REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
DATE: 09/07/2022
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Public Works Department
SUBJECT:
Title
Professional Services Agreement with USA Shade & Fabric Structures for the Mountain Gate Park Shade Structure for Ballfield Plaza Project.
End
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This report is for the City Council’s consideration of a Professional Services Agreement for the purchase of equipment and engineering services for shade structures at the Mountain Gate Park Ballfield Plaza. The baseball fields are used almost year-round by local little league sports teams, and there currently is no shade available to spectators. Based on these conditions, as well as requests from the Corona sports leagues, Council approved funding to provide shade at the Mountain Gate Park Ballfield Plaza in Fiscal Year 2021.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommended action
That the City Council:
a. Authorize the transfer of $150,000 in Park Development Impact Fees (Fund 217) from existing Capital Improvement Project No. 73840 titled “Parks, Facilities and Amenities Inventory” to Capital Improvement Project No. 76420 titled “Mountain Gate Park Shade Structure for Ballfield Plaza.”
b. Approve a Professional Services Agreement with USA Shade & Fabric Structures for Mountain Gate Park Equipment Design and Engineering Services in the amount of $149,975 for a term through June 30, 2023.
c. Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to execute the attached Professional Services Agreement with USA Shade & Fabric Structures for the purchase of shade structures for the Mountain Gate Park Shade Structure for the Ballfield Plaza Project.
d. Authorize the Purchasing Manager to issue a purchase order to USA Shade & Fabric Structures in the amount of $149,975 for the purchase of shade structure equipment and engineering services for the Mountain Gate Park Ballfield Plaza.
e. Make a determination under Corona Municipal Code Section 3.08.140(c) that competitive bidding has been satisfied based upon the reasons provided in the "Basis for Determination of Competitive Bidding" section of this report.
Body
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
The City of Corona (City) Strategic Plan identifies several goals, including two important overarching goals of providing sound infrastructure and a safe community. Providing sound infrastructure can be achieved by investing in public infrastructure, including parks, roads, and technology. Protecting residents' quality of life is accomplished by ensuring the community is safe, clean, and provides enhanced experiences for residents.
Mountain Gate Park is a 21-acre community park that features amenities such as a covered picnic area and barbecues, playground, restrooms, four tennis courts, a basketball court, and three baseball fields, including a snack bar, in addition to its rolling green landscape and walking paths. The baseball fields are used almost year-round by local little league sports teams. While the park contains numerous shade trees, there currently is no shade available to spectators who currently bring their own umbrellas and pop-up shade canopies in order to escape the heat while watching children play baseball. Mountain Gate Park's ballfield plaza consists mostly of concrete with little refuge available to cool off. Based on these conditions, as well as requests from the Corona sports leagues, City staff requested and City Council approved funding to provide shade at the Mountain Gate Park Ballfield Plaza in Fiscal Year 2021.
ANALYSIS:
USA Shade & Fabric Structures was selected for this project because their equipment is high-quality, and they have a track record of standing behind their product. City staff worked with USA Shade & Fabric Structures and a landscape architect firm, NUVIS Landscape Architecture, to explore various options for shade at the ballfield plaza. NUVIS conducted several sun/shade studies to help the City evaluate the various options for the site that not only considered the amount of shade, but also took into account constraints such as underground utilities and existing retaining walls and foundation. Based upon these factors, as well as maintenance and emergency vehicle access requirements, City staff selected an option that will provide two (2) 30-foot by 14-foot and four (4) 30-foot by 20-foot shade structures, as shown in Exhibit 1.
Staff is therefore recommending approval of a Professional Services Agreement (PSA) with USA Shade & Fabric Structures for the purchase of the shade structure equipment and engineering services based on the determination of competitive bidding findings in the next section of this report. The engineering services provided by USA Shade & Fabric Structures consist of providing design and engineering for the structure and foundation, as well as stamped drawings and calculations. The installation portion of the project will be conducted through a formal public bidding process. A transfer of funds in the amount of $150,000 is also being requested from the Park Development Impact Fee Fund (Fund 217) in an existing Capital Improvement Project No. 79020 titled “Parks, Facilities and Amenities Inventory” to the Capital Improvement Project No. 76420. The additional funds will be used for the installation of the equipment. The installation will be awarded as a separate action after a public bidding process is conducted for that service.
BASIS FOR DETERMINATION OF COMPETITIVE BIDDING
The Public Works Department is requesting to utilize USA Shade & Fabric Structures for this project in accordance with Corona Municipal Code (C.M.C.) Section 3.08.140(c) based upon competitive bidding already being completed. "When the purchasing agent and authorized contracting party, with the approval of the City Manager, determines that:
1) A competitive bid procedure has been conducted by another public agency including, but not limited to, another local agency, the state through the California Multiple Award Schedule (CMAS), the federal government through the General Services Administration (GSA), the U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Alliance, or the Western States Contracting Alliance (WSCA); and
2) The price to the city is equal to or better than the price to that public agency."
Staff is requesting the purchase of shade structures for the Mountain Gate Park Ballfield Plaza from USA Shade & Fabric Structures based upon the determination that a competitive bidding process has already been conducted by another public agency, Sourcewell. Sourcewell is a purchasing cooperative that leverages the buying power of multiple agencies when awarding contracts for goods and services. Utilizing cooperative purchasing agreements is recommended by the California Association of Public Procurement Officials (CAPPO) based upon conducting extensive due diligence and market research. CAPPO recommends public procurement should consider the use of cooperative contracts in order to lower prices, lower administrative costs, increase competition, and obtain more favorable terms and conditions. USA Shade & Fabric Structures is a subsidiary of PlayPower, Inc., who was awarded Contract #010521-LTS-6 from Sourcewell, a State of Minnesota local government agency and service cooperative formerly known as the National Joint Powers Alliance (NJPA), for the purchase of playground and water play equipment with related accessories and services after a competitive bid process conducted in 2020.
On November 10, 2020, Sourcewell advertised Request for Proposals (RFP) No. 010521 for Playground and Water Play Equipment with Related Accessories and Services. Proposals for RFP #010521 were due by January 5, 2021, and a total of 25 proposals were received by the due date and time. After review by a Proposal Evaluation Committee comprised of four individuals, six vendors were recommended for award of Sourcewell Contract #010521, with PlayPower, Inc. being one of the awardees. PlayPower, Inc., through wholly-owned subsidiaries such as USA Shade & Fabric Structures, maintains a large distribution force delivering sales and service throughout the United States and Canada, and they offer participating entities financing options and a solid discount off of list price - 10% for purchases over $50,000.
Additionally, by purchasing the equipment directly from the manufacturer, the City can be confident that it will receive a quality product that meets the City’s requirements at a price that is consistent with what other agencies would pay. If the City solicited bids for equipment and installation at the same time, the contractor would be allowed to provide alternative as-equal substitutions of equipment and would charge a mark-up on the equipment as well. Based on these reasons and the previously conducted bid process by Sourcewell, the Public Works Department requests the purchase of shade structures from USA Shade & Fabric Structures, Inc. in the amount of $149,975.
COMMITTEE ACTION:
This item was presented to the Parks and Recreation Commission on April 14, 2021, and was recommended for City Council consideration.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
There is currently a Capital Improvement Project (CIP) No. 76420 titled “Mountain Gate Park Shade Structures for Ballfield Plaza.” CIP No. 76420 currently has a balance of $147,103. A funds transfer in the amount of $150,000 is requested from the Park Development Impact Fee Fund (Fund 217) in an existing Capital Improvement Project No. 73840 titled “Parks, Facilities and Amenities Inventory” to CIP No. 76420 for additional funding needed to purchase the equipment and installation costs of the equipment. Installation will be awarded in the future after a public works bidding process has been conducted.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
This action is categorically exempt pursuant to Sections 15301 of the Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which states that the operation, repair, maintenance, permitting, leasing, licensing, or minor alteration of existing public or private structures, facilities, mechanical equipment, or topographical features, involving negligible or no expansion of use beyond that existing at the time of the CEQA determination, and is therefore exempt from CEQA. This action involves the purchase of shade structures for future installation at an existing park for the purpose of enhancing the experience at the existing public facility. Therefore, no environmental analysis is required, and staff will file a Notice of Exemption with the County of Riverside.
PREPARED BY: TRACY MARTIN, CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECT MANAGER
REVIEWED BY: SAVAT KHAMPHOU, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
Attachments:
1. Exhibit 1 - Mountain Gate Park Sun/Shade Study
2. Exhibit 2 - Professional Services Agreement
3. Exhibit 3 - Sourcewell Contract #010521-LTS-6 for USA Shade-PlayPower, Inc.