TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Steven Lederer, Director of Public Works
REPORT BY: Liang Chin Su, Assistant Engineer
SUBJECT: Award of Construction Contract for the South Campus Buildings A&B Window Maintenance Project, PW 21-37 and Budget Amendment
RECOMMENDATION
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Award a Construction Contract to Bridges Construction of Kelseyville, California in the amount of $509,760 for the South Campus Buildings A and B Window Maintenance Project, PW 21-37, and approve a Budget Amendment. (Fiscal Impact: $713,664 Expense; Capital Improvement Projects Fund; Not Budgeted; Discretionary)
[4/5 vote required]
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BACKGROUND
On December 14, 2021, the Board of Supervisors approved the creation of Project 22008 and approved a Professional Services Agreement (PSA) with YEI Engineers to assess the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system for necessary upgrades for buildings A and B at South Campus. Since then, YEI Engineers has completed the investigation and provided the technical memorandum to the Public Works staff. The HVAC equipment has exceeded its useful life and is unable to meet the cooling demands during the intense summer heat. The assessment also revealed that not only do the air conditioning units need to be replaced but upsized as well.
During the HVAC assessment, staff also identified several building maintenances needs which include a roof replacement for Building A and new paint and window sealant for Buildings A & B to address energy saving needs and leakage issues. On July 18, 2023, the Board of Supervisors approved a budget amendment of $250,000 to utilize the on-call contract with Nacht & Lewis Architects, Inc. (N&L), who were selected through a Request for Qualifications, to investigate the building exteriors and provide design recommendations with cost estimates and construction timeline to properly maintain South Campus Building A and B. N&L has completed the pre-design assessment and estimated the construction cost of the entire project to be $13 million ($6 million for HVAC, $5 million for Building A roof, paint, and window sealant, and $2 million for Building B paint and window sealant). The total project cost is estimated to be $16 million including soft costs.
Staff also conducted a benefit and cost analysis to replace existing windows on Building A to assist with the cooling needs and reduce the tonnage required from the new HVAC units. The cost of replacing all the existing single pane windows is approximately $4 million. Replacing the windows would allow a reduction in HVAC tonnages by 12 tons per unit, which would reduce the cost of HVAC units by $300,000. Property Management reported most maintenance calls are regarding leaks from the windows. As a result, staff recommends to only replace the window sealant in order to address the maintenance needs.
On March 26, 2024, the Board approved and signed a PSA for a maximum of $418,320 with N&L to prepare construction documents. Due to a lack of identified funding for the whole project, the project has been split in two, with the window sealing portion planned for in the fall of 2024 and the remaining portion in spring of 2025 (roof replacement, HVAC upgrades, and painting) if funds can be identified. If we are unable to accomplish the second phase of the project, it will inevitably lead to a situation similar to what currently exists at 1127 1st St.
On August 6, 2024, the Board approved the Plans and Specifications for the window maintenance phase and authorized to advertise for sealed bids and opening of the bids pursuant to Section 20150.8 of the Public Contract Code. Bids were opened on August 29, 2024 (see attached table of bid results). Staff recommends awarding the contract to the lowest responsive bidder, Bridges Construction of Kelseyville, California for their base bid of $509,760. The base bid is lower than the engineer’s estimate which is $620,000. The total project cost, including construction, construction management and contingency, is estimated at $912,638.
Bridges Construction is not a local vendor however, the Public Contract Code requires that the construction contract be awarded to the lowest responsible and responsive bidder regardless of whether the low bidder is local or not. Staff reached out to the local construction contractor community by advertising the request for bids in the Napa Valley Register and the Solano-Napa Builder's Exchange, and by posting on the County website. Staff also sent "Notices to Contractors" to the local construction community.
Requested Actions:
1. Award of the construction contract for the “South Campus Buildings A&B Window Maintenance Project”, PW 21-37 to Bridges Construction of Kelseyville, California for their low base bid of $509,760 and authorization for the Chair to sign the construction contract; and
2. Approve a Budget Amendment for the following (4/5 vote required):
a. Increase Intrafund Transfers Out appropriations by $713,664 in the Capital Improvement Projects Fund (Fund 3000, Sub-Division 3000000, Account 57900) offset by use of its available fund balance to transfer to Project 22008; and
b. Increase Construction Services appropriations by $713,664 in Project 22008 budget (Fund 3000, Subdivision 3000504, Project 22008, Account 52360) offset by a transfer-in revenue from Capital Improvement Projects.
FISCAL & STRATEGIC PLAN IMPACT
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Is there a Fiscal Impact? |
Yes |
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Is it currently budgeted? |
No |
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Is it Mandatory or Discretionary? |
Discretionary |
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Discretionary Justification: |
Approval is needed to bring the project to construction |
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Is the general fund affected? |
Yes |
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Future fiscal impact: |
Construction will finish in FY 2024-25. Staff will return later and request funding to complete phase two of the project (HVAC, Roof, Paint) |
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Consequences if not approved: |
The windows will continue to leak during rainy season causing damage to the building. |
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: It has been determined that this type of project does not have a significant effect on the environment and is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act. [See Class 1 (“Existing Facilities”) which may be found in the guidelines for the implementation of the California Environmental Quality Act at 14 CCR §15301; see also Napa County’s Local Procedures for Implementing the California Environmental Quality Act, Appendix B.]