Report to Mayor and City Council
Tuesday, June 07, 2022
Consent
SUBJECT:
Title
CONSIDER AN UPDATE TO AN REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR A CONSULTANT TO ANALYZE CITY'S BUILDING AND SAFETY SERVICES AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE CITY (CITY COUNCIL)
Body
I. SUMMARY
On April 5, 2022, City Council directed staff to conduct a Request for Proposals (RFP) to identify a qualified consultant to analyze the functions of the City’s Building and Safety Division. The selected consultant will make recommendations for the best course of action for the City to provide first-class services to the residents and the development community. Recommendations will include the costs to implement the change from County-contracting to in-house staff, as well as the comparison of costs to provide these services on an annual basis under different scenarios, as well as the responsiveness and the customer service quality of in-house services vs. contracted. Consultant must be well-versed in the functions and job requirements of a full-service Building and Safety Division/Department.
An RFP has been prepared and was released for publication on June 3rd. The response period for the RFP will conclude on June 30, 2022. Staff will review the proposals and select the most qualified respondent. A consultant agreement will be presented for City Council’s consideration in August or September.
II. RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
RECEIVE and FILE.
Body
III. ALTERNATIVES
TAKE any other action that the City Council deems appropriate.
IV. BACKGROUND
Since its incorporation in 1968, the City of Carson has contracted with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works for most development-related services, including Building and Safety and Engineering services.
Los Angeles County Building and Safety, managed by Los Angeles County Public Works, has been providing services to ensure safe building design, construction, approval of completed building projects and providing code enforcement since the adoption of County building codes and standards in March 1933.
Building and Safety services are provided to unincorporated communities at the Public Works headquarters, at one of the 11 Building and Safety District Offices serving unincorporated communities, and at the 14 Contract City Offices serving incorporated cities, including Carson. These offices are staffed by highly professional, knowledgeable and customer service-oriented staff.
The building and safety process can be categorized in the following three processes:
Plan Check
Plan Check is a review of plans, drawings, and documents by the Building Official for compliance with the building codes. An accurate and detailed set of plans, specifications and supporting documents is required for most construction projects. Typical projects can be reviewed during a visit to a Building and Safety office, either at the counter or by appointment for more complex projects, or electronically via the EPIC-LA website (for unincorporated areas) or at the BSOP Web Application (for contract cities). Plan check may be required before a permit can be issued.
Building Permit
A building permit is permission to begin construction - a legal document that provides a permanent construction record to certify a building project met the current building code requirements and, when necessary, conformed to approved plans and specifications. Permits also form a record of completed inspections and final approval. Some minor home improvement projects may not require a permit.
Inspection
The Building Official will review permitted work for compliance with the requirements of the Building Code, the approved plan and specifications, and that the work matches the permit’s scope of work. Generally, all work will need to be inspected in various stages of construction before completion and occupancy.
Additionally, there are functions that occur within the County offices that support the Carson operations such as information technology and web support, management and field support, research, etc.
V. FISCAL IMPACT
None at this time.
VI. EXHIBITS
None.
Prepared by: Brent Gesch, Principal Administrative Analyst/Saied Naaseh, Community Development Director