Logo courtesy of the City of Gridley

GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) – Gridley will seek separate civil and electrical engineering firms to limit subcontractor markups and give city officials more choices when assigning infrastructure work.

The City Council agreed in September to pursue one primary city engineer and a pool of up to three electrical engineering firms. The arrangement would allow Gridley to hire specialists directly rather than route electrical assignments through a civil engineering consultant, officials said.

City Administrator Elisa Arteaga said the two fields require different expertise. Using one firm for both could add costs when that company needs outside help.

“There's an electrical need and then they go look for an electrical company and then charge us 10 or 15% on top of that,” Arteaga said. “So now it's more expensive.”

With the current engineering agreement nearing expiration, officials are preparing to evaluate firms’ experience, availability and qualifications before negotiating compensation. Recommended contracts will return to the council for approval, she said.

The city’s plan is for the primary city engineer to assist with development review, streets, drainage, water and sewer infrastructure, construction oversight and other municipal projects, but the agreement would be nonexclusive, allowing officials to seek other expertise for particular assignments.

Electrical consultants would support Gridley’s municipal utility, which serves approximately 3,000 customer accounts. Their work could include evaluating system capacity, substations, advanced meters and equipment needed to maintain reliable service.

Having several qualified electrical firms would provide alternatives when one company is unavailable or lacks the expertise a project requires, officials said.

Council members questioned whether hiring an engineer as a city employee would be more economical than continuing to use consultants, but Arteaga said obtaining civil and electrical expertise through full-time positions could approach $300,000, with benefits and other employment costs also needing consideration.

Arteaga questioned whether Gridley consistently has enough work to justify full-time staffing.

Because development activity can vary considerably from year to year, Arteaga said an arrangement based on individual assignments would allow the city to adjust engineering work to the projects moving forward.

Council members raised concerns about accountability, contract length and whether developers would have dependable opportunities to speak with the city engineer. They also sought flexibility to end an agreement if a consultant’s performance became a problem.

“I think the city needs to have a lot of control over who's running those tasks and oversight,” Arteaga said.

Arteaga said public works and electric department directors would monitor assignments and identify problems. Contract provisions governing performance and termination would need careful review before agreements are approved.

The cost of the new arrangement remains unknown until firms respond and officials negotiate terms. Under the proposed structure, contracts would guarantee no work or compensation, and each assignment would require an identified funding source and approval, officials said.