Report Prepared by: Denise Frazier, Chief Building/Construction Project Official
Title
SUBJECT: Approval of First Amendments to Professional Services Agreements with Interwest Consulting Group Inc., CSG Consultants Inc., and Bureau Veritas North American Inc. to Extend the Term of the Agreement to December 17, 2020, in an Amount Not to Exceed the Approved Budget Allocation for Planning and Building Services
REPORT IN BRIEF
Considers approving amendments to Professional Services Agreements with three consultants for planning and building services.
RECOMMENDATION
City Council - Adopt a motion:
A. Approving the First Amendment to Contract for Professional Services with Interwest Consulting Group Inc., to extend the term for services to December 17, 2020 in an amount not to exceed funds available in the annual budget or as amended; and,
B. Approving the First Amendment to Contract for Professional Services with CSG Consultants Inc., to extend the term for services to December 17, 2020 in an amount not to exceed funds available in the annual budget or as amended; and,
C. Approving the First Amendment to Contract for Professional Services with Bureau Veritas North American Inc., to extend the term for services to December 17, 2020 in an amount not to exceed funds available in the annual budget or as amended; and,
D. Authorizing the Finance Officer to make the necessary budget adjustments; and,
E. Authorizing the City Manager or the Assistant City Manager to execute the above agreements.
Body
ALTERNATIVES
1. Approve, as recommended by staff; or,
2. Approve, as modified by City Council; or,
3. Deny; or,
4. Refer to staff for reconsideration of specific items (to be addressed in Council motion); or,
5. Continue the item to a future City Council meeting (date and time to be specified in motion).
AUTHORITY
City of Merced Charter, Section 200.
CITY COUNCIL PRIORITIES
As provided for in the 2019-20 Adopted Budget.
DISCUSSION
The City Development Services Department, Inspection Services or “Building Division”, utilizes professional consultants on an “as needed” basis or “on call” basis to perform Building Plan Checks, Inspections, and other Building Related Services. These services are needed on a daily basis due to the work volume within the division. For the 2019 Calendar year, there are 3,100 permit applications received. These applications need processing, some need plan review and all receive inspections. This calendar year is expected to surpass number permit applications received, more than any other year on record.
These consulting services are essentially an extension of those provided directly by City Staff and are hopefully seamless to those requiring the services. Additionally, it should be noted that the City collects fees from the customer in the form of Plan Check Fees or Building Permit Fees which pay for these services, as well as City Staff, in advance of the work being performed. The payment to the professional consultants is a “pass through” minus any City overhead that can be retained. These fees are collected in an account under Fund 17 - Development Services and payment to the consultants are also made from Fund 17. At this time, the revenue account 017-0805-310.03-00 (License and permits/Construction Permits) has received $433,300 in excess of the estimated revenue for the fiscal year 2019-20. The fees collected through this process pays for the services as described above, processing permits and inspections.
IMPACT ON CITY RESOURCES
None, adequate funds have been approved in the 2019-20 Budget under account 17-0805-512.17-00 Professional Services to provide services for the remainder of the Fiscal Year. If additional resources are necessary prior to the end of the Fiscal Year, a budget appropriation will be processed accordingly.
ATTACHMENTS
1. First Amendment to Contract for Consulting and Professional Services - Interwest
2. First Amendment to Contract for Consulting and Professional Services - CSG
3. First Amendment to Contract for Consulting and Professional Services - Bureau Veritas