Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Nicholas J. Calderon, Parks Director
Subject: Agreements with specified contractors for the delivery of on-call professional biological and ecological services for the San Bruno Mountain Habitat Conservation Plan area
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution authorizing:
A) The President of the Board of Supervisors to execute agreements with Arboricultural Specialties, Inc.; Creekside Center for Earth Observation; Ecological Concerns, Inc.; Go Native, Inc.; Lawrence D. Ford; Nomad Ecology, LLC.; San Bruno Mountain Watch; and WRA Inc. for the delivery of on-call professional biological and ecological services for the San Bruno Mountain Habitat Conservation Plan area, for a not-to-exceed amount specified in each agreement, and a term commencing September 15, 2020, and expiring September 14, 2023; and
B) The Parks Director, or their designee, to execute amendments to the agreements to modify the maximum fiscal obligation by no more than $25,000 (in aggregate per agreement), and/or modify the agreements’ terms and/or services, so long as the modified term(s) and/or services is/are within the current or revised fiscal provisions.
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BACKGROUND:
The San Mateo County Parks Department (“Department”) serves as the designated plan operator for the San Bruno Mountain Habitat Conservation Plan (“SBMHCP”). In this capacity, the Department is responsible for ensuring all SBMHCP specifications are followed. This includes, but is not limited to, implementation of habitat enhancement and restoration work, monitoring and reporting of habitat values and special status species population, and compliance with SBMHCP regulations and conditions.
To expedite the completion of habitat enhancement, restoration, specified fire fuel reduction, and biological monitoring projects in the SBMHCP area, and to meet the obligations of the plan, the Department often engages qualified contractors to provide various on-call services. The SBMHCP trust fund is the primary source of funding for these services.
DISCUSSION:
On June 10, 2020, the Department released a Request for Proposals (“RFP”) seeking qualified contractors to provide the following on-call professional services: vegetation management; ecological restoration; biological monitoring; rangeland management; fencing and gates; and tree removal and limbing services. These services were identified as the highest need based on the SBMHCP’s existing and ongoing management priorities. The Department released the RFP on publicpurchase.com and complied with all requirements for procuring on-call professional services. After a detailed review of all 19 proposals received for the various service categories, the Department selected eight firms to provide five of the requested services as summarized below:
|
Firm |
Service |
Agreement Amount |
|
Arboricultural Specialties, Inc. |
Tree Removal and Limbing |
$200,000 |
|
Creekside Center for Earth Observation |
Biological Monitoring |
$100,000 |
|
Ecological Concerns, Inc. |
Vegetation Management |
$400,000 |
|
Go Native, Inc. |
Vegetation Management & Ecological Restoration |
$500,000 |
|
Lawrence D. Ford |
Rangeland Management |
$150,000 |
|
Nomad Ecology, LLC. |
Biological Monitoring |
$100,000 |
|
San Bruno Mountain Watch |
Ecological Restoration |
$150,000 |
|
WRA, Inc. |
Vegetation Management |
$200,000 |
|
TOTAL: $1,800,000 |
Should the Board authorize execution of the recommended on-call agreements, the Department will be able to expedite completion of various high priority initiatives including, but not limited to, the cattle grazing pilot program which has been scoped to reduce non-native and invasive vegetative communities, grassland habitat restoration and invasive species control to support four species of threatened or endangered butterfly, and removal of non-native plant species including gorse and eucalyptus trees.
These contractors may also perform general services on projects such as butterfly habitat enhancement; scrub control and invasive species control; native planting; botanical surveys; biological assessments; butterfly monitoring; cattle grazing management; tree removal; and report writing.
County Counsel has reviewed and approved the resolution as to form.
Approval of this action will facilitate the County’s obligations to implement habitat enhancement and monitoring activities for the SBMHCP.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The term of each of these agreements is from September 15, 2020, through September 14, 2023. The not-to-exceed amount for each agreement ranges from $100,000 to $500,000, with a total maximum not-to-exceed amount of $1,800,000. Sufficient funding is included in the San Bruno Mountain Habitat Conservation Plan’s FY 2020-21 budget, which was approved by the Board of Trustees on May 7, 2020, and will be included in future budgets. While the SBMHCP trust fund will be the primary source of funding for the services provided on these agreements, secondary sources may include Department-obtained grants for the SBMHCP.