ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

Date: November 5, 1997

Author/Local: R. Louie/7156

D.Desrochers/7893

CC File No. 1805

TO:	Vancouver City Council
FROM:	General Manager of Engineering Services
SUBJECT:	Award of Consultant Services Contract for the Development of the Vehicle Impoundment Facility

RECOMMENDATION

A.THAT a Consultant Services contract for the preliminary design, rezoning of the site, and the development of design-build documents for the Vehicle Impoundment Facility be awarded to Architectura at a cost of $150,000, plus GST, plus disbursements, and

FURTHER THAT the General Manager of Engineering Services be authorized to enter into a contractual agreement in a form satisfactory to the Director of Legal Services.

B.THAT City staff be authorized to pursue tendering the final design and construction of the parking facility based on the Design-Build Process, subject to the successful rezoning of the site and Council approval of the preliminary design and project budget for the parking structure.

C.THAT the budget for Consultant Services be increased from $150,000 previously approved to $180,000, with funding to be provided by the Parking Sites Reserve.

COUNCIL POLICY

City Council must approve consultant contracts in excess of $30,000.

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

PURPOSE

This report is to request Council approval for Consultant Services related to the development of the Vehicle Impoundment Facility.

BACKGROUND

On March 28, 1996, City Council approved a recommendation, which granted a lease of the City-owned site located at Granville Street and Pacific Street to the Vancouver Dance Centre. This site is currently occupied by the City's Vehicle Impound Lot. Council requested staff to pursue options to relocate the impound lot.

On April 10, 1997, City Council approved the following:

THAT the General Manager of Engineering Services make application to rezone Lot H, (1407 Granville Street), from BCPED to CD-1 Comprehensive Development District, to allow for the development of a parking structure at a cost of approximately $6,000,000 to accommodate the relocation of the vehicle impound facility presently on the southeast corner of Granville and Pacific Streets.

THAT City staff be authorized to retain a consultant to prepare preliminary designs and estimates for the parking structure at a total cost of $150,000.

DISCUSSION

Following Council approval to hire a consultant to prepare a preliminary design for the Impound Facility, Engineering issued an invitation for Expressions of Interest for Consultant Services. The Expression of Interest involved seeking consultants who would prepare preliminary designs for the facility, make application to rezone the site, and upon enactment of the rezoning, prepare contract documents for completion of the facility using the design-build process.

Staff believe that the design-build approach for the construction of the facility would not only offer substantial savings, but would also allow the facility to be completed faster than the conventional tendering process. With the construction of the Dance Centre pending, the construction of the impound facility needs to be expedited to minimize disruptions to the impound operations. In addition, Lot H is a unique site located beneath the Howe Street on-ramp of the Granville Street Bridge. The existence of the on-ramp bridge deck does not allow for the use of conventional overhead tower crane construction methods. Also, the intrusion of the bridge piers throughout the site will make standard design and construction difficult. Therefore, the selection of the design-build process is appropriate, as this willallow the design to accommodate innovative construction methods that should result in cost savings to the City. With the design-build process, the designers and the constructors are the same entity. Schedule and performance responsibility come from a single source, reducing the potential for disputes and claims, and typically resulting in a shorter project delivery schedule.

The risks that may accompany the design-build process relate to the quality control in the design and construction of the facility, as reduced cost and scheduling may impact the quality of the final product. However, staff feel that the prequalification of the design-build proponents, together with the close working relationship between staff and the consultant will address this quality issue.

Noting that the design-build process is the latest trend in the construction industry and recently, successfully used for the 2,000 vehicle parking structure at the Vancouver International Airport (YVR), Engineering staff recommend that the design-build approach be pursued.

From the Expression of Interest, Engineering received proposals from seven firms. These Expressions of Interest were evaluated based on the knowledge and experience of the companies in the following areas:

-Public consultation process and urban design;

-Parking structure design;

-CD-1 Rezonings in the City of Vancouver;

-Design-Build request for proposals and contract documents;

-Design-Build construction of parkades.

From the Expression of Interest, Engineering shortlisted 3 proponents to make submissions in the Request for Proposal for Consultant Services. These were:

-Cochrane PBK / The Hulbert Group

-Architectura / Read Jones Christoffersen

-Reid Crowther / Hotson Bakker

Engineering reviewed the proposal and evaluated them based on the following five principal criteria:

1.The reputation, relevant experience and technical capability of the proponent in the following areas:

·250·public consultation process and urban design·250

·250·parking structure design·250

·250·CD-1 rezonings·250

·250·design-build process·250

2.The proposed methodology, work plan, schedule, and overall response to the Terms of Reference of the proponent.

3.The overall consultant team assembled by the prime consultant.

4.The overall cost impact of the proposal, including the addition of applicable taxes to the prices quoted, and the fee structure proposed.

5.The best value to the City based solely on the City's assessment of the proposal.

Based on the five criteria listed above, Engineering staff recommend that Architectura be awarded the contract for Consultant Services at a cost of $150,000, plus GST, plus disbursements. These disbursements include the required models and renderings as determined during the rezoning process. Staff believe that their experience and knowledge with the design-build process, in particular for parkades (e.g. YVR Parkade), and in CD-1 rezonings in the area (e.g. Dance Centre) will result in best value to the City for the required consultant services.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

On April 10, 1997, City Council approved funding of $150,000 from the Parking Sites Reserve, for consultant services to perform the preliminary design of the facility and to rezone of the site. Additional funding of $30,000 from the Parking Sites Reserve is requested for consultant services to prepare design-build documents and contracts for the completion of the facility.

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(c) 1997 City of Vancouver