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7.1 .B. - Page 1 <br /> REPORT <br /> To the Honorable Mayor and City Council <br /> From the Cit Mana er <br /> November 18, 2013 <br /> SUBJECT <br /> Amendment No. 1 to Professional Services Agreement with ESA for Preparation of an <br /> Environmental Impact Report in support of the Inner Harbor Specific Plan <br /> RECOMMENDATION <br /> By motion, approve and authorize the City Manager to execute Amendment No. 1 to the <br /> Professional Services Agreement with ESA for Preparation of an Environmental Impact <br /> Report in support of the Inner Harbor Specific Plan, in the amount of$316,860 for a <br /> total amount of$376,855. <br /> BACKGROUND <br /> The Inner Harbor Specific Plan efforts have begun with the formation of a 15-member <br /> Task Force and the hiring of MIG to both facilitate the Task Force efforts and to prepare <br /> the Specific Plan documents. The process is anticipated to take approximately one <br /> year to complete. <br /> ANALYSIS <br /> Staff solicited a proposal for preparation of an Environmental Impact Report from three <br /> consulting firms in the Bay Area. Staff selected ESA because of their technical <br /> experience in evaluating the impacts of sea level rise and preparing documents dealing <br /> with the complexities of Bay side development. A formal RFP process was not <br /> implemented because, after talking with the other firms, staff believed that ESA's <br /> possessed the internal resources and expertise in sea level rise analysis to best meet <br /> the schedule for implementation of a Specific Plan and provide the technical support for <br /> the Task Force analysis. <br /> Similar to the process for beginning the planning process, staff initiated a small starter <br /> agreement so that ESA could begin the technical studies and reports that are essential <br /> to the education of the Task Force and which will form the basis of analysis for the EIR. <br /> That Agreement was for $59,995. The proposed Amendment to the Agreement is to <br /> prepare all of the documents and studies required for an EIR supporting the Specific <br /> Plan and is for $316,860 for a total of$376,855, inclusive of the initial starter contract. <br /> ESA has proposed a strong project team with significant experience in preparing EIRs <br /> for projects similar to this. Their schedule of pertormance is consistent with the City's <br /> expectations to be complete with the analysis and planning in the summer of 2014. It is <br /> important to bring the environmental consultant team into the planning process as early <br />