TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THRU: Jarad Hildenbrand, City Manager
FROM: Leslie Hardy, Community and Library Services Director
1. Subject
title
Agreement with Hirsch & Associates, Inc., for design services for the Rampart Street Park Project
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2. Summary
Approval of a professional services agreement for performance of design services for Rampart Street Park, including design plans and construction documents for a new, passive park along the Santa Ana River just north of W. Chapman Ave., between N. Rampart St. and the Santa Ana River Bike Trail. The proposed new park amenities may include walking path(s), an enclosed dog amenity, bench seating, native landscaping, drinking fountain/bottle filler/dog watering station, trash receptacle(s), fencing, and signage.
3. Recommended Action
recommendation
Approve agreement with Hirsch & Associates, Inc., in the amount of $217,448 for design services for Rampart Street Park Project (267005); and authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to execute on behalf of the City.
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4. Fiscal Impact
The total cost for this agreement, including contingency, is $217,448 and will be funded through the Park Acquisition & Development Fund (510) in account 510-7201-84101 (267005-40) - CIP Rampart Street Park project (267005).
5. Strategic Plan Goals
Goal 5: Improve Infrastructure, Mobility, and Technology
6. Discussion and Background
The Rampart Street Park project site consists of a narrow, roughly 1-acre stretch of land, situated along the Santa Ana River just north of W. Chapman Ave., between N. Rampart St. and the Santa Ana River Bike Trail. The site was acquired by the City of Orange through a long-term lease agreement with Orange County Public Works.
A conceptual design was completed to provide preliminary ideas of what features could be incorporated into the existing property. Based on the conceptual design plan, the new passive park could potentially include walking path(s), an enclosed dog amenity, bench seating, native landscaping, drinking fountain/bottle filler/dog watering station, trash receptacle(s), fencing, and signage. With the completion of the conceptual plan, next steps included completing an environmental review, design, and construction.
Request for Proposals (RFP) 25-26.21 was advertised for design services and environmental review in May 2026, with proposals due on June 16, 2026. Eleven proposals were submitted. Due to the high number of qualified proposing firms, evaluation of submitted proposals was completed via a two-stage rating process. First, an objective “preliminary” panel consisting of internal staff and external staff from a neighboring city evaluated the proposals based on the firm’s experience, overall qualifications, record of successful projects, and overall responsiveness to the RFP. Proposal costs were submitted in separate sealed envelopes and were not considered by preliminary panelists. Final scores and rankings were determined via aggregation of preliminary panelists ratings. A secondary panel then collaboratively reviewed and rated the qualified, “passing” proposals based upon the preliminary panel’s ratings, cost proposals, and references. A Proposal Scoring and Ranking Summary (Attachment 1) is attached for reference. Hirsch & Associates, Inc. (HAI) received the highest score (88.34 out of 100) and had a base proposal amount of $173,780.
At the conclusion of the review process, City staff negotiated with the highest ranked firm to ensure that all elements of the proposed scope of services adequately addressed project needs. During negotiations, staff requested supplemental tasks be included as additional or optional scope elements. These additional tasks included construction engineering support services, full environmental processing (if needed), traffic control design and comprehensive outreach services. The expanded proposal, including all optional additional items was submitted in an amount of $197,680. It should be noted that depending upon which level of environmental review is required by the State, considerable savings may be realized.
The design work will include the process of designing the new park and the development of biddable construction documents. This process will take approximately 11 months to complete and will include several opportunities for public input, including discussion at a future Park Planning and Community Events Commission meeting. HAI will also be under contract and performing services during the construction bidding and initial construction phase of the project. During this phase of construction, HAI will review contractor submittals, respond to requests for information from contractors and subcontractors and provide general support to city staff.
The total approved project budget is $1,510,000. Staff is recommending Council approve an agreement in an amount of $197,680 which includes full design services, bid assistance, and construction support for the future construction bids and optional full environmental services if required. Approval of an additional ten percent (10%) contingency amount of $19,768 is also included for a total not-to-exceed agreement amount of $217,448.
7. ATTACHMENTS
• Attachment 1 Proposal Scoring and Ranking Summary
• Attachment 2 Agreement with Hirsch & Associates, Inc.