Consideration and Approval of Contract:  Maddaus Water Management Inc. for Water Conservation Strategic Plan consulting services. (Possible approval of a contract with water consultant to create a strategic plan for water conservation in Flagstaff.) 

The City of Flagstaff Water Conservation Program (WCP) has existed since 2003 and the City has been taking actions to address water demand through conservation going back to 1988. Though the program has had many successful initiatives, there have been no formal conservation goals or targets. City Council approved FY18 funds for the WCP to hire a consultant to create a Water Conservation Strategic Plan (Plan) for Flagstaff. The Plan will prioritize future actions for the WCP that are achievable, esteemed, and cost-effective path focused on fostering a community water ethic. The Plan will:

• Define efficient water use for all sectors;
• Work with City staff and community members to select goals that will consider: impacts to the wastewater treatment process and collection system; water production operations; and the long-term sustainability of the Flagstaff community;
• Assess various water conservation actions for their feasibility, affordability, and comparison of the cost/gallon of water saved;
• Consider mid-term to long-term water supply concerns due to population growth and climate change;
• Assess the City's customer billing rates and structures for their effectiveness at promoting water conservation;
• Demonstrate Flagstaff's commitment to water conservation on the state and national scale.

The FY18 WCP consulting services budget (202-08-304-1062-0-4206) includes $60,000 for this contract, and the remaining $15,000 is budgeted for computer software (202-08-304-1062-0-4343).

COUNCIL GOALS:
Water Conservation: Become a national leader in water conservation in all sectors.

REGIONAL PLAN:
Goal WR.3. Satisfy current and future human water demands and the needs of the natural environment through sustainable and renewable water resources and strategic conservation measures.
Policy WR.3.2. Favor low-water consuming businesses and industries over water intensive uses.
Policy WR.3.3. Integrate sound water conservation and reuse systems into new and updated public facilities
Policy WR.3.4. Use reclaimed water and rainwater harvesting wherever appropriate and practical.
Policy WR.3.6. All large turf areas (e.g. schools, parks, golf courses, etc.) should use reclaimed water or other approved rain harvesting techniques for irrigation purposes.
Policy E&C.4.2. Develop water use policies that attempt to integrate current best projections of climate change effects on the Colorado Plateau’s water resources and emphasize conservation.

Council specifically requested water conservation planning during FY18 budget discussions.

The Water Conservation Strategic Plan effort was developed in response to City Council’s goal of becoming a national leader in water conservation in all sectors. The Plan will help to organize current efforts and provide new strategies for City operations and community-scale objectives.  Without this Plan, staff will not have a professionally developed framework to utilize.

1) Approve the contract for consulting on the Water Conservation Strategic Plan with Maddaus Water Management, Inc.
2) Do not approve the contract and repost a new Request for Statement of Qualifications / Request for Proposal.
3) Request that staff reallocate resources and develop a plan internally.

The WCP's current programming focuses on community outreach and education, rebates for high-efficiency toilets, lawn conversions, and rainwater harvesting. There is a need to analyze the efficacy of these efforts and to do long-range planning for any future water conserving initiatives the WCP might consider, especially in reference to community preference and impact on current water utility operations.

In order to develop a Plan that serves these needs, the consultant includes a significant outreach agenda in order to hear from Flagstaff residents during the plan-writing process. Community engagement will start this summer and will be designed to better understand community priorities for water conservation. 

Staff will provide City Council with quarterly updates on the Plan.

On December 1, 2017, Purchasing posted a Request for Proposals solicitation for Consulting Services on the City of Flagstaff PlanetBids website, and published an advertisement for the solicitation in the Arizona Daily Sun. On January 4, 2018, the City received three proposals from water consultants. A five-member selection committee consisting of four City staff and one individual outside of City staff, reviewed and evaluated all proposals received. Based upon the numerical scoring of the proposals (summary below), the selection committee determined that Maddaus Water Management, Inc. was the most most qualified and experienced for providing the needed consulting services. City staff negotiated a final scope of work and fee schedule with Maddaus Water Management, Inc. and is now bringing the negotiated contract to Council for approval and award.

Firm                                                               Score
Maddaus Water Management, Inc                  459
Montgomery & Associates                              408
A&N Technical Services, Inc.                          400

The selection committee selected Maddaus Water Management Inc. for this contract due to their extensive experience in water conservation planning, including authorship of the American Water Works Association M52 Water Conservation Programs Planning Manual.

The Water Conservation Program elected to add $15,000 to the original budget of $60,000 to ensure adequate community engagement during the Plan process, including the provision of local facilitators and translators as needed. The $15,000 was budgeted as a one-time set-up fee for online software designed to engage customers about their water use. The software will also provide water utility staff with analytical tools to assess trends in customer water use. The consultant will instead use the set-up funds to get a better idea for community preference before recommending software and will ensure that potential software selections will align with revised program goals and benchmarks provided by the Plan.

Staff will form a steering committee made up of City of Flagstaff employees, a member of the Water Commission, and community members.