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PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT FOR ENGINEERING SERVICES FOR THE CITY’S PAVEMENT MANAGEMENT PLAN UPDATE
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DEPARTMENT: PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT/ENGINEERING DIVISION
PRESENTED BY: RAJA SETHURAMAN, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
CONTACT INFORMATION: SEUNG YANG, p.E., CITY ENGINEER (714) 754-5335
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Staff recommends the City Council:
1. Approve a Professional Services Agreement (PSA) to Bucknam Infrastructure Group, Inc., 3548 Seagate Way, Suite 230, Oceanside, California, for a term of five (5) years with two (2) one-year extensions for a not to exceed amount of $148,354 to provide annual updates to the City’s Pavement Management Plan (PMP).
2. Authorize the City Manager and the City Clerk to execute the PSA and any future amendments to the agreement.
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BACKGROUND:
The City’s street network consists of approximately 231 centerline miles of paved streets and alleys, and the network is divided into three segments: Master Plan of Arterial Highways (MPAH), Local Streets, and Alleys that require systematic inspection, analysis and evaluation.
The Pavement Management Plan (PMP) is a tool that the City uses to organize and analyze extensive amounts of pavement evaluation and inspection data to assess the condition of the City’s street network, which is the largest and most complex asset that the City owns and maintains.
The PMP is based on management and pavement engineering algorithms that assist staff in identifying cost-effective strategies for the network’s maintenance and rehabilitation. All cities in Orange County are required to submit a biennial PMP update to the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), as outlined in the Countywide PMP Guidelines Manual. The next PMP update is due to OCTA in June 2026. As part of the update, the City is required to survey the pavement condition of each arterial street every two years and local streets every six years.
The renewed Measure M2 funding program requires that cities in Orange County maintain a uniform approach for rating and evaluating streets using a standardized PMP. The City Council’s goal is to maintain an average Pavement Condition Index (PCI) of 85. Costa Mesa has consistently maintained a high PCI rating near 85, the second-highest among Orange County cities with a population over 100,000. The pavement condition of the arterial roads was last surveyed in 2024, and the residential streets were previously surveyed in 2021. The most recent final report for the updated Citywide Pavement Management Program was last submitted to OCTA in June 2024.
In order to meet OCTA Measure M2 funding requirements, the City is required to re-survey the arterial roads in 2026, 2028, and 2030; and the local streets in 2027, and make final report submittals to OCTA in 2026, 2028, and 2030.
ANALYSIS:
The required pavement evaluation services for the project are extensive and necessitate the expertise and experience of a qualified consultant. In coordination with staff from various departments in the City, a scope of work for professional services was developed, and a Request for Proposals (RFP) No. 26-07 (Attachment 1) was posted on PlanetBids on October 21, 2025. A total of six (6) proposals were received on November 12, 2025.
The scope of work under this contract requires the selected consultant to provide the following primary services:
• Review all maintenance and rehabilitation activities previously conducted by the City, as recommended in the most recent Pavement Management Plan.
• Collect and record extensive pavement distress data.
• Input pavement distress data into the City’s database and calculate the PCI for each segment utilizing the latest version of OCTA’s approved pavement management software.
• Verify database information against City’s GIS database information to add, delete,
and/or correct segments, as needed.
• Forecast future PCI values for each segment and create budget scenarios for each network.
• Develop a 7-year maintenance and rehabilitation strategy.
• Prepare final PMP Reports per OCTA guidelines.
In order to ensure an objective selection process, an evaluation committee was assembled, and all committee members evaluated proposals independently to assess qualifications and experience to address the City’s needs. The proposals were evaluated based on project understanding, depth of experience, technical expertise, qualified personnel, ability to meet the schedule, and associated factors.
The proposals were screened for compliance with the City’s RFP process. Two (2) proposals did not meet the minimum requirements and, therefore, were deemed non-responsive to the City’s RFP process. The following remaining four (4) consultant proposals were deemed compliant and were submitted to the evaluation committee:
• Bucknam Infrastructure Group, Inc. (Bucknam) -
Clearly identified the scope of work for various surveys and demonstrated strong understanding of required processes and procedures with respect to PMP evaluations. Showed strong communication regarding deliverables. Possesses over 25 years of extensive experience with Orange, Los Angeles, San Diego, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties in PMP project management experience. Has performed well for the City of Costa Mesa in the past. This firm was selected by the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) in 2022 to perform a 10-year Pavement Management Plan analysis on all of its Orange County local agencies’ PMPs.
• Nichols Consulting Engineers, Chartered -
Firm exhibited good history of experience throughout 12 states in over 220 California cities and counties. Relevant experience with 11 Southern California cities and OCTA. Key personnel have also utilized various models to evaluate pavement improvement and maintenance costs over time. Firm has also supported in the development of PMP guidelines for OCTA and has OCTA-certified inspectors.
• Michael Baker International -
Firm has background in utilizing varied technological tools and advances, including GIS and project management. Key personnel are fluent in technical abilities, including Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) applications and pavement asset management services. The firm also utilized various statistical models to evaluate pavement improvement and maintenance costs over time.
• Quality Engineering Solutions, Inc. -
The consultant firm has 28 years of experience in pavement engineering and construction inspection, mostly in Southern California. Exhibited private pavement management project experience in master planned communities. Firm personnel have experience and skills to evaluate pavement improvement needs, and to assess maintenance costs over time to support long term planning.
Based on the cumulative review of proposals by the evaluation committee, it was determined that Bucknam possessed the best qualifications and experience in administering the City’s PMP. The evaluation committee found Bucknam to be well qualified to perform the requested services and has performed these professional services for the City in the past with successful results. This is based on the firm demonstrating the following:
• A thorough understanding of the project and its scope.
• Substantial experience and technical ability to perform the outlined scope of work.
• A proven track record of providing high-level expertise in the systematic inspection, analysis and evaluation of the City’s streets in the past.
Regarding the other three (3) remaining consultant proposers, their proposals were also deemed qualified by the evaluation committee. However, the level of expertise and scope of experience did not measure as favorably to that of Bucknam. In addition, Bucknam, with its many years of experience working with the City of Costa Mesa in preparing its PMP program, has intimate knowledge of the City’s street network and OCTA’s requirements.
Therefore, staff recommends the approval of a PSA to Bucknam Infrastructure Group, Inc. (Attachment 2) for a term of five (5) years with two (2) one-year extensions for a not to exceed amount of $148,354.
ALTERNATIVES:
The City Council may elect to reject all proposals, re-advertise, and re-evaluate newly submitted consultant proposals. Staff has determined that doing so will not result in any appreciable increase in the quality of proposers and will only hinder staff’s ability to submit the required Pavement Management Plan update to OCTA in a timely manner. Therefore, staff does not recommend this action.
FISCAL REVIEW:
Funding for this agreement is available in the annual Citywide Street Improvements project in the Gas Tax Fund (Fund 201) and Measure M2 Fairshare Fund (Fund 416).
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney’s Office has reviewed this staff report and prepared the Professional Services Agreement (PSA) and approves them both as to form.
CITY COUNCIL GOALS AND PRIORITIES:
This project supports the following City Council goals:
• Strengthen the Public’s Safety and Improve the Quality of Life.
• Maintain and Enhance the City’s Facilities, Equipment and Technology.
CONCLUSION:
Staff recommends the City Council:
1. Approve a Professional Services Agreement (PSA) to Bucknam Infrastructure Group, Inc., 3548 Seagate Way, Suite 230, Oceanside, California, for a term of five (5) years with two (2) one-year extensions for a not to exceed amount of $148,354 to provide annual updates to the City’s Pavement Management Plan (PMP).
2. Authorize the City Manager and the City Clerk to execute the PSA and any future amendments to the agreement.