Agenda Item Wording:
title
Award Landscape Contract - Authorize the City Manager to award the Landscape & Irrigation Construction contract, to Quality Landscape Construction Inc., in the amount of $672,656.45 for Groundwater Recharge Basin G at the East Side Regional Park.
body
Deadline for Action: 5/20/2024
Submitting Department: Community Development
Contact Name and Phone Number:
Rebecca Keenan, Senior Civil Engineer, Rebecca.Keenan@visalia.city, 713-4541
Lupe Garcia, Acting City Engineer, Lupe.Garcia@visalia.city, 713-4197
Jason Huckleberry, Engineering & Building Department Director,
Jason.Huckleberry@visalia.city, 713-4495
Department Recommendation:
Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to award the construction contract for RFB 23-24-16 to Quality Landscape Construction Inc. (QLC) in the amount of $672,656.45 for the Landscape & Irrigation of Groundwater Recharge Basin G at the East Side Regional Park.
Summary:
On February 26, 2024, the City Purchasing Division issued RFB 23-24-16 to obtain bids for the construction of the landscape & irrigation related to Groundwater Recharge Basin G at the East Side Regional Park (ESRP) Site. On April 11, 2024, the City received and opened five (5) bid packages. Quality Landscape Construction, Inc. submitted the apparent low bid of $672,656.45. This low bid is over the 2023 Architect’s Estimate of $542,631.26 by 24%, however there are sufficient funds in the overall project budget to cover the bid amount. (See the Background Discussion section of this report for a more detailed Bid Analysis.) Staff will return to the City Council upon completion of the project with a final budget summary, and to request any additional allocations that may be required due to the changes during construction. Staff recommends award of the contract to Quality Landscape Construction (QLC) Inc. in the amount of $672,656.45.
Background Discussion:
Several years ago, City leaders began proactively planning a project to develop solutions to the area’s receding groundwater table. One of those projects includes the Eastside Regional Park (ESRP) & Groundwater Recharge Project. The master planned Eastside Regional Park & Groundwater Recharge Project consists of approximately 286 acres, including 40 acres of planned street & infrastructure improvements. The project will include Road 148 (Tower Street) as a new arterial roadway; and improvements to Houston Avenue, Road 152, and E. Mineral King Avenue. The project will also allocate approximately 148 acres for park uses, while the dedicated groundwater recharge elements will encompass approximately 100 acres. The basins are planned to receive allotted water deliveries to help replenish the area’s groundwater. Construction of Basin G is the first step to help manage the area’s local groundwater resource, and it is especially important during these times of unprecedented, continuing drought in the region.
On October 17, 2016, City Council approved Resolution 2016-61 affirming submission of a Proposition 1 Urban Rivers Grant (URG) application for Basin G at the East Side Regional Park to construct a groundwater recharge basin with habitat improvements. The scope of work for the URG grant includes a contoured 20-acre recharge basin, swales along Mineral King Avenue and Road 152, approximately 50,732 square feet of granite trail, native, low water use trees and shrubs, a point source irrigation system, a thick layer of landscape mulch, and two funding acknowledgement signs. The City was awarded a Proposition 1 grant from the State for this project in the amount of $1,568,708. On September 23, 2022.
The following Construction Contract Description explains the items involved with the Quality Landscape Construction Inc. (QLC) contract, including the Construction Bid Solicitation, Bid Cost Analysis, and the recommended Construction Award.
Construction Contract:
A. Construction Bid Solicitation
1) Establishment of Low Bidder:
On February 26, 2024, the City Purchasing Division issued RFB 23-24-16 to obtain bids for the construction of the landscape & irrigation related to Groundwater Recharge Basin G at the East Side Regional Park (ESRP) Site. On April 11, 2024, the City received and opened five (5) bid packages. For this project, Quality Landscape Construction Inc. was determined to be the Low Bidder. The total bid amounts for each bid received are shown below:
Table 1:
|
Establishment of Low Bidder |
|
No. |
Contractor |
Location |
Total Sum Bid |
|
1. |
Quality Landscape Construction Inc. |
Visalia, CA |
$672,656.45 |
|
2. |
Westscapes Inc. |
Hanford, CA |
$695,733.75 |
|
3. |
Truxell & Valentino Landscape Development, Inc. |
Fresno, CA |
$746,175.22 |
|
4. |
WABO Landscape & Construction, Inc. |
Hercules, CA |
$799,998.88 |
|
5. |
Elite Landscape Construction, Inc. |
Clovis, CA |
$849,975.05 |
Staff reviewed the bid submittals and found mathematical inconsistencies in the packages submitted by Quality Landscape, Truxell & Valentino, and Elite Landscape. Since the City’s procurement process stipulates that the unit bid price prevails, the total amounts shown in Table 1 reflect the corrected totals using the given unit bid price. The corrections did not change the placement of the bidder’s ranking. The QLC bid package was reviewed and found to be in compliance with the City’s requirements. Staff also contacted QLC listed references at San Joaquin Valley Homes and Lennar Homes. Both expressed satisfaction with the contractor’s past performance, and highly recommended them. They reported that the contractor did a good job and completed the work on time and within budget. QLC also worked on the City of Visalia’s Goshen Basin Landscape Project, which was recently completed in February of this year. City staff reports that the contractor performed well on that project. Based on the reviews, Quality Landscape Construction Inc. is the Low Bidder for the project.
2) Construction Scope of Work:
Following is additional background & information regarding the Scope of Work that was included in the Construction Bid Solicitation:
The Bid includes construction of landscape & irrigation for the area around the new Basin G, which is situated at the northeast corner of the intersection of E. Mineral King Avenue and Road 152, in the City of Visalia. The work will include installation of a new irrigation system, connection to the water source, irrigation controller, and tree and shrub planting. There will also be mulch and hydroseed installed throughout the area. The work also includes a twelve (12) month maintenance and repair period.
This project is located at the easterly periphery of the City’s boundary. Traffic impacts are expected to be minimal, since most of the construction will occur on the City’s parcel.
B. Bid Cost Analysis
The lowest responsive bid, from Quality Landscape Construction is $672,656.45, which is 24% over the Architect’s Estimate of $542,631.26. The Architect’s Estimate (which was not provided to the bidders during the RFB process) and QLC Bid are shown in the following table:
Table 2:
|
Comparison with Architect’s Estimate |
|
Bid |
Architect’s Estimate |
Quality Landscape Construction Inc. |
|
Bid |
$542,631.26 |
$672,656.45 |
Staff reviewed the submitted unit costs for the individual bid items and found that the largest differences were between the irrigation system, the tree planting & staking, and the hydroseed. The hydroseed was not included in the original L&I scope of work but was in the civil construction portion of the project. That work was moved to the L&I contract because the time of the installation was delayed by last year’s storms, pushing the hydroseed into the warmer months. The hydroseed will now be installed in the Fall of 2024, allowing the seed to germinate prior to the winter freeze. In addition, the original estimate did not include a bid item for a maintenance & establishment period. These additions increased the overall cost of the landscape & irrigation bids.
It should also be noted that originally, the project was planned to have the Community Services Employment Training (CSET) non-profit agency install the landscape & irrigation portion of the project. CSET is the Community Action Agency for Tulare County. Unfortunately, last fall, CSET notified the City that they would not be able to provide the services due to their ongoing commitments. This has impacted the project budget because the L&I portion had to be converted to be installed by a private contractor, resulting in higher prices versus the non-profit costs.
Therefore, based on the review of the bid unit costs, consideration of the addition of the hydroseed, and the impact from the change in participation by CSET, the bids received appear to be appropriate.
Fiscal Impact:
Award of the Landscape & Irrigation to Quality Landscape Construction will not have a fiscal impact at this time. The work is included in the original project budget, and there are sufficient funds available in the CIP (CP0185).
Table 3:
|
BASIN G - PROJECT BUDGET |
|
FUNDING SOURCE |
AMOUNT |
|
Prop 1 Grant Funding |
$ 1,568,708.00 |
|
132 Measure R Trails |
$ 517,937.00 |
|
211 Rec Facilities Park Impact Fund |
$ 2,072,158.00 |
|
224 Groundwater Recharge Fund |
$ 2,913,347.00 |
|
261 Waterways Capital Fund |
$ 54,383.00 |
|
TOTAL |
$ 7,126,533.00 |
Table 4:
|
BASIN G - PROJECT ESTIMATE |
AMOUNT |
|
PRE-CONSTRUCTION COSTS |
$ 90,255.00 |
|
TOTAL DESIGN COSTS |
$ 574,984.00 |
|
CIVIL CONSTRUCTION COSTS |
|
|
CIVIL CONTRACT AMOUNT AT AWARD |
$ 5,150,913.50 |
|
COV Construction Management |
$ 148,083.00 |
|
Civil Construction Management (Vanir) |
$ 147,190.00 |
|
Staff Inspection |
$ 60,000.00 |
|
Geotech Testing |
$ 55,350.00 |
|
Survey Staking |
$ 85,000.00 |
|
Utility Relocations (SCE) |
$ 25,000.00 |
|
Approved to Date Change Orders |
$ (176,778.69) |
|
CIVIL CON CONTINGENCY BALANCE |
$ 232,342.13 |
|
CIVIL CONSTRUCTION TOTAL |
$ 5,727,100.00 |
|
LANDSCAPE CONSTRUCTION COSTS |
|
|
Landscape Construction |
$ 672,656.45 |
|
UTF Construction Management |
$ 11,200.00 |
|
LANDSCAPE CONSTRUCTION CONTINGENCY |
$ 50,338.00 |
|
LANDSCAPE CONSTRUCTION TOTAL |
$ 734,194.45 |
|
TOTAL PROJECT COSTS |
$ 7,126,533.00 |
Prior Council Action:
• March 4, 2024 - Council voted to authorize the filing of a Partial Notice of Completion for RFB 20-21-38, Groundwater Recharge Basin G at the East Side Regional Park (ESRP) site.
• February 20, 2024 - Council voted to approve Change Order No. 8 for and HDPE Bore related to Landscape & Irrigation Improvements, in the amount of $188,228 for the Basin G project at the East Side Regional Park (ESRP) Site.
• February 5, 2024 - Council voted to approve Change Order No. 6 for Well Improvements in the amount of $265,065.00 and appropriate $175,707.00 from Fund 211, for the Basin G at the East Side Regional Park (ESRP) Site Project.
• December 19, 2022 - City Council voted to award the construction contract for RFB 20-21-38 to Emmett’s Excavation, Inc. in the amount of $5,150,913.50; approve Change Order Number One for miscellaneous scope changes in the reduction amount of ($582,069.00); award the construction management services to Vanir Construction Management, Inc. in the amount of $122,190; award the material testing services to Moore Twining Associates, Inc. in the amount of $48,129.50; and appropriate $958,100 from the funds identified within the report, for the Basin G at the East Side Regional Park (ESRP) Site Project.
• May 2, 2022 - City Council received an update of Groundwater Recharge Basins G & F at the East Side Regional Park, and voted to appropriate $3,350,00 for groundwater Basin G (CP0185) from the City funds identified in the staff report; decline and release a 2019 grant offer from the National Park Service (NPS) Land & Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) in the amount of approximately $2.4 million for the construction of Basin F (CP0371); and authorize staff to pursue appropriate grant funding for the construction of groundwater recharge Basin F.
• December 16, 2019 - City Council voted to award RFB 19-20-24 and authorize the City Manager to execute construction agreements related to RFB 19-20-24 for the removal of various orchards to the lowest responsible bidder, HD Matthews Demolition & Excavation, Inc., in the following amounts: 1. $85,000 for Basin G (CP0185); 2. $240,000 for Basin F (CP0371); located in the area surrounded by the future Tower Street, Mineral King, and Road 152.
• September 16, 2019 - City Council voted to appropriate funds for Basin G and F, as identified in that staff report, and to authorize the City Manager to execute an agreement from the Federal Land & Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).
• December 18, 2017 - City Council voted to authorize staff to submit a grant application for a Land and Water Conservation Fund Grant and approved Resolution 2017-83 for the East Side Regional Park Project.
• October 17, 2016 - City Council affirmed submission of a Proposition 1 Urban Rivers Grant application for a first phase project at the East Side Regional Park to construct groundwater recharge basin with habitat improvements for $1,743,420 and appropriate $1,568,708 of grant funding, if awarded, and advance appropriation of $174,712 from 2017/18 project CP0185 “East Side Regional Park Basins” if awarded (Resolution 2016-61 required).
Alternatives:
Reject the Bids and Re-Bid the project. This alternative would delay the start of construction approximately 4 months and the bids could potentially come in higher than the bids received as a part of this RFB 23-24-16.
Recommended Motion (and Alternative Motions if expected):
recommendation
I move to authorize the City Manager to award the construction contract for RFB 23-24-16 to Quality Landscape Construction, Inc. in the amount of $672,656.45 for the Landscape & Irrigation of Basin G at the East Side Regional Park (ESRP) Site Project.
end
CEQA Review:
Initial Study and Notice of Determination (NOD) for a Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) N. 2018-05.
Attachments:
1. Ownership Disclosure Statement
2. Vicinity Map
3. Project Location Map
4. Site Master Plan B1