Agenda Item Wording:
title
Approve Contract Amendment - Authorize the City Manager to approve an increase to the existing agreement with BSK Associates for additional materials testing, special inspection, and construction inspection services associated with the Civic Center Phase 2 project in the amount of $405,595.65.
body
Agenda Date: 11/02/2026
Prepared by:
Mike Porter, Civil Engineer, Mike.porter@visalia.gov, (559) 713-4412
Chris Crawford, City Engineer, Chris.crawford@visalia.gov, (559) 713-4331
Jason Huckleberry, Engineering & Building Director, Jason.huckleberry@visalia.gov, (559) 713-4495
Department Recommendation:
Staff recommends that Council authorize the City Manager to approve an increase to the existing agreement with BSK Associates in the amount of $405,595.65 for materials testing, special inspection, and construction inspection services required for the continued construction of phase 2 of the civic center project. The additional services are necessary to provide the required quality assurance and verification of construction materials and workmanship and to maintain compliance with the project's plans, specifications, applicable building codes, and contract requirements.
Summary:
The construction phase of the project is on-going and scheduled to be completed in early summer of 2027. The quantity and frequency of required testing and inspection services has exceeded the original level anticipated when the consultant agreement was established, resulting in this request for additional funding.
The change in scope and frequency of testing required is attributable to multiple factors, including, but not limited to, the following: complex and disassociated concrete placements and testing, extensive structural steel and welding inspection requirements, soil and compaction testing beyond normally anticipated levels, extensive utility infrastructure installation requirements, complex construction sequencing, special inspections required during construction, additional inspection days resulting from the contractor's specific scheduling requirements, and other unforeseen construction conditions.
These services are continuing and necessary to ensure that construction is performed in accordance with the approved plans and specifications and that required testing and inspection documentation is completed prior to project closeout.
The BSK additional change order request was reviewed and approved by the city change order committee at their regular meeting held on Wednesday, October 7th.
Background Discussion:
Complex building projects require significant materials testing and inspection services to be performed throughout the duration of construction. There are generally two options for procuring these services: 1. The contractor selects the testing lab and secures those services as a subcontract to their agreement with the city, or 2. The city selects a third-party testing lab to provide these services. For phase 2 of the Civic Center project, the city opted to select the materials testing lab from our list of pre-approved consultants. Had the city opted to allow the contractor to procure the services directly, that cost would have been included within the construction bid amount, and the contractor would have passed that cost along to the city including contractor mark-up, which could have potentially cost the city more. While the testing lab is contracted directly with the city, it is up to the contractor to request the testing services as needed to maintain their construction sequencing and overall project schedule. The city does not control the contractor’s “means and methods” of construction.
Phase 2 of the civic center project continues to require significant material testing and inspection services, including specialty construction inspections. At the time the BSK contract was awarded, the exact scope of the testing and inspections, schedule, type, frequency and extent of the required services was based only on estimates from the construction manager and staff. Because the precise scope of the testing requirements was not known at that time, the city opted to enter into a “time and materials” agreement with BSK, using the estimated contract amount as the basis for the original purchase agreement. It was anticipated at the time that the contract was awarded that a contract amendment may be required in the future, as the project progressed and the testing schedule and scope of special inspections were better defined. Several proposals were solicited for the testing and inspection services, and the amount of the BSK proposal was consistent with the other fee proposals. The BSK original proposal amount was $437,933.60; the average proposal amount was $409,531.00 (see attached BSK Proposal).
Several conditions have contributed to the frequency and complexity of testing and inspections, the most significant factor being that the contractor’s schedule and means and methods dictates the testing and inspection frequency and needs for the project. To maintain the accelerated project schedule and keep construction activities moving across the entire site and in multiple buildings, the contractor needed more frequent and smaller batch concrete sampling and testing, less continuous and more segregated soil and earthwork testing and specialty testing across several different construction areas and trades. Site work is typically completed in larger areas allowing for more efficient testing of earthwork and utility installation, however in the case of the civic center the contractor was calling for more frequent testing on smaller areas. While the construction methods chosen by the contractor account for the majority of this change order to material testing and inspections, it should be noted that staff believes the quick pace and more efficient building methods have resulted in an overall lower cost of construction for the project and ensure the project to be built on time or potentially delivered early.
In addition to the selected method of construction, additional earthwork, geotechnical investigation and inspection were required to facilitate an emergency sinkhole repair that occurred at the intersection of Burke and School (see attachments, BSK Approved Change Order 1, and BSK Change Order Request).
The total project cost estimate for testing & inspection services at the time of the BSK award (see attached staff report dated 6/2/25) was $1.6M. The industry standard fee for similar testing and inspection work for building projects can range from 1% to 4% based on the complexity of the project. These estimates have been backed by staff research and have been further validated through the City’s construction management firm Griffin Structures, as well as the City’s change order committee. The total construction cost for phase 2 of the civic center project is $73M. Accordingly, the materials testing and inspection service fees were expected to be between $730,000 and $2.9M.
Original BSK Proposal/PO amount $437,933.60
Krazan Proposal $408,140.00
Moore Twining Proposal $440,263.40
Kleinfelder Proposal $351,788.00
Seals original PO amount $72,780,000.00
Proposal Cost Average = $409,531
The City entered into an agreement with BSK Associates to provide materials testing, sampling and special inspection services as part of the City's construction management and quality assurance program (see attached, Approved Staff Report_6-2-25). The consultant's services include:
• Concrete testing and inspection;
• Reinforcing steel inspection;
• Structural steel inspection;
• Soil and aggregate testing;
• Asphalt and paving materials testing;
• Welding inspections and testing;
• Masonry inspection and testing;
• Grouting inspection;
• Compaction testing;
• Special inspections required by the California Building Code;
• Fireproofing materials inspections;
• Observation and documentation of required testing and inspections; and
• Documentation of testing and inspection reports.
Fiscal impact including annual maintenance and operating costs:
Proposed new testing and inspection costs with approved contract amendment (see attached BSK Cost Breakdown).
Existing P.O. amount $437,933.60
Requested contract amendment amount $405,595.35
Total adjusted fee total $843,561.95
Total % of construction cost after fee adjustment +/- 1.1%
The current total amount budgeted for testing and inspection costs is $1M. this was adjusted from the original budget amount of $1.6M. Even with the adjusted fee total of $843,561.95, the testing and inspection cost is less than the budgeted amount.
|
Civic Center Phase 2 (CIP 3720-72000/CP0374-999) |
|
|
Budget Summary: |
|
|
Fund 003 - Civic Center Reserve Total Budget |
$ 99,341,300.00 |
|
Land Purchase (gov Buildings only) |
$ 3,391,300.00 |
|
Darden A/E contract amount (actual) |
$ 4,754,921.72 |
|
Griffin CM contract amount (actual) |
$ 1,520,000.00 |
|
City of Visalia Permits and Plan Checking Fees |
$ 1,142,000.00 |
|
Staff Project Management + misc. expenses (est.) |
$ 650,000.00 |
|
Revised Testing & Inspections (est.) |
$ 1,000,000.00 |
|
Bedrock - surveying services |
$ 50,000.00 |
|
Specialty Storage Equipment |
$ 800,588.09 |
|
EV Charging Equipment |
$ 153,178.01 |
|
Remaining FF&E (est.) |
$ 4,119,411.91 |
|
A/V & Technology (est.) |
$ 2,880,000.00 |
|
Cal Water Payment Request |
$ 304,499.00 |
|
Remaining Utilities (est.) |
$ 445,501.00 |
|
Construction contract amount |
$ 72,780,000.00 |
|
Construction contingency (5%) |
$ 3,639,000.00 |
|
Total Estimate (current) |
$ 97,585,046.73 |
|
Remaining CIP Budget |
$ 1,710,900.27 |
Prior Council Action:
June 2, 2026 - Civic Center Phase 2 Materials Testing Lab Contract Award. Authorized the City Manager to issue a purchase order through the on-call materials testing contract to BSK Associates to provide inspection and materials testing services for the Civic Center Phase 2 project in the amount of $437,933.60.
Alternatives:
None
Recommended Motion (and alternative motions if expected):
recommendation
I move to authorize the City Manager to approve an increase to the existing agreement with BSK Associates in the amount of $405,595.65 for materials testing, special inspection, and construction inspection services required for the continued construction of phase 2 of the civic center project.
Environmental Assessment Status: Program Environmental Impact Report SCH No. 2010041078
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Review: Initial Study No. 2024-444
Deadline for Action: 11/02/2026
Attachments:
1. BSK Approved Change order 1
2. BSK Change Order Request
3. Approved Staff Report
4. BSK Proposal
5. BSK Cost Breakdown
6. BSK Ownership Disclosures
Strategic Goal: Indicates which City Strategic Goal(s) this item supports. Select all that apply.
|
□  Economic Vitality |
□  Organizational Excellence |
□  Fiscal Strength |
■  Infrastructure & Growth |
□  Quality of Life |