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REQUEST FOR <br />COUNCIL ACTION <br />CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: <br />NOVEMBER 5, 2007 <br />TITLE: <br />AGREEMENT WITH WILLDAN FOR <br />PLAN CHECK SERVICES <br />G~, <br />CITY MANAGER <br />RECOMMENDED ACTION <br />CLERK OF COUNCIL USE ONLY: <br />APPROVED <br />^ As Recommended <br />^ As Amended <br />^ Ordinance on 1S` Reading <br />^ Ordinance on 2"d Reading <br />^ Implementing Resolution <br />^ Set Public Hearing For_ <br />CONTINUED TO <br />FILE NUMBER <br />Direct the City Attorney to prepare and authorize the City Manager and <br />Clerk of the Council to execute an agreement with Willdan for plan check <br />services in an amount not to exceed $55,000. <br />DISCUSSION <br />Over the past two years, the City has made substantial improvements in <br />the plan check process. Results of these improvements have included <br />better service at the counter, where plans for smaller projects are often <br />checked while the customer waits. Another result has been a dramatic <br />reduction in the time it takes to check plans for larger development <br />projects--from an average "turn-around time" of about nine weeks in 2005 <br />to three or fewer weeks at present. According to staff surveys, this <br />turn-around time is the fastest of any city in Orange County. These <br />improvements have resulted in development projects beginning and being <br />completed sooner. <br />The strategy behind these improvements relied on setting ambitious goals, <br />streamlining internal procedures, hiring a part-time contract plan check <br />engineer devoted to the public counter, hiring one additional full-time <br />plan check engineer and outsourcing plan checking services whenever the <br />volume of plan submittals is such that the City cannot otherwise meet its <br />three-week turn-around goal. <br />The agreement proposed herein represents the portion of the strategy <br />focused on maintaining an improved level of service for customers at the <br />public counter. Willdan is a private consulting firm that provides <br />contract services exclusively to public agencies. This is the fourth <br />year the City has contracted with Willdan. The firm was selected after <br />circulation of a Request for Proposals and review of proposals from eight <br />firms. <br />25D-1 <br />