HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 7.1 Labor Compliance City Projectsor
19 82
/ii � 111
DATE:
TO:
FROM:
STAFF REPORT
CITY COUNCIL
July 16, 2013
Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
Joni Pattillo City Manager""'
CITY CLERK
File #600 -10
SUBJECT: Cost Impacts of Prequalification of Bidders on City Projects and Implementation
of Labor Compliance Program for City Projects
Prepared by Stephen Muzio, Assistant City Attorney
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
At the City Council's direction, staff has prepared cost estimates for implementation of
prequalification and labor compliance monitoring on the City's public works projects, and is
seeking direction from the City Council as to whether to proceed with implementation.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
As discussed in this report, the financial impact will depend on the direction given by the City
Council.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council receive the staff presentation and provide direction to
staff on if it wishes to implement prequalification of bidders on City projects or a labor
compliance program for City projects and, if so, how it would like to implement those processes.
Page 1 of 6 ITEM NO. 7.1
Estimated
Estimated
Pre - Qualification
Labor Compliance
Program Costs
Program Costs
Start -up
$10,000
$7,600
On -Going
Project by Project
$5,500 x estimated
Public Works
Pre - qualification:
average of projects
Capital
$12,000 x estimated
per FY (4 -8) =
Projects
average of projects
$22,000 - $44,000
per FY (4 -8) =
plus 0.25% of total
$48,000 - $96,000
project costs.
On -Going
$27,800 x estimated
$5,700 x estimated
Parks & Comm.
average of projects
average of projects
Srvcs. Capital
per FY (4) = $111,200
per FY (4) = $22,800
Projects
plus 0.25% of total
project costs.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council receive the staff presentation and provide direction to
staff on if it wishes to implement prequalification of bidders on City projects or a labor
compliance program for City projects and, if so, how it would like to implement those processes.
Page 1 of 6 ITEM NO. 7.1
ell
Submitted By
City Attorney
DESCRIPTION
Background
Reviewed By
Assistant City Manager
At its October 2, 2012 meeting, following a presentation from staff on various factors relating to
City public project contracts (Attachment 1 — Staff Report), the City Council directed staff to
prepare an analysis of the costs to the City of implementing a program for prequalification of
bidders on City public projects and potential measures the City could take to monitor
contractors' compliance with prevailing wage and apprenticeship utilization laws.
Pre - qualification
Pre - qualification of bidders is a statutorily authorized means of screening potential bidders on
public works projects. California Public Contract Code section 20101 authorizes cities to utilize
pre - qualification procedures. Contractors that fail to qualify can be excluded from bidding on
that project, or during that period of time. A contractor that is disqualified through the pre-
qualification process is entitled to an administrative appeal procedure to seek a reversal of the
determination. If the appeal is unsuccessful, the contractor may then file a lawsuit challenging
the determination. The costs of such litigation will depend in large part on the arguments made
in the claim against the City, and thus cannot be easily estimated. However, such litigation
costs would likely be significant, and even where the City prevails in such litigation, it would not
be entitled to recover its attorneys' fees. The appeals procedure must be established and in
place at the time prequalification occurs.
Pre - qualification can either be done on a project- specific basis, or to prequalify a successful
applicant for a one year period from the time of pre - qualification. A disadvantage to one -year
pre - qualification is that contractors with specialized skills and licenses may not participate in the
process while they might do so if given notice of a specific project that requires their particular
expertise. In other words, one -year pre - qualification may result in eligible bidders that are only
willing or able to work on particular kinds of projects, and few or no bidders willing and able to
work on other kinds of projects.
The nature and complexity of projects administered by Public Works and Parks and Community
Services staff varies widely from project to project, and can range from relatively simple
neighborhood parks or street paving projects to very complex construction projects such as the
construction of a public safety complex or other administrative buildings. To ensure that a
representative pool of capable contractors is made aware of, applies for, and is found eligible to
work on even specialized projects, both Public Works and Parks and Community Services
Department Staff strongly recommend that, if the City Council elects to require pre - qualification
for public works projects, pre - qualification be conducted on a project- specific basis, instead of a
one -year basis.
The California Department of Industrial Relations ( "DIR "), in consultation with representatives of
public agencies and a broad spectrum of interested parties, has prepared a model pre-
qualification form that is utilized by most cities in the state (Attachment 2). The model form
addresses issues relating to insurance, compliance with labor and work safety laws, and the
Page 2 of 6
contractor's experience on certain types of projects. Most cities that prequalify bidders utilize
the model form, either fundamentally unchanged or with additional questions and modifications
to reflect project- specific factors and /or issues of local concern. It should be noted that the
greater degree of modifications made to the model form, the more preparation costs will
increase.
Anecdotal evidence is mixed on the impact of pre - qualification on the number of bidders on
projects. On the one hand, utilization of a pre - qualification process may have the effect of
reducing the number of bidders on a project, both because some may be weeded out, but also
because some contractors may not wish to incur the burden of undergoing the process. On the
other hand, some contractors with whom Staff has spoken have said that they actually prefer
pre - qualification because it ensures that they are "competing" only against responsible
contractors, rather than contractors that generally comply with state law requirements. Staff has
also been made aware of a significant public works project undertaken in Walnut Creek that
utilized pre - qualification where significant problems eventually arose with the pre - qualified
contractor on the project. Thus, pre - qualification may not always effectively identify problem
contractors.
"Start -up" Cost Estimate for Pre - qualification
As indicated above, the "start -up" costs of implementing pre - qualification include the adoption of
a City Council Resolution approving a pre - qualification policy, adaptation of the model
questionnaire, and the establishment of scoring standards and an appeals procedure.
Estimated "start -up" costs would total approximately $10,000 for approximately 75 hours of
work.
Public Works Department Cost Estimates for On -Going Implementation for Pre - qualification
The two City Departments that administer public bidding procedures are Public Works and
Parks and Community Services.
The Public Works Department typically conducts public bidding on 4 -8 projects each year.
These projects can vary with respect to the complexity of the work required and include: annual
overlay, slurry seal and sidewalk repair projects, bike trail projects, road widening projects,
traffic signal projects, storm drain replacement and repair projects, landscaping projects and
lighting projects. Staff has prepared cost estimates for required actions such as Clerical
Support; Preparation of Mailers /Invitations; Responses to Questions; Review, Verification and
Scoring of Applications; Preparation of Results; Handling of Appeals; and Miscellaneous
Administrative Time which would result in estimated total costs for per - project pre - qualification
of approximately $12,000 for approximately 138 hours of work. These estimates are from the
Public Works Department, and assume that just the basic model questionnaire is utilized.
Changes made to the model questionnaire or variations in the number of applications received
may significantly impact the estimates.
Page 3 of 6
Parks and Community Services Department Cost Estimates for Pre - qualification
Parks and Community Services projects are typically larger, more complex projects. Generally
speaking, Parks and Community Services staff put two projects to bid each year. The Parks
and Community Services Department has awarded contracts for the following projects in Fiscal
Year 2013/14: Shannon Water Play feature remodel ($485,000), ALCO Joint Use Admin
Building ($4.0 million), ALCO Joint Use Maintenance Building ($7.5 Million), and Passitempo
Park ($1.5 million).) Each of these project types required different levels and types of expertise
and experience.
Staff has prepared cost estimates for required actions such as Preparation of Pre - Qualification
Questionnaire; Preparation of Request for Qualifications (RFQ); Print and Distribution of RFQ;
Responding to Questions; Review, Verification and Scoring of Applications; Selection and
Notification of Short List; and Handling of Appeals which would result in estimated total costs of
approximately $27,800 for approximately 213 hours of work. These estimates are from the
Parks and Community Services Department, and assume that project- specific questionnaires
will be utilized. Variations in the number of applications received may significantly impact the
estimates.
Given the proposed work schedule for FY 2013 -14, the total costs of pre - qualification for the
four projects would have been approximately $111,000 for FY 2013 -14.
Labor Compliance Program
The Labor Code permits government agencies to implement a labor compliance program.
(Labor Code § 1771.5.) Agencies that do so are permitted to waive the prevailing wage
requirement for public works project of $25,000 or less when the project is for construction work,
and for public works projects of $15,000 or less when the project is for alteration, demolition,
repair, or maintenance work.
A labor compliance program must, at a minimum, include provisions for the conduct of pre -job
conferences with contractors and subcontractors to discuss labor law requirements, reviews and
audits of payroll records to ensure compliance with prevailing wage and apprenticeship
utilization laws, and the withholding of contract payments when payroll records are not provided
or where it is determined that workers on a project have not been paid prevailing wages.
The legislation that established labor compliance programs permitted agencies to create and
implement their own programs, or to retain a consultant to implement such programs, but
required that the programs be certified by the DIR. However, at this time the DIR has ceased to
certify such new programs, meaning that new programs must be administered by the
Department of Industrial Relations. Under the DIR program, the City would be required to
implement and conduct the pre -job conferences, while the DIR would perform the analysis of
payroll records. City staff and the DIR would work together with respect to contract payment
withholdings. In addition to costs associated with staff time to implement a labor compliance
program, the City would also be required to pay the DIR 0.25% of the contract value of all public
works contracts in order to receive administrative services.
"Start -up" Cost Estimate for Labor Compliance Program
The "start -up" costs of implementing a labor compliance program include contracting with the
DIR for the provision of services, establishment of a pre -job conference protocol to be
Page 4 of 6
implemented by City staff, and revising the City's form public works contracts to ensure
compliance with program requirements. (Note that the cost estimates presume that Staff time
spent on these tasks would be performed by a Senior Civil Engineer with the Public Works
Department.). Estimated total "start -up" costs would equal approximately $7,600 for
approximately 59 hours of work.
Public Works Department Cost Estimates for On -Going Implementation for Labor Compliance
Program
Ongoing costs associated with implementation of a labor compliance program includes
preparing for and conducting pre -job conferences, responding to questions from contractors,
preparing forms to notify the DIR of new projects, and administration and follow -up on
monitoring activities. Implementation of sanctions for violations of state law would likely also
require additional staff and City Attorney time, though it is difficult to know how much time would
be required. (Note that the staff time estimates include separate figures for Public Works
Department Projects and Parks and Community Services Projects.) Estimated ongoing costs
associated with implementation of a labor compliance program for Public Works totals
approximately $5,500 for approximately 70 hours of work, while Parks and Community Services
is estimated at approximately $5,700 for the same amount of time.
As noted above, in addition to costs associated with staff time to implement a labor compliance
program, the City would also be required to pay the DIR 0.25% of the contract value of all public
works contracts in order to receive administrative services.
An alternative to utilizing the DIR labor compliance program would be for the City to contract
with a third -party consultant to provide labor compliance monitoring services that are otherwise
performed by the DIR. Because agencies, until recently, were able implement their own labor
compliance programs under Section 1771.5, there are a number of consultants who are
competent to perform the work. If the City retained a consultant to perform the services, it would
not be permitted to raise the threshold for requiring prevailing wages on projects as it would if it
utilized the DIR. Initial contacts with consultants indicates that pricing of their compliance review
services may be competitive with the costs of the DIR administered program depending on the
project type. However, it is unclear whether an "on- call" agreement with a consultant for labor
compliance services on all City public projects would result in cost savings over use of the DIR
program.
Next Steps
Staff requests that the City Council: 1) provide direction on whether and how it would like
prequalification to be implemented; 2) whether it would like to implement a labor compliance
program to be administered by the DIR; and 3) whether it would like the City to put out a request
for proposals for the provision of labor compliance monitoring services by third -party
consultants.
If the City Council provided direction to utilize prequalification, the City Attorney's office would
prepare a resolution establishing the City's prequalification policy for adoption by the City
Council, and would begin working with staff on implementing the "startup" tasks referenced
above. In addition, if the City Council is supportive of the implementation of a labor compliance
program, then the City Attorney's office would coordinate with staff and the DIR to initiate a
program or work with staff to solicit proposals for labor compliance monitoring services, as
appropriate depending on the City Council's direction.
Page 5 of 6
NOTICING REQUIREMENTS /PUBLIC OUTREACH:
I101 •[Tits
ATTACHMENTS: 1. Labor Guidelines Staff Report
2. Department of Industrial Relations Model Pre - Qualification Materials
Page 6 of 6
1!!
DATE:
TO:
FROM:
SUBJECT:
STAFF REPORT
CITY COUNCIL
October 2, 2012
Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
Joni Pattillo, City Manager, �)
Labor Guidelines Report
Prepared by Stephen. Muzio, Assistant City Attorney
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
CITY CLERK
File #600 -10
The City Council requested the City Attorney prepare an analysis of various labor items relating
to City construction projects. In completing its analysis, the City Attorney's Office has identified
various alternatives to the City's current practices the City Council may wish to pursue.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Depending on the City Council's direction, changes to the City's current policies and procedures
relating to construction projects will have varying financial impacts on the City. The current two -
year budget and work plan does not include the Staff time required to implement any of the
alternatives pursuant to this presentation. If the City Council wishes to pursue changes, Staff
would return with a report on the estimated implementation costs and ongoing impacts to
projects.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council receive the Staff presentation and provide Staff with
direction.
Submitted By
City Attorney
DESCRIPTION:
Reviewed B.
Park & Community
Services Director
The City Council previously directed the City Attorney's Office to prepare an analysis of various
issues relating to City projects to both identify the City's current practices and to provide the City
Council with information regarding various alternative practices that the City could legally
implement if it wished to do so. Pursuant to this direction, the City Attorney's Office and City
Staff have prepared a report addressing the following: pre - qualification of bidders on City
projects, options to encourage the hiring of local contractors on City projects, an overview of
Page 1 of 5 ITEM NO. 7.3
California prevailing wage law and apprenticeship programs. Each section of this Staff Report
includes a brief discussion of alternatives that the City may wish to consider if it wishes to
modify the City's current practices. Originally the City Council directed that the analysis also
address the use of Project Labor Agreements. However, based on direction given at the April
17, 2012 City Council Meeting, the issue of Project Labor Agreements is not addressed in this
report.
A. Prequalification of Bidders
Prequalification of bidders is a statutorily authorized means of screening potential bidders on
public works projects. The California Public Contract Code specifically authorizes cities to utilize
prequalification procedures. The California Department of Industrial Relations ( "DIR "), in
consultation with representatives of public agencies and a broad spectrum of interested parties,
has prepared a sample prequalification form that is utilized by most cities in the state. The
model questionnaire addresses issues relating to insurance, compliance with labor and work
safety laws, and the contractor's experience on certain types of projects. Cities can develop
their own questionnaires, or they can modify the DIR questionnaire to address issues of local
concern. Most cities utilize the DIR prequalification form, either unchanged or with some
modifications. The questions (and scoring of the questions) should comply with statutory and
constitutional requirements. Contractors wishing to bid for public works jobs fill out the
questionnaire to "pre- qualify" for the right to bid on either a specific public works project, or on
public works projects undertaken by a public agency during a specified period of time.
Contractors that fail to qualify can be excluded from bidding on that project, or during that period
of time. A contractor that is disqualified through the prequalification process is entitled to an
administrative appeal procedure to seek a reversal of the determination, and may then file a
lawsuit.
Prequalification can be utilized to qualify contractors for particularly large or complex projects, or
can be used to prequalify contractors to bid on all projects meeting a certain price threshold over
a period of time. Because prequalification is a means of "weeding out" bidders, the bases for
exclusion of bidders should be related to the City's legitimate needs for the project or projects.
Anecdotal evidence is mixed on the impact of prequalification on the number of bidders on
projects. On the one hand, utilization of a prequalification process may have the effect of
reducing the number of bidders on a project, both because some may be weeded out, but also
because some contractors may not wish to incur the burden of undergoing the process. On the
other hand, some contractors with whom Staff has spoken have said that they actually prefer
prequalification because it ensures that they are "competing" only against responsible
contractors, rather than contractors who may not be as meticulous about creating safe work
environments and complying with state law requirements.
The City Council may wish to direct Staff to return with a policy requiring the use of DIR
form questionnaire on some or all City projects that are required to be publicly bid. If
that is the City Council's Direction, Staff would provide the City Council with additional
information regarding the costs of implementing a prequalification process. In addition,
depending on the City Council's direction on other items in this Study, the City Council
may wish to ask that specific questions be added to the prequalification questionnaire to
address local policies and concerns.
Potential Costs of Implementation: Preparation and implementation of prequalification would
require the expenditure of Staff time and other City resources to develop a questionnaire, to
review completed questionnaires, and to develop and administer a process by which contractors
are disqualified from bidding on City projects and can appeal their disqualification. These costs
Page 2 of 5
would increase if the Council was to direct that prequalification be used for all City projects, as
opposed to only projects of a certain size or type.
B. Local Preferences
Two types of local preferences exist. Local hiring ordinances encourage the use of local labor
on certain projects. Local business ordinances encourage the utilization of local businesses
(rather than employees specifically). In theory, local business and local hiring ordinances can
have either "good- faith" or "mandatory" standards for compliance. Good -faith ordinances
require that outreach efforts be made to local businesses and labor but do not establish firm
quotas. Mandatory ordinances establish firm quotas for the utilization of local businesses or
labor but would likely face challenge in the absence of a study that establishes a strong factual
basis to justify their imposition. Additionally, ongoing administration of such ordinances would
likely result in substantial costs to the City. Due to Constitutional concerns relating to the
Privileges and Immunities Clause, it is extremely difficult to establish a legally defensible basis
for mandatory ordinances, though San Francisco, which prepared an analysis showing that
businesses in San Francisco operated at a competitive disadvantage to businesses located in
other jurisdictions, successfully defended its local business preference ordinance against a
lawsuit challenging portions of the ordinance. Another factor to consider is whether there are
sufficient local contractors with the necessary experience and qualifications to work on City
projects.
Although it is unclear that it will be possible to justify a mandatory local hire or local
business preference ordinance, the City Council could direct Staff to return with a
proposed consultant contract for the preparation of a study assessing whether sufficient
grounds exist to justify the adoption of either or both types of ordinances. Alternatively,
the City Council may wish to direct Staff to return with an analysis of alternatives for a
good -faith local hire or local business preference ordinance and the costs of
implementing those alternatives.
Potential Costs of Implementation: The preparation of a study by a consultant to assess
whether a mandatory local hire or local business preference ordinance can be justified would
likely cost at least $30,000 to $50,000. The outcome of such a study is very uncertain.
Preparation and implementation of a good -faith local hire or local business preference would
require the expenditure of Staff time and other City resources to develop the policy and monitor
compliance with it.
C. Prevailing Wage Law
Consistent with its obligations under the California Labor Code, the City, in its contracts for
certain public works projects with a value of more than $1,000, requires that labor employed on
those projects be paid the "general prevailing rate of per diem wages for work of a similar
nature," or "prevailing wages." This requirement also applies to parts of some projects
constructed by private entities, such as the construction of necessary infrastructure, including
roads and utilities, required as a condition of development. Enforcing compliance on these
projects poses some additional difficulties for the City.
Although the City is required to properly identify projects subject to prevailing wages, to ensure
that prevailing wage provisions are included in the contracts for the project, and to report to the
state any violations of the prevailing wage law that come to its attention, the contractors
themselves are most directly responsible for compliance with the prevailing wage laws. Among
other things, contractors are required to maintain certified payroll records that show that they are
paying appropriate prevailing wages. The City could, if it wished, require that these records be
Page 3 of 5
provided to the City as a matter of due course, either on all projects or on projects meeting a
specified threshold.
The Labor Code contains provisions that would allow the City to establish a labor compliance
program, to be administered by the City, a third party, or the Department of Industrial Relations.
Such programs require the monitoring and auditing of certified payroll records and that agencies
using them take certain other actions. If the City adopted such a program, then the "trigger" for
projects where prevailing wages would be required would increase to $25,000 for construction
projects and to $15,000 for alteration, demolition, repair and maintenance projects. Effective
January 1, 2012, agencies that construct a project that paid for in whole or in part with state
issued bond funds are required to utilize the labor compliance program administration services
provided by the Department of Industrial Relations for that project.
The City Council may wish to direct Staff to return with a policy that imposes default
reporting obligations on City contractors subject to prevailing wages. The City Council
may also wish to direct Staff to return with alternatives for a policy that explores means
by which the City may better ensure compliance on private projects that are subject to
prevailing wage requirements. Staff would also prepare an analysis of the costs that may
be associated with implementing the policies.
Costs of Implementation: The development and implementation of either type of policy would
require the expenditure of Staff time and other City resources. .
D. Apprenticeship Requirements
The Labor Code also requires contractors on local agency projects with a value of $30,000 or
more to utilize a certain percentage of apprentice labor, to the extent that such labor is available.
To the best of our knowledge, no Bay Area cities comparable in size to the City of Dublin have
taken steps to increase apprenticeship participation on their projects beyond what is required
under state law. Although the City does not have any direct responsibility for monitoring
compliance with the applicable statute, it is required to inform the State Division of
Apprenticeship Standards when it awards a contract that is subject to the apprenticeship
requirements. Included within these statutes are provisions that permit, but do not require,
agencies to closely monitor contractors' compliance with the apprenticeship requirements.
The City Council may wish to direct Staff to return with a policy that increases the level of
oversight by the City with respect to contractors' compliance with the statutory
apprentice utilization requirements. The City Council could also direct Staff to return
with options for a policy that either reduces the threshold for triggering apprenticeship
requirements or that increases the level of apprentice participation on covered projects.
Staff would also prepare an analysis of the costs that may be associated with
implementing such policies.
Costs of Implementation: The development and implementation of such a policy would
require the expenditure of Staff time and other City resources.
SUBSEQUENT STEPS
Upon receipt of direction from the City Council, Staff will return at a future meeting date with an
analysis of the deliverables that have been requested, their cost implications and the estimated
time needed to implement them.
Page 4 of 5
NOTICING REQUIREMENTS /PUBLIC OUTREACH:
In preparing its analysis, the City Attorney's Office met two times each with representatives from
various local unions and with representatives from Associated Builders and Contractors, a trade
organization representing "merit based" (non- union) contractors. The City Attorney's Office also
contacted members of organizations representing union contractors. At the first meeting with
each group, the representatives were given the opportunity to provide their perspective
regarding the major subject areas of the study. At the second meeting with each group, the
representatives were given an opportunity to give feedback on a draft of the City Attorney's
summary findings. Based on this second meeting, these summary findings were amended and
have been included in the "Description" section of this Staff Report.
ATTACHMENTS: None
Page 5 of 5
MODEL PRE- QUALIFICATION
QUESTIONNAIRE
CONTACT INFORMATION
Firm Name: Check One: ❑ Corporation
(as it appears on license) ❑ Partnership
❑ Sole Prop.
Contact Person:
Address:
Phone: Fax:
If firm is a sole proprietor or partnership:
Owner(s) of Company
Contractor's License Number(s):
PART I. ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR QUALIFICATION
Contractor will be immediately disqualified if the answer to any of questions 1 through
5 is "no."'
Contractor will be immediately disqualified if the answer to any of questions 6, 7, 8 or
9 is "Yes. ,2 If the answer to question 8 is "yes," and if debarment would be the sole
reason for denial of pre - qualification, any pre - qualification issued will exclude the
debarment period.
Contractor possesses a valid and current California Contractor's license for the project or
projects for which it intends to submit a bid.
❑ Yes ❑ No
2. Contractor has a liability insurance policy with a policy limit of at least $1,000,000 per
occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate.
❑ Yes ❑ No
3. Contractor has current workers' compensation insurance policy as required by the Labor
Code or is legally self - insured pursuant to Labor Code section 3700 et. seq.
❑ Yes ❑ No ❑ Contractor is exempt from this requirement, because it has no
employees
4. Have you attached your latest copy of a reviewed or audited financial statement with
accompanying notes and supplemental information.3
❑ Yes ❑ No
NOTE: A financial statement that is not either reviewed or audited is not acceptable.
A letter verifying availability of a line of credit may also be attached; however, it will
be considered as supplemental information only, and is not a substitute for the
required financial statement.
5. Have you attached a notarized statement from an admitted surety insurer (approved by the
California Department of Insurance) and authorized to issue bonds in the State of California,
which states: (a) that your current bonding capacity is sufficient for the project for which
A "no" answer to Question 4 will not be disqualifying if the contractor is exempt from complying with
Question 4, for reasons explained in footnote 7.
z A contractor disqualified solely because of a "Yes" answer given to question 6, 7, or 9 may appeal the
disqualification and provide an explanation of the relevant circumstances during the appeal procedure.
s Public Contract Code section 20101(e) exempts from this requirement a contractor who has qualified as a
small business pursuant to Government Code section 14837(d)(1), if the bid is "no more than 25 per cent of the
qualifying amount provided in section 14837(d)(1)." As of January 1, 2001, the qualifying amount is $10 million,
and 25 per cent of that amount, therefore, is $2.5 million.
you seek pre - qualification if you are seeking pre - qualification for a single project; or (if you
are seeking pre - qualification valid for a year) (b) your current available bonding capacity ?4
❑ Yes ❑ No
NOTE: Notarized statement must be from the surety company, not an agent or
broker.
6. Has your contractor's license been revoked at any time in the last five years?
❑ Yes ❑ No
7. Has a surety firm completed a contract on your behalf, or paid for completion because your
firm was default terminated by the project owner within the last five (5) years?
❑ Yes ❑ No
8. At the time of submitting this pre - qualification form, is your firm ineligible to bid on or be
awarded a public works contract, or perform as a subcontractor on a public works contract,
pursuant to either Labor Code section 1777.1 or Labor Code section 1777.7?
❑ Yes ❑ No
If the answer is "Yes," state the beginning and ending dates of the period of debarment:
9. At any time during the last five years, has your firm, or any of its owners or officers been
convicted of a crime involving the awarding of a contract of a government construction
project, or the bidding or performance of a government contract?
❑ Yes ❑ No
' An additional notarized statement from the surety may be requested by Public Entity at the time of
submission of a bid, if this pre - qualification package is submitted more than 60 days prior to submission of the bid.
4
PART IL ORGANIZATION, HISTORY, ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE,
COMPLIANCE WITH CIVIL AND CRIMINAL LAWS
A. Current Organization and Structure of the Business
For Firms That Are Corporations:
1 a. Date incorporated:
lb. Under the laws of what state:
lc. Provide all the following information for each person who is either (a) an officer of the
corporation (president, vice president, secretary, treasurer), or (b) the owner of at least ten
Der cent of the corporation's stock.
Name Position Years with Co. % Ownership Social Security #
Id. Identify every construction firm that any person listed above has been associated with (as
owner, general partner, limited partner or officer) at any time during the last five years.
NOTE: For this question, "owner" and "partner" refer to ownership of ten per cent or
more of the business, or 10 per cent or more of its stock, if the business is a
Dates of Person's Participation
Person's Name Construction Firm with Firm
For Firms That Are Partnerships:
1 a. Date of formation:
lb. Under the laws of what state:
lc. Provide all the following information for each partner who owns 10 per cent or more of the
firm.
Name Position Years with Co. % Ownership Social Security #
5
Id. Identify every construction company that any partner has been associated with (as owner,
general partner, limited partner or officer) at any time during the last five years.
NOTE: For this question, "owner" and "partner" refer to ownership of ten per cent or
more of the business, or ten per cent or more of its stock, if the business is a
Dates of Person's Participation
Person's Name Construction Company with Company
For Firms That Are Sole Proprietorships:
1 a. Date of commencement of business.
lb. Social security number of company owner.
lc. Identify every construction firm that the business owner has been associated with (as owner,
general partner, limited partner or officer) at any time during the last five years.
NOTE: For this question, "owner" and "partner" refer to ownership of ten per cent or
more of the business, or ten per cent or more of its stock, if the business is a
corporation.
Dates of Person's Participation
Person's Name Construction Company with Company
For Firms That Intend to Make a Bid as Part of a Joint Venture:
la. Date of commencement of joint venture.
lb. Provide all of the following information for each firm that is a member of the joint venture
that expects to bid on one or more projects:
Name of firm % Ownership of Joint Venture
B. History of the Business and Organizational Performance
2. Has there been any change in ownership of the firm at any time during the last three years?
NOTE: A corporation whose shares are publicly traded is not required to answer this
question.
❑ Yes ❑ No
If "yes," explain on a separate signed page.
3. Is the firm a subsidiary, parent, holding company or affiliate of another construction firm?
NOTE: Include information about other firms if one firm owns 50 per cent or more of
another, or if an owner, partner, or officer of your firm holds a similar position in
another firm.
❑ Yes ❑ No
If "yes," explain on a separate signed page.
4. Are any corporate officers, partners or owners connected to any other construction firms.
NOTE: Include information about other firms if an owner, partner, or officer of your
firm holds a similar position in another firm.
❑ Yes ❑ No
If "yes," explain on a separate signed page.
5. State your firm's gross revenues for each of the last three years:
6. How many years has your organization been in business in California as a contractor under
your present business name and license number? years
7. Is your firm currently the debtor in a bankruptcy case?
❑ Yes ❑ No
If "yes," please attach a copy of the bankruptcy petition, showing the case number, and the
date on which the petition was filed.
8. Was your firm in bankruptcy at any time during the last five years? (This question refers
only to a bankruptcy action that was not described in answer to question 7, above)
❑ Yes ❑ No
If "yes," please attach a copy of the bankruptcy petition, showing the case number and
the date on which the petition was filed, and a copy of the Bankruptcy Court's discharge
order, or of any other document that ended the case, if no discharge order was issued.
Licenses
9. List all California construction license numbers, classifications and expiration dates of
the California contractor licenses held by your firm:
10. If any of your firm's license(s) are held in the name of a corporation or partnership, list
below the names of the qualifying individual(s) listed on the CSLB records who meet(s) the
experience and examination requirements for each license.
11. Has your firm changed names or license number in the past five years?
❑ Yes ❑ No
If "yes," explain on a separate signed page, including the reason for the change.
12. Has any owner, partner or (for corporations:) officer of your firm operated a construction
firm under any other name in the last five years?
❑ Yes ❑ No
If "yes," explain on a separate signed page, including the reason for the change_
13. Has any CSLB license held by your firm or its Responsible Managing Employee (RME)
or Responsible Managing Officer (RMO) been suspended within the last five years?
❑ Yes ❑ No
If "yes," please explain on a separate signed sheet.
Disputes
14. At any time in the last five years has your firm been assessed and paid liquidated
damages after completion of a project under a construction contract with either a public
or private owner?
❑ Yes ❑ No
If yes, explain on a separate signed page, identifying all such projects by owner, owner's
address, the date of completion of the project, amount of liquidated damages assessed and
all other information necessary to fully explain the assessment of liquidated damages.
15. In the last five years has your firm, or any firm with which any of your company's owners,
officers or partners was associated, been debarred, disqualified, removed or otherwise
prevented from bidding on, or completing, any government agency or public works project
for any reason?
NOTE: "Associated with" refers to another construction firm in which an owner,
partner or officer of your firm held a similar position, and which is listed in response
to question lc or ld on this form.
❑ Yes ❑ No
If "yes," explain on a separate signed page. State whether the firm involved was the firm
applying for pre - qualification here or another firm. Identify by name of the company, the
name of the person within your firm who was associated with that company, the year of the
event, the owner of the project, the project and the basis for the action.
16. In the last five years has your firm been denied an award of a public works contract based on
a finding by a public agency that your company was not a responsible bidder?
❑ Yes ❑ No
If "yes," explain on a separate signed page. Identify the year of the event, the owner, the
project and the basis for the finding by the public agency.
NOTE: The following two questions refer only to disputes between your firm and the
owner of a project. You need not include information about disputes between your
firm and a supplier, another contractor, or subcontractor. You need not include
information about "pass- through" disputes in which the actual dispute is between a
sub - contractor and a project owner. Also, you may omit reference to all disputes
about amounts of less than $50,000.
17. In the past five years has any claim against your firm concerning your firm's work on a
construction project been filed in court or arbitration?
❑ Yes ❑ No
If "yes," on separate signed sheets of paper identify the claim(s) by providing the project
name, date of the claim, name of the claimant, a brief description of the nature of the
claim, the court in which the case was filed and a brief description of the status of the
claim (pending or, if resolved, a brief description of the resolution).
18. In the past five years has your firm made any claim against a project owner concerning
work on a project or payment for a contract and filed that claim in court or arbitration?
❑ Yes ❑ No
If "yes," on separate signed sheets of paper identify the claim by providing the project
name, date of the claim, name of the entity (or entities) against whom the claim was filed,
a brief description of the nature of the claim, the court in which the case was filed and a
brief description of the status of the claim (pending, or if resolved, a brief description of
the resolution).
19. At any time during the past five years, has any surety company made any payments on
your firm's behalf as a result of a default, to satisfy any claims made against a
performance or payment bond issued on your firm's behalf, in connection with a
construction project, either public or private?
❑ Yes ❑ No
If "yes," explain on a separate signed page the amount of each such claim, the name and
telephone number of the claimant, the date of the claim, the grounds for the claim, the
present status of the claim, the date of resolution of such claim if resolved, the method by
which such was resolved if resolved, the nature of the resolution and the amount, if any,
at which the claim was resolved.
20. In the last five years has any insurance carrier, for any form of insurance, refused to renew
the insurance policy for your firm?
❑ Yes ❑ No
9
If "yes," explain on a separate signed page. Name the insurance carrier,
the form of insurance and the year of the refusal.
Criminal Matters and Related Civil Suits
21. Has your firm or any of its owners, officers or partners ever been found liable in a civil
suit or found guilty in a criminal action for making any false claim or material
misrepresentation to any public agency or entity?
❑ Yes ❑ No
If "yes," explain on a separate signed page, including identifying who was involved, the
name of the public agency, the date of the investigation and the grounds for the finding.
22. Has your firm or any of its owners, officers or partners ever been convicted of a crime
involving any federal, state, or local law related to construction?
❑ Yes ❑ No
If "yes," explain on a separate signed page, including identifying who was involved, the
name of the public agency, the date of the conviction and the grounds for the conviction.
23. Has your firm or any of its owners, officers or partners ever been convicted of a federal
or state crime of fraud, theft, or any other act of dishonesty?
❑ Yes ❑ No
If "yes," identify on a separate signed page the person or persons convicted, the court (the
county if a state court, the district or location of the federal court), the year and the criminal
conduct.
Bonding
24. Bonding capacity: Provide documentation from your surety identifying the following:
Name of bonding company /surety:
Name of surety agent, address and telephone number:
25. If your firm was required to pay a premium of more than one per cent for a performance
and payment bond on any project(s) on which your firm worked at any time during the
last three years, state the percentage that your firm was required to pay. You may
provide an explanation for a percentage rate higher than one per cent, if you wish to do
so.
10
26. List all other sureties (name and full address) that have written bonds for your firm during
the last five years, including the dates during which each wrote the bonds:
27. During the last five years, has your firm ever been denied bond coverage by a surety
company, or has there ever been a period of time when your firm had no surety bond in
place during a public construction project when one was required?
❑ Yes ❑ No
If yes, provide details on a separate signed sheet indicating the date when your firm was
denied coverage and the name of the company or companies which denied coverage; and
the period during which you had no surety bond in place.
C. Compliance with Occupational Safety and Health Laws and with Other Labor
Legislation Safety
28. Has CAL OSHA cited and assessed penalties against your firm for any "serious,"
"willful" or "repeat" violations of its safety or health regulations in the past five years?
NOTE: If you have filed an appeal of a citation, and the Occupational Safety and
Health Appeals Board has not yet ruled on your appeal, you need not include
information about it.
❑ Yes ❑ No
If "yes," attached a separate signed page describing the citations, including information
about the dates of the citations, the nature of the violation, the project on which the
citation(s) was or were issued, the amount of penalty paid, if any. If the citation was
appealed to the Occupational Safety and Health Appeals Board and a decision has been
issued, state the case number and the date of the decision.
29. Has the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited and assessed
penalties against your firm in the past five years?
NOTE: If you have filed an appeal of a citation and the Appeals Board has not yet
ruled on your appeal, or if there is a court appeal pending, you need not include
information about the citation.
❑ Yes ❑ No
If "yes," attach a separate signed page describing each citation.
30. Has the EPA or any Air Quality Management District or any Regional Water Quality
Control Board cited and assessed penalties against either your firm or the owner of a
project on which your firm was the contractor, in the past five years?
11
NOTE: If you have filed an appeal of a citation and the Appeals Board has not yet
ruled on your appeal, or if there is a court appeal pending, you need not include
information about the citation.
❑ Yes ❑ No
If "yes," attach a separate signed page describing each citation.
31. How often do you require documented safety meetings to be held for construction
employees and field supervisors during the course of a project?
32. List your firm's Experience Modification Rate (EMR) (California workers'
compensation insurance) for each of the past three premium years:
NOTE: An Experience Modification Rate is issued to your firm annually by your
workers' compensation insurance carrier.
Current year:
Previous year:
Year prior to previous year:
If your EMR for any of these three years is or was 1.00 or higher you may, if you wish,
attach a letter of explanation.
33. Within the last five years has there ever been a period when your firm had employees but
was without workers' compensation insurance or state - approved self - insurance?
❑ Yes ❑ No
If "yes," please explain the reason for the absence of workers' compensation insurance on a
separate signed page. If "No," please provide a statement by your current workers'
compensation insurance carrier that verifies periods of workers' compensation insurance
coverage for the last five years. (If your firm has been in the construction business for less
than five years, provide a statement by your workers' compensation insurance carrier
verifying continuous workers' compensation insurance coverage for the period that your
firm has been in the construction business.)
Prevailing Wage and Apprenticeship Compliance Record
34. Has there been more than one occasion during the last five years in which your firm was
required to pay either back wages or penalties for your own firm's failure to comply with the
state's prevailing wage laws?
NOTE: This question refers only to your own firm's violation of prevailing wage laws,
not to violations of the prevailing wage laws by a subcontractor.
❑ Yes ❑ No
12
If "yes," attach a separate signed page or pages, describing the nature of each violation,
identifying the name of the project, the date of its completion, the public agency for which it
was constructed; the number of employees who were initially underpaid and the amount of
back wages and penalties that you were required to pay.
35. During the last five years, has there been more than one occasion in which your own firm
has been penalized or required to pay back wages for failure to comply with the federal
Davis -Bacon prevailing wage requirements?
❑ Yes ❑ No
If "yes," attach a separate signed page or pages describing the nature of the violation,
identifying the name of the project, the date of its completion, the public agency for
which it was constructed; the number of employees who were initially underpaid, the
amount of back wages you were required to pay along with the amount of any penalty
paid.
36. Provide the name, address and telephone number of the apprenticeship program
(approved by the California Apprenticeship Council) from whom you intend to request
the dispatch of apprentices to your company for use on any public work project for which
you are awarded a contract by [Public Entity].
37. If your firm operates its own State - approved apprenticeship program:
(a) Identify the craft or crafts in which your firm provided apprenticeship training in
the past year.
(b) State the year in which each such apprenticeship program was approved, and
attach evidence of the most recent California Apprenticeship Council approval(s)
of your apprenticeship program(s).
(c) State the number of individuals who were employed by your firm as apprentices
at any time during the past three years in each apprenticeship and the number of
persons who, during the past three years, completed apprenticeships in each craft
while employed by your firm.
13
38. At any time during the last five years, has your firm been found to have violated any
provision of California apprenticeship laws or regulations, or the laws pertaining to use of
apprentices on public works?
NOTE: You may omit reference to any incident that occurred prior to January 1,
1998, if the violation was by a subcontractor and your firm, as general contractor on
a project, had no knowledge of the subcontractor's violation at the time they
occurred.
❑ Yes ❑ No
If "yes," provide the date(s) of such findings, and attach copies of the Department's final
decision(s).
PART III. RECENT CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS COMPLETED
39. Contractor shall provide information about its six most recently completed public works
projects and its three largest completed private projects within the last three years .5 Names
and references must be current and verifiable. Use separate sheets of paper that contain all
of the following information:
Project Name:
Location:
Owner:
Owner Contact (name and current phone number):
Architect or Engineer:
Architect or Engineer Contact (name and current phone number):
Construction Manager (name and current phone number):
s If you wish, you may, using the same format, also provide information about other projects that you have
completed that are similar to the project(s) for which you expect to bid.
14
Description of Project, Scope of Work Performed:
Total Value of Construction (including change orders):
Original Scheduled Completion Date:
Time Extensions Granted (number of days):
Actual Date of Completion:
I, the undersigned, certify and declare that I have read all the foregoing answers to
this prequalification questionnaire and know their contents. The matters stated in the
questionnaire answers are true of my own knowledge and belief, except as to those matters
stated on information and belief, and as to those matters I believe them to be true. I declare
under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California, that the foregoing is
correct.
Dated:
15
(Name)
A LIST OF THE SCORABLE
QUESTIONS AND THE SCORING
INSTRUCTIONS
16
A LIST OF THE SCORABLE QUESTIONS AND THE SCORING INSTRUCTIONS
The scorable questions arise in three different areas:
(I) History of the business and organizational performance;
(II) Compliance with occupational safety and health laws, workers' compensation and
other labor legislation; and
(III) Completion of recent projects and quality of performance.
The interview questions (interviews by the public agency of project managers on projects
completed recently by the contractor) are included in group III. In a pre - qualification
procedure for a single project, this last category would also include a scoring of the
number of recently completed projects that are similar to the project on which pre -
qualification is at issue. However, scoring linked to the similarity of past projects would
probably not be possible or useful if the public agency as part of a procedure to pre -
qualify contractors for an extended period.
Note: Not all questions in the questionnaire are scorable; some questions simply ask for
information about the contractor firm's structure, officers and history. This document
includes only those questions that are "scorable." The question numbers in this document
are the numbers used in the questionnaire. Thus, the questions included here begin with
question number 6, and there are a few breaks in the numerical sequence.
The Scores Needed for Prequalification
To prequalify, a contractor would be required to have a passing grade within each of the
three large categories referred to above.
For Section I, "History of the business and organizational performance,"
DIR recommends use of a passing score of 57 on this portion of the questionnaire (of a
maximum score of 76 on this portion of the questionnaire).
For Section II, Compliance with occupational safety and health laws, workers'
compensation and other labor legislation DIR recommends use of a passing score of 38
on this portion of the questionnaire (of a maximum score of 53 points on this portion of
the questionnaire).
Section III, Completion of recent projects and quality of performance, includes a series of
interview questions, and may also include questions about recently completed (public or
private) construction projects. For the interview questions, DIR recommends that a
public agency interview project managers for the owners of two completed projects.
DIR recommends a scoring system that would allow a maximum score of 120 points for
each interview. For these questions, DIR recommends qualification for a contractor
whose score on each of two interviews is 72 points or more; a denial of pre - qualification
17
for a contractor whose score on either interview is less than 55 points; and an additional
interview with another reference if the score resulting from one interview is between 55
points and 72 points.
DIR makes no recommendation about how to score a contractor's answers about
recently completed past projects. Because of the wide range of projects that a public
agency may be planning, and the similarly wide range in the skills, abilities, and
experience that a public agency will consider most important for a pending project, it is
impossible to propose a useful model scoring system to apply to the answers given about
a contractor's completed projects.
Questions about History of the Business and Organizational Performance
(16 questions)
How many years has your organization been in business in California as a contractor under
your present business name and license number? years
3 years or more = 2 points
4 years = 3 points 5 years = 4 pts.
6 years or more = 5 points
2. Is your firm currently the debtor in a bankruptcy case?
❑ Yes ❑ No
"No" = 3 points" "Yes" = 0 points
3. Was your firm in bankruptcy any time during the last five years? (This question refers
only to a bankruptcy action that was not described in answer to question 7, above).
❑ Yes ❑ No
"No" = 3 points" "Yes" = 0 points
4. Has any CSLB license held by your firm or its Responsible Managing Employee (RME)
or Responsible Managing Officer (RMO) been suspended within the last five years?
❑ Yes ❑ No
No = 5 points Yes = 0 points
18
5. At any time in the last five years, has your firm been assessed and paid liquidated
damages after completion of a project, under a construction contract with either a public
or private owner?
❑ Yes ❑ No
No projects with liquidated damages of more than $50,000, or one project with liquidated
damages = 5 points.
Two projects with liquidated damages of more than $50,000 = 3 points
Any other answer: no points
6. In the last five years has your firm, or any firm with which any of your company's owners,
officers or partners was associated, been debarred, disqualified, removed or otherwise
prevented from bidding on, or completing, any government agency or public works project
for any reason?
NOTE: "Associated with" refers to another construction firm in which an owner,
partner or officer of your firm held a similar position, and which is listed in response
to question lc or ld on this form.
❑ Yes ❑ No
No = 5 points Yes = 0 points
7. In the last five years, has your firm been denied an award of a public works contract based
on a finding by a public agency that your company was not a responsible bidder?
❑ Yes ❑ No
No = 5 points Yes = 0 points
NOTE: The following two questions refer only to disputes between your firm and the
owner of a project. You need not include information about disputes between your
firm and a supplier, another contractor, or subcontractor. You need not include
information about "pass- through" disputes in which the actual dispute is between a
sub - contractor and a project owner. Also, you may omit reference to all disputes
about amounts of less than $50,000.
19
8. In the past five years, has any claim against your firm concerning your firm's work on a
construction project, been filed in court or arbitration?
❑ Yes ❑ No
If the firm's average gross revenue for the last three years was less than
$50 million, scoring is as follows:
5 points for either "No" or "Yes" indicating 1 such instance.
3 points for "Yes" indicating 2 such instances.
0 points for "Yes" if more than 2 such instances.
If your firm's average gross revenue for the last three years was more than $50
million, scoring is as follows:
5 points for either "No" or "Yes" indicating 1, 2, or 3 such instances.
3 points for "Yes" indicating either 4 or 5 such instances.
0 points for "Yes" if more than 5 such instances.
9. In the past five years, has your firm made any claim against a project owner concerning
work on a project or payment for a contract, and filed that claim in court or
arbitration?
❑ Yes ❑ No
If your firm's average gross revenues for the last three years was less than X50 million
scoring is as follows:
5 points for either "No" or "Yes" indicating 1 such instance.
3 points for "Yes" indicating 2 such instances.
0 points for "Yes" if more than 2 such instances.
If your firm's average gross revenues for the last three years was more than $50
million, scoring is as follows:
5 points for either "No" or "Yes" indicating 1, 2, or 3 such instances.
3 points for "Yes" indicating either 4 or 5 such instances.
0 points for "Yes" if more than 5 such instances.
20
10. At any time during the past five years, has any surety company made any payments on
your firm's behalf as a result of a default, to satisfy any claims made against a
performance or payment bond issued on your firm's behalf in connection with a
construction project, either public or private?
❑ Yes ❑ No
5 points for either "No" or "Yes" indicating 1 such claim.
3 points for "Yes" indicating no more than 2 such claims
Subtract five points for "Yes" if more than 2 such claims
11. In the last five years, has any insurance carrier, for any form of insurance, refused to
renew the insurance policy for your firm?
❑ Yes ❑ No
5 points for either "No" or "Yes" indicating 1 such instance.
3 points for "Yes" indicating 2 such instances.
0 points for "Yes" or if more than 2 such instances.
12. Has your firm, or any of its owners, officers, or partners ever been found liable in a civil
suit, or found guilty in a criminal action, for making any false claim or material
misrepresentation to any public agency or entity?
❑ Yes ❑ No
No = 5 points Yes = subtract 5 points
13. Has your firm, or any of its owners, officers or partners ever been convicted of a crime
involving any federal, state, or local law related to construction?
❑ Yes ❑ No
No = 5 points Yes = subtract 5 points
14. Has your firm or any of its owners, officers or partners ever been convicted of a federal or
state crime of fraud, theft, or any other act of dishonesty?
❑ Yes ❑ No
No = 5 points Yes= subtract 5 points
21
15. If your firm was required to pay a premium of more than one per cent for a performance
and payment bond on any project(s) on which your firm worked at any time during the
last three years, state the percentage that your firm was required to pay. You may
provide an explanation for a percentage rate higher than one per cent, if you wish to do
so.
5 points if the rate is no more than one per cent
3 points if the rate was no higher than 110 per cent.
0 points for any other answer.
16. During the last five years, has your firm ever been denied bond credit by a surety company,
or has there ever been a period of time when your firm had no surety bond in place during a
public construction project when one was required?
❑ Yes ❑ No
No = 5 points Yes = 0 points
Questions about compliance with safety, workers compensation,
prevailing wage and apprenticeship laws.
(11 questions)
Has CAL OSHA cited and assessed penalties against your firm for any "serious," "willful"
or "repeat" violations of its safety or health regulations in the past five years?
Note: If you have filed an appeal of a citation and the Occupational Safety and Health
Appeals Board has not yet ruled on your appeal, you need not include information
about it.
❑ Yes ❑ No
If the firm's average gross revenues for the last three years was less than $50 million,
scoring is as follows:
5 points for either "No" or "Yes" indicating 1 such instance.
3 points for "Yes" indicating 2 such instances.
0 points for "Yes" if more than 2 such instances.
If the firm's average gross revenues for the last three years was more than $50 million,
scoring is as follows:
5 points for either "No" or "Yes" indicating 1, 2, or 3 such instances.
3 points for "Yes" indicating either 4 or 5 such instances.
0 points for "Yes" if more than 5 such instances.
22
2. Has the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited and assessed
penalties against your firm in the past five years?
Note: If you have filed an appeal of a citation and the appropriate appeals Board
has not yet ruled on your appeal, you need not include information about it.
❑ Yes ❑ No
If yes, attach a separate signed page describing each citation.
If the firm's average gross revenues for the last three years was less than $50 million,
scoring is as follows:
5 points for either "No" or "Yes" indicating 1 such instance.
3 points for "Yes" indicating 2 such instances.
0 points for "Yes" or if more than 2 such instances.
If the firm's average gross revenues for the last three years was more than $50
million, scoring is as follows:
5 points for either "No" or "Yes" indicating 1, 2, or 3 such instances.
3 points for "Yes" indicating either 4 or 5 such instances.
0 points for "Yes" if more than 5 such instances.
3. Has the EPA or any Air Quality Management District or any Regional Water Quality
Control Board cited and assessed penalties against either your firm or the owner of a
project on which your firm was the contractor, in the past five years?
NOTE: If you have filed an appeal of a citation and the Appeals Board has not yet
ruled on your appeal, or if there is a court appeal pending, you need not include
information about the citation.
❑ Yes ❑ No
If the firm's average gross revenues for the last three years was less than $50 million,
scoring is as follows:
5 points for either "No" or "Yes" indicating 1 such instance.
3 points for "Yes" indicating 2 such instances.
0 points for "Yes" or if more than 2 such instances.
If the firm's average gross revenues for the last three years was more than $50 million,
scoring is as follows:
5 points for either "No" or "Yes" indicating 1, 2, or 3 such instances.
3 points for "Yes" indicating either 4 or 5 such instances.
0 points for "Yes" if more than 5 such instances.
23
4. How often do you require documented safety meetings to be held for construction
employees and field supervisors during the course of a project?
3 points for an answer of once each week or more often.
0 points for any other answer
5. List your firm's Experience Modification Rate (EMR) (California workers' compensation
insurance) for each of the past three premium years:
NOTE: An Experience Modification Rate is issued to your firm annually by your
workers' compensation insurance carrier.
Current year: _
Previous year:
Year prior to previous year:
If your EMR for any of these three years is or was
attach a letter of explanation.
1.00 or higher, you may, if you wish,
NOTE: An Experience Modification Rate is issued to your firm annually by your
workers' compensation insurance carrier.
5 points for three-year average EMR of .95 or less
3 points for three-year average of EMR of more than .95 but no more than 1.00
0 points for any other EMR
6. Within the last five years, has there ever been a period when your firm had employees but
was without workers' compensation insurance or state - approved self - insurance?
❑ Yes ❑ No
5 points for either "No" or "Yes" indicating 1 such instance.
0 points for any other answer.
24
7. Has there been more than one occasion during the last five years on which your firm was
required to pay either back wages or penalties for your own firm's failure to comply with the
state's prevailing wage laws?
❑ Yes ❑ No
NOTE: This question refers only to your own firm's violation of prevailing wage laws,
not to violations of the prevailing wage laws by a subcontractor.
If your firm's average gross revenues for the last three years was less than $50 million,
scoring is as follows:
5 points for either "No," or "Yes" indicating either 1 or 2 such instance.
3 points for "Yes" indicating 3 such instances.
0 points for "Yes" and more than 3 such instances.
If your firm's average gross revenues for the last three years was more than $50
million, scoring is as follows:
5 points for either "No" or "Yes" indicating no more than 4 such instances.
3 points for "Yes" indicating either 5 or 6 such instances.
0 points for "Yes" and more than 6 such instances.
8. During the last five years, has there been more than one occasion on which your own firm
has been penalized or required to pay back wages for failure to comply with the federal
Davis -Bacon prevailing wage requirements?
❑ Yes ❑ No
If your firm's average gross revenues for the last three years was less than X50 million,
scoring is as follows:
5 points for either "No," or "Yes" indicating either 1 or 2 such instance.
3 points for "Yes" indicating 3 such instances.
0 points for "Yes" and more than 3 such instances.
If your firm's average gross revenues for the last three years was more than $50
million, scoring is as follows:
5 points for either "No" or "Yes" indicating no more than 4 such instances.
3 points for "Yes" indicating either 5 or 6 such instances.
0 points for "Yes" and more than 6 such instances.
25
9. Provide the name, address and telephone number of the apprenticeship program
sponsor(s) (approved by the California Division of Apprenticeship Standards) that will
provide apprentices to your company for use on any public work project for which you
are awarded a contract by [Public Entity].
5 points if at least one approved apprenticeship program is listed.
0 points for any other answer.
10. If your firm operates its own State - approved apprenticeship program:
(a) Identify the craft or crafts in which your firm provided apprenticeship training in
the past year.
(b) State the year in which each such apprenticeship program was approved, and
attach evidence of the most recent California Apprenticeship Council approval(s)
of your apprenticeship program(s).
(c) State the number of individuals who were employed by your firm as apprentices
at any time during the past three years in each apprenticeship and the number of
persons who, during the past three years, completed apprenticeships in each craft
while employed by your firm.
5 points if one or more persons completed an approved apprenticeship while employed
by your firm.
0 points if no persons completed an approved apprenticeship while employer by your
firm.
26
11. At any time during the last five years, has your firm been found to have violated any
provision of California apprenticeship laws or regulations, or the laws pertaining to use of
apprentices on public works?
NOTE: You may omit reference to any incident that occurred prior to January 1,
1998 if the violation was by a subcontractor and your firm, as general contractor on
a project, had no knowledge of the subcontractor's violation at the time they
occurred.
❑ Yes ❑ No.
If yes, provide the date(s) of such findings, and attach copies of the Department's final
decision(s).
If your firm's average gross revenues for the last three years was less than $50 million,
scoring is as follows:
5 points for either "No," or "Yes" indicating either 1 or 2 such instance.
3 points for "Yes" indicating 3 such instances.
0 points for "Yes" and more than 3 such instances.
If your firm's average gross revenues for the last three years was more than $50
million, scoring is as follows:
5 points for either "No" or "Yes" indicating no more than 4 such instances.
3 points for "Yes" indicating either 5 or 6 such instances.
0 points for "Yes" and more than 6 such instances.
27
Questions concerning recent construction projects completed:
(one question, plus 11 interview questions)
The following question to be scored only where a public agency is undertaking a pre -
qualification procedure valid for a single project only.
Contractor shall provide information about its six most recently completed public works
projects and its three largest completed private projects within the last three years .6 Names
and references must be current and verifiable. Use separate sheets of paper that contain all
of the following information:
Project Name:
Location:
Owner:
Owner Contact (name and current phone number):
Architect or Engineer:
Architect or Engineer Contact (name and current phone number):
Construction Manager (name and current phone number):
Description of Project, Scope of Work Performed:
Total Value of Construction (including change orders):
Original Scheduled Completion Date:
Time Extensions Granted (number of days):
Actual Date of Completion:
6 If you wish, you may, using the same format, also provide information about other projects that you have
completed that are similar to the project(s) for which you expect to bid.
28
Scoring of previous projects completed:
For pre - qualification for a single project that may require specific skills and capabilities,
public agencies may choose to score contractors for the number of similar projects
completed, and the degree of similarity between past projects and the planned project.
DIR has not suggested any scoring for this aspect of the pre - qualification process,
because of the numerous possible variations in both the type of project to be built and the
points of similarity between the pending project and past projects that may be significant
to the public agency.
29
MODEL
INTERVIEW
QUESTIONS
30
MODEL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
The following questions will be used to interview randomly selected contacts from at least two
completed projects. [Public Entity] will conduct the interviews. No action on the contractor's
part is necessary. These questions are included on the package given to the contractor for
information only.
The highest possible score is 120 Points. A score less than 55 points disqualifies a contractor
from bidding on projects that are proposed by [Public Entity]. A score of between 56 and 72
indicates the Public Entity should conduct an interview of another contact, that is, a manager of
another completed project. A score of 72 or higher on each of two interviews is sufficient for
pre - qualification.
First, please give a brief description of the project.
Are there any outstanding stop notices, liens, or claims by the contractor that are currently
unresolved on contracts for which notices of completion were recorded more than 120 days
ago? (1 point for each is deducted from overall score; maximum amount to be deducted is 5
points)
2. On a scale of 1 -10, with 10 being the best, did the contractor provide adequate personnel?
(Max. 10 points)
3. On a scale of 1 -10, with 10 being the best, did the contractor provide adequate supervision?
(Max. 10 points)
4. On a scale of 1 -10, with 10 being the best, was there adequate equipment provided on the
job? (Max. 10 points)
5. On a scale of 1 -10, with 10 being the best, was the contractor timely in providing reports
and other paperwork, including change order paperwork and scheduling updates? (Max. 10
points)
6. On a scale of 1 -10, with 10 being the best, did the contractor adhere to the project schedule
that your [agency] [business] approved? (Max. 10 points)
7. Was the project completed on time? (10 points if the answer is "Yes").
Or, if the answer is "no," on a scale of 1 -10, with 10 being the best, to what extent was
the contractor responsible for the delay in completion?
8. On a scale of 1 -10, with 10 being the best, rate the contractor on the timely submission of
reasonable cost and time estimates to perform change order work. (Max. 10 points)
31
9. On a scale of 1 -10, with 10 being the best, rate the contractor on how well the contractor
performed the work after a change order was issued, and how well the contractor
integrated the change order work into the existing work. (Max. 10 points).
10. On a scale of 1 -10, with 10 being the best, rate how has the contractor been performing in
the area of turning in Operation & Maintenance manuals, completing as -built drawings,
providing required training and taking care of warranty items? (Max. 10 points)
11. On a scale of 1 -10, with 10 being the best, rate the contractor on whether there were an
unusually high number of claims, given the nature of the project, or unusual difficulty in
resolving them. (Max. 10 points)
12. On a scale of 1 -10, with 10 being the highest, rate the contractor with respect to timely
payments by the contractor to either subcontractors or suppliers. (If the person being
interviewed knows of no such difficulties, the score on this question should be "10.1)
13. On a scale of 1 -10, with 10 being the best, how would you rate the quality of the work
overall? (Max. 10 points)
1411894.1
32