To: Board of Supervisors
From: Warren Lai, Public Works Director/Chief Engineer
Report Title: Advertisement for Chiller Replacement at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center - 2500 Alhambra Avenue, Martinez
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE the design and bid documents, including the plans and specifications, for the Chiller Replacement Project located at 2500 Alameda Avenue, Martinez.
AUTHORIZE the Public Works Director, or designee, to solicit bids to be received on or about July 31, 2025, and issue bid addenda, as needed, for clarification of bid documents, provided the changes do not significantly increase the construction cost estimate.
DIRECT the Clerk of the Board to publish at least 14 days before the bid opening date, the Notice to Contractors in accordance with the Public Contract Code Section 22037, inviting bids for this project.
DIRECT the Public Works Director, or designee, to send notices by email, fax, and by US Mail to the construction trade journals specified in the Public Contract Code Section 22036 at least 15 calendar days prior to bid opening.
DETERMINE the Project is a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), Categorical Exemption, pursuant to Article 19, Section 15302(c) of the CEQA Statutes and Guidelines.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Estimated construction cost: $7,882,595. 100% Enterprise 1 Fund
BACKGROUND:
This project will replace the three existing chiller units that currently serve the entire Contra Costa Regional Medical Center (CCRMC) campus. The existing chillers are original to the acute care hospital that was designed in 1993, and have been in use since the 1990s. They have ongoing maintenance problems, and parts are becoming obsolete and harder to source. This results in lengthy periods of downtime and creates potential for adversely impacting patient care as well as falling out of compliance with regulatory requirements.
The new chiller units will have a larger capacity to allow for future hospital expansion. The chiller work also includes rerouting piping within the chiller plant, replacement and relocation of the chilled water expansion tank, and installation of a new refrigerant leak detection system.
An interim chiller and generator will be installed to provide service during construction at times when permanent equipment is not functional. They will be operational throughout the project phases as existing chillers are taken offline sequentially. After all new equipment is installed and connected to permanent pipes and conduit, all interim equipment will be shut down and removed.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
Without the Board of Supervisors’ approval, the aging chiller units and associated equipment will not be replaced. As repairs to existing equipment become more difficult to implement, lengthy downtimes will become unavoidable and may impact patient care. The CCRMC may fall out of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) compliance.