REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL FROM: BROCK D. BUCHE, PE, PLS, Director Department of Public Utilities BY: CASSIE L. SCHOLZ, PE, Licensed Engineer Manager Department of Public Utilities - Utilities Planning & Engineering SARAH AGUILA, Project Manager Department of Public Utilities - Utilities Planning & Engineering SUBJECT ..Title Actions pertaining to the 2-Water Booster Pump Station Redundancy Improvements at the Fresno-Clovis Regional Wastewater Reclamation Facility (Bid File 12500873) (Council District 3): 1. Adopt a finding of Categorical Exemption pursuant to Section 15301/Class 1 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines; 2. Award a construction contract to Alliance Construction Solutions, Inc., of Madera, California, in the amount of $1,125,500.00. ..Body RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends the City Council adopt a finding of Categorical Exemption pursuant to Section 15301/Class 1 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines; award a construction contract to Alliance Construction Solutions, Inc., as the lowest responsive and responsible bidder in the amount of $1,125,500.00 for the 2-Water Booster Pump Station Redundancy Improvements at the Fresno-Clovis Regional Wastewater Reclamation Facility (Project); and authorize the Director of Public Utilities, or designee, to sign and execute all documents on behalf of the City of Fresno (City). EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Fresno-Clovis Regional Wastewater Reclamation Facility (RWRF) relies on untreated non-potable water (2-water) production and conveyance for the functionality of critical equipment. The 2-Water Booster Pump Station Redundancy Improvements (Project) will provide redundancy to protect critical assets at the RWRF and allow staff to perform routine service and maintenance of the pump station components. The Department of Public Utilities, Wastewater Management Division (WMD), is seeking to award the Project to Alliance Construction Solutions, Inc., in the amount of $1,125,500.00. The bid will expire on February 19, 2025. BACKGROUND The 2-Water Booster Pump Station is a critical system that provides flush water for the process mechanical pumps, cooling water for the raw sewage pumps, water to the heat exchangers for heating and cooling processes, and cleaning water for routine maintenance and operations. When the 2-water booster pumps fail, all the critical process mechanical pumps immediately fail due to lack of flush water. The Project includes installation of a second storage tank, and the addition and reconfiguration of valves and piping to allow for isolation of the system elements. These improvements will provide redundancy to protect critical assets at the RWRF and allow staff to perform more regular routine service and maintenance of the pump station components, thereby extending their useful life. A Notice Inviting Bids was published on November 20, 2024, and posted on the City's Planet Bids website. The plans and specifications were distributed to fifty-four prospective bidders and posted at nine Building Exchanges. Six sealed bid proposals were received and publicly opened on December 17, 2024. The bid proposals ranged from $1,125,500.00 to $1,430,400.00. Alliance Construction Solutions, Inc., was determined to be the lowest responsive and responsible bidder, with the bid amount of $1,125,500.00. The bid will expire within 64 days of bid opening, on February 19, 2025. Staff recommends that the City Council award a construction contract to Alliance Construction Solutions, Inc., in the amount of $1,125,500.00, as the lowest responsive and responsible bidder. Their bid price is 14.8 percent above the Engineer's Estimate of $980,000.00. Upon review of the submitted bid proposals, the storage tank and pipe material costs were higher than what was estimated, which led to the overage. The increase in these material costs was consistent across the six responsive bid proposals received. The City Attorney's Office has reviewed and approved the attached Sample Contract as to form. ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS Staff has performed an environmental assessment of this Project and determined it falls within the Categorical Exemption set forth in Section 15301/Class 1 (Existing Facilities). Class 1 consists of the operation, repair, maintenance, permitting, leasing, licensing, or minor alteration of existing public or private structures, facilities, mechanical equipment, or topographical features, involving negligible or no expansion of existing or former use. The proposed project is consistent with the Class 1 exemption. This Project includes the installation of a redundant system. The Project is necessary to allow staff to perform more regular routine service and maintenance of the 2-Water Booster Pump Station components, as is consistent with a Section 15301/Class 1 exemption. The proposed installation will not result in any expansion of the existing use of the 2-Water system. The redundant tank is intended to be utilized when the current tank is taken offline for maintenance. Furthermore, the staff has determined that none of the exceptions to Categorical Exemptions set forth in the CEQA Guidelines, Section 15300.2, apply to this Project. LOCAL PREFERENCE Local preference was not implemented according to the Fresno Municipal Code Section 4-108, because neither the apparent lowest responsive and responsible bidder nor the second lowest responsive and responsible bidder is a local business. FISCAL IMPACT There is no impact to the General Fund. Funding for the Project is included within the Wastewater Management Division's Sewer Enterprise Fund. The Project is located in Council District 3. Attachments: Notice of Exemption Environmental Assessment Bid Evaluation and Fiscal Impact Statement Sample Contract Vicinity Map