Meeting_Body
CONSTRUCTION COMMITTEE
SEPTEMBER 17, 2026
Subject
SUBJECT: ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING AND CONSULTING SERVICES
Action
ACTION: APPROVE CONTRACT AWARD
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
AUTHORIZE the Chief Executive Officer to:
A. AWARD an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity Cost Plus Fixed Fee Contract No. EN 136012EN089, to Veridian Transit Solutions, for Environmental Engineering and Consulting services, in the Not-To-Exceed (NTE) amount of $44,772,922 for a three-year base term, and two, one-year options in the NTE amounts of $14,787,002 and $14,808,572, respectively, for a total NTE amount of $74,368,496, subject to resolution of protest(s), if any;
B. EXECUTE Contract Modifications within the Board-approved funding; and
C. APPROVE Contract Modification Authority for Contract No. EN136012EN089 in the amount of $4,477,000, or 10% of the base term total Board-approved NTE funding amount, to cover the costs of any unforeseen services.
Issue
ISSUE
Under federal, state, and local law and to avoid fines, civil, or criminal liability, Metro is required to evaluate hazardous substances, contamination, and/or regulatory compliance for nearly every capital project and/or ongoing facilities maintenance and restoration activities. This Contract is a critical component for technical and environmental engineering support for our capital and operating projects. This Contract provides technical expertise to ensure compliance and execution of important environmental design, data generation and analysis, and environmental measurement and monitoring required by federal, state, and local jurisdictions.
Background
BACKGROUND
Metro's Capital Improvement Projects and ongoing facilities maintenance and restoration activities require environmental engineering and consulting services. To avoid potential fines, and civil and criminal liability, it is important that Metro remain in compliance with all applicable environmental laws and regulations. This Contract provides critical technical and environmental engineering support for many of Metro's Capital and operating projects. The scope of services contemplated by this Contract has been performed continuously for over 25 years, and this Contract will be the sixth contract under which such services have been provided. The Contract provides technical and expert environmental support for environmental compliance and execution of environmental design, data generation and analysis, and environmental measurement and monitoring as required by Federal and State statutes, regulations, and local ordinances. Additionally, this Contract is necessary to execute current risk, schedule, and cost-critical tasks, including those already in the project pipeline, and to maintain momentum in supporting the delivery of current and future projects.
For the past 25 years, Metro Environmental Services Division has contracted for Environmental Engineering and Consulting services to provide environmental and geotechnical assessments, environmental site assessments, construction and industrial stormwater monitoring, noise and vibration monitoring, air quality monitoring, soil and groundwater sampling, industrial wastewater sampling, fuel storage tank system design, permitting assistance, and other regulatory testing and reporting requirements. This contract will also provide environmental emergency response, industrial hygiene support, CalGreen/LEED/ Envision tracking and certification, and unhoused encampment response.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
This award is the Environmental Engineering and Consulting Services contract that supports environmental compliance for all of Metro’s Capital Improvement Projects including the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games and Joint Development’s 10K Home Commitment Program. The scope under the Contract includes environmental and geotechnical assessments, site assessments and remediation, hazardous materials abatement, construction and industrial stormwater monitoring, air quality monitoring, soil and groundwater sampling, industrial wastewater sampling, GASB 49 Environmental Liability Reporting, fuel storage tank system design, permitting assistance, and other regulatory testing and reporting requirements.
The Contract is an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract, and the total Contract amount is the aggregate of all future Task Orders and option years under the Contract. The consultant is not guaranteed any work. When the need for environmental engineering and consulting services arises, staff will issue task orders for the required services under the scope of services. The Task Orders and changes will be funded from specific project or operations budgets which make up the Board-approved Metro budget for the particular fiscal year.
All of the task orders will be based on agreed-upon rates negotiated and determined at the onset of the contract. Staff will apply strict project controls in the execution of each task order to closely monitor the consultant’s budget and the schedule. No funds will be obligated until a Task Order is awarded against a valid project.
To accomplish the services under each task order, the consultant will provide necessary staff, sub-consultants, equipment, software, supplies, and services. The consultant shall employ or subcontract as needed with diverse environmental professionals such as professional engineers; registered geologists, qualified stormwater developers (QSD), Certified Industrial Hygienists (CIH), and Certified Asbestos Consultants (CAC.)
Determination_Of_Safety_Impact
DETERMINATION OF SAFETY IMPACT
This Board action will not have an adverse impact on safety standards for Metro. It will, however, increase Metro safety because sustainability-related projects and programs support the health and safety of our staff and customers who use Metro systems.
Financial_Impact
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Contract No. EN136012EN089 is an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract. All task orders are individually negotiated, and the requested services from the consultant will be fully defined prior to the authorization of any funds. The Chief Program Management Officer and Project Managers are responsible for providing appropriate budgets and following task order award process protocols during the execution of each task order. Execution of work under task orders may continue beyond the Contract end date.
Obligations and authorizations made within the total Contract amount will be against specific project or operations budgets, which make up the Board-approved Metro budget for the particular fiscal year. Specific funding for this Contract will parallel the project approved by the Board under separate actions. The Executive Officers and Project Managers of each business unit and the Project Managers overseeing these projects will be responsible for providing appropriate budgets.
Impact to Budget
The source of funds for this Contract is partially included in the department’s capital budget under Project Numbers 300012 - Site Remediation, Cost Center 8420 Environmental Compliance and Services, 202341-Environmental Compliance Capital Projects, and Account 50316 Professional and Technical Services. Funding for this Contract will be sourced directly from the budget of each individual project at the time it requires the service and must remain within each project's annual budget or Life-of-Project (LOP) budget. These funds are not eligible for bus and rail operations.
Equity_Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
This Contract allows Metro projects to be responsive to environmental concerns, minimizing potential negative impacts and benefiting the community with the services the projects provide. Environmental compliance helps address the disproportionate burden that disadvantaged communities may bear by analyzing and mitigating potential impacts across a range of critical areas, including population and housing, traffic and transportation, air quality, energy, greenhouse gas emissions, public services, parks and recreation, and hazard mitigation and monitoring.
The overall Disadvantaged Business Enterprise goal for task orders funded with federal dollars is 0%. While Veridian Transit Solution made a DBE commitment, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has issued an Interim Final Rule (IFR) that makes changes to the DBE Program, including suspension of goals, counting of participation, and enforcement effective October 3, 2025. Metro is currently reviewing the Interim Final Rule (IFR) to identify necessary program and procedural changes to ensure full compliance. Although the DBE commitment is not a factor in the staff recommendation, an overall 28% Small Business Enterprise (SBE) and 3% Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) goal was established for task orders funded with state, local, Measure M and/or Measure dollars on this Task Order contract. Veridian Transit Solutions met the goal by making an overall 28% SBE and 3% DVBE commitment.
Vehicle_Miles_Traveled _Outcome
VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED OUTCOME
VMT and VMT per capita in Los Angeles County are lower than national averages, the lowest in the SCAG region, and on the lower end of VMT per capita statewide, with these declining VMT trends due in part to Metro’s significant investment in rail and bus transit.* Metro’s Board-adopted VMT reduction targets align with California’s statewide climate goals, including achieving carbon neutrality by 2045. To ensure continued progress, all Board items are assessed for their potential impact on VMT.
*Based on population estimates from the United States Census and VMT estimates from Caltrans’ Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) data between 2001-2019.
As part of these ongoing efforts, this item is expected to contribute to further reductions in VMT. While this item does not directly encourage taking transit, sharing a ride, or using active transportation, it is a vital part of Metro capital projects and operations, as it ensures environmental compliance throughout design, construction, and operations. Because the Metro Board has adopted an agency-wide VMT Reduction Target, and this item supports the overall function of the agency, this item is consistent with the goals of reducing VMT.
Implementation_of_Strategic_Plan_Goals
IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS
This Contract supports Strategic Goal 2 by optimizing the delivery and performance of Metro’s transportation system by supporting environmental compliance through providing environmental services to reduce impacts to the environment and increase system efficiency.
Alternatives_Considered
ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED
If Contract No. EN136012EN089 is not awarded, staff’s ability to provide technical and environmental engineering support for many of our capital and operating projects will be limited. As a consequence, Metro would not be able to address potential and existing environmental liabilities. Furthermore, it would inhibit Metro’s ability to remain in compliance with all applicable environmental laws and regulations to avoid potential fines, and civil and criminal liability.
As an alternative, Metro could perform all the environmental engineering and mitigation services in-house. However, to do so, Metro would need to hire additional staff with expertise across many subject areas, including engineers, geologists, surveyors, asbestos/lead inspectors, laboratory scientists, and UST design engineers, and Metro would also need to purchase environmental sampling and monitoring equipment. Staff does not recommend this alternative due to the high acquisition costs to procure personnel and equipment, as well as the potential for implementation and training delays.
As another alternative, Metro may solicit and award individual contracts for each environmental task on an as-needed basis. Staff do not recommend this alternative. Individually procuring these environmental and engineering services may result in inconsistencies and inefficiencies and would likely create greater cumulative administrative burden and execution costs. The various environmental and engineering services required would also have to be individually competitively procured, causing significant delays. This alternative scenario would make it challenging for Metro to provide timely responses to sensitive and emergency environmental requirements from within the agency and from regulatory agencies.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
Upon Board approval, staff will execute Contract No. EN136012EN089 with Veridian Transit Solutions and issue Task Orders as needed for environmental engineering and consulting services.
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - Procurement Summary
Attachment B - Types and Total Value Estimates of Projects - FY27 to FY31
Attachment C - DEOD Summary
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Ed Gillera, Senior Director, Environmental Services
(213) 576-9221
Tom Kefalas, EO, Projects Engineering (213) 418-3370
Michael Ratnasingham, Deputy Chief Program
Management Officer (213) 418-3440
Carolina Coppola, Deputy Vendor/Contract Management Officer, (213) 922-4471
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by: Timothy Lindholm, Chief Program Management Officer,
(213) 922-7297
Mat Antonelli, Chief Vendor/Contract Management Officer, (213) 893-7114
