Report Prepared by: Ken F. Elwin, PE, Director of Public Works
Title
SUBJECT: Fourth Amendment to Professional Services Agreement with Stantec Consulting Services, Inc., for the City of Merced Wastewater Collection System (Sewer) Master Plan Update
REPORT IN BRIEF
Consider approving a fourth amendment to an agreement with Stantec Consulting Services, Inc., for additional CEQA/EIR related efforts, updates to the Wastewater Collection System Master Plan, including additional stakeholder and staff input on the draft plan as well as further specific task evaluation(s).
RECOMMENDATION
City Council - Adopt a motion approving a fourth amendment to professional services agreement with Stantec Consulting Services, Inc., in the amount of $130,400 for the City of Merced Sewer Master Plan Update; and, authorizing the City Manager or Assistant City Manager to execute the necessary documents.
Body
ALTERNATIVES
1. Approve, as recommended by staff; or,
2. Approve, subject to conditions other than recommended by staff (identify specific findings and/or conditions amended to be addressed in the motion); or,
3. Deny; or,
4. Refer to staff for reconsideration of specific items (specific items to be addressed in the motion); or,
5. Continue to a future meeting (date and time to be specified in the motion).
AUTHORITY
Charter of the City of Merced, Section 200 et seq.
Services with an estimated value greater than $31,000.00 are made by written contract in accordance with Merced Municipal Code, Title 3 - Revenue and Finance, Chapter 3.04.
CITY COUNCIL PRIORITIES
As provided for in the Fiscal Year 2018/2019 Adopted Budget.
DISCUSSION
In April 2013, the City of Merced (City) authorized Stantec Consulting Services, Inc. (Stantec) to prepare an update to the City’s 2007 Draft Sewer Master Plan. The scope of that effort included the following major tasks:
1. Update New Land Use Assumptions (2030 Vision General Plan) and Wastewater Flows;
2. Assess Available Capacity in Sewers;
3. Determine Sewer System Needs at General Plan Buildout;
4. Develop Interim Service Plan;
5. Develop Sewer Repair and Replacement Program;
6. Develop Industrial Waste Acceptance Decision Matrix;
7. Project Meetings;
8. Prepare Draft and Final Master Plan Report; and,
9. Project Management and Administration.
Amendment No. 1 also placed on hold the following tasks as originally described in the Agreement:
• Develop Sewer Repair and Replacement Program - Task 5
• Prepare Draft and Final Master Plan Report - Task 8
Funding for the modifications to Tasks 3, 4, 6, 7 and 9 was made available through Amendment No. 1, by reducing the authorized budgets for Task 5 and 8, which were placed on hold. The end result of Amendment No. 1 was no net increase or decrease in the originally authorized budget ($112,000).
Amendment No. 2 provided for finalizing the Sewer Master Plan, as well as additional tasks requested by City staff. With regards to the additional tasks in Amendment No.2, there are two that should be highlighted that deals with (1) the coordination and review of satellite pretreatment facilities engineering evaluation, and (2) the associated CEQA Environmental documentation.
Amendment No. 3 included modifications to some of the existing approved tasks, as well as additional tasks, including an evaluation of satellite treatment plants, an evaluation of the potential expansion of the Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF), including an opinion of potential cost, and looking at financing options for the implementation of the recommendations in the final Draft Sewer Master Plan.
This amendment includes additional effort for field studies in support of a project specific evaluation of specific potential construction impacts with regards to Plan A. It was determined that this Plan has enough specificity and detail to be evaluated at a project specific level. Stantec will prepare the EIR at a program level to accommodate uncertainties with plan implementation (such as operational conditions and future connections), but where project level details exist, Project level analysis will be completed for components where such detail has been developed. This modification will require additional consideration for specific construction impacts and require additional surveys. In this Amendment No. 4, the additional costs are reflected in Tasks 15 through 20. The aforementioned has been an upgrade to the previous programmatic level EIR scope to a more program/project specific scope hybrid.
In addition, this Amendment requests consideration to authorize the budgets for tasks associated with CEQA document development and preparation to be adjusted for current rates schedules. This work (Tasks 15 through 20) was originally authorized by Amendment No. 2 in 2015, however, that work has been on hold since that time pending completion of the WCS Master Plan. This is reflected in Tasks 15 through 20 of this Amendment No. 4.
This amendment also seeks to cover the additional cost due to scope creep of the previously approved amendments and includes additional evaluation of a satellite treatment facility and additional stakeholder meetings as well as additional City Council workshops regarding input to the draft plan.
Development of cost estimates for the two WWTRF location options added to the report with this Amendment (no. 4), including various tabulations summarizing facilities the two options would have in common and facilities unique to each.
Updates to the previously developed system hydraulic model to address comments provided by both City staff and stakeholders. Update of previously developed simulation scenarios.
Additional effort required for preparation of a second draft report (Final Draft Master Plan), which included among others, the addition of three additional sections and an executive summary section, as well as, changing the name of “Sewer Master Plan” to the ”Wastewater Collection System (WCS) Master Plan”.
The City has prepared and approved to form the amendment to professional services agreement and it is signed by the consultant (Attachment 1).
History and Past Actions
The Sewer Master Plan is designed to evaluate and help the City plan and expand its wastewater collection sewer system to meet the needs of its growing population.
As part of a prior contract, Stantec Consulting Services, Inc., previously known as ECO:LOGIC, was hired to update the North Merced Sewer Master Plan. Later, amendments to the contract added work for the South Merced Sewer Master Plan, and subsequently to develop a comprehensive Merced Sewer Master Plan based on the existing 2015 SUDP/SOI.
During 2006-2007, new development boundaries were being proposed as part of the General Plan Update. As a result of the uncertainty of the SUDP/SOI boundary during the General Plan evolution, it was decided to postpone the finalization of Sewer Master Plan since it was directly tied to the City's overall growth boundary. Subsequently, a 2007 Draft Sewer Master Plan was prepared by the Consultant based on the wastewater system analysis up to that point. It was the intent that once the Merced Vision 2030 General Plan was adopted, the Draft Sewer Master Plan would be finalized and submitted for formal adoption by the City Council.
With the adoption of the City's Merced Vision 2030 General Plan, it was decided that the 2007 Draft Sewer Master Plan needed to be finalized based on the new 2030 Specific Urban Development Plan/Sphere of Influence (SUDP/SOI).
At the April 1, 2013, City Council meeting, Council approved an $112,000 contract with Stantec Consulting Services, Inc., to resume the update of the wastewater collection system model and Sewer Master Plan work that was put on hold in 2007 to include the proposed 2030 SUDP/SOI.
At the June 16, 2014, City Council meeting, Council approved a no cost First Amendment with Stantec Consulting Services, Inc., for a scope of work change to include the development of additional servicing alternatives not originally included in the agreement.
Task 4 of the agreement was also modified to include additional interim servicing plans that involved both UC Merced and the UC Campus Communities North and South.
Task 6 of the agreement was modified with Amendment No. 1 to include evaluation of remaining WWTF capacity. This was undertaken in the context of the potential to serve one or more significant industrial users, while still meeting existing City service commitments. The effort associated with Task 6 and the projection of future WWTF influent flows described as part of Task 3 (see above) were discussed in a summary report entitled Merced WWTF Industrial Waste Acceptance Evaluation (May 2014, Stantec).
In addition, more effort was desired in the form of Stantec participation in City Council and stakeholder meetings. The intent of these meetings was to present alternative sewer servicing concepts to the City Council and stakeholders to allow for input and direction allowing Stantec to produce a master plan document. This additional effort was reflected in Task 7, project meetings.
A small increase in the allowance for Task 9, Project Management and Administration was authorized with Amendment No. 1 as well, to account for the additional time the system evaluation would require beyond the schedule in the original Agreement authorization.
Amendment No. 1 also placed on hold the following tasks as originally described in the Agreement:
• Develop Sewer Repair and Replacement Program - Task 5
• Prepare Draft and Final Master Plan Report - Task 8
Funding for the modifications to Tasks 3, 4, 6, 7 and 9 was made available through Amendment No. 1, by reducing the authorized budgets for Task 5 and 8, which were placed on hold. The end result of Amendment No. 1 was no net increase or decrease in the originally authorized budget ($112,000).
Amendment No. 2, dealt primarily with the addition of the task for the preparation of the Draft EIR and some other minor amendments to the existing tasks. The end result of Amendment No. 2 was a net increase in the originally authorized budget ($324,000).
Amendment No. 3 focused on financing options for a potential Assessment District, as well as evaluated the concept of a satellite treatment facility and expansion of the City’s WWTF.
IMPACT ON CITY RESOURCES
Account 553-1107-532.17-00 - Project 113059 contains sufficient funding for the contract amendment.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Fourth Amendment
2. Scope of Services Amendment No. 4