SR 09-23-2014 3DCity Council Meeting: September 23, 2014
Agenda Item: -3—D
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Martin Pastucha, Director of Public Works
Subject: Reject Proposals for the Design, Manufacture, Delivery and Installation of
Catch Basin Connector Pipe Screens Project
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Reject all proposals received on July 3, 2014, for professional and general
contracting services, to design, manufacture, deliver and install catch basin
connector pipe screens.
2. Direct staff to issue a request for bids (RFB) to obtain the best bidder for general
contracting services for sizing, manufacture, delivery, and installation of catch
basin connector pipe screens at various catch basins throughout the City.
Executive Summary
On July 3, 2014, six proposals were received for the Design, Manufacture, Delivery and
Installation of the Catch Basin Connector Pipe Screens Project. The project consists of
retrofitting City of Santa Monica and Los Angeles County owned catch basins with
connector pipe screens in order to prohibit trash from entering the storm drain system
and ultimately discharging to Santa Monica Bay. The public bid was posted as a
request for proposal (RFP) for a professional services contract (PSA). After reviewing
the six proposals received, staff determined that it would be in the best interest of the
City to: 1) reject all proposals, 2) clarify the scope of the project, and 3) issue a new
request for bids.
Background
As part of the effort to meet the debris total maximum daily load (TMDL) requirements
developed by the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Los Angeles Region,
the City selected 745 catch basin locations to evaluate for retrofit with a connector pipe
screen design that conforms to an approved full capture system. A full capture system
as defined by the Regional Water Quality Control Board is described as "any single
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device or series of devices that traps all particles retained by a 5 millimeter mesh screen
and has a design treatment capacity of not less than the peak flow rate resulting from a
1 -year, 1 -hour storm in the sub- drainage area." In essence, this device will prevent all
particles 5 millimeter or greater from entering the storm drain system. The connector
pipe screen installations will comply with this directive. The retrofits would be located in
catch basins of the Kenter Canyon, Pico -4th and Pico - Caltrans sub - watersheds. While
most of the catch basins are owned by the City, 314 are owned by the Los Angeles
County Flood Control District.
Discussion
On June 5, 2014 the City issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the design,
manufacture, delivery and installation of Storm Drain Catch Basin Connector Pipe
Screens at various catch basins throughout the City. The RFP was posted on the City's
online bidding site and advertised in the Santa Monica Daily Press in accordance with
City Charter and Municipal Code provisions. On July 3, 2014 staff received six
proposals.
Staff recommends rejecting all six proposals and issuing a new request for bids for a
construction contract with an updated scope of work for the following reasons:
• The original scope included the installation of connector pipe screen (CPS)
devices in Los Angeles County owned catch basins. This strategy requires the
City to pay the County an annual maintenance fee per catch basin or take over
maintenance responsibilities of their catch basins. Staff proposes to re- evaluate
this strategy and consider other options, such as automatic retractable screens at
the curb inlet to the catch basin, to minimize long term maintenance costs.
• The original scope included the installation of CPS devices in City owned catch
basins. This strategy would result in increased maintenance as city forces would
have to periodically remove and dispose of debris collected within the catch
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basins. Staff proposes to analyze the costs and benefits of adding a secondary
screen, such as an automatic retractable screen, at the curb inlet to the catch
basins to prevent excessive amounts of debris from collecting inside the catch
basins and subsequently minimize the additional maintenance required.
• Staff advertised the project as a request for proposal, with the intent of executing
a professional services agreement to have the contractor cover design liabilities
as faulty design could result in flooding. However, staff recently obtained
standard design parameters already established by the Los Angeles County
Department of Public Works (LACDPW) for the sizing of connector pipe units and
determined that these parameters could be used for the sizing of CPS devices in
the City's catch basins. Subsequently, design liabilities are no longer a concern
and the scope of work is primarily for sizing and installation /construction. For this
scope of work, a professional services agreement would no longer be
appropriate and would, instead, require the protections afforded by a public
works construction contract.
Rejecting all proposals and issuing a new request for bid would enable staff to evaluate
options and finalize a new project scope of work that addresses cost - effectiveness,
efficient maintenance and regulatory compliance.
Next Steps
Upon approval from Council, the next steps are:
• Notify the six firms of the rejection of proposals — September 2014
• Issue a new request for bids — October 2014
• Review bids — November 2014
• Return to Council with bid award recommendation — January 2015
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Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
There is no immediate fiscal impact or budget action necessary as a result of the
recommended action.
Prepared by: Joshua Carvalho, P.E., Civil Engineer
Approved:
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Martin Pastucha
Director of Public Works
CI
Forwarded to Council:
Rod Gould
City Manager