Council approves special procurement to retain Brown and Caldwell for NPDES MS4 permit work

Lake Oswego’s City Council voted unanimously to approve a special procurement allowing staff to negotiate a professional services contract with Brown and Caldwell LLC to support the city’s 2026 NPDES MS4 (stormwater) permit renewal.

The item, presented during a public hearing, was described as a largely technical housekeeping action to ensure continuity with existing regional work. City attorney and staff framed the decision as discretionary but required to comply with state and local contracting rules; staff recommended an exemption from the normal competitive solicitation process because Brown and Caldwell prepared the city’s prior permit application and is already working with co‑permittees in the regional Clackamas group.

Megan Charbonneau, the city’s stormwater quality coordinator, explained the permit’s timeline and workload. She said the city’s permit renewal application is due April 3, 2026, and that the work requires substantial technical data, modeling and coordination with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. Charbonneau told council the estimated contract would be approximately $167,000 and that a standard RFP process would delay onboarding by several months.

“Brown and Caldwell…have the templates, they have the data that we would be working, building off of,” Charbonneau said, adding that using the same consultant as co‑permittees offers cost and schedule efficiencies.

After the staff presentation the council opened the public hearing; no members of the public testified. Council then voted 7‑0 to adopt Resolution 25‑20 and exempt the contract from competitive solicitation so staff can negotiate with Brown and Caldwell.

The council’s action authorizes the city manager to proceed with contract negotiations consistent with the adopted findings and state contracting rules. Staff said the procurement supports the city’s regulatory reporting and compliance obligations under the MS4/NPDES permit.