HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Report - December 6, 2006 E-09AGENDA 'E�9
CITY OF LODI
COUNCIL COMMUNICATION
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AGENDA TrME: Authorize the City Manager to enter into contracts with five consultants for
plans examining and building inspection services.
MEETING DATE: December 6, 2006
PREIN1 RW BY: Randy Hatch, Community Development Director
RECOUNIENBED ACTION: Authorize the City Manager to enter into contracts with five
consultants for plans examining and building inspection services
on an as needed basis. The consultants are:
➢ Bureau Veritas; Pleasanton, CA
➢ Interest Consulting Group; Elk Grove, CA
➢ NAFFA International; Fresno, CA
➢ Precision Inspection Company, Inc.; Newman, CA
➢ Willdan; Sacramento, CA
BACKG OLMID INFORMATION: The Building Inspection Division currently relies on an
outside consultant Linhart Petersen Powers Associates
(LP2A) to perform plan resew since it does not have a registered engineer or licensed architect
on staff. Many projects Ilhat are submitted for plan check are very complex and require the
expertise of a licensed professional to review the plans to insure compliance with the California
Building Code. For example, projects such as police and fire stations are required by State law
to be reviewed by a registered engineer or licensed architect. Currently, the Division has
assigned one building inspector to plan check residential and miscellaneous structures and non-
structural commercial projects. Other inspectors help with less complicated plan checking as
time permits. While we use LP2A to check the non-residential structural projects, there are also
times when there is a backlog of plans and our consultant cannot perform a timely plan check.
State law requires that the residential plan reviews be completed within 30 days and commercial
within 45 days.
Further, the building community in Lodi has expressed a desire to have more than one
consultant to choose from, especially when the consultant is exceeding the agreed upon turn-
around times. During busy times, there is a need to give the department more options for
obtaining the most qualified consultant with the best tum around time. All of the consultants
listed gave us very competitive quotes that were within a 5% differential of each other. These
consulting firms will perform structural plan review until such time that the new in-house
engineer position is filled, when specialized expertise is needed, or when the backlog is too
great for existing staff.
While obtaining a list of gtoalified plan checking and inspection services will not obligate the city
to use the list, it does give the division more flexibility in providing the best service to the public
and gives the applicants rnnore choices.
FISCAL IMPACT, None
FMISING AVAR.AiALE: The service will be funded by the collection of plan check fees
paid by the applicant. These fees are collected upon application and a percentage is kept by
the City Building Inspection Division.
r R y iste, Financial Services Manager
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Randy Hatdi
Community Development Director
RH/J HAyc
Atta&rwnts: Resolution