Title
Suspension of Competitive Bidding for the Old Sacramento Wooden Boardwalk Replacement Project [Two-Thirds Vote Required]
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FileID
File ID: 2026-00529
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Location
Location: Old Sacramento Waterfront, District 4
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Recommendation
Recommendation: Pass a Motion by two-thirds vote: 1) suspending competitive bidding in the best interests of the City; and 2) approving the use of the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) project delivery method for the Old Sacramento Wooden Boardwalk Replacement Project.
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Contact
Contact: Matt Winkler, Facilities & Real Property Superintendent, (916) 808-5579, mwinkler@cityofsacramento.org; Ellen Sullivan, Senior Development Project Manager, Office of Innovation and Economic Development, (916) 808-5758, eesullivan@cityofsacramento.org; James Christensen, Facilities Manager, (916) 808-5863, jechristensen@cityofsacramento.org; Department of Public Works
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Presenter
Presenter: None
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Attachments
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
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Description/Analysis
IssueDetail
Issue Detail: The Old Sacramento Historic District is located along the east waterfront of the Sacramento River in downtown Sacramento. The district includes a mix of 19th-century structures that house businesses, retail, restaurants, and residences. A defining feature of the district is the network of raised wooden boardwalks that provide pedestrian access along the covered sidewalks and contribute to the area’s historic character.
The wooden boardwalks were introduced during mid-20th-century revitalization efforts to evoke the character of Sacramento’s Gold Rush-era riverfront. While not original 19th-century structures, the boardwalks are a critical component of the district’s historic interpretation, tourism appeal, and pedestrian circulation. The existing decking was last comprehensively replaced approximately 20 years ago and has now exceeded its useful life due to heavy pedestrian use and environmental exposure. The proposed project will replace the deteriorated wood planks to improve public safety, meet current ADA accessibility standards, and preserve the historic character of Old Sacramento.
Replacement of the boardwalk decking presents logistical challenges, including coordination with adjacent businesses, special events, parking, and pedestrian and vehicular traffic within an active tourist district. Successful delivery of this project requires a qualified contractor with experience working in constrained, high-use historic environments and the ability to coordinate closely with City staff, businesses, and the community to minimize disruption.
To ensure selection of the most qualified contractor, staff recommends suspending competitive bidding and selecting a contractor through a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) process. This approach allows the City to evaluate contractors based on experience, past performance, safety record, schedule delivery, and technical expertise, rather than obtaining the lowest bid alone. Selecting a highly qualified contractor will support improved site safety, better coordination of construction logistics, enhanced regulatory compliance, and more efficient use of project funds.
Suspending competitive bidding is also recommended to allow use of a design-build project delivery approach rather than the traditional design-bid-build method. Design-build is a construction industry best practice for complex projects in constrained environments and allows for early contractor involvement during the design phase. This approach will facilitate coordination with adjacent businesses, address constructability and site access challenges, and incorporate value engineering and technical input to maximize project scope and more efficient use of funds.
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PolicyConsiderations
Policy Considerations: The recommendations contained in this report are consistent with City Code Section 3.56.230(E) allowing the City Council to suspend competitive bidding to utilize an alternative method for a contract upon a two-third vote when City Council determines that it is in the best interest of the City to suspend the competitive bidding requirements.
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EconomicImpacts
Economic Impacts: None.
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EnvironmentalConsiderations
Environmental Considerations:
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA): The action is an administrative activity that would not result in a direct or indirect significant effect on the environment and is exempt from CEQA review. (CEQA Guidelines section 15378(b)(5); 15060(c)(3). The City will conduct the required CEQA process prior to awarding a contract.
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Sustainability
Sustainability: None.
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Commission/Committee Action
Commission/Committee Action: Not applicable.
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RationaleforRecommendation
Rationale for Recommendation: City staff recommend suspending competitive bidding and utilizing a RFQ process to select a qualified contractor for this project. Staff further recommends use of a design-build project delivery approach rather than the traditional design bid build method.
Under the RFQ process, the City will solicit qualifications from experienced contractors. Proposals received will be evaluated by a selection committee and ranked based on established criteria, including relevant experience. The highest-ranked contractor will be engaged to perform preconstruction services, subject to successful contract negotiations. Following completion of the preconstruction phase and refinement of project details including schedule, phasing, and materials the contractor will submit a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) for construction. Upon staff review and agreement with the proposed GMP, staff will return to City Council to request approval of the construction contract.
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FinancialConsiderations
Financial Considerations: The boardwalk replacement project will be funded through proceeds from the Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) Revenue Bonds. On December 2, 2025, the City Council directed staff to proceed with Phase A of the Waterfront Reinvestment Program, including the Old Sacramento Boardwalk Replacement Project (the “Project”) and other identified TOT-eligible projects. As part of this authorization, staff developed a rephasing strategy to prioritize projects that could proceed without delay, which included the Project. The City Treasurer’s Office will bring a separate report including near-final legal documents to the City Council at a later date to obtain the formal approval to issue TOT Revenue Bonds to finance the Project and other TOT-eligible projects.
Adoption of an Official Intent Resolution allows the City to reimburse eligible expenditures incurred prior to the availability of tax-exempt bond proceeds, in accordance with Section 1.150-2 of the U.S. Treasury Regulations (26 C.F.R. § 1.150-2). Accordingly, initial project expenditures will be paid from the Community Center Fund (Fund 6010) until the tax-exempt portion of TOT Revenue Bonds are issued and proceeds become available.
Preliminary expenditures will include issuance of the recommended RFQ, contractor selection and coordination, and preconstruction services such as development of detailed phasing, scheduling, and constructability planning. These preliminary costs are estimated to be less than $250,000. Sufficient funds are available in the Community Center Fund (Fund 6010) to support this phase of the Project. Any funds expended from the Community Center Fund will be reimbursed upon issuance of TOT Revenue Bonds.
The total estimated project cost is $6.4 million. Following completion of predesign services, the selected contractor will submit a GMP for construction. Upon staff review and agreement with the GMP, staff will return to City Council for approval of the construction contract. This action is anticipated to occur after issuance of the TOT Revenue Bonds and availability of bond proceeds, expected in the second half of calendar year 2026.
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LocalBusinessEnterprise
Local Business Enterprise (LBE): Not applicable.
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