Title
Recommendation to Authorize the Interim City Manager to Execute an Agreement with CSG Consulting Services for Professional Plan Check Services for a 12-Month Term in an Amount not to Exceed $300,000. (Community Development 481003)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Elizabeth D. Warmerdam, Interim City Manager
Re: Recommendation to Authorize the Interim City Manager to Execute an Agreement with CSG Consulting Services for Professional Plan Check Services for a 12-month Term in an Amount not to Exceed $300,000
BACKGROUND
In June 2014, the Community Development Department (CDD) Plan Check Engineer resigned from his position with the City of Alameda. Since his departure, building plan check services have been performed by CSG Consulting Services (CSG), which is an outside plan review firm. Prior to assuming these plan check duties, CSG provided overflow plan check services for CDD and plan review services for the Fire Department. Since June 2014, CSG, along with several other plan check firms, has provided a range of plan review functions for CDD. Staff recommends that CSG continue to provide plan check services during the fiscal year and that the City Council authorize the Interim City Manager to execute the attached 12-month agreement in the amount of $300,000.00 (Exhibit 1).
DISCUSSION
Over 75% of all permits issued by CDD are issued over the counter by Planning and Building staff. The remaining 25% need to be reviewed by a structural engineer for compliance with all applicable State and local codes. Until the recent resignation of the Plan Check Engineer, the majority of these reviews were completed in-house. When necessary, the City utilized the services of CSG to perform overflow plan review.
The implementation of last year's permit streamlining effort, "Alameda At Your Service", has been successful largely due to retaining one company to provide plan review services for both Building Division an...
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