TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Bruce Moe, City Manager
FROM:
Carrie Tai, AICP, Community Development Director
Steve S. Charelian, Finance Director
Dana Murray, Environmental Sustainability Manager
Gwen Eng, Purchasing Manager
SUBJECT:Title
Consider Adopting a Resolution Awarding RFP No. 1220-20 to Environmental Science Associates for an Agreement for Development of a State-Required Climate Resiliency Program with an Estimated Value of $345,765, Partially Offset by a $225,000 Grant (Community Development Director Tai).
ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 20-0021
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Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council:
a) Award Request For Proposal (RFP) No. 1220-20 to Environmental Science Associates (ESA); and
b) Authorize an additional contingency amount of $25,000 for other unforeseen services and support as may be required; and
c) Adopt Resolution No. 20-0021 approving an agreement for the development of a Climate Resiliency Program with an estimated value of $345,765.
Body
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
The Climate Resiliency Program is budgeted in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019-2020 General Fund and has sufficient funding available to: 1) complete the scope of work for $345,765 and 2) provide $25,000 of additional contingency for other unforeseen services and support as may be required for a total agreement amount not to exceed $370,765. The total project cost will be partially offset by a $225,000 grant from the California Coast Commission.
BACKGROUND:
The City’s Environmental Work Plan was approved by the City Council at a dedicated Environmental Study Session on January 31, 2018. Under the adopted Environmental Work Plan priorities, adopted Strategic Plan goals, and compliance with state mandates, the City is creating a Climate Resiliency Program (including this Climate Resiliency Project) to conduct an analysis of the City’s vulnerabilities to climate change and sea level rise, and develop a Climate Action and Adaptation Plan. Supported by grant funding from the CCC and consistent with California Coastal Act policies and other state mandates, the City will be more prepared for climate change and associated sea level rise, extreme high tides, frequency of storm events, and coastal erosion through a vulnerability analysis and adaptation plan. The Climate Resiliency Project contract includes completing a sea level rise vulnerability assessment; creating a Climate Action and Adaptation Plan; and updating the City’s Local Coastal Program-Land Use Plan, Local Hazard Mitigation Plan, and General Plan.
City Council adopted Resolution No. 18-0129 on September 4, 2018, authorizing staff to apply for a competitive state Local Coastal Program (LCP) Planning Grant from the CCC, with special emphasis on planning for sea level rise and climate change. The purpose of these grants is to support local governments in developing new or amending existing LCPs to plan for and adapt to the impacts of climate change in a manner fully consistent with the policies of the California Coastal Act. In September 2018, staff submitted the LCP grant application. In late 2018, the CCC awarded the City of Manhattan Beach an LCP Planning Grant for $225,000, the most awarded to any jurisdiction over the past three years. The LCP Planning Grant includes work scope related to, but beyond the original Work Plan goals, such as a cutting-edge Multi-Hazard Confluence Modeling on Stormwater Infrastructure vulnerability and a Groundwater and Sea Level Rise Hazard Analysis.
In May 2019, the Council adopted an updated City of Manhattan Beach Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP) where it was noted in the staff report that, “Per State Senate Bill 379, cities are required to conduct a ‘climate change vulnerability assessment’ (including flood risk), identify measures to address vulnerabilities, and create a comprehensive hazard mitigation and emergency response strategy.” The Climate Resiliency Project will help the City achieve compliance with this state mandate, and staff will update the LHMP and Safety Element of the General Plan to reflect the studies and plans created under the Climate Resiliency Program.
After the City executed the grant contract with the CCC in March 2019, City Council adopted a budget which included a staff proposed adjustment to the scope and budget of the project which increased the City’s contribution by $125,000, to account for additional corresponding to tasks within the Work Plan that were covered by the LCP Planning Grant. Although the total budgeted expenditures increased, the total budgeted project cost will be partially offset by the $225,000 grant from the CCC. The proposed contract included in this staff report comprises the bulk of the City’s larger Climate Resiliency Program.
DISCUSSION:
In September 2019, the City issued an RFP to solicit proposals from qualified professionals with familiarity and experience with coastal resiliency, climate action and adaptation, local coastal planning, and sea level rise adaptation planning to provide project management, scientific analysis, and plans for the City of Manhattan Beach’s Climate Resiliency Project (Project). The project includes the creation of a Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, Sea Level Rise Analyses, and a Local Coastal Program and Land Use Plan (LCP-LUP) Update.
Staff released an RFP for four different roles in the Climate Resiliency Project, giving potential contractors the option to respond to one, some, or all of the roles with the intent to give staff the flexibility to choose the best team for each role. The roles of the RFP included: (1) project management for the City of Manhattan Beach’s Climate Resiliency Project and drafting of Sea Level Rise (SLR) Vulnerability Assessment; (2) Multi-hazard Confluence Modeling on Stormwater Infrastructure Report; (3) development of a Climate Action & Adaptation Plan; and (4) development of LCP- LUP Language. Contractor(s) could propose to fill one or more roles of the project, and were encouraged to form teams to fulfill the different roles.
Staff received three responses from potential contractors, including a comprehensive proposal from Environmental Science Associates (ESA) covering every role and task in the RFP. The other two proposals addressed one role in the project, the development of the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP). A cross-departmental team was assembled to review the proposals. All three proposals were reviewed for multiple criteria (stated in the RFP), including qualitative values and a comparison of costs.
Through a bid comparison of CAAP costs, ESA proposed a budget of $99,796; BuroHappold Engineering proposed a budget of $129,960; and Rincon Consultants, Inc. proposed a cost of $162,150. ESA’s overall proposal came in at $345,765. The RFP presented the option to mix/match firms to create a comprehensive Climate Resiliency Project team; ESA’s competitive bid on the CAAP portion of the Project, plus their experience and ability to complete the entire list of tasks in the RFP, represented a financially and administratively efficient approach that would best serve the City’s needs. After proposal review by a cross-departmental staff team, staff recommends that the City move forward with ESA.
ESA has an extensive record of preparing LCPs, sea level rise adaptation plans, climate action plans, and other scientific studies and projects. ESA’s proposal demonstrated a proven ability to communicate complex technical information to the public, which is a critical component of this project. ESA proposes an integrated team with expertise to effectively address the needs of the project. This team includes Amir AghaKouchak, PhD, P.E. to lead the cutting-edge multi-hazard confluence scientific modeling role in the program. Dr. AghaKouchak helped develop California’s Fourth Climate Change Assessment Report and serves on the California Climate-Safe Infrastructure Working Group. ESA’s proposed Project Manager for the project, Reema Shakra, AICP has over 15 years of professional experience in land use planning and coastal management, including working on similar SLR and LCP projects in other cities such as Del Mar, Oceanside, Santa Barbara, Pacifica, Malibu, Eureka, and SCAG. For these reasons, staff recommends the City enter into a contract for professional services with ESA.
PUBLIC OUTREACH:
After analysis, staff determined that public outreach was not required for this issue.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
The City has reviewed the proposed activity for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and has determined that the activity is not a “Project” as defined under Section 15378 of the State CEQA Guidelines; therefore, pursuant to Section 15060(c)(3) of the State CEQA Guidelines, the activity is not subject to CEQA. Thus, no environmental review of the contract award is necessary. The Climate Resiliency Project itself is subject to CEQA, and environmental review is included in the consultant’s work scope.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney has approved the agreement as to form.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Resolution No. 20-0021
2. Agreement - Environmental Science Associates