TITLE
Recommendation to authorize City Manager to execute individual contracts with the following environmental consultants for on-call review services: Bon Terra Consulting, EIP Associates, ESA Community Development, LSA Associates, Inc., PCR Services Corp., RBF Consulting, Rincon Consultants, Inc., and Sapphos Environmental, within the City of Long Beach for a three-year period. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
In 2003, the City of Long Beach established an "on-call" list of environmental consultants to be utilized for as-needed environmental review services. Each consultant received a twoyear contract not to exceed $500,000. During the past two years, consultants on the list have conducted environmental work as requested for private developments in the City, as well as for the following City departments: Community Development, Public Works and Water.
Environmental review services consist primarily of the preparation of analysis documents, such as Environmental Impact Reports (EIRs) or Mitigated Negative Declarations (MNDs), as required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), or Environmental Assessments (EAs) or Environmental Impact Statements (EISs), as required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). In addition, a consultant might be called upon to do Mitigation Monitoring, conduct a peer review of an environmental document prepared for a proposed project in Long Beach, or be asked to review and prepare written comments on an EIR the City of Long Beach has received for a proposed project in an adjacent jurisdiction.
Because the two-year contracts will be expiring soon, City staff has taken steps to establish a new consultant list. A Request for Proposals (RFP) process resulted in responding firms being interviewed by representatives from the Planning and Building and Community Development Departments. Based upon the consultant interviews, the following firms are recommended for contracts with the City of Long Beach for the provision of environmental review services:
Bon Terra Consulting
EIP Associates
ESA Community Development
LSA Associates, Inc.
PCR Services Corp.
RBF Consulting Rincon Consultants, Inc.
Sapphos Environmental
Three-year contracts not to exceed $750,000 each are recommended for Bon Terra Consulting, LSA Associates, Inc., PCR Services Corp., RBF Consulting and Sapphos Environmental. Three-year contracts not to exceed $500,000 each are recommended for EIP Associates, ESA Community Development and Rincon Consultants, Inc.
This letter was reviewed by Assistant City Attorney Michael J. Mais on September 1,2005.
TIMING CONSIDERATIONS
City Council approval of this item on September 20, 2005 will ensure that consultants will be available as needed for upcoming environmental review services.
FISCAL IMPACT
All costs incurred for environmental review services will be paid by the developer of the proposed private project or by the City department utilizing the consultant list for a public project.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
SUZANNE FRICK
DIRECTOR OF PLANNING AND BUILDING