REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBMITTED TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
SUBMITTED BY: Oliver Chi, City Manager
PREPARED BY: Ursula Luna-Reynosa, Director of Community Development
Subject:
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Approve and authorize execution of four Professional Services Contracts for On-Call Plan Check Services with CSG Consultants, West Coast Code Consultants, True North Compliance, and The Code Group, Inc. dba VCA Code
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Statement of Issue:
The Community Development Department requires on-call plan check services for as-needed support staff to assist with private development plan check and general support services relating to the Permit Center.
Financial Impact:
Funding for the first year use of these three-year contracts is provided in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2021/22 budget in General Fund account 10060501.69365. Subsequent funding will be requested as part of the annual budget submittal/approval process. No funds will be expended on these contracts unless they are approved in the City’s annual budget. No additional funding is required by the recommended actions. These contracts will be controlled with task orders. Cumulative task orders will not exceed $800,000 during the three-year contract term unless on-call contract value is amended along with approved appropriations.
Recommended Action:
recommendation
A) Approve and authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to execute $800,000 “Professional Services Contract Between the City of Huntington Beach and CSG Consultants, Inc. for On-Call Building Division Plan Review Services;” and,
B) Approve and authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to execute $800,000 “Professional Services Contract Between the City of Huntington Beach and West Cost Code Consultants, Inc. for On-Call Building Division Plan Review Services;” and,
C) Approve and authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to execute $800,000 “Professional Services Contract Between the City of Huntington Beach and True North Compliance Services, Inc. for On-Call Building Division Plan Review Services;” and,
D) Approve and authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to execute $800,000 “Professional Services Contract Between the City of Huntington Beach and The Code Group, Inc. dba VCA Code for On-Call Building Division Plan Review Services.”
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Alternative Action(s):
Do not authorize one or more contracts and direct staff accordingly. Plan check times are likely to increase and service levels are likely to decrease until new contracts are approved.
Analysis:
Applicants who desire to construct projects within the City must submit plans for review to ensure compliance with applicable City and state codes. Applicants who submit plans to the City pay fees for plan review and expect reasonable turnaround times. The City currently only has one in-house, full-time plan checker, which is not a sufficient level of staffing to respond to the volume of plan check submittals received by the City. In addition, the City receives structural plans and other specialized plan check submittals that require specific fields of expertise. Due to the cyclical nature of construction activity, demand for plan review services can fluctuate from year to year. As such, the City generally retains professional plan review firms to supplement plan review services in order to meet demand as well as provide specialized plan review. This approach is a cost-effective method of closing the gap between the demands for service and the ability of City staff to meet these demands, while maintaining high-quality customer service levels.
Development activity and demand for plan review service is expected to increase in the coming years. In anticipation of this demand, on July 1, 2021, the City advertised a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for On-Call Building Division Plan Review Services. Proposals were requested and received in compliance with Chapter 3.03 of the Huntington Beach Municipal Code (HBMC), “Professional Services.” The City received 12 proposals. In accordance with requisite government regulations, the Community Development Department established a three member review board to evaluate and rank these proposals.
The proposals were generally quite impressive and the selection process very competitive. Following proposal evaluation, the review board then interviewed four of the six teams representing the six highest-ranking proposals (two teams are current consultants and did not need to be interviewed). Following this selection process, staff is recommending that on-call contracts be awarded to the top four firms, as follows: CSG Consultants, West Coast Code Consultants, True North Compliance Services, and VCA Code.
Funding for professional plan review services is provided through the collection of plan check fees. The proposed on-call contracts will be used as necessary when the volume of applications exceeds City staff resources. The proposed contract amounts are a not-to-exceed amount for a three-year term, with no guarantee of work. Funding for these contract services is only through City Council authorization in the budget approval process.
Environmental Status:
Approval of professional services agreements for building plan review is a government fiscal activity, which does not involve any commitment to any specific project that may result in a potentially significant physical impact on the environment. As such, the requested actions are not a project pursuant to Section 15378 of the CEQA Guidelines and no further CEQA review is required.
Strategic Plan Goal:
Economic Development & Housing
Attachment(s):
1. Professional Services Contract between the City of Huntington Beach and CSG Consultants, Inc., for On-Call Building Division Plan Review Services
2. Professional Services Contract between the City of Huntington Beach and West Coast Code Consultants for On-Call Development Review Engineering and Professional Consulting Services
3. Professional Services Contract between the City of Huntington Beach and True North Compliance Service, for On-Call Development Review Engineering and Professional Consulting Services
4. Professional Services Contract between the City of Huntington Beach and VCA Code for On-Call Building Division Plan Review Services
5. Professional Services Award Analysis