Title
[Contract Award] Pavement Condition Data Collection and Analysis (R15200800)
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FileID
File ID: 2026-01392
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Location
Location: Citywide
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Recommendation
Recommendation: Pass a Motion: 1) awarding a Professional Services Agreement to Nichols Consulting Engineers (NCE); and 2) authorizing the City Manager or designee to execute a Professional Services Agreement with NCE for Pavement Condition Data Collection and Analysis for an amount not-to-exceed $539,269.
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Contact
Contact: Josh Werner, Development Project Manager, (916) 808-8158, jwerner@cityofsacrament.org; Jennifer Donlon Wyant, Mobility and Sustainability Division Manager, (916) 808-5913, jdonlonwyant@cityofsacramento.org; Department of Public Works
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Presenter
Presenter: None
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Attachments
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
2-Professional Services Agreement - NCE
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Description/Analysis
IssueDetail
Issue Detail: The Department of Public Works’ Mobility and Sustainability Division has an ongoing need to regularly assess and update pavement condition data to effectively manage the City’s roadway network and prioritize pavement maintenance and rehabilitation investments. Maintaining current and accurate pavement condition information is essential to supporting the City’s Pavement Management System (PMS), which is used to evaluate roadway conditions, forecast deterioration, identify cost-effective maintenance strategies, and optimize the use of available transportation funding.
Staff recommends executing a Professional Services Agreement with Nichols Consulting Engineers (NCE) to perform a citywide pavement condition survey, update the Pavement Management System database, and prepare a comprehensive pavement condition report. The work will include collecting pavement distress data using specialized automated equipment, calculating Pavement Condition Index (PCI) values in accordance with industry standards, analyzing network conditions, forecasting future pavement performance, and developing recommendations to support the City's Capital Improvement Program and long-term pavement preservation strategy.
The consultant's work will provide the technical information necessary to make data-driven decisions regarding roadway maintenance, rehabilitation, and reconstruction projects, while supporting grant applications, budget development, and compliance with industry best practices for pavement asset management.
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PolicyConsiderations
Policy Considerations: The recommendations in this report are consistent with the City General Plan M-1.39: Maintain the Street System. The City shall maintain streets and shared-use paths using a pavement management system and maintenance program for public streets and shared-use paths throughout the City based on available funding.
This submission is also in accordance with the provisions of City Code section 3.56.090 and the City’s Professional Services policy, that requires City Council approval of actions of $250,000 or more.
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EconomicImpacts
Economic Impacts: None
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EnvironmentalConsiderations
Environmental Considerations:
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA): Approval of a professional services agreement for consultant services is not a project as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, Section 15378(2) and is not subject to CEQA [CEQA Guidelines Section 15060(c)(3)]. The recommended action involves a contract for inspection services and recommendations. The action has no potential to cause a significant impact on the environment. Projects that may result from the consultant’s recommendations would have appropriate CEQA review prior to those specific project approval(s).
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Sustainability
Sustainability: Not applicable.
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Commission/Committee Action
Commission/Committee Action: None.
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RationaleforRecommendation
Rationale for Recommendation: Consistent with the requirements of Government Code Section 3504.1 (AB 339), the Department evaluated whether the required pavement condition data collection and analysis services could be performed using existing City staff and resources. Following that review, the Department determined that the work requires specialized technical expertise, pavement condition survey equipment, proprietary software, and analytical capabilities necessary to perform network-wide pavement distress surveys and develop Pavement Condition Index (PCI) data in accordance with nationally recognized engineering and industry standards. These specialized resources and capabilities are not available within the Department's current workforce and would require the reassignment of staff from essential municipal services and core operational responsibilities. Given existing workload commitments, staffing levels, and project delivery schedules, performing this work in-house is not operationally feasible and would adversely affect the Department's ability to maintain established service levels and deliver other critical transportation projects. Contracting with a qualified consultant enables the City to obtain the specialized expertise, equipment, and resources necessary to produce accurate and reliable pavement condition data, maintain the City's Pavement Management System, support informed capital planning and asset management decisions, preserve project schedules, and ensure the work is performed in accordance with applicable professional, regulatory, and industry standards.
On February 4, 2026, a Request for Proposals (P24151621005) was advertised for Pavement Condition Data Collection and Analysis per City guidelines. On March 11, 2026, the City received proposals from four consultants - NCE, Applied Research Associates, Inc., Adhara Systems, Inc., and Blue Dome Technologies. The proposals were reviewed and evaluated by an internal selection panel from the Department of Public Works. The reviewing panel determined that NCE had submitted the most responsive proposal and was most qualified to complete the scope of work required by this project. Pursuant to section 3.56.090 of the Sacramento City Code, all contracts involving an expenditure of $250,000 or more must be authorized by City Council. City Council approval is needed for the award of the consultant contract to proceed with the project. Public Works complied with the requirements of AB 339 with this contract.
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FinancialConsiderations
Financial Considerations: The estimated total cost to complete the Pavement Condition Data Collection and Analysis is approximately $616,908. The Pavement Management Application Program (R15200800) has a sufficient unobligated balance of New Measure A Maintenance funding (Fund 2026) to award the professional services agreement to NCE for an amount not to exceed $539,269.
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LocalBusinessEnterprise
Local Business Enterprise (LBE): NCE is an LBE
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Background
Background A Pavement Management System (PMS) is a planning tool to track the past, present and future pavement condition and street maintenance and rehabilitation projects in a central database, utilizing engineering software to forecast pavement maintenance needs and assist in planning and budgeting for street maintenance. The PMS is used to ensure that the City is prioritizing roadway repairs to best serve the community in a cost-effective manner.
The City owns and maintains approximately 3,200 lane miles of streets. Public Works uses the PMS to plan future street resurfacing projects and determine the City’s annual Capital Improvement Project and Maintenance Budget, making the PMS very important to keep updated.
For the system to remain a reliable planning tool and to determine the current and future condition of its pavement, every street must be inspected on a regular basis for its roughness and the severity of its pavement distress. The data collection included in this contract will inspect the City’s roadways over a four-year period, including all major collectors and arterial roadways every two years. The resulting data is then entered into the PMS, which uses a mathematical model to assign a Pavement Condition Index (PCI) number to each segment of every street. The PCI ranges from 0 to 100, with 100 indicating the highest quality.
The resulting Pavement Condition Report will provide multiple scenarios and strategies based on the pavement condition and available funding. Staff will use this data to more strategically align the City’s road maintenance needs with other City priorities such as transportation safety, climate, and equity goals.
Staff recommends the inspection of the City’s pavement to update the Pavement Condition Index measurements (roughness and severity of pavement distress). Updating this data will validate the system’s accuracy and allow continued use of this valuable planning tool.
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