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CONTRACT NO. K-1213-132: A CONTRACT BY AND BETWEEN THE CITY OF NORMAN, OKLAHOMA, THE NORMAN UTILITIES AUTHORITY, AND COBB ENGINEERING, INC., TO PROVIDE PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING SERVICES ON AN AS-NEEDED BASIS FOR CAPITAL PROJECTS FOR THE PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES DEPARTMENTS.
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BACKGROUND: The City of Norman utilizes various engineering firms for a variety of construction testing services. Construction testing services include soil density tests, concrete strength tests, asphalt material analyses, etc. Council previously approved annual testing contracts on June 5, 2009 with Cobb Engineering, but this contract has expired.
DISCUSSION: The Engineering Division of the Public Works Department prepared a Request for Proposal to solicit new annual contracts for construction testing services to be utilized as needed for City construction projects.
The Engineering Division received five (5) proposals in August 2012. The selection committee included three (3) staff members consisting of Josh Malwick, Capital Projects Engineer; Jim Speck, Capital Projects Engineer; Tim Adams, Construction Inspector; and two (2) private citizens including Don Carter with the University of Oklahoma Physical Plant and Tom Knotts, retired University architect. Each committee member independently scored each proposal on a point scale as defined in the Request for Proposal. The ranked proposals were reviewed and discussed by the selection committee and the top three (3) proposals were Engineering Services & Testing, Inc. (EST), Professional Service Industries, Inc. (PSI) and Cobb Engineering.
Staff has negotiated a contract Cobb Engineering which identifies the unit rates for a variety of tasks associated with construction testing. Cobb Engineering has signed the same contract that allows the City of Norman to utilize their services on an as-needed basis, pending availability of funds within each project. They have agreed to the same rates consistent with those charged to Oklahoma City. This will allow staff to distribute the workload fairly and evenly, as needed. This contract is for a period of one (1) year. It allows for the renewal of the contract for an additional two years, if desired. The contract has language that allows Cobb Engineering to adjust their rates based on the current inflation rate at the end of each year. The City's scheduled projects will provide sufficient work for Cobb Engineering to anticipate a greater workload than individual projects, which allows them to be more competitive with their hourly rates, thus saving the City money. The respective project managers will be afforded the flexibility to utilize these services in a more efficient manner and better manage their projects based on the consultants' capabilities and expertise as well as their availability to complete the project needs in a timely manner.
Funding for these services are budgeted in the respective project accounts and charged at the unit rates identified in the contract on an as-needed basis. The City's average annual cost of these services over the previous 3-year contract period was $21,425/year.
RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of Contract No. K-1213-132 with Cobb Engineering, respectively, for construction testing services contract.