ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

Date: March 9, 1999

Author/Local: K.VanVliet/

M. Blake 7687

RTS No. 00577
CC File No. 1805

Council: 23 March 1999

TO:	Vancouver City Council
FROM:	General Manager of Engineering Services
SUBJECT:	Consulting Contract: Dedicated Fire Protection System - False Creek Crossing

RECOMMENDATION

THAT the General Manager of Engineering Services, in consultation with the Director of Legal Services, be authorized to enter into a Professional Services Agreement with Golder Associates for a value of $126,000.

COUNCIL POLICY

Consultant contracts over $30,000 must be awarded by Council.

Contracts are awarded on the basis of best value for fee.

Council approved implementation of the Dedicated Fire Protection System on April 16, 1992.

PURPOSE

This report recommends that a professional services agreement for preliminary and detailed design services for the Dedicated Fire Protection System False Creek crossing be entered into with Golder Associates based on their proposal dated January 6, 1999.

BACKGROUND

Design and construction of the Dedicated Fire Protection System (DFPS) has been on-going since 1990. To date, two pump stations and 4.7 kilometres of pipeline downtown have been completed. 1999 will see the construction of pipeline on Pender Street, from Homer Street to the Coal Harbour pump station at Broughton and Hastings.

The next phase of the project is to cross False Creek and to install approximately 5.6 kilometres of pipeline, providing coverage in Kitsilano and Fairview Slopes. Water for this section of the system will come from the False Creek and Coal Harbour pump stations. This requires a pipeline across False Creek connecting the downtown network with the Kitsilano pipeline. See Figure 1.

DISCUSSION

As the False Creek crossing will be the only source of DFPS water for Kitsilano and Fairview Slopes, reliability and seismic performance are paramount. Preliminary geotechnical evaluation indicates that bedrock exists at accessible depths below False Creek in the area of Kitsilano Point and Sunset Beach. In order to obtain the required seismic performance of the pipeline, it must be installed within the firm bedrock beneath False Creek. The Value Engineering review in 1997 identified that the pipeline could be successfully installed in this bedrock using horizontal directional drilling.

In order for this component of the project to succeed, the designers must fully understand the DFPS design parameters, have proven geotechnical ability and have significant experience in design and construction of large diameter pipeline installations using horizontal directional drilling methods. Staff requested a proposal for the design and construction specifications of the False Creek crossing from Golder Associates as they fulfill all these requirements.

Golder Associates has been involved with the geotechnical component of the Dedicated Fire Protection System since concept inception in the late 1980's and their key staff have been with the project since then. Golder completed the geotechnical work for the preliminary DFPS design, the design and construction of both the False Creek and Coal Harbour pump stations, and the pipeline and valve chambers constructed to date. They took part in the Value Engineering Study conducted in 1997 and were an integral part of some of the design changes that were made.

Golder Associates has a wide range of geotechnical engineering experience working with this relatively new pipeline installation technology. For the detailed pipeline design and constructibility of the False Creek crossing, Golder Associates have teamed up with subconsultants who have extensive experience with pipeline design and implementation of horizontal directional drilling for pipeline installation.

The proposal from Golder Associates includes the following scope of work:

· Preliminary site layout and analysis
· Geotechnical investigations using four bore holes, two on the shore

and two in False Creek

· Archeological review
· Environmental review, analysis and Environmental Protection Plan
· Pipe route alignment
· Pipe material specification
· Pre-qualification of contractors
· Project construction tender
· Tender review
· Estimate for construction supervisory services

Not included in the proposal are work items for which a scope cannot be determined until further investigation and design are carried out. This includes environmental permit work, which depends on the nature of environmental sensitivities discovered during the environmental review, and construction supervision. The cost estimate for the consultant’s work is $126,000. This includes approximately $45,000 in investigative services such as surveying and borehole drilling.

Other consultants could provide the services that we propose to obtain directly from Golder Associates. However, they would require significant education of the DFPS design philosophy, design standards and investigative work done to date for this crossing. The City would be paying the cost of the consultant’s time and staff effort during this learning curve. As Golder has already acquired this knowledge and their hourly rate is competitive, the City will receive best value from Golder Associates’ team.

The importance of having a reliable post-seismic crossing make Golder’s extensive background knowledge of this unique project very desirable. Therefore, staff recommend that the City accept the proposal submitted by Golder Associates and enter into a Professional Services Agreement for the design of the DFPS False Creek crossing.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

This consulting contract is based on a fee for services basis with an upset limit of $126,000. Capital funds are available in the DFPS account.

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(c) 1998 City of Vancouver