SFCTA staff seeks $2.7M contract extension; remote commenter alleges past contractor overcharges

On April 8 SFCTA staff requested board approval to exercise the first one-year extension increment for an on-call project management and engineering services contract.

Carl Holmes, Deputy Director for Capital Projects, said the original three-year contract was set up at $8,000,000 and that the board was being asked to approve the first extension increment of $2,700,000, which would allow a combined contract capacity not to exceed $10,700,000. Holmes said the on-call contract supports program oversight for projects including Yerba Buena Island portfolios, selected SFMTA and BART projects and Caltrain projects where the authority provides enhanced oversight. "We would exceed the remaining capacity," Holmes said, explaining the rationale for the extension.

During the public-comment period a remote caller from San Jose (identified in the recording as Roland Ruben or a similar name) urged the board to oppose awarding two contracts on Attachment 1 to Zuri Naga and Associates, characterizing the firm as a "reincarnation" of a joint venture associated with Cordoba and alleging prior large cost overruns on major projects including the Salesforce Transit Center and Central Subway. The caller urged commissioners to consult former Supervisor Aaron Peskin. The transcript records the allegation but does not record any staff response or factual rebuttal during the meeting.

A motion to approve the contract extension was made (mover and seconder recorded in the transcript), but no roll-call vote or outcome is recorded in the provided transcript. The board will need to record a formal vote or return for action in a later proceeding.