Page 1 of 2         Calleguas MWD Engineering & Construction Committee Agenda        March 15, 2016 

CALLEGUAS MUNICIPAL WATER DISTRICT ENGINEERING & CONSTRUCTION COMMITTEE 

www.calleguas.com  

March 15, 2016  

NOTICE AND CALL OF A MEETING OF  THE CALLEGUAS ENGINEERING & CONSTRUCTION COMMITTEE 

 An Engineering & Construction Committee Meeting of Calleguas Municipal Water District is hereby called and notice of said meeting is hereby given for 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 15, 2016 at Calleguas Municipal Water District, 2100 Olsen Road, Thousand Oaks, California.  The Calleguas Municipal Water District’s Engineering & Construction Committee meeting is noticed as a meeting of the Board of Directors for the purpose of compliance with the Brown Act.  Members of the Board who are not assigned to the Engineering & Construction Committee may attend only as observers and cannot participate as members of the Board, whether or not a quorum of the Board is present.  In order to preserve the function of the committee as advisory to the Board, members of the Board who are not assigned to the Engineering & Construction Committee will not vote on matters before the Engineering & Construction Committee. 

 A G E N D A 

 A.  CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL    Steve Blois, Chair   Andres Santamaria, Committee Member  B.  PUBLIC COMMENTS  

Opportunity for members of the public to address the committee on matters within the committee’s jurisdiction (as required by Government Code Section 54954.3(a)).  Please limit comments to three minutes. 

     C.  COMMITTEE ITEMS  

1. Discussion regarding potential approaches for small construction projects  

2. Discussion regarding Engineering Department consultant procurement practices  

3. Discussion regarding potential pump station sites for the Las Virgenes MWD/Calleguas MWD Interconnection 

   D.  OTHER COMMITTEE ITEMS  

 Page 2 of 2         Calleguas MWD Engineering & Construction Committee Agenda        March 15, 2016 

E.  FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS    F.  ADJOURNMENT  

NOTE:  At the discretion of the committee, all items appearing on this agenda, whether or not expressly listed for action, may be deliberated and may be subject to action by the committee.  This committee reviews items and makes a recommendation for final action to the full Board of Directors.  Final action will be taken by the Board of Directors.  Agendas for the meeting of the Board of Directors may be obtained from the Clerk of the Board.  This committee will not take any action that is binding on the Board, even when a quorum of the Board is present.  Writings relating to open session agenda items distributed to Directors less than 72 hours prior to a meeting are available for public inspection at Calleguas’ Administrative Office Building.  Requests for a disability related modification or accommodation, including auxiliary aids or services, in order to attend or participate in a meeting should be made to the Clerk of the Board in advance of the meeting to ensure availability of the requested service or accommodation.   

Potential Approaches for Small Construction

Projects Engineering & Construction Committee Meeting

March 15, 2016

Default Public Contract Code Requirements

Projects < $35,000 No bidding requirement

Projects ≥$35,000 Formal competitive bidding process required

(These are different if an agency complies with certain procedures, which will be covered later.)

Calleguas Procurement Policy Projects < $2,499 No bidding requirement

Projects ≥ $2,500 and < $35,000 Requires an informal solicitation process with at least two

competitive price quotations or documentation that at least two have been solicited or written justification approved by the Manager of Finance as to why quotations should not be solicited

Projects ≥ $35,000 Formal competitive bidding process required in accordance with

the Public Contract Code

The Challenge $35,000 doesn’t buy much in public works construction and

its buying power has decreased substantially since the limit was established over two decades ago. Small construction projects are not attractive to potential

contractors, particularly when contractors are busy and if they have to competitively bid them. Developing bid packages for individual small projects

requires a disproportionate amount of staff time and often no bids are received or a single bid is received (after much begging and pleading).

Recent Example Projects <$35,000

Camarillo Hills Drain Improvements – Manholes adjusted due to the City’s project. Valve Replacements at Cochran and Yosemite – Replacement

of two AVARV isolation valves on CCNB. Valve Replacements at Donkey Hill – Replacement of four

existing valves. AVARV Relocation due to Donlon Rd Realignment – Relocation

of an existing AVARV. Adjust SMP facilities due to Hueneme Rd Widening –

Adjustment of various appurtenances and surface features. LPF Unit 1 and Unit 3 AVARV Relocations – Relocate two

AVARVs due to Los Angeles Ave Widening. Administration Building Modifications – Divide conference room

into two offices. Hidden Valley Recycled Water Meter – Construct recycled water

meter and connection and subsequently upsize.

Emergency Projects <$35,000 Where Alternative Approaches Could Have

Been More Efficient Lake Sherwood Recycled Water Repair – Repair of small

leak. North Ranch Recycled Water Repair – Repair of small leak.

Potential Alternative Approaches1. Modify Procurement Policy2. Adopt Uniform Construction Cost Accounting Procedures 3. Competitively Bid As-Needed Pipeline Services Contract

Note: Approaches are not mutually exclusive.

Modify Procurement Policy The Board could increase the amount for which no

bidding is required from $2,499 to $34,999 for construction services only.Engineering and O&M staff would work with a qualified

contractor to negotiate a fixed price or perform the work on a time and materials (T&M) basis. This would be more efficient and cost effective than the

current practice.

Uniform Construction Cost Accounting Procedures

The Board could adopt a resolution agreeing to adopt certain accounting practices and be subject to audit by a state commission. Projects ≤$45,000 No bidding requirement

Projects >$45,001 and < $175,000 Informal bidding required

Projects ≥ $175,000 Formal competitive bidding process required in accordance with

the Public Contract Code

Uniform Construction Cost Accounting Procedures

The increase in legal limit for negotiated or T&M contracts would increase from $35,000 to $45,000 and could be helpful (if the Procurement Policy were adjusted accordingly). The allowance for informal, staff-level bidding of projects

>$45,001 and <$175,000 saves little labor because Calleguas’ informal bidding requirements are not much simpler than formal bidding requirements. Finance, Engineering, and O&M Departments must track

costs in a manner more labor intensive than currently in place and be subject to audits by a state commission. The minor improvement in the efficiency of hiring contractors

would be more than offset by the additional accounting requirements.

Competitively Bid As-Needed Pipeline Services Contract

The Board could call for bids on a small contract that would cover various pipeline construction services on an as-needed basis, including appurtenance modification and relocation, valve replacement, adjustment of utility structures to grade, and other minor pipeline protection, repair, and construction work. Services would be billed as T&M tasks using unit prices bid

for hours and equipment. Based on the level of activity in the past few years, staff

estimates that approximately $100,000 per year of work could be performed under this type of contract in the future.

Recommendations Modify procurement policy to remove the bidding requirement

for construction services projects under $35,000. Competitively bid as-needed pipeline services contract. Re-evaluate in 12-18 months.

Discussion

Engineering Department Consultant Procurement

Practices

Engineering & Construction CommitteeMarch 15, 2016

Engineering Department Consultant Procurement

Practices

Engineering & Construction CommitteeMarch 15, 2016

Legal Background• Government Code Section 4525: “Notwithstanding any

other provision of law, selection by a state or local agency head for professional services of private architectural, landscape architectural, engineering, environmental, land surveying, or construction project management firms shall be on the basis of demonstrated competence and on the professional qualifications necessary for the satisfactory performance of the services required.”

Calleguas Procurement Policy• Professional services contracts shall be awarded to

consultants demonstrating expertise and experience in the type of work to be performed and a proven history of high quality work.

• The following criteria shall be used to qualify candidates for consultants and professional services:1) Specialized experience and technical competence of the

proposer and its personnel considering the type of services required and the complexity of the project.

2) The consultant's familiarity with types of problems applicable to the project.

3) Past record of performance on projects with the District, other governmental agencies or public bodies and with private industry, including such factors as control of costs, quality of work and ability to meet schedules.

Calleguas Procurement Policy

4) The consultant's capacity to perform the work (including any specialized services) within the time limitations and with proposed staff, considering the firm's current and planned workload.

5) The consultant's level of financial responsibility. 6) Fee proposal for the proposed services. 7) Other key factors as appropriate for the type of service.

Calleguas Procurement Policy

Types of Consulting Services• Preliminary design, design, and design-related

construction support• Construction support services• System integration services• IT Services• Studies

Preliminary Design, Design, and Design-Related Construction Support

• To minimize risk and finger pointing, design consultant should be consistent throughout the project.

• Consultants are typically selected via an informal, qualifications-based selection process, although RFPs are occasionally issued.

• Cost and scope are negotiated appropriately with the selected consultant (reviewed by several staff members and typically involves two or more iterations).

• New consultants are tested out on a small, less time critical project before being awarded larger, more complicated work.

• Currently, there are five different engineering consulting firms performing these types of services for Calleguas.

Construction Support Services

• Specialized inspection and other construction support services for:• Trenchless• Permitting• Materials testing• Factory and welding inspection

Construction Support Services

• Periodically (every ~3 years), an RFQ is issued for these services.

• Qualifications packages were due today for the most recent solicitation.

• Those packages will be evaluated and a decision rendered in the next few weeks.

System Integration Services• System integration services bring together the component

control and instrumentation subsystems for a project and integrate them into Calleguas’ existing systems for operation.

• To minimize the risk of problems during construction and to facilitate seamless coordination with existing control systems, Calleguas has found that it is most effective and efficient to contract directly for these services, rather than having the contractor hire a subcontractor to do so.

System Integration Services• Typical services include:

• Programming the programmable logic controllers (PLC)• Developing the human-machine interface (HMI)• Integrating new and modified facilities into Calleguas’

Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system• Designing and constructing control panels• Performing all necessary factory and field testing• Providing operator training

System Integration Services• Consultant must have expertise in the software and

programming languages used by Calleguas (Modicon PLCs and Wonderware).

• The programming and components of the SCADA system and communications interface are extremely complex and the learning curve for another consultant is very steep, if not insurmountable.

• It is preferable to use the same consultant consistently so that they can become familiar with Calleguas’ system, practices, and preferences.

• If different consultants are used for different projects, there is the risk of finger-pointing when problems are encountered and it is difficult to call for warranty repairs if responsibility is unclear.

IT Services• Engineering utilizes IT services only when implementing a

capital project requested by another department (e.g., Networking Center upgrades).

• The IT consultant is typically selected by Resources and O&M.• It is preferable to use the same consultant consistently so that

they can become familiar with Calleguas’ system, practices, and preferences.

• In particular, work that involves activities that could disrupt existing network operations are extremely critical and need to be performed by a consultant with the appropriate experience and expertise.

• IT services have a continuous maintenance component and if multiple consultants are used, there is the risk of finger-pointing or voiding the maintenance contract when problems are encountered.

Studies• Recent studies have included Master Plan and various

LPUG-related water supply studies.• Anticipated upcoming work includes Alternative Water

Supply Study.• Typically an RFP is issued to solicit potential consultants.

Summary• Staff feels that the current approach serves the District

well by balancing quality, cost, and efficiency and:• Ensuring that qualified consultants are hired at a reasonable

cost.• Providing competitive opportunities when appropriate.• Utilizing staff resources efficiently.

Discussion

Potential Calleguas‐Las VirgenesInterconnection

Engineering & Construction Committee MeetingMarch 15, 2016

VENTURA COUNTY

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

24” diameter

Calleguas Pipeline

Las Virgenes Pipeline

Interconnection

Westlake Reservoir 5 million gallons

LV Water Treatment Plant

Approximate Location of Pump Station  (LV to Calleguas)Pressure Reducing Station (Calleguas to LV)

Potential Interconnection between Calleguas MWD and 

Las Virgenes MWD

LV Westlake  Reservoir 9,500 acre‐feet

Siting considerations include (but are not limited to):o Proximity to existing Calleguas and LVMWD facilitieso Distance from Residences and Schoolso Easement Encumbrances and Existing Utilitieso Sufficient Space for Facilityo Constructabilityo Geological Characteristics and Hazards

Pump Station Siting Considerations

Potential Pump Station Sites Under Consideration

Site 1:o Geological issues, including 

potential for liquefaction, slope instability, settlement, and potential for flooding due to proximity to creek

o Extensive constructability requirements, including need for retaining walls

Potential Pump Station Sites Under Consideration

Site 2:o Sufficient space availableo Geological issues, including 

potential for liquefaction, slope instability, settlement, and potential for flooding due to proximity to creek

o Facility can be screened for aesthetics

Potential Pump Station Sites Under Consideration

Site 3:o Relatively flat terrain and 

significant open area available 

o Shallow bedrock o Significant community 

concerns, particularly relative to aesthetics

Potential Pump Station Sites Under Consideration

Site 4:o Geological issues, including 

potential for liquefaction, slope instability, settlement, and potential for flooding due to proximity to creek

o Narrow site may not be able to accommodate the facility

Potential Pump Station Sites Under Consideration

Initially Site 3 appeared the most promising and the Board approved an initial geotechnical investigation to determine feasibility.

Subsequent interaction with City of Westlake Village indicates that aesthetic concerns are significant and will drive upproject cost significantly (if approvalcan be obtained at all).

Preliminary Preferred Pump Station Site

While Site 2 has some geologic risks, they are largely mitigable.

Aesthetics, while important,can be more easily addressed through landscape and topographicscreening at Site 2 thanSite 3.

Preliminary Preferred Pump Station Site

Evaluation Criteria (scored 1‐3, with 1 being best):o Distance from Residences /Schoolso Easement Encumbranceso Sufficient Space for Preliminarily Sized Facilityo Constructability Requirementso Geological Characteristics

Potential Pump Station Siting Evaluation

SiteDistance from Residences

/Schools

Easement Encumbrances

Sufficient Space for

Preliminarily Sized Facility

Constructability Requirements

Geological Characteristics Total

#1 3 2 3 3 3 14

#2 2 1 2 1 2 8

#3 2 3 1 3 1 10

#4 2 3 2 3 2 12

Potential Pump Station Siting Evaluation

Site would house both LVMWD’s pressure reducing station and Calleguas’ pump station.

Hydraulic analysis is in progress to determine size and number of pumps.

Pumps would be located inside a building. Paved access road would need to be provided to the site and facilities.

Preliminary Pump Station Concept

Preliminary Pump Station Concept

Initiate preliminary discussions with underlying landowner (Rancho Simi Recreation & Park District).

Continue preliminary design to sufficiently define the project.

Prepare CEQA documentation. If LVMWD and Calleguas choose to move forward with the project, finalize preliminary design and begin right‐of‐way acquisition.

Proposed Next Steps