AgdaPkt 2000-06-26 - Laserfiche WebLink

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REPORT To the Honorable Mayor and City Council From the City Manager June 12,2000 Subject Final Acceptance - Regional Traffic Signalization/Operation Program (RTSOP1) - Downtown Traffic Signal Interconnect Project - Engineering File No. 803-02 Recommendation Accept, by motion, the Regional Traffic Signalization/Operation Program (RTSOP1)- Downtown Traffic Signal Interconnect Project, and authorize the release of bonds and retention. Background On February 23, 1998, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 13287, accepting bids and authorizing the execution of a construction agreement for the subject project. The contract was awarded to S.G. Barber of San Carlos, California, for an amount of $291,768. The purpose of this project was to install the hardware needed to allow the operation of the downtown traffic signals to be controlled from City Hall, and also facilitating the synchronization of the signals as the policies and timing plans are developed. The project does not include any synchronization programming; however, Jefferson Avenue between Middlefield Road and Franklin Street, and the Redwood Shores Parkway corridor are synchronized for the PM peak hours. We also have synchronization data for Whipple Avenue and Veterans Boulevard corridors ready to be implemented systematically. The project consisted of two major stages: the interconnection of the downtown traffic signals using copper wires, and the installation of software and hardware to control the signals. Because this is a Federal grant project, strict rules of competitive bidding have to be followed. This form of contracting does not lend itself well to this type of project, because the industry is just beginning to be standardized, and the majority of components are still incompatible. From the design stage, the designer and the City maintenance crew knew what pieces of equipment and software needed to be assembled for the system to work. However, when writing a performance specification, some flexibility has to be allowed, in order to not be proprietary, and to be able to attract more than one bidder. On March 22, 1999, the City Council approved the issuance of two Change Orders (CO) to cover the substitution of the software, and to cover unforeseen underground damages to the existing conduit systems. The sum of the COs came to $90,500 or 31% of the original contract amount (see Attachment "A" Staff Report from 3/22/99 Council Meeting). The contract took 16 months to complete due to multiple factors. One factor was the ~merging standards, which also prompted CO #1. Another factor was the complexity of tie wiring and testing of the software and hardware. The certification of the system .- .... '~1r