ITEM:		CONSENT CALENDAR
8.	AUTHORIZE EXPENDITURE OF BUDGETED FUNDS FOR CONTRACT WITH PADRE ASSOCIATES TO PROVIDE HYDROLOGIC REVIEW FOR WATER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS IN FY 2006-2007
Meeting Date:			June 22, 2006	Budgeted:	$25,000
From:			David A. Berger, General Manager	Program/Line Item No.:	2-5-5-C Acct. No. 4-7855.03
Staff Contact:			Henrietta Stern	Cost Estimate:	$25,000
General Counsel Approval: N/A
Committee Recommendation: The Administrative Committee reviewed this item on June 12, 2006 and recommended approval.
CEQA Compliance: N/A

SUMMARY: The Board will consider authorizing staff to enter into an amended contract with Padre Associates Inc (Padre) to add a series of tasks related to implementation of MPWMD Rules and Regulations governing Water Distribution Systems (WDS) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2006-2007 (July 1, 2006 through June 30, 2007) for a not-to-exceed amount of $25,000. Specifically, Padre would, in coordination with the Water Resources Division (WRD) Manager: (1) review hydrogeologic reports prepared by other consultants as required by the WDS application process, (2) conduct assessments of potential adequacy of water supply certain limited situations, and (3) help write and refine technical procedures documents, including responding to questions from applicant consultants. This contract is a line item in the 2006-2007 budget to be considered by the Board on June 22, 2006 (see Item #22). The scope of work, qualifications and rate sheet is shown as Exhibit 8-A. The contract is on an as-needed basis, and all work related to WDS applications would be invoiced to the respective applicants.

Retention of Padre will help speed the permit review process, which has been adversely impacted by a tripling of pending applications compared to the normal annual average received. Additionally, this will enable the WRD manager to do only a final sign-off review, thereby allowing him to focus time on other responsibilities. Currently, the WRD manager must conduct a more detailed review of applicant consultant reports or prepare individual evaluations, the timing of which often conflicts with other high-priority programs assigned by the Board/General Manager. It is notable that the above technical tasks have been removed from the IDias Consulting contract scope (see Item #9).

RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends that the Board authorize the General Manager to amend existing contracts with Padre to include this new set of WDS-related tasks. These tasks would be separately tracked from other work Padre currently performs for the District, and will be billed to specific applicants. WDS permits are not signed until payment is received. Padre has had an excellent working relationship with the District to date and is very well qualified for the job. The Administrative Committee reviewed this item at its June 12, 2006 meeting and voted 3 to 0 to recommend approval. If this item is adopted along with the Consent Calendar, staff will execute a contract amendment for a not-to-exceed amount of $25,000 for work in this next fiscal year.

IMPACT TO DISTRICT RESOURCES: The number of WDS applications and Pre-Applications received in early 2006 is triple the annual total of previous years, and a backlog currently exists. The use of Padre Associates will help staff meet its customer service timeline goals for WDS permit applicants without compromising work product quality or adversely affecting other high-priority projects. This item is budgeted for $25,000 in FY 2006-2007 as line item 2-5-5-C. It is possible that a mid-year budget adjustment may be needed in Winter 2007, depending on work volume in June-December 2006. The Administrative Committee requested to be notified when 85% of the contract limit has been expended, especially if it appears that additional funds would be needed before FY 2006-2007 ends.

EXHIBITS

8-A Padre Associates Inc Scope of Work for FY 2006-2007

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