SR-307-002-04 (5)
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City Council Meeting: January 11, 2005 Santa Monica, California
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: City Staff
SUBJECT: Award of Design-Build Contract to HEC Construction, Inc. for Civic
Auditorium Cooling System and Appropriate Funds of $423,100
Introduction
This report recommends that City Council award a design-build contract to HEC
Construction, Inc., and approve a guaranteed maximum price of $871,000 plus $87,100
(10%) in contingency for an ice storage building cooling system at the Civic Auditorium.
This report also recommends that $423,100 from the General Fund Civic Area
Development Designation be appropriated for this project.
Background
The Civic Auditorium hosts a wide variety of events including concerts, shows and
meetings. The building was recently designated as a landmark due to its unique
features which include a large tilting floor and tall exterior concrete pylons. Although the
building continues to serve the public, the mechanical system is obsolete.
During the FY 2003/2004 budget cycle, City Council approved funding to replace the
severely deteriorating cooling tower, which provides air conditioning to the entire
building. Staff investigated the remaining system components and discovered that the
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chillers, the mechanism that cools the air, are over 50 years old, are energy inefficient
and has exceeded its life expectancy.
This project will replace the existing chillers and install an ice storage building cooling
system. This system replaces two inefficient chillers and a cooling tower with a single
energy efficient air-cooled 100-ton chiller, six 8-foot diameter x 8-foot high, insulated ice
storage tanks, and all necessary piping, controls and electrical work to support the new
system. The chiller will operate at night to make ice that is stored in the insulated
tanks. During the day, liquid propylene glycol circulates between the tanks and heat
exchanger to cool water that circulates through coils in the air-handling units, which then
deliver cool air to interior spaces. Since the system’s peak energy demand is at night,
when costs are lower, and the equipment has greater efficiency, this project is expected
to result in long-term cost savings for the city.
The ice storage system will successfully serve the Civic Auditorium's current needs and
can be relocated or expanded to accommodate any expansion of the facility or change
in programming stemming from the implementation of the Civic Center Specific Plan.
Signage and graphics describing the system will be installed to inform the public about
this cost effective and an environmentally friendly solution to cooling buildings.
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Selection of Design Builder:
A Request for Bids (Notice Inviting Bids) for the design-build contract was published on
October 16 and 18, 2004 in the Los Angeles Times. The bidding documents were sent
to eleven public plan rooms and were purchased by four firms. The City Clerk’s office
received two sealed bids, which were publicly opened and read aloud on October 28,
2004 by the Deputy City Clerk. The bid proposals were:
Contractor Amount
HEC Contractors, Inc. $871,000
AWI Builders $1,084,911
The bids were evaluated by a selection committee including representatives from the
Community and Cultural Services Department and the Environmental and Public Works
Management Department to determine the overall best bidder in accordance to criteria
set forth in the Santa Monica Municipal Code section 2.24.072. The selection
committee unanimously recommends HEC Construction, Inc., for this project. The firm
submitted competitive prices for pre-construction, design, and construction. HEC
Construction, Inc., has successfully completed mechanical systems for the Los Angeles
Unified School District at Los Feliz Elementary School and Martin Luther King
Elementary School. J.C. Chang and Associates, the listed design firm for this project,
successfully designed the ice storage system at the Boeing Satellite Systems Facility in
El Segundo, and has also successfully designed the SAMOSHEL Homeless Shelter
Renovation project for the City of Santa Monica. Staff contacted references, all of which
reported that the work performed by HEC Construction, Inc., and J.C. Chang and
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Associates is excellent. Staff contacted the State Contracting Licensing Board and
confirmed that the Contractor’s license is current, active and in good standing.
Budget/Financial Impact
FUNDS REQUIRED:
Contract $871,000
Contingency $ 87,100
Total Required: $958,100
Funds in the amount of $535,000 are available in account C320811.589000. An
additional appropriation in the amount of $423,100 must be made to that account from
the General Fund Civic Area Development Designation.
In order to transfer the Civic Area Development Designation funds from the General
Fund to the Civic Fund for the project, it is necessary to release the General Fund
designation and increase the General Fund transfer at the following accounts:
01695.579120 $423,100
32695.579120 ($423,100)
Recommendations
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1) Award a design-build contract to HEC Construction, Inc.;
2) Approve a guaranteed maximum price of $871,000, plus $87,100 (10%) in
contingency;
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3) Authorize the budget appropriation identified in the budget/financial impact section;
and
4) Authorize the City Engineer to issue any necessary change orders to complete
additional work within budget authority.
Prepared by: Craig Perkins, Director of Environmental and Public Works Management
Anthony Antich, P.E., City Engineer
Barbara Stinchfield, Director of Community and Cultural Services
Carole Curtin, Civic Auditorium Manager
Lauren Friedman, City Architect
Sam Aslanian, Architectural Associate
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