San José approves $18.9M owner-advisor contract for $240M wastewater aeration upgrade
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Summary
Council approved a master consultant (owner's advisor) agreement with Brown and Caldwell to support a large aeration and nutrient-control project at the regional wastewater facility; staff estimated the construction cost at roughly $240 million and the owner's-advisor contract as not-to-exceed $18.9 million.
The City Council unanimously approved a master consultant agreement that will retain Brown and Caldwell as the owner’s advisor for a major aeration and biological nutrient-control project at the City’s regional wastewater facility.
Jeff Provenzano, director of the Environmental Services Department, introduced the proposal and noted the need to deliver several large capital projects at the wastewater facility over the coming decade. Mariana Chavez Vasquez, general manager of the regional wastewater facility, and Kapil Verma, deputy director for the capital improvement program, described the project’s two primary objectives: asset restoration/rehabilitation and process upgrades to comply with new watershed permit nutrient limits for discharges to the San Francisco Bay.
Verma presented a preliminary planning-level construction estimate of roughly $240,000,000 for the aeration/process improvements, including structural repairs and a new carbon-feed facility. To support delivery, staff proposed a not-to-exceed owner's-advisor master contract with Brown and Caldwell of $18,900,000 — approximately 8 percent of the planning-level construction amount, staff said, and within industry ranges for such services. "This contract with Brown and Caldwell is anticipated to take us through the year 2034," Verma told the council, describing phases from project definition and procurement through construction oversight and a 12-month performance evaluation.
Public commenter Brian Darby supported the project as essential infrastructure; councilmembers thanked staff for the briefing and moved approval. The motion passed unanimously. Staff said the owner’s-advisor contract will be implemented through multiple service orders across the project timeline and will include CEQA/permitting support, procurement support for a design–builder contract, construction oversight and post-construction performance evaluation.
What’s next: staff will finalize contract terms with Brown and Caldwell and begin the owner-advisor work program to support procurement of the design–builder and subsequent construction phases.
