Staff recommends the City Council award a professional engineering services contract for W.O. 24-01, Contract 3: Cedar Park Subdivision Water Main Replacement, to Morrison-Maierle, Inc. in the amount of $669,950.

The City replaces and upgrades its water utilities as part of an annual maintenance program.  This project will replace approximately 7,950 feet of existing aging ductile iron water mains.  Water mains being replaced were selected based on several criteria including age, break history, undersized water mains, and ability to provide fire flow.  This project will replace the water mains in Cedar Park Subdivision that have a highly frequent break history.  These water main breaks are difficult and expensive to repair due to the existing water main depth, its proximity to private utilities, and location outside the roadway in many locations.  These breaks in certain locations can cause prolonged water outages to the entire subdivision.  Additionally, fire hydrants in portions of the subdivision do not meet current fire flow requirements.  Replacing the new water main within the roadway will allow easier maintenance as the current alignment veers in and out of the road.  In summary, the water main replacement project will improve fire flows, minimize future damage from water main breaks, reduce maintenance costs due to breaks, and provide more reliable water service to Cedar Park Subdivision.

Morrison-Maierle, Inc. was selected for the project using the proposal process. The City requested proposals for professional engineering services from three prequalified firms established from Statements of Qualifications.  Two other proposals were received from Sanderson Stewart and DOWL.  The consultant selection was based on Project Team and Availability; Project Approach; and Firm Qualifications and Experience as related to the project needs.

City Council may:

• Approve awarding the Professional Engineering Services Contract to Morrison-Maierle, Inc. or;
• Not approve awarding the Professional Engineering Services contract to Morrison-Maierle. If the project is not awarded, the City's water mains in the Cedar Park Subivision area will continue to be unreliable and will likely experience ongoing maintenance problems and expenses.

Water main replacements are funded in the FY24 budget using water funds. There is sufficient funding to award this contract.