ORDINANCE appropriating $7,500,000.00 out of Airports Renewal and Replacement Fund and approving and authorizing Professional Services Contract between City of Houston and FREESE AND NICHOLS, INC to provide Environmental On-Call Professional Services for Houston Airport System; providing a maximum contract amount - 3 Years with 2 one-year options

Request for Qualifications received December 12, 2019 for S33-Q29204 – Approve an ordinance authorizing the appropriation of $7,500,000.00 out of HAS Renewal and Replacement Fund (8010) and approve awarding a professional services contract to Freese and Nichols, Inc. in the maximum contract amount not to exceed $7,500,000.00 to provide Environmental On-Call Professional Services for the Houston Airport System.

Specific Explanation:

The Director of Houston Airport System and the Chief Procurement Officer recommend that City Council approve an ordinance authorizing the appropriation of $7,500,000.00 out of HAS Renewal and Replacement Fund and approve awarding a three-year professional services contract, with two one-year options to Freese and Nichols, Inc. in the maximum contract amount not to exceed $7,500,000.00 to provide Environmental On-Call Professional Services for the Houston Airport System.  The Director of Houston Airport System may terminate this contract at any time upon thirty (30) days written notice to the contractor.

The scope of work requires the contractor to provide the skills and expertise in environmental services (e.g. Air Quality Assessments and Permitting) to address airport environmental issues at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) and Ellington Airport (EFD).

The contractor will be required to provide a variety of the services including but not limited to the following:

 The Request for Qualifications (RFQ) was advertised in accordance with the requirements of the State of Texas bid laws. As a result, submissions were received from: Apex, APTIM, Burns & McDonnell, Freese and Nichols, Inc., Jacobs Consulting, InControl Tech, Intertek PSI, LT Environmental, Michael Baker, RS&H, Terracon, and Tetra Tech.  The evaluation committee consisted of members from the Houston Airport System, General Services, and Houston Health Departments.  The submissions were evaluated based upon the following criteria:

1. Responsiveness
2. Technical Competence 

After a detailed evaluation Freese and Nichols, Inc. is best qualified to perform the required services as outlined in the RFQ.

DBE Subcontracting:

The RFQ was advertised with a 35% goal for DBE participation.  Freese and Nichols, Inc. has designated the below named company as its certified DBE subcontractor(s).  The following percentages represent the contractor’s current commitment for services under this contract.

Hire Houston First:

This contract requires compliance with the City's Hire Houston First ordinance which promotes economic opportunity for Houston businesses and supports job creation. Freese and Nichols, Inc. is not a designated company therefore the HHF preference was not applied to the award of the contract 

Pay or Play Program:

 The proposed contract requires compliance with the City's 'Pay or Play' ordinance regarding health benefits for employees of City contractors. In this case, the contractor will provide health benefits to eligible employees in compliance with City policy.

Fiscal Note:

No significant Fiscal Operating impact is anticipated as a result of this project.

__________________________________                   _________________________________

Jerry Adams, Chief Procurement Officer                  Department Approval Authority

Finance/Strategic Procurement Division

$7,500,000.00 

HAS Renewal and Replacement Fund 

Fund No.: 8010