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Department of Transportation recommending the Board:
1) In accordance with Chapter 3.13, Section 3.13.030 of County Ordinance Code, find that it is more economical and feasible to engage an independent contractor for development of an inter-agency agreement for the County’s maintenance program; and
2) Approve and authorize the Chair to sign Agreement for Services 4976 with Sycamore Environmental Consultants, Inc. in the not-to-exceed amount of $132,118.94, for a term to become effective upon execution by both parties and expiring three years thereafter, to develop a Routine Maintenance Agreement with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
FUNDING: Road Fund.
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DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
In the course of performing annual maintenance work, the Department of Transportation (Transportation) regularly maintains its roadside ditches, culverts and connected waterways throughout County. Transportation is currently required to obtain a Streambed Alteration Agreement (SAA) from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) prior to conducting any maintenance activity that could substantially adversely affect fish and wildlife resources. This is a time-consuming process which often causes delays and hinders Transportation’s ability to combine projects to reduce costs. To reduce the burden of producing an SAA for each maintenance project, Transportation is seeking to establish a Routine Maintenance Agreement (RMA) with CDFW for routine maintenance of County infrastructure within areas of CDFW jurisdiction.
In April 2020, Transportation completed a Request for Proposal (RFP) process with three of the County’s contracted on-call environmental firms. Sycamore Environmental Consultants, Inc., (Sycamore) was the only firm to respond with a proposal. Sycamore has previously completed a similar task on behalf of the Placer County Flood Control District and Placer County Department of Public Works (DPW); successfully obtaining a long-term RMA with CDFW...
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