District seeks project management award for Smiley ASR well after federal grant; only one proposal received

The board heard an update on the Smiley aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) well project, which staff said was previously designed in part and has now received a federal grant requiring a 50% local match.

Staff reported the district had applied with a roughly $6,000,000 project figure to ensure adequate scope. The bureau awarded about $2,900,000 in federal grant funds; because the federal award requires a 50% local match, staff said the district will seek additional matching funds (for example from Prop. 4 state bond funds) to minimize the district’s share.

Because the federal award introduced additional compliance and procurement requirements, staff halted earlier design progress and sought new project management qualifications. The RFQ produced a single response from a firm identified in materials as WSC (the packet also contained an inconsistent spelling of the firm in one place). After review, staff recommended WSC for project management, with a not‑to‑exceed contract amount of $377,766. Staff emphasized the project will include drilling, ASR permitting and testing, well‑site development, schedule and budget management, and grant administration; the estimated duration is about 24 months.

Directors asked why only one firm responded; staff said outreach and solicitation practices had been recently implemented and might require improvement. Staff indicated the item could be carried to a future meeting for action if the board wanted additional procurement competition or outreach.

What’s next: staff will either return the item for action with additional procurement outreach or proceed to bring a contract for board consideration following any requested supplemental outreach.