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Council approves six-month, $60,000 extension for water-testing contract and directs staff to start RFP
Summary
After questioning procurement timing and competition, the Huntington Beach City Council approved a substitute motion to extend a water‑testing contract for six months, not to exceed $60,000, and directed staff to begin a competitive RFP process and report back in six months.
The Huntington Beach City Council voted to approve a substitute motion reducing a requested contract extension for water testing from $120,000 to a six‑month extension not to exceed $60,000 and directed staff to start a request‑for‑proposals (RFP) process immediately.
Councilmember Don Kennedy, who made the substitute motion, said the extension was intended only to maintain required water‑quality testing while the city begins a competitive procurement process. "If the RFP process, let's say, is 6 months ... reduce the monies from $120,000 to $60,000 and ... start the RFP process immediately," Kennedy said.
Councilmembers raised concerns that the original request came at the last minute and that the prior contract had been awarded in a solitary bid process. One councilmember noted that Huntington Beach has been outsourcing the full testing process and suggested exploring a hybrid model where staff perform sampling and contract for laboratory analysis.
City staff confirmed that field sampling is already performed by qualified personnel in some instances and that the city would continue sampling while pursuing the RFP. The substitute motion—calling for a six‑month extension not to exceed $60,000, immediate RFP initiation, and a six‑month check‑in—passed on a roll‑call vote 6–0 (one member absent).
The council’s action preserves continuity of required testing while requiring staff to solicit competitive bids and report back with procurement recommendations and any necessary budget adjustments.
What happens next: staff will issue an RFP for state‑approved water laboratories, evaluate respondents for certification and capacity, and return with a recommendation within the six‑month period set by the council.
