Report Prepared by: Paul Flores, Senior Engineer, Engineering Department
Title
SUBJECT: Approval of a Professional Services Agreement with Black Water Consulting Engineers for Design and Engineering Services for Project CP200037 - Municipal Well Site No. 23 in the Amount not to Exceed $1,106,975.00
REPORT IN BRIEF
Considers approving a three-year professional services agreement for design and engineering services for Project CP200037 Municipal Well Site No. 23 with Black Water Consulting Engineers in the amount not to exceed $1,106,975.00
RECOMMENDATION
City Council - Adopt a motion:
A. Approving the Professional Services Agreement with Black Water Consulting, for Design and Engineering Services for Project CP200037 - Municipal Well Site No. 23 in the amount not to exceed $1,106,975.00; and,
B. Authorizing the City Manager or designee to execute the necessary documents.
Body
ALTERNATIVES
1. Approve as recommend by Staff; or,
2. Approve, subject to modifications as conditioned by Council; or,
3. Deny; or,
4. Refer back to Staff for reconsideration of specific items as requested by Council; or,
5. Continue item to a Council future meeting.
AUTHORITY
City of Merced Charter, Section 200 - Powers.
Merced Municipal Code (MMC) Section 3.04 - Purchasing System.
CITY COUNCIL PRIORITIES
As provided for in FY 2025/2026 adopted budget.
DISCUSSION
Background
In July 2024, the City of Merced formally annexed the University of California, Merced campus and surrounding areas, incorporating approximately 1,040 acres of university property along with an additional 100 acres into the City limits. This annexation, combined with planned growth identified in the Merced Vision 2030 General Plan and the adopted Specific Plan for the Virginia Smith Trust (VST) Subdivision, necessitates expansion of the City’s water system infrastructure. The City relies exclusively on groundwater as its municipal water supply; therefore, the development of additional groundwater production facilities, including the proposed Municipal Well No. 23 located within the VST subdivision, is essential to support future development and ensure reliable service to both the expanding university community and surrounding growth areas.
The VST community represents a significant planned mixed-use development that will require reliable and sufficient potable water infrastructure to serve future residents and businesses. The construction of Municipal Well Site No. 23 is necessary to provide additional groundwater supply capacity, improve system pressures, and ensure long-term reliability for both the VST development area and UC Merced service demands.
The project includes the testing and design of a new municipal groundwater production well #23 and associated transmission infrastructure. Improvements include test boring and the design of a well site with supporting facilities such as a pump station, landscaping and irrigation, perimeter walls, concrete bins, storage building, site access driveway, and stormwater drainage.
In addition, the project includes the design of approximately 16,500 linear feet of new 16-inch water main along Lake Road. This pipeline will connect the existing 16-inch water main on Bellevue Road, adjacent to UC Merced and Well Site No. 17, to the existing 16-inch water main on Yosemite Avenue. This segment is a critical component of the City’s water distribution system, as it will complete a looped transmission main between Bellevue Road and Yosemite Avenue, improving hydraulic performance, operational flexibility, and system redundancy by reducing the potential for service disruptions during routine maintenance or outages at other City well facilities.
Request for Proposal
On February 19, 2026, the City issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for engineering design and construction management services for Well Site No. 23. The RFP was advertised on City platforms where proposals were due on March 18, 2026, by 5:00 P.M. The City received only one bid prior to the specified date and time from Black Water Consulting Engineers.
The Professional Services agreement will be for a three-year period. Staff recommend approving the agreement with Black Water Consulting Engineers for a not-to-exceed amount of $1,106,975.00.
IMPACT ON CITY RESOURCES
Project CP200037 was established as a Capital Improvement Project, currently funded by Fund 6001 - Water System Operations. There is sufficient funding in the project to award this agreement.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Professional Services Agreement