To: Board of Supervisors
From: Monica Nino, County Administrator
Report Title: West County Detention Facility Accessible Room Compliance Project
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
AUTHORIZE the use of progressive design build procurement for the West County Detention Facility Accessible Room Compliance Reconfiguration (WARC) Project.
APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the County Administrator, or designee to sign a contract with Sletten Construction Company, a Montana Corporation, in an amount not to exceed $590,000 for the preconstruction phase of the WARC Project.
AUTHORIZE the County Administrator, or designee, to approve final plans, specifications and design documents necessary to implement and construct the WARC Project consisting of a minimum of 16 accessible rooms and associated ADA improvements at the West County Detention Facility.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The total cost of the WARC project is estimated at $7,000,000. With progressive design build, an initial preconstruction contract is used to design the project and establish a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) for the construction project. Once the GMP is established, County Administrator staff will return to the Board of Supervisors requesting approval for the award of a construction contract for the completion of the project and an exact budget amount for the total cost of the project. The Fiscal Year 2024-25 budget allocated $5,000,000 for the WARC project, so the cost of the preconstruction phase is fully covered.
BACKGROUND:
Located in Richmond, the West County Detention Facility (WCDF), opened in 1991, is one of three detention facilities in Contra Costa County. WCDF is a direct supervision jail designed to operate as a co-educational, program-oriented facility. The facility houses up to 1,096 inmates within the confines of five (5) separate housing units: four (4) for males, one (1) for females.
In 2023, the County updated an Access Compliance Assessment Report for WCDF, including outlining construction recommendations to further transition the facility into full compliance with both 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design (2010 ADAS) and current State Codes. Utilizing this report, the County has identified the highest priority upgrades for accessibility. The WCDF Accessible Room Compliance Project (WARC) will include design and modernization to create sixteen (16) accessible cells across the existing campus along with associated improvements for accessible paths of travel and access to support services.
For this Project, the County is utilizing the Progressive Design-Build procurement method to select a single Design-Build Entity (DBE) to provide both the design and construction of the Project through a qualifications-based selection process pursuant to Public Contract Code section 22172.
In accordance with this procurement method, the County will enter into an agreement with the DBE for the Preconstruction Phase only, which includes beginning design and preconstruction activities sufficient to establish a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) to finish all remaining design, preconstruction and construction activities to complete and close out the Project. Following review and negotiation of the GMP, the County, at its sole and absolute discretion, may amend the agreement awarded, if any, pursuant to this procurement to direct the DBE to complete the Project for an amount no greater than the GMP.
Request for Qualifications:
The Public Works Department released the RFQ on April 3, 2024. The RFQ release was communicated to known contractors, advertised in the Daily Builder, and published in the Contra Costa Times. It was posted to the Public Works Department Plan Room which is accessed via link on the Contra Costa County website under the Contracting Opportunities page. The RFQ also required the design-build teams to provide references from past projects. Specific questions included: quality of personnel and supervision, adherence to project schedule and budget. The County received response from one Design-Build team, Sletten Construction, and the project construction management firm Vanir Construction Management, Inc. reviewed the information submitted to determine responsiveness.
In summary, the qualifications-based evaluation included the following:
1. Evaluation of essential requirements and experience with similar projects for each DBE Team entity, including the General Contractor, Architect, Core Subcontractors and Core Subconsultants
2. Project references
3. DBE’s described project approach
4. Cost information (including Hourly Rates and Preconstruction Cost)
Following evaluation of Sletten Construction’s response, it was determined that Sletten’s Statement of Qualifications was responsive to the County’s RFQ and Sletten Construction was qualified.
Sletten Construction’s fee for the Preconstruction Phase is $588,594 (breakdown as follows):
1. Complete Schematic Design: $261,703
2. Complete Design Development: $281,012
3. GMP Development: $45,879
The contractor will be required to enter into a Project Labor Agreement in connection with the services to be performed under the contract.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
Failure to approve the WARC project will result in the County continuing to lack adequate ADA accessible facilities in the West County Detention Facility.