Oxnard City staff seek council authorization for four $750,000 environmental consulting contracts

Joe Pearson, a city staff member, presented a recommendation to the Community Services, Public Safety, Housing and Development Committee that the Oxnard City Council authorize the mayor to execute professional services agreements with four environmental consulting firms — Dudek; Michael Baker International; Environmental Science Associates; and Eyestone Environmental — each with a not-to-exceed value of $750,000.

Pearson said the Community Development Department uses specialty environmental consultants when project analyses exceed planning staff capacity or require expertise beyond in-house staff. He told the committee the city issued a request for qualifications in July 2025, received 18 proposals, and that staff reviewed and scored all submissions before selecting the four firms.

Staff proposed each agreement carry an initial three-year term and a one-time, two-year extension option. "Given that environmental consulting firms provide services to a variety of public and private clients, multiple contracts are required to ensure that conflicts of interest do not occur," Pearson said, adding that multiple contracts also help ensure work can be performed by qualified consultants who have available time when projects require it.

Pearson outlined the scope of services the city expects from these consultants, saying they will provide CEQA and technical analyses covering noise, traffic, hazardous materials, greenhouse gases, air quality and related impacts so that decision-makers have a comprehensive view of project benefits and impacts.

He noted that previous contracts with Rincon Consultants, Environmental Science Associates and Dudek had each been set at up to $750,000, that ESA's contract has already expired, and that the contracts with Dudek and Rincon are set to expire on June 30, 2026. Pearson also warned that CEQA-related legal challenges continue to be an issue and said the city, as lead agency, is responsible for defending the adequacy of CEQA documents if they are litigated.

On budget, Pearson said staff is not proposing the use of general fund resources for these contracts; funding would come from developer deposits, grant funds and other city department budgets. He told the committee that, if the new contracts run their maximum term of five years including the extension, the city would issue a new RFQ at contract expiration.

Staff recommended the committee forward authorization to City Council for the mayor to execute the four professional services agreements for environmental consulting, each not to exceed $750,000. The record provided no council vote in this presentation; the transcript shows this as a staff recommendation to the committee.

If the council approves the recommendation, the contracts would take effect under the proposed three-year initial terms with the option to extend for two additional years. The committee's next procedural step would be to place the authorization before City Council for consideration.