08-20-10 BPU RPT 11 - Laserfiche WebLink

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RIVERSIDE PUBLIC UTILITIES Electric Coxnri tree Memorandum P U 8 L I C U T I L I T I E S BOARD OF PUBLIC UTILITIES DATE: August 20, 2010 ITEM NO: 11 SUBJECT. APPROVAL OF CONSULTANT PANEL FOR ENERGY DELIVERY ENGINEERING SERVICES ISSUE: Board of Public Utilities approval is requested to establish a professional consultants'panel for Public Utilities' energy delivery projects. RECOMMENDATIONS: The Electric Committee recommends that the Board of Public Utilities: 1. Approve the Consultant Panel Agreement for Professional Services for various Public Utilities Capital projects with a compensation limit of$2,000,000 per consultant for the three year contract period; and 2. Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to execute the Master Agreements with each listed consultant firm, in substantially the same form as attached to this report. BACKGROUND: In April 2003, Riverside Public Utilities (RPU) began extensively using a professional services panel of consultants, referred to herein as the Consultant Panel, to provide engineering services for energy delivery projects. Public Utilities has had excellent success with the Consultant Panel and the need for these services continues. The Consultant Panel provides a ready list of staff and expertise to draw upon for projects that require professional services. When outside services are needed,engineering staff requests proposals from the consultants that are qualified to provide the services needed. Staff awards work based on proposal submitted and evaluates the consultant's scope of work understanding, assigned personnel and their expertise and current work load, and costs to perform the work. A supplemental agreement is then developed and executed by the City Manager,or his designee, having the authority to approve supplemental agreements. The term of these agreements will expire April 2011. However,for upcoming projects included in the adopted Capital Improvement Program (CIP), there is a need for expanded services not covered under the existing Consultant Panel Agreements. These expanded services include but are not limited to. architectural engineering for facility expansions and landscape designs; mechanical engineering requirements for the generation power plants; Homeland Security and North American Reliability Corporation(NERC)certification; Smart Grid activities; integrated communication and system security expertise;and project management and oversight for projects requiring specialized expertise. On April 22, 2010, staff issued a Request for Proposals (RFP's) to consulting firms pursuant to the City's Purchasing Division's requirements to retain consulting firms who can meet the needs of the Department and assist in the implementation of the CIP. Staff received proposals from twenty consulting firms of which nineteen were qualified to participate on the Consultant Panel (see Attachment 1).