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Commission approves limited Black & Veatch work order while staff outlines plan to bring CIP functions in-house
Summary
The commission authorized a near-term allocation tied to a Black & Veatch work order while directing staff to deliver a 60-day plan to expand in-house capital improvements capacity and reduce consultant reliance.
The City Commission authorized a reduced, time-limited payment tied to work order #5 with Black & Veatch for program management and staff augmentation while directing city staff to show a plan for expanding in-house capacity.
Hamid Nikban, the city’s water director, told the commission that he negotiated the work order down from earlier estimates after reviewing staffing, active projects and the new capital-improvement program (CIP) structure. Staff said the item reduces outside consultant effort on preconstruction and program-management tasks and reserves more consultant time for construction inspection and other specialized work while the city builds internal capacity.
Commissioners pressed for a firm timeline and deliverable. Commissioner Florimon asked for a 60-day plan showing how the new CIP organization will be staffed and how the city will transition responsibilities from the consultant to in-house staff. Staff agreed to provide a detailed reorganization and staffing timeline; commissioners also negotiated a pause/holdback structure: the commission approved a near-term authorization tied to roughly a 90‑day funding tranche (mathematically described in the meeting as about $450,000) while requiring staff to return in 60 days with a plan to reduce consultant reliance further.
Why it matters: The water utility has been using outside program management for multiple years; commissioners emphasized reducing consultant costs and increasing in-house capacity while ensuring uninterrupted project delivery for water and CIP projects.
Vote and next steps: The motion to authorize the limited tranche with the requirement that staff return in 60 days with a implementation plan passed (one commissioner opposed). Staff said the contract term remains governed by the underlying agreement and that further authorizations would return to the commission for approval as needed.
Provenance: Presentation and discussion during the Feb. 18 commission meeting.
