Title
[Contract] On-Call Underwater Diving and Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) Services for Drinking Water and Stormwater Facilities 2026
End
FileID
File ID: 2026-01258
End
Location
Location: Citywide
End
Recommendation
Recommendation: Pass a Motion authorizing the City Manager or designee to execute a Professional Services Agreement with Tidal Marine Construction, Inc. and Underwater Resources, Inc. for on-call underwater diving and remote operated vehicle services for an amount not-to-exceed $900,000 per contract.
End
Contact
Contact: Megan Thomas, Project Manager, (916) 808-1729, methomas@cityofsacramento.org; Michelle Carrey, Engineering & Water Resources Division Manager, (916) 808-1438, mcarrey@cityofsacramento.org; Dalia Fadl, Director, (916) 808-3765, dfadl@cityofsacramento.org; Department of Utilities
End
Presenter
Presenter: None
End
Attachments
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
2-Agreement: Tidal Marine Construction, Inc.
3-Agreement: Underwater Resources, Inc.
End
Description/Analysis
IssueDetail
Issue Detail: Staff recommends City Council approve agreements with Tidal Marine Construction, Inc. and Underwater Resources, Inc., each for an amount not-to-exceed $900,000, for on-call underwater diving and remote operated vehicle services to support Department of Utilities (DOU) drinking water and stormwater facilities. These services are essential for continued operation of critical drinking water and stormwater infrastructure, and maintaining regulatory compliance, specifically for intake screen performance, pump operation, and water quality.
DOU requires specialized underwater support to inspect, clean, and repair facilities that cannot be taken out of service, including river intakes, treatment plant processes, storage reservoirs, the Ranney Collector well, and transmission mains where diver or ROV access is needed for safe internal assessment. Routine annual maintenance at the City’s two river intake structures is required for regulatory compliance and to address sediment buildup, with additional underwater cleaning or repairs performed when deficiencies are identified. Stormwater inlets and outfalls along the Sacramento and American Rivers also require periodic inspection and, when conditions warrant, emergency assessment, with minor repairs completed as needed.
End
PolicyConsiderations
Policy Considerations: In conformance with City Code 3.56.090, City Council approval is required to execute professional service agreements for services if the amount expended under agreement is $250,000 or more. Pursuant to the Professional Services Procurement Policy, section 1.1(c)(1), when on-call services contracts are used, the amount of the procurement is the cumulative amount of the on-call services contracts if multiple on-call services contracts are being used for the same scope of services.
End
EconomicImpacts
Economic Impacts: None.
End
EnvironmentalConsiderations
Environmental Considerations: The proposed agreements for on-call diving support have been determined to be exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines. Section 15061(b)(3) consists of activities covered by the common sense exemption that CEQA applies only to projects which have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on an environmental resource, the activity is not subject to CEQA.
End
Sustainability
Sustainability: The proposed agreements are consistent with the 2040 General Plan under policy PFS-2.2 for maintenance of critical infrastructure and PFS-3.2 for utility sustainability and resilience.
End
Commission/Committee Action
Commission/Committee Action: Not applicable.
End
RationaleforRecommendation
Rationale for Recommendation: On March 4, 2026, a Request for Qualifications (RFQ), Q26141322004, was advertised and issued on PlanetBids for on-call underwater diving and remote operated vehicle services to support DOU drinking water and stormwater facilities. On the due date of April 2, 2026, eight (8) Statements of Qualifications (SOQs) were received. After reviewing the proposals and scoring the consultants out of 105 total points, Tidal Marine Construction, Inc. and Underwater Resources, Inc. were selected to provide the requested services after the following ranking:
|
Ranking |
Consultant |
Avg. Points |
|
1 |
Underwater Resources, Inc. |
96 |
|
2 |
Tidal Marine, Inc. |
96 |
|
3 |
J.F. Brennan Company |
93 |
|
4 |
DRS Maine |
85 |
|
5 |
Global Diving and Salvage |
85 |
|
6 |
Rubicon Applied Services |
81 |
|
7 |
Blue Locker Diving |
77 |
|
8 |
Phoenix International |
61 |
A three-member evaluation team that included two staff members from the DOU Engineering and Water Resources Division, and one staff member from the DOU Water Division, evaluated the proposals. Staff reviewed the proposals and based on their knowledge, expertise, and experience of diving work for public utilities, Tidal Marine Construction, Inc. and Underwater Resources, Inc. were selected to provide the requested services.
End
FinancialConsiderations
Financial Considerations: The proposed on-call agreements each have an initial three-year term, with a maximum of two one-year renewals. The total not-to-exceed amount is $900,000 over the maximum five-year term for each contract, or $1,800,000 for both. Services under these agreements are intended to be used to fill needs when demand warrants. Purchase orders encumbering funds under these agreements will not be created until projects and funding are identified. Funding of these agreements in future fiscal years will be subject to availability of sufficient funds in the budget adopted for the applicable fiscal year.
There are no General Funds allocated or planned for these agreements.
End
LocalBusinessEnterprise
Local Business Enterprise (LBE): Tidal Marine Construction, Inc. and Underwater Resources, Inc. are not LBE’s. The minimum LBE participation requirement was waived by the Director of Utilities based on a determination that a waiver is in the City’s best interest due to the lack of qualified local vendor availability.
End
Background
Background: Industrial diving is a highly specialized profession, and the City does not maintain a personnel classification for divers or the associated training, certification, and safety programs required for this work. As a result, the Department of Utilities cannot perform underwater inspections, cleaning, or repairs with in-house staff and must rely on qualified contractors to complete these services safely and in compliance with regulatory requirements.
DOU routinely conducts work in facilities and locations that cannot be dewatered or taken offline, making underwater access the only viable method for inspection, cleaning, or repair. For water systems, this includes activities such as debris removal, structural assessments, internal pipeline inspections, and reservoir cleaning. Some of this work occurs as part of planned, while other needs arise unexpectedly due to operational conditions, obstructions, or changing river environments.
For stormwater systems, underwater work may be needed to inspect and evaluate facilities such as inlets and outfalls in the Sacramento and American Rivers, with the potential of emergency assessments when river levels are high. When deficiencies or obstructions are noticed, minor repairs may be required.
The scope of services for these on-call contracts include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Underwater cleaning, inspection, and repair of intake screens and structures at the City’s Water Treatment Plants;
• Sand and debris removal at intake structures;
• Internal inspection and reporting for active and inactive water pipelines;
• Underwater cleaning, inspection, and repair of water distribution reservoirs and related facilities;
• Underwater inspection of in-river pumps and screens for stormwater stations.
End