To: Board of Supervisors
From: Warren Lai, Public Works Director/Chief Engineer
Report Title: APPROVE and AUTHORIZE Advertisement for Construction Bids for Annual Job Order Contracts 025, 026, 027 and 028 (W4011C)
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
(1) APPROVE the design and bid documents, including the plans and specifications for typical work, contract, General Conditions, Technical Specifications, and the Construction Task Catalog for Job Order Contracts (JOC) 025, 026, 027 and 028.
(2) AUTHORIZE the Public Works Director, or designee, to solicit bids to be received on or about May 22, 2024 and issue bid addenda, as needed, for clarifications of the bid documents, provided the involved changes do not significantly increase the construction cost estimate.
(3) DIRECT the Clerk of the Board to publish, at least 14 calendar days before the bid opening date, the Notice to Contractors in accordance with Public Contract Code Section 22037, inviting bids for this project.
(4) DIRECT the Public Works Director, or designee, to send notices by email or fax and by U.S. Mail to the construction trade journals specified in Public Contract Code Section 22036 at least 15 calendar days before the bid opening.
FISCAL IMPACT:
JOC work orders will only be issued when there is an approved project and funding. The contract value can range from a minimum of $25,000 to a maximum of $5,750,000. The maximum contract value of $5,750,000 per annual JOC contract is lower than the maximum limit established through Public Contract Code Section 20128.5 (not actual appropriated dollars), and it is possible that the limit may not be reached. Having this limit allows for efficiency and flexibility in accomplishing work up to the maximum statutory limit.
BACKGROUND:
To be efficient in delivering projects, the County has employed a variety of project delivery methods. One such method is Public Contract Code Section 20128.5, which authorizes counties to award one or more individual annual contracts for repair, remodeling, or other repetitive work to be done according to unit prices. Once an annual contract is awarded, individual projects are then done through written job orders performed by the job order contractor at the unit prices bid for the annual contract. Such Job Order Contracting (JOC) is a project delivery tool that has been proven to reduce costs, save time, and increase productivity.
On March 1, 2024, the County executed a Consulting Services Agreement with The Gordian Group dba The Mellon Group to provide JOC program development and implementation services for various County projects. As part of the agreement, Gordian also develops and maintains a JOC catalog, also known as a "unit price book" that contains individual construction tasks for all aspects of the repair, remodeling, and other repetitive work including general conditions, driveways, parking lots, and other construction-related components.
Since November 2015, the Board of Supervisors has awarded JOC contracts to the lowest bidders, roughly on an annual basis to work on repair, remodeling, and maintenance projects countywide. With current JOC contracts awarded on April 4, 2023 (JOC 021, 022, 023 & 024) expiring over the next several months, we need Board approval to start solicitation of bids for Job Order Contracts 025, 026, 027 and 028.
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requirements will be determined and addressed on a project-by-project bases as projects occur. If annual JOC contracts are ultimately awarded under this solicitation, each will be a term of 12 months. The County reserves the right to award one or more of Job Order Contracts 025, 026, 027 and 028. The County is not required to award all four contracts and is not required to award any contract if the bid pricing is unfavorable.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
The JOC program has been a valuable construction project delivery tool for projects. If JOC bid solicitation is not approved and authorized, the County will not have the resources to complete many deferred maintenance projects and other County construction projects involving repair, remodeling, and other repetitive work.