city of mendota request for proposalsci.mendota.ca.us/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/rfp... · task 1...

CITY OF MENDOTA REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

For Environmental Consulting Services to prepare the necessary

CEQA documents for the Mendota Advanced Wastewater Reclamation System,

Mendota, California SUBMITTAL: One (1) unbound original and four (4) bound copies must be

received on or before: December 1, 2017. Addressed to: Vince DiMaggio, City Manager Mailing and Mendota City Hall Delivery Service 643 Quince Street Address: Mendota, CA 93640

Mark Envelope: "PROPOSAL – Mendota Advanced Wastewater

Reclamation System CEQA Document Preparation Services"

Non-mandatory Pre-Submittal Meeting And Site Visit: November 24, 2017, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00p.m.

RSVP by November 20, 2017, 4:00 p.m. Mendota City Hall 643 Quince Street Mendota CA 93640 INQUIRIES:

Direct questions or clarifications regarding the Request for Proposal (RFP) documents to: Cristian Gonzalez, Public Works Director, (559) 655-3291.E-mail: [email protected]

Issuance Date: 2017

CITY OF MENDOTA REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

TABLE OF CONTENTS ARTICLE DESCRIPTION PAGE NO. I. SUMMARY ................................................................................ 2 II. SERVICES OF THE CONSULTANT ......................................... 6 III. PROJECT TASKS AND SCHEDULE ........................................ 6 IV. PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTS ............................ 8 V. CONSULTANT SELECTION PROCEDURE ........................... 11 EXHIBITS EXHIBIT 1: LOCATION MAP OF MENDOTA WWTP PROPERTY EXHIBIT 2: PRELIMINARY SITE PLAN FOR THE PROPOSED PROJECT

EXHIBIT 3: DRAFT PROJECT DESCRIPTION


I. SUMMARY

A. INTRODUCTION TO PROJECT: The City of Mendota seeks to retain the services of a qualified Environmental Consulting firm to prepare a legally-adequate environmental document, for the "Project" defined below, pursuant to the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act, Public Resources Code Section 21000 et seq. (CEQA) and the CEQA Guidelines (CA Code of Regulations Section 1500 et seq.). The consultant will also provide coordination services for the environmental review under CEQA. for the proposed Mendota Advanced Wastewater Reclamation Project (Project). The Project will be constructed and operated at the existing Mendota Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) located in Mendota, CA (City) as shown in Exhibit 1.

A preliminary Project site plan is illustrated in Exhibit 2, and a preliminary Project description is provided in Exhibit 3. The City currently operates a WWTP that treats and disposes of approximately 1.0 million gallons of domestic sewage per day. The effluent is treated to the un-disinfected secondary level and disposed of in approximately 56 acres of percolation/evaporation basins. As a result of high salinity and other factors, the treated effluent ] is not suitable for irrigation of green spaces or crops, and is thus not put to any beneficial use. Due to poor soil permeability, only a small fraction of the effluent percolates into the perched aquifer beneath the WWTP. Most (well over 80 percent) of the water evaporates and is lost. A group of investors (Applicant) is seeking to develop a water supply for transfer, exchange, and/or sale. The Applicant desires to lease land from the City to treat the water to a much higher level. The Applicant proposes to construct and operate a treatment plant to treat the City’s secondary effluent using advanced treatment processes. The Project would produce approximately 1,000 acre-feet per year of finished water of higher quality than disinfected tertiary-treated water. The recycled water would be suitable for unrestricted agricultural irrigation. The treated water would be provided to nearby water users ("exchange partners"). The exchange partners would utilize the recycled water and provide a similar volume of their surface water supply to the applicant at other locations where the applicant can use or further exchange the water. The proposed Project consists of constructing and operating an advanced wastewater treatment plant utilizing ultra-filtration membranes for filtration; ultraviolet lamps or sodium hypochlorite for disinfection; and two-stage reverse osmosis for removal of salts and other dissolved contaminants. The City’s existing disposal ponds will be used as secondary effluent and recycled water regulating ponds and for reverse osmosis waste disposal. During the irrigation season finished water will be pumped to one or more of the exchange partners systems located near the WWTP.


The waste stream produced by the ultra-filtration membranes will be recycled back to the head of the existing wastewater treatment plant and will not produce any new residual waste product. The water rejected by the first reverse osmosis stage will be treated through a second reverse osmosis stage to improve water recovery. The water rejected by the second reverse osmosis stage will be discharged to one or more of the City’s existing disposal ponds for evaporation. The net deposition of all waste constituents in the City’s disposal ponds will be slightly reduced from current values due to the small percentage of dissolved constituents carried out with the treated water. The overall effect of the project will be to reduce the accumulation of all contaminants at the site. The net benefit of this project is turning unusable nuisance waste product with no beneficial uses into a high-quality recycled water supply suitable for any non-potable use. A non-mandatory Pre-Submittal Meeting and project site visit for firms submitting a proposal on this project will be held on November 24, 2017, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Attendance is not required, but is highly encouraged to get a better idea of the site first hand. The meeting will be at Mendota City Hall, 643 Quince Street, Mendota CA 93640. Following the meeting, consultants will have an opportunity to travel to the Project site for a tour of the existing facility.

B. INTRODUCTION TO PROPOSAL: The use of the terms “Consultant” or “Firm” throughout this document refers to an individual proprietorship, partnership, Limited Liability Company, corporation, joint venture, or other entity as applicable, that would propose to provide the requested services, whether as a standalone entity or with the inclusion of subconsultants. The Consultant selected in response to this RFP will be responsible for preparation of all necessary CEQA documents including, but not limited to:

• An initial study prepared pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Appendix G, including independent analysis of potential impacts resulting from the Project;

• An environmental impact report; • A mitigation monitoring and reporting program, as necessary; • Evaluation of alternatives, as necessary • All required notices, which may include:

o Notice of Availability and Intent to Adopt; o Notice of Preparation, including scoping meeting noticing; o Notice of Completion; o Notice of Determination; o Project-related Notice(s) of Public Hearing

• Responses to comments; • Findings and a Statement of Overriding Considerations, as necessary


• Concurrent compilation of the administrative record. The Consultant will also be responsible for:

• Oversight of CEQA-related technical subconsultants as applicable, including peer-review of reports from those subconsultants;

• Coordination of Native American Consultation pursuant to AB 52 as required; • Assisting the City with coordinating public meetings and/or work sessions.

Include in your scope three public meetings/hearings. If additional meetings/hearings are required additional fees will be taken from contingency funds;

• Coordinating meetings and other correspondence with responsible and/or trustee agencies;

• Preparation and distribution of documents for public and/or State review; • Assisting City staff and/or contract City staff with the preparation of meeting

materials, which may include: o PowerPoint slide show(s); o Staff reports and/or resolutions as needed for consideration by the

Mendota Planning Commission and/or City Council; • Providing updates at least bi-weekly or at the request of the City Manager

throughout the duration of the CEQA process; • Optional services, including but not limited to regulatory permitting assistance,

wetland delineation, or USFWS consultation. The proposed Project would be located within the existing City of Mendota Waste Water Treatment Plant property boundary. Three (3) biological assessments have been prepared with the last 15 years on or adjacent to the project site (WWTP Expansion, 2003/2005, Live Oak Associates; CalRENEW-1 Solar Facility, 2008, Live Oak Associates; General Plan Update, 2006, PMC). Additional cultural resources evaluations, including site reconnaissance, may be required. The selected Consultant will be required to submit the Scope of Work and Fee in electronic format (Microsoft Word, Excel or other format acceptable to the City) in addition to the paper copy.

C. CITY AND OTHER WEBSITES: City of Mendota Planning and Economic Development Department http://ci.mendota.ca.us/planning-and-economic-development/ City of Mendota Public Works Department http://ci.mendota.ca.us/public-works/ Mendota Wastewater Services http://www.acwf.org/california/wastewater-services-mendota

http://ci.mendota.ca.us/planning-and-economic-development/

http://ci.mendota.ca.us/public-works/

http://www.acwf.org/california/wastewater-services-mendota


II. SERVICES OF THE CONSULTANT

A. THE CONSULTANT SHALL:

1. Prepare a legally-adequate environmental document, Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program, all required notices, and findings and a statement of overriding considerations (as necessary) in compliance with the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act and the CEQA Guidelines

2. Assess the impacts and identify mitigation measures and

alternatives associated with the proposed Project.

3. Review and make corrections to the document as necessary after review with various review agencies and as directed by the City.

4. Coordinate with Mendota City Manager and act as the City-

designated project Consultant on an as-needed basis, including the review and preparation of Administrative drafts of the Draft and Final environmental documents.

5. Coordinate with Applicant’s consultants and team members to get

technical project information necessary for correct responses to comments.

6. Conduct necessary public meetings, formal hearings, and the

review process of the environmental documents.

7. Make formal presentations and act as primary staff regarding environmental issues during necessary public hearings.

8. Concurrently compile and maintain the administrative record to

ensure that it is accurate and complete.

III. PROJECT TASKS AND SCHEDULE

A. PROJECT DETAILED TASKS

Proposed scope of work tasks should include the indicated deliverables and follow the format below:

Task 1 Kick-off Meeting, Project Description, and Evaluation Criteria

Participate in kick-off meeting.


Finalize project description with City staff and Applicant. All communication with Applicant, Applicant’s experts and consultants, shall include City staff.

Prepare an initial study to assess potential impacts and determine what level of environmental document is required. May require development of evaluation criteria for thresholds of significance.

Task 2. Prepare notices, and organize and participate in necessary

public and agency meetings.

Task 3. Prepare administrative draft environmental documents including relevant technical studies and analysis of all environmental factors listed within the CEQA Guidelines Appendix G, Environmental Checklist Form. Peer review technical documents and application materials. List any sections not requiring study or analysis and indicate

why not needed. Indicate sections requiring study or analysis and provide

description of work by topic. Prepare or peer review technical studies and analysis as

needed, including special studies to address biology and cultural resources.

Include sections on cumulative impacts, mandatory findings of significance, and assess at least three project alternatives that Consultant will develop with the assistance of the City and the project proponent.

Task 4. Prepare draft environmental document, and coordinate

circulation of same for public review. Task 5. Organize and conduct public meetings, as required. Task 6. Prepare administrative draft of formal responses to comments to

be incorporated into the Final environmental document, and any revisions to the environmental document that may be required.

Task 7. Prepare final environmental document – response to comments

document and findings if necessary. Task 8. Prepare Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program that will

be incorporated into the final document as an Appendix. Task 9. Schedule, organize, and participate in both internal and public


meetings and possible hearings and prepare meeting notes that summarize meeting events as needed.

Task 10. Participate in the public hearings before the Planning

Commission and/or City Council if required. Task 11. Prepare the findings and statement of overriding considerations

as necessary. Task 12. Prepare the final notices, staff reports, and resolutions and

provide City with completed administrative record. Task 13. Concurrent preparation of the administrative record. Task 14. Debrief the project team after the project hearings are

completed and document is adopted/certified, and provide general assistance to the City and its attorneys in any legal proceeding challenging the Project under CEQA.

B. PROJECT TIMELINE

The City is seeking an aggressive schedule for preparation of the CEQA compliant EIR so that project construction can commence. Please include within your proposal package a suggested timeline, including major milestones.

IV. PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTS

A selection committee will evaluate the completeness of the proposal. Proposals must address the requirements of the RFP in the exact order set forth in this section. Proposals should be as concise as possible and must not contain any promotional, advertising, or display material.

Submittal will be in two parts.

PART A The first part will enable the City to appraise the general qualifications of the Consultant. You must answer the following questions in the same sequence as listed below:

1. Firm name, address, website, and phone and fax numbers. 2. Contact name, position, email, telephone, and fax, for the project manager

responsible for this project, as well as the person responsible for day-to-day servicing of the account.


3. Specify type of organization (sole-proprietorship, partnership, or

corporation) and if applicable, indicate whether you are a: (a) Small Business Enterprise; (b) Disadvantaged Business Enterprise; (c) Minority- and/or Women-Owned Business Enterprise.

4. Firm principal(s) and project manager who will be responsible for the

project, along with their educational background, credentials, and experience with similar work.

5. Key personnel who will be assigned to work on the project, educational

background, credentials, and experience on comparable projects. Indicate the tasks to be performed by these key individuals and expected time or effort they will commit to the project.

6. Sub-consultants (biological, cultural, hydrological, and/or others as the

project may require) to be used. Indicate the tasks to be performed by these consultants.

7. Number and classification of existing staff, and any need to secure

additional staff to complete the project. 8. A list of current projects or commitments for environmental services being

handled by your firm. Indicate the number of projects that are / will be the responsibility of the project manager assigned to this project.

9. List, in reverse chronological order, the last three years of similar waste

water treatment projects for which your firm provided environmental consulting services:

Indicate for each of these projects: (a) Name of project (b) Project location (c) Brief description (e) Name of owner (f) Name of owner's contact person and telephone number (contact

person who, at the time of this RFP submittal, was, will be, or is employed by the owner, and who would have personal knowledge of the completed work).

10. List at least three additional references of present or past clients with their

telephone numbers.


11. The Consultant will submit as a part of his or her initial submittal the firm’s

current basic hourly rate schedule for all current employee classifications. Such hourly labor rates shall include costs for items such as office supplies, computer and plotting supplies, printing, postage, vehicle costs, and other incidentals. (Printing includes normal office copying and printing, check prints, and other incidental printing. It does not include printing and postage cost for the major distribution of the draft and final environmental documents, which should be identified separately in the Consultant’s proposal.)

12. Potential Conflicts of interest – Disclose any financial, business or other

relationship with the City, any member of the City staff, or any consultant to the City.

13. Additional Services - The general service requirements outlined above

describe the minimum work to be accomplished. Upon final selection of the Consultant firm, the scope of service may be modified and refined during negotiations with the City.

14. Signature of authorized person below this text: “Consultant declares and

warrants that no undue influence or pressure is used against or in concert with any officer or employee of the City of Mendota in connection with the award or terms of the Agreement that will be executed as a result of award of this RFP, including any method of coercion, confidential financial arrangement, or financial inducement. No officer or employee of the City of Mendota will receive compensation, directly or indirectly, from Consultant, or from any officer, employee or agent of Consultant, in connection with the award of the Agreement or any work to be conducted as a result of the Agreement. Violation of this Section shall be a material breach of the Agreement entitling the City to any and all remedies at law or in equity.”

PART B

The second part covers the tasks required of the Consultant.

1. The Consultant will explain in detail its understanding of the waste water recycling work to be performed and the approach to the implementation of the project environmental requirements and constraints. Text should include discussion of the project deliverables and time line, highlighting any differences between the Consultant's proposed list of project deliverables and the City’s desired schedule.

2. The Consultant will explain in detail the approach for agency and public

circulation, review and comment on the environmental document and


other notices using, to the extent possible, electronic media. The use of electronic files is intended to facilitate public review and comment while reducing costs associated with printing and mailing. Electronic media would be in addition to any required printed documents. Use of electronic media should involve, at a minimum, creating searchable electronic documents that can be distributed using compact discs (CDs) and that can be placed on the City website, as well as receiving agency and public comments using email or other electronic format.

3. The Consultant will further explain the probable deliverables and time

frame for completing each task or service preferably through the use of a bar chart with start-finish dates with the critical time line indicated.

4. The Consultant will provide full disclosure of any contractual or other

relationship with the applicant.

V. CONSULTANT SELECTION PROCEDURE

A project selection committee will be formed to evaluate the proposals and to make recommendations to the City of Mendota for approval by the Mendota City Council. The Selection Committee will consist of City of Mendota staff, and may include the Applicant and/or a representative knowledgeable in environmental consulting services from outside the community. Consulting firms will be requested to interview with the selection committee as a part of the evaluation process.

The selection committee will address the following criteria in its evaluation of proposals (not necessarily listed in order of importance). A. The Consultant’s experience, with emphasis on CEQA documents

involving wastewater treatment and desalination projects. Preference will be given to applicants with prior experience in the environmental planning and permitting for this type of project.

B. Educational background and experience of the Consultant's key

individuals who will be assigned to the project on a full-time basis.

C. Quality of past performance on projects for the City or other agencies.

D. The qualifications of individuals within the Consultant's organization who will directly be responsible for the work. The City reserves the right to approve the Consultant's project manager and any changes proposed to key individuals on the Consultant team.

E. Adequacy of staff and demonstrated ability to perform the work within the

time allowed. F. Demonstrated ability to make effective public presentations.


G. Demonstrated ability to work effectively with City staff and other public

agencies, applicants, and related parties. H. New or innovative ideas presented by the Consultant in the proposal or

presentations. I. Demonstrated ability to keep costs within project budgets. J. Familiarity with local conditions. K. Demonstrated record of abiding by terms of subcontract agreements

regarding timely payment for services rendered on City projects. L. Comprehensive answers to the information requested in the proposal. M. The fee proposal will be a factor in the final selection. The Consultant selected will be expected to start work as soon as the City of Mendota approves the final Consultant contract. The anticipated City Council approval date is the first week in January 2018.

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Exhibit 1: Aerial Photo of WWTP Site

Exhibit 2: Preliminary Site Plan

Project Description

Mendota Advanced Wastewater Reclamation Project

{7623/002/00760836.DOCX}2022607v1 / 16140.0012 Exhibit 3: Project Description 1

Mendota Wastewater Recycling Project The City of Mendota operates a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) treating approximately 1 million gallons of domestic sewage per day. The water is treated to the un-disinfected secondary level. That quality water is not suitable for irrigation of green spaces or food crops. The water is also significantly higher in salinity than the regional surface water supplies making the water undesirable for any agricultural irrigation. Extensive groundwater recharge is also impractical due to poor soil permeability. As a result, the City currently only percolates a small fraction of the effluent into the poor-quality perched aquifer beneath the WWTP, and evaporates the majority (well over 80 percent) of the water in approximately 56 acres of disposal ponds.

A group of investors (Applicant) is seeking to develop a water supply for transfer, exchange, and/or sale. The Applicant has proposed to lease land from the City to construct and operate a treatment plant to treat the City’s secondary effluent. The Applicant will purchase the treated effluent from the City, and treat it using advanced treatment processes. The project will produce approximately 1,000 acre-feet per year of water suitable for unrestricted agricultural irrigation. In exchange for providing the recycled water to serve local irrigation water needs, the receiving water agency or water user will provide some of its surface water supply to the Applicant at a different location. The Applicant may then wheel or exchange the water further to where it is needed. The proposed project consists of constructing and operating an advanced wastewater treatment plant utilizing ultrafiltration membranes for filtration; ultraviolet lamps or sodium hypochlorite for disinfection; and two-stage reverse osmosis for removal of salts and other dissolved contaminants. Project facilities will be constructed on land leased to the Applicant by the City. The City’s existing disposal ponds will be leased to the Applicant for use as secondary effluent and recycled water regulating ponds and for reverse osmosis waste disposal. Finished water, of higher quality than the standards for disinfected tertiary water, will be pumped into one or more irrigation canals near the treatment plant during the irrigation season. The waste stream produced by the ultrafiltration membranes will be recycled back to the head of the existing wastewater treatment plant and will not produce any new residual waste product. The water rejected by the first reverse osmosis stage will be treated through a second reverse osmosis stage to improve water recovery. The water rejected by the second reverse osmosis stage will be discharged to one or more of the City’s existing disposal ponds for evaporation. The Applicant will rent some of the existing ponds for that purpose. The Applicant and the City will hold their respective discharge permits for the disposal ponds. The net deposition of all waste constituents in the City’s disposal ponds will be reduced from current values due to the small percentage of dissolved constituents carried out with the treated water. The overall effect of the project will be to reduce the accumulation of all contaminants at the site.

The net benefit of this project is to take an unusable nuisance waste product with no beneficial uses and convert it into a high quality recycled water supply suitable for any non-potable use. The cost to construct and operate this project is high – beyond the capabilities of the City of Mendota. Even if grant funding were to become available for construction of a treatment plant, the City could not

Project Description

Mendota Advanced Wastewater Reclamation Project

{7623/002/00760836.DOCX}2022607v1 / 16140.0012 Exhibit 3: Project Description 2

afford to operate it by themselves. Therefore, this proposed privately-funded project currently represents the only viable alternative to develop this new water source.

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