To: Board of Supervisors
From: Warren Lai, Public Works Director/Chief Engineer
Report Title: Consulting Service Agreement for On-Call Industrial Hygiene Services with Gary Hennis d/b/a Consulting Associates of California
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Public Works director, or designee, to execute a contract with Gary Hennis d/b/a Consulting Associates of California, in an amount not to exceed $350,000 to provide on-call industrial hygiene services for various County facilities projects, Countywide, for the period April 1, 2025 through March 31, 2028 (with a one-year extension option), which may be extended to March 31, 2029, if elected by the Public Works director.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Projects will be assigned to the on-call industrial hygienist when there is an approved project and funding. (100% Various Funds)
BACKGROUND:
The purpose of the on-call contract is to provide on-call industrial hygiene services for various County facilities projects as they occur during the agreement period. When the Public Works Department receives a project request, it will be determined at the time if it would be prudent to utilize this on-call industrial hygienist. The on-call industrial hygienist will provide typical industrial hygiene services such as asbestos, lead, and PCB assessment and abatement studies, soil contamination and remediation studies, air quality assessment, and workplace safety evaluations. The type, size, and location of projects will vary. Typical projects may include site assessment prior to new construction; hazard assessment and abatement prior to building demolition; Phase I and Phase II environmental evaluations; air quality monitoring; soil testing for contamination and remediation; and lead, asbestos, and PCB testing and environmental assessments. Having this on-call contract in place will save the County time and money when compared to the time and expense in conducting a consultant selection process on a project-by-project basis, allow for utilization of industrial hygiene services during pre-construction/pre-demolition phases, allow timely resolutions to issues that may arise in the field, and allow timely consultation during emergencies or time-sensitive events. The on-call industrial hygiene services contract will allow the design phase to commence sooner and allow for a shorter project completion schedule.
Gary Hennis d/b/a Consulting Associates of California was selected through a competitive qualifications-based selection process. By posting a Request for Qualifications (RFQ), Public Works Department solicited Statements of Qualifications (SOQs) from qualified consultants and received six. The RFQ noted that more than one industrial hygiene services on-call contract would be awarded. Furthermore, the RFQ specified that contract amounts would be determined taking into consideration the specific services the Consultant is qualified to provide. The County encouraged responses from firms providing a full range of services as well as those with limited, but specialized, areas of expertise. A selection committee comprised of County staff conducted a review of the SOQs and ranked the firms. Public Works recommends that the above firm, which is one of the three highest ranked firms, be awarded the on-call agreement at this time. The agreement includes a single-year extension option that can be exercised by the Public Works director, if he chooses. Government Code Section 3100 authorizes the County to contract for services including the type of industrial hygiene services that Gary Hennis d/b/a Consulting Associates of California provides.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If the agreement is not approved, the County will not be able to take advantage of the time and cost savings possible through the utilization on this on-call industrial hygiene services agreement.