason for Change
-01 Unexpected emergency repairs $1,500,000 Replenishment of contract funds for unforeseen work.
Total for this change
order $1,500,000
Scope of Work
Contract Change Order City of Palo Alto
Department: Public Works WQCP
Contract Number: C23186274
CONTRACT CHANGE ORDER PAGE 3 OF 3
Document Preparation City Approval – WQCP Head
By: Tom Kapushinski By:
Title: Sr. Project Engineer Title:
Date: Date:
City Approval – Division Head
Signature required on all change orders
By:
Title: Karin North
Asistant Director, Public Works, ESD
Date:
.
By:
Title: Brad Eggleston
Director of Public Works
Date:
Contract Change Order – continued
Summary of Amounts Payable Under Contract (For Internal Purposes Only)
Original Contract Amount: $ 1,500,000.00
Previous Change Orders $ 0.00
This Change Order $ 1,500,000.00
Revised Contract Amount: $ 3,000,000.00
Compare to:
Original Contract
Authorization:$ 1,500,000.00 Contingency: 0.00
Contract Amendment
Authorizations $ 0.00 Contingency added: 0.00
Contingency
Authorizations:$ 0.00 Used to date 0.00
Total Authorized Funding: $ 3,000,000.00 Balance remaining 0.00
Change orders shall not be initiated for Council-approved contracts if the revised contract total exceeds the total
authorized funding amount.