TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Allison Swisher, Director of Public Utilities
SUBJECT:
title
Approval of Amendment No. 5 to the Professional Services Agreement for the Alternative Water Source Program to Stantec Consulting Services, Inc. in the Amount of $34,792,038.00
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BACKGROUND:
On April 21, 2020, the Mayor and City Council approved a Professional Services Agreement, in the amount of $3,477,804.00, for Stantec Consulting Services, Inc. for the Alternative Water Source Program. This contract included evaluation of two Lake Michigan water sources with the understanding that subsequent amendments would be issued for preliminary design, final design and construction related services. Subsequently, Amendment No. 1 for preliminary design engineering, in the amount of $17,920,901.00, was approved January 28, 2021, Amendment No. 2, in the amount of $0.00 was approved May 17, 2022, Amendment No. 3 for final design engineering in the amount of $61,783,972.00 was approved September 6, 2022, and Amendment No. 4 for additional engineering and program management and construction management services in the amount of $117,057,335.00 was approved November 20, 2024.
Engineering for the Alternative Water Source Program is being completed by a Consultant Team with technical expertise in large water supply and delivery projects as well as strong local knowledge required to support and advise the City and the Grand Prairie Water Commission on this program. The Consultant Team is being led by Stantec Consulting Services, Inc. with Crawford, Murphy & Tilly (CMT) as a major subconsultant and additional support from subconsultants including Engineering Enterprises Inc. (EEI), Strand Associates, Cornwell Engineering Group, V3, and Images Inc. This team was selected using a qualifications-based selection process in April 2020 to provide professional services for an approximately 10-year period for preliminary and final design engineering, land acquisition support, construction related engineering services, funding / financial support, public relations, government affairs, and overall program management.
The Program Team’s scope of work includes effort for the Grand Prairie Water Commission system as well as improvements within Joliet’s system. Commission improvements include approximately 62 miles of water transmission main, three (3) 55.3 MGD pump stations, three water storage facilities with a total volume of 9.5 MG, 13 water delivery structures, and a regional SCADA system. The current budget for implementation of the Commission system is $1.446 billion. Joliet improvements include six (6) distribution pump stations, six (6) standpipes or elevated water tanks with a total capacity of 17 MG, approximately 3.6 miles of distribution main improvements (8-inch to 24-inch diameter), local SCADA system updates, and a new water and sewer garage and administration facility. The current budget for implementation of the Joliet improvements is $192 million.
In June 2024, the City entered into a Program Management Agreement with the Grand Prairie Water Commission. In this agreement, the City of Joliet is identified as the Program Manager and is responsible for contracting for development of the Program which includes engineering design, program management, and construction management for the water commission improvements. Costs associated with this work will be credited back to Joliet’s contribution to the water commission.
At this time, design engineering is nearing or beyond 90% completion for most of the 26 Commission work packages and eight (8) Joliet work packages. Four Commission contracts have been bid and awarded with 19 additional construction contracts to be bid in the next 12 months. Two Joliet contracts have been bid and awarded with four (4) additional contracts to be bid in the next 12 months. Construction began in 2025 and is underway on three (3) Commission contracts and two (2) Joliet contracts.
The Public Service Committee will review this matter.
CONCLUSION:
Stantec Consulting Services, Inc. has prepared Amendment No. 5 which includes scope for both Commission and Joliet only projects. A summary of the major scope elements is provided in Table 1 on the following page.
The City’s independent review firm, Burns & McDonnell, has reviewed the Amendment No. 5 proposal and confirmed their comments on the proposal have been addressed. The Amendment No. 5 proposal was reviewed by the GPWC Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) on July 21, 2026. At that meeting the TAC made a recommendation that the GPWC Board of Commissioners support approval of Amendment No. 5 by the Joliet City Council. The GPWC Board of Commissioners reviewed the Amendment No. 5 proposal at its August 6, 2026 meeting and confirmed its support for approval of the amendment by the Joliet City Council.
Section 2-438 of the City of Joliet Code of Ordinances states that purchases whose estimated cost is in excess of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000.00) may be awarded without written specifications or bidding under certain circumstances. Two (2) of these circumstances apply:
(f) Purchases when authorized by a concurring vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the Mayor and City Council;
(g) Purchases of professional services.
Funds will be charged to the Alternative Water Source Program - Regional Water Commission (Org 53180000, Object 557200, $30,697,761.00) and to the Alternative Water Source Program - Joliet Only (Org 54080000, Object 557200, $4,094,277.00).
Table 1 - Stantec Amendment No. 5 Fee Breakdown
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Based on the above, it is recommended that the Mayor and City Council approve Amendment No. 5 to the Professional Services Agreement for the Alternative Water Source Program which will be substantially the same as that attached, in the amount of $34,792,038.00, on behalf of Stantec Consulting Services Inc.
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