Title
Resolution to Approve a Professional Services Agreement with OHM Advisors, Inc. for the Sump Pump Installations Modification Project ($587,020.50)
Memorandum
Attached for your review and approval is a resolution to authorize a Professional Services Agreement with OHM Advisors, Inc. (OHM) for professional engineering, construction management, and public engagement & education services for the Sump Pump Installations Modification Project. As a result of the recommendations from the Citizens Advisory Committee and investigation of resident concerns, City Council is being asked to consider a program to investigate and correct any FDDs done as part of the City's program that were not completed according to specifications or in accordance with industry best practices. In addition, the City will create an educational outreach program for all sump pump owners, regardless of why or how they have sump pumps, on the basics of operations and maintenance of their sump pumps.
Project Scope
The City issued a Request for Proposal (RFP #922) in February of 2015 for a professional firm to:
· Conduct a public outreach program to provide an opportunity for properties that participated in the City's FDD program to report problems related to water in basements that did not exist prior to the FDD program
· Investigate reported problems and recommend corrections
· Construction management and resident support for the implementation of the recommended corrections
· Develop an education and outreach program to address concerns identified in the SSWWE survey
In response to RFP-922, one proposal was received. A review team composed of City staff evaluated OHM's proposal and thoroughly reviewed the proposed hours and rates to verify that they were reasonable. OHM's hourly rates were compared with other rates typically seen in the engineering industry and found to be reasonable.
Because of the undetermined volume of work associated with this project, the City intends to award a professional services agreement to OHM with the option of up to two one-year extensions at the same terms. The extensions will provide the opportunity for satisfactory completion of all the work associated with this project.
Project Background
During 2013 and 2014, the City of Ann Arbor (City) undertook the Sanitary Sewer Wet Weather Evaluation (SSWWE) Project, which included three main goals:
1) Evaluate the effectiveness of the City's Footing Drain Disconnection (FDD) Program, which had been in place since approximately 2002.
2) Assess future risk of basement backups in the City.
3) Evaluate alternatives and set direction for addressing future basement backup risks.
As part of the SSWWE Project, a Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) was formed to work with the consulting team to review the work being performed and use the results to make policy recommendations regarding how to handle wet weather flow in the sanitary sewer system in the future. One of the requests that came from the CAC early on in the process was to perform a survey of property owners who had already been through a footing drain disconnection in order to gauge their satisfaction with the City's FDD program and to identify problems that home-owners have had with their sump pump installations since the program went into effect.
In response, a survey was conducted by the consulting team. Surveys were mailed to approximately 2,350 homes and over 850 responses were received. While most respondents were satisfied with the program, a significant number (40%) reported a higher level of anxiety after the FDD program, and there were also responses of water problems in basements that reportedly did not exist prior to the footing drain disconnection.
In response to the survey results, OHM performed a follow-up investigation of the most serious reports of water in basements. Approximately 101 residents were contacted, which resulted in 77 interviews and/or site visits. Following these investigations, 10 locations were determined to have issues related to work done following notice to disconnect from the City wastewater system and that was funded through the FDD program.
Although the City does not have an obligation to investigate or correct these installations, which were done by contractors who entered into contracts with the property owners to do the work, the recommendation was that this be done as a customer service initiative for the properties at which these issues were reported.
Budget/Fiscal Impact
Work for this project is included in the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) as "Wet Weather Mitigation" (CIP number UT-SN-02-11), and is budgeted from the Sanitary Sewer capital budget in FY2015 and FY2016 as part of a $3.8 million package of improvements to the sanitary sewer system. As this work is part of a planned capital project, the project will have no unplanned operational impacts.
OHM complies with the City's non-discrimination and Living Wage approval ordinances.
Staff
Prepared by: Nicholas Hutchinson, P.E., City Engineer
Reviewed by: Craig Hupy, Public Services Area Administrator
Approved by: Steven D. Powers, City Administrator
Body
Whereas, The Sump Pump Installations Modification Project is necessary to follow up on recommendations made by the Citizen Advisory Committee from the Sanitary Sewer Wet Weather Evaluation Project;
Whereas, OHM Advisors, Inc. of Livonia, Michigan has submitted to the City a proposal for the necessary services, setting forth the services to be performed by said firm and the payments to be made by the City therefore, all of which are agreeable to the City;
Whereas, OHM Advisors, Inc. complies with the City's Non-Discrimination and Living Wage Ordinances; and,
Whereas, The required funds for this Professional Services Agreement are available within the approved Sewer capital budget;
RESOLVED, That a Professional Services Agreement with OHM Advisors, Inc. in the amount of $587,020.50 be approved for Professional Engineering Services for the Sump Pump Installations Modification Project;
RESOLVED, That the Professional Services Agreement with OHM Advisors, Inc. be for a period of approximately 19 months with the option for two (2) one-year extensions to be approved by the City Administrator, subject the availability of funding;
RESOLVED, That the City makes the following declaration for the purpose of complying with the reimbursement rules of Treasury Regulations 1.150-2 pursuant to the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, that the City reasonably expects to reimburse itself for expenditures for the costs of the Project with proceeds of Bonds; and
RESOLVED, That the Mayor and City Clerk be authorized and directed to execute said agreement after approval as to form by the City Attorney and approval as to substance by the City Administrator; and
RESOLVED, That the City Administrator be authorized to take the necessary administrative actions to implement this resolution.