That the City Council
A.  Approve and authorize the City Manager to execute an agreement with Willdan Engineering to provide inspection services for the East Bishop Storm Drain Improvement Project, City Project No. 1-D-16; and,

B.  Authorize staff to issue a purchase order in the amount of $100,000 to Willdan Engineering, which includes a twenty percent (20%) contingency.

On November 21, 2022, the City Council approved and awarded the East Bishop Storm Drain Improvement Project, City Project No. 1-D-16 (Project) to AID Builders, Inc. of Los Alamitos, California. Construction of the Project is scheduled to start in the Spring of 2023. The East Bishop Storm Drain channel is located near Cypress Street and Bishop Drive, north of Whittier Boulevard. The existing rectangular east/west oriented open air channel starts at Cypress Street and angles north, under Bishop Drive, between several homes adjacent to the City's drainage easement. The Project will replace the existing deficient rectangular open channel with a 72-inch Reinforced Concrete Pipe (RCP) that will be buried underground, realign existing water pipes, street pavement reconstruction, curb, gutter, sidewalk, and driveway reconstruction; and additional associated work as identified in the Project's Plans and Specifications. 

In September 2022, Willdan's design team completed the design plans and specifications for the East Bishop Storm Drain Improvement Project.  Satisfied with their design services, staff requested a proposal from Willdan to provide subsequent construction inspection services for the Project. Willdan submitted a comprehensive proposal to staff which includes a detailed work plan and an experienced team of inspectors. Willdan has experienced inspectors on staff and the firm has a strong understanding of the project due to the design work they have completed. Additionally, Willdan has indicated that, if approved by Council, the inspection team they would assign to this project are currently available can start as soon as the project breaks ground. If approved, Willdan will perform inspection services for the East Bishop Storm Drain Improvement Project and verify that construction meets the standards as specified in the plan specifications and construction contract.

The City's Municipal Code Section 4.20.080 "Exceptions to Bidding Requirements" for the purchase of certain professional services allows the procurement of services for which professional policies prohibit competitive bidding, such as, but not limited to, architectural services, consultant services, legal services and engineering services, allowing staff to negotiate for the provision of such services. Staff recommends that the City Council approve and authorize the City Manager to execute an agreement (Attachment 1) with Willdan to provide construction inspection services and authorize staff to issue a purchase order in an amount not to exceed $100,000, which includes a twenty percent (20%) contingency.

On November 21, 2022, the City Council approved the appropriation of additional funds for this project to cover the cost of construction, inspection, and material testing services; therefore, sufficient funding is available to fund the proposed $100,000 construction inspection services to be provided by Willdan and no additional funds are requested at this time.