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CC - (1) Approval of a Professional Services Agreement with the Center for Transportation and the Environment for Architectural and Engineering Services for the Development of the Transportation Department’s Battery Electric Bus Transportation Facility Electrification Plan in an Amount Not-to-Exceed $617,311.20; and (2) Authorization to the City Manager to Approve Amendments to the Agreement in the Additional Amount Not-to-Exceed $296,726.56, Resulting in a Total Expenditure Not-To-Exceed $914,037.76.
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Meeting Date: September 14, 2020
Contact Person/Dept: Allison Cohen/Transportation Department
Phone Number: (310) 253-6543
Fiscal Impact: Yes [X] No [] General Fund: Yes [] No [X]
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [] Attachments: []
Commission Action Required: Yes [] No [X] Date:
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - City Council (09/10/20); Daniel Raudebaugh, Center for Transportation & the Environment (09/09/20)
Department Approval: Rolando Cruz, Chief Transportation Officer (09/04/2020)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council (1) approve a professional services agreement with the Center for Transportation & the Environment (CTE) for architectural and engineering services for the development of the Transportation Department’s Battery Electric Bus Transportation Facility Electrification Plan in an amount not-to-exceed $617,311.20; and (2) authorize the City Manager to approve amendments to the agreement in an additional amount not-to-exceed $296,726.56, resulting in a total expenditure not to exceed $914,037.76.
BACKGROUND
The City of Culver City’s Transportation Facility supports activities of the Culver City Transportation Department including Culver City Municipal Bus Lines (Culver CityBus) and the Fleet Services Division (Culver CityFleet) which is responsible for maintaining the entire city fleet of more than 300 vehicles ranging from passenger sedans and emergency vehicles to wheel loaders and refuse trucks. Additionally, the Facility’s parking structure, which provides parking for personal vehicles owned by employees, serves all the above Departments and Divisions, as well as the employees of the City’s Public Works and Parks and Recreation Departments.
On July 10, 2020 the City of Culver City released Request for Proposals #2036 seeking proposals from qualified individuals or firms for consultant services for the development of a Battery Electric Bus (BEB) transition plan, program management support of a BEB pilot project and design services for the Transportation Facility. This transition plan will include an analysis of the existing transit battery electric bus market (both the bus and infrastructure) and the impact to the Culver City Transportation Facility as Culver CityBus transitions to a 100% all-electric fleet by 2028. The program management services for the pilot project shall include support for implementation and commissioning of the buses and infrastructure with performance validation metrics. The design services will include the development and implementation of a single temporary charging station to support 4 BEBs, a concept drawing of the infrastructure required to support an all-electric vehicle fleet and support for 100% drawings with Southern California Edison for the 10 BEBs at the Culver City Transportation Facility. As noted in the solicitation, staff intended to use the results of this RFP to evaluate and select a firm in order to negotiate a contract for the listed transition plan, program management, architectural and engineering (A&E) and oversight services.
DISCUSSION
On August 6, 2020, staff received five submissions. Upon conclusion of staff’s initial evaluation, one submission was disqualified as it failed to meet the minimum qualifications as outlined explicitly in the RFP. The four remaining proposals that were forwarded for evaluation included Center for Transportation and the Environment, LTK Engineering Services, Stantec Architecture Inc, and WSP USA Inc. Based on adequate notification and the number of prospective proposers who registered to view the RFP through PlanetBids, staff believes the process allowed for competition.
As a federally funded solicitation for architectural and engineering services, the four qualified proposals were then evaluated in accordance with the Selection of Architects and Engineers Statute (Public Law 92-582), formerly known as the Brooks Act, and implemented in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) subpart 36.6. This regulation calls for a qualifications-based selection process (QBS) in which contracts are negotiated based on demonstrated competence and qualification for the type of professional services required at a fair and reasonable price. Under QBS procurement procedures, price quotations are not a consideration in the selection process.
The evaluation team, comprised of Transportation and Public Works Department staff, reviewed, scored, and ranked proposals based on the following criteria: (1) Qualifications and Experience of the Proposing Firm, (2) Qualifications and Experience of the Project Team, (3) Past Performance, (4) Quality of Work Plan, and (5) Management Approach. After carefully reviewing and scoring each proposal, the evaluation team’s rankings were compiled, and the Center for Transportation and the Environment was found to be the highest-ranking proposer. In accordance with FAR subpart 36.6, pricing information was then requested from CTE by Purchasing staff and made available to the evaluation team. The fee schedule submitted by CTE was compared against the City’s independent cost estimate and negotiated over a series of meetings between Culver City and CTE.
CTE is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit planning and engineering organization founded in 1993. CTE's primary business is focused on developing, implementing, and administering advanced transportation technology projects, with a focus on zero-emission transit buses. CTE has managed or consulted on a range of zero-emission bus projects over the last decade, from new bus development and demonstration projects to full fleet deployment projects throughout the United States. Since 1993, CTE has managed a portfolio of more than $600 million in team research, development, and demonstration projects funded by a variety of federal and state organizations including the U.S. Departments of Transportation, Energy, Defense, and Interior, as well as the California Air Resources Board and California Energy Commission.
Joining CTE in their work will be two subcontractors: AECOM and Sage Energy Consulting, Inc (Sage). Working closely with CTE, AECOM has assembled a design team from offices in Northern and Southern California and will have primary responsibility for the facilities and infrastructure analysis as well as for facilities and infrastructure design and construction management for the project. AECOM has teamed with CTE on several ZEB Transition Studies for transit agencies in California over the past few years. AECOM has helped CTE develop "road maps" for clients' transitions from existing CNG fleets to 100% BEBs, in compliance with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) Innovative Clean Transit (ICT) regulation. AECOM has also been the lead engineer on several transit and heavy-duty electrification projects. As the end design is unknown, the additional authorization of $250,549.91 is to provide flexibility to authorize final design work for AECOM based on the final design recommendation. Three alternatives are: design support for a pedestal design through Southern California Edison, a full design of a pantograph option within current yard, and a design-build of a new parking garage with charging features.
Sage's core business is working with public agencies to plan and implement renewable energy and advanced energy projects to meet resource adequacy requirements, decrease emissions, reduce energy costs, provide resiliency, plan and implement EV fleet and facilities upgrades, and achieve zero net energy and zero-carbon goals. Sage will lead activities related to the project’s Renewable Energy Analysis. Sage has consulted on more than $2 billion of renewable generation, storage, microgrid, vehicle electrification, and efficiency projects for more than 100 public agencies in California; 60 of these projects have occurred in the past five years. Sage will provide a renewable plan dependent upon the chosen design alternative. Sage has also teamed with CTE on several BEB Transition Studies for transit agencies in California over the past few years.
Staff recommends that CTE be awarded a professional services agreement for architectural and engineering services for the development of the Transportation Department’s Battery Electric Bus Transportation Facility Electrification Plan.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
Staff recommends approving a base contract amount of $617,311.20 to CTE for the development of a Battery Electric Bus (BEB) Transition Plan. Additionally, staff recommends that Council authorize the City Manager to approve amendments to the agreement in an additional amount not-to-exceed $296,726.56 for design and construction support services based on the final agreed upon design as determined by the analyses and recommendations included in the BEB Transition Plan.
The City Council Adopted Budget for Fiscal Year 2020/2021 includes sufficient funding in 20370300.732120 to cover the cost of this procurement. All purchases will be made Transportation Department funds.
Staff is currently applying for a grant funding opportunity through the California Energy Commission’s (CEC’s) Clean Transportation Program. GFO-20-601 - Blueprints for Medium- and Heavy-Duty Zero-Emission Vehicle Infrastructure provides funding to California agencies for the purposes of facilitating strategic planning efforts for the implementation of zero-emission vehicles and related electric charging infrastructure. Each applying agency is eligible for award of up to $200,000. If awarded, this funding would be used in lieu of capital dollars to fund the final design of this project.
ATTACHMENTS
None
RECOMMENDED MOTIONS
That the City Council:
1. Approve an agreement with the Center for Transportation & the Environment for an amount not-to-exceed $617,311.20; and
2. Authorize the City Manager to approve amendments to the agreement in an additional amount not-to-exceed $296,726.56, resulting in a total expenditure not to exceed $914,037.76; and
3. Authorize the City Attorney to review/prepare the necessary documents; and
4. Authorize the City Manager to execute such documents on behalf of the City.