HomeMy WebLinkAbout03/15/2011 RPF Building Inspection and Plan Review ServicesVillage of Mount Prospect
Community Development Department
MEMORANDUM
0
TO: VILLAGE MANAGER
FROM: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
DATE: MARCH 8, 2011
SUBJECT: REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS — SELECTION OF T.P.I. BUILDING CODE CONSULTANTS,
INC. FOR BUILDING INSPECTION AND PLAN REVIEW SERVICES
Purpose
To review a request for proposals for Building Inspection and Plan Review Services performed by the Village's
Community Development Department.
Background
As part of the preparation of the 2011 Village Budget the Community Development Department was tasked with
reducing its existing expenditures. In order to achieve the required Department savings staff proposed pursuing
the outsourcing of the building inspection services to achieve an annual savings of $140,000. Following the
approval of the 2011 Fiscal Year Budget, the Community Development Department distributed a request for
proposals for the services described above. Due to contractual obligations with existing Building Division staff,
any contract for outsourcing inspection services can't be implemented until May 1, 2011.
Historically the Community Development Department has experience with outsourcing both its inspection and
plan review services to private contractors. The Village currently outsources our plan review services for
commercial projects and any residential projects in excess of 300 sq. ft. in size. This practice will continue under
the proposed contract. Additionally the Village utilizes third party inspectors to fill -in during times of peak
demand or when the Building Division may be short staffed due to inspector illnesses or vacations.
Depending on permit activity the Village performs on average 9,100 inspections per year and outsources
approximately 100 plan reviews. The two following tables provide an overview of the Building Division's
current workload related to these services. Outsourcing inspections will provide greater protection to the Village
from fluctuations in the development industry. If the average number of inspections decreases due to lack of
permit activity, the Village will not need to absorb additional costs for staff that are not utilized to their fullest
ability. When inspections are higher than average, the additional costs incurred should be offset by an increase in
building permit activity and related fees.
Table l: Projected Building Inspections (2011 - 2014)*
Request for Proposals — Selection of TPI Building Code Consultants, Inc. for Building Inspection and Plan
Review Services
Page 2 of 7
Table 2: Third Party Plan Reviews (2010)
Type of Project
Number of
Reviews
Commercial
78
Industrial
11
Residential
15
Discussion
The Community Development Department advertised the RFP to perform building inspection and plan review
services for the Village in January 2011. The RFP was published locally in the Daily Herald and was mailed
directly to six local vendors with whom the Village had previous experience or had contacted staff expressing
interest. Five responses were submitted. A summary of the vendors and project costs is provided in Tables 3
through 8.
While staff reviewed all proposals submitted, special attention was given to proposals which provided costs for
inspection services which were below what the Village currently pays for these services. Primary factors used in
reviewing proposals included cost, ability to provide requested services, previous experience working with the
firm, references, and interviews with key staff. Of the five proposals submitted, TPI Building Code Consultants,
Inc. (TPI) and B &F Technical Code Services, Inc (B &F) were the most competitive with a per inspection fee of
$35 (Table 4). TPI's costs for the first year will be discounted to $32 per inspection until such time as the Village
requires the inspectors to log inspections electronically in the field (anticipated fall 2011). Table 5 details the
projected annual savings from outsourcing the inspection services based on these proposals. The following
provides an overview of the review of each firm:
Expertise /Qualifications
Staff believes that both TPI and B &F are highly capable of providing the requested services. Each firm has
sufficient qualified staff to meet the demands of the contract and has a proven track record working with the
Village and other area communities. Each firm will utilize International Code Council licensed inspectors to
perform inspections required by the Village and has a significant number of Master Code Professionals on staff to
perform plan reviews and respond to public inquiries. The qualifications of the inspectors assigned to perform
inspections in the Village will exceed those of current staff. B &F has been in operation for over 21 years and is
headquartered in Hoffman Estates. TPI has been based out of St. Charles for the past 13 years.
Emergency Response
During the interview process staff questioned both firms on their ability to assist with response to emergency
situations (i.e. tornado) and inspections of damage throughout the community. Both firms indicated they would
be able to assist with emergencies and provided examples of previous experience in other communities where
they provided these services. Staff felt each firm has sufficient experience and resources to respond to
emergencies within the community which may arise.
Consistency in Inspectionllnterpretation
Each firm plans to assign specific inspectors to perform inspections within Mount Prospect. Depending on
inspection workload, each firm anticipated having between 1 -3 inspectors assigned to the community. This will
ensure that inspections are performed by the same personnel consistently and will not result in several inspectors
visiting a project throughout its life cycle. Also, each firm indicated that if an inspection is failed they will cite
the specific code section which the project has not complied with in writing. Citing code sections will prevent
different inspectors from failing inspections for personal reasons or for doing improvements based on personal
preference.
Request for Proposals — Selection of TPI Building Code Consultants, Inc. for Building Inspection and Plan
Review Services
Page 3 of 7
Quality Control
Each firm utilizes different measures to assure the quality of their services. For the most part inspections are
controlled via surveys, ride - along's by supervisors, and review of customer complaints which are received. Each
organization provides constant training to its staff to ensure they are up to date on current Building Codes.
Inspectors will also be required to attend training provided by the Village on the use of our software systems and
existing Village Policies.
Selected Firm
As previously mentioned, staff is confident that both TPI and B &F are capable of performing the requested
services while maintaining or improving our current customer service levels. Based on the analysis of the
proposals staff is recommending that the Village utilize TPI Building Consultants, Inc. to provide both the
Building Inspection and Plan Review Services. TPI's costs to perform the services were very competitive
compared with the others submitted and staff has verified that they will be able to perform the services as
requested. TPI has been performing fill -in inspections for the Village for the past four years and plan review
services for over two years. The transition to full -time inspections through TPI should be relatively seamless as
their inspectors are already familiar with our processes, policies, existing construction projects, and staff.
Funds for inspection services are allocated in the 2011 fiscal year budget.
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the Village Board grant the Village Manager approval to enter into a three year contract
with TPI Building Code Consultants, Inc. for Building Inspection and Plan Review Services.
William J. Cooney, Jr., AICP
H: \ADMN\13RIAN\13Wdhng Inspections RFP Memo to V13 03081 Ldoc
Request for Proposals — Selection of TPI Building Code Consultants, Inc. for Building Inspection and Plan
Review Services
Page 4 of 7
Table 3. Firms Responding to RFP:
• B &F Technical Code Services, Inc.
2401 W. Hassell Road, Suite 1550
Hoffman Estates, IL 60169
• JAS Consultants LLC
1701 E. Lake Ave., Suite 365
Glenview, IL 60025
• TPI Building Code Consultants, Inc.
7N262 West Whispering Trail
St. Charles, IL 60175
• Charles Abbott Associates, Inc.
27401 Los Altos, Suite 220
Mission Viejo, CA 92691
• International Code Council
Chicago District Office
4051 W. Flossmoor Road
Country Club Hills, IL 60478
Table 4. Building Inspection Services Cost Proposals (Cost Per Inspection)
Building Inspections
(Business Hours)
VOMP
TPI
B &F
JAS **
CAA **
1CC **
Plumbing
$50
$35
$35
$78
$60
-
Electrical
50
35
35
65
60
-
Building
50
35
35
70
60
-
Mechanical
50
35
35
65
60
-
CDBG
50
35
35
70
60
-
Adjudication
50
80*
85
80
90
-
Other Misc
-
-
-
-
122
-
Building Inspections
(After Business (lours)
VOMP
TPI
B &F
JAS **
CAA **
ICC **
Plumbing
80 /hr
120 /hr
85
145
120
-
Electrical
75 /hr
120 /hr
85
125
120
-
Building
75 /hr
120 /hr
85
130
120
-
Mechanical
75 /hr
I 120 /hr
1 85
125
120
-
Notes:
1) JAS and CAA proposals eliminated from analysis of plan review as inspection
service costs exceeded current VOMP expenses. ICC did not provide costs for
performing inspection services.
2) TPI will charge for a minimum of 2 hours for adjudication.
3) VOMP and TPI afterhours will be charged at a minimum of 2 hours.
4) VOMP CDBG and Adjudication expenses based on hourly salary of inspectors
plus benefits.
5) Any after hours inspections could be direct billed to customers.
Request for Proposals — Selection of TPI Building Code Consultants, Inc. for Building Inspection and Plan
Review Services
Page 5 of 7
Table 5. Building Inspection Cost Analysis
Year
Inspections
TPI/B&F Cost
Per Inspection
YQMP Cost
section
Per Inspection
Annual Savings
2011
9,100
$35
$49.80
$134,680*
2012
9,100
$35
$50.99
$145,509
2013
1 9,100
1 $35
1 $52.33
1 $157,703
2014
1 9,100
1 $35
1 $53.71
1 $170,261
* Savings increases to $161,980 for TPI at $32 /inspection prior to electronic field recording.
Table 6. Residential Plan Review Costs (Cost Per Review in Dollars)
Plan Review Residential
Standard
TPI
Review
B &F
Expedited
TPI
Review
B &F
SFH Unlimited (Initial)
$450
$297
$900
$594
SFH Unlimited (Re- Review)
225
148.5
450
297
SFH Addition (Initial)
250
220
500
440
SFH Addition (Re- Review)
125
110
250
220
SFH Unlimited + Plumb (Initial)
525
337.5
1050
675
SFH Unlimited + Plumb (Re- Review)
262.5
168.75
525
337.5
SFH Addition + Plumb (Initial)
325
250
650
500
SFH Addition + Plumb (Re- Review)
162.5
125
325
250
Request for Proposals — Selection of TPI Building Code Consultants, Inc. for Building Inspection and Plan
Review Services
Page 6 of 7
Table 7. Standard Commercial Plan Review Costs (Cost Per Review in Dollars)
Commercial
Reviews
B &F
B &F
(Standard
—10 Days)
TPI
B &F
Alt 1
Alt 2
Up to 2500 sq. ft.
$400
$400
$340
$300
2501 to 4000 sq. ft.
446.25
550
467.50
412.50
°1
t
4001 to 6000 sq. ft.
575
700
595
525
c ,�
6001 to 8000 sq. ft.
650
856
727.60
642
Q 0
8001 to 10,000 sq. ft.
693
1095.40
931.09
821.55
10,001+ sq. ft.
760
1251.90
1064.12
938.93
each add 1,000 sq.ft.
15
8
6.80
6
Up to 2500 sq. ft.
661.50
500
425
375
2501 to 4000 sq. ft.
808.50
687.50
584.38
515.63
c r-
4001 to 6000 sq. ft.
975
875
743.75
656.25
o
6001 to 8000 sq. ft.
1080
1070
909.50
802.50
CL M
8001 to 10,000 sq. ft.
1234
1369.30
1163.86
1026.94
0
10,001+ sq. ft.
Bldg fee x2
1564.90
1330.15
1173.66
each add 1,000 sq.ft.
N/A
8
6.80
6
Additional Plumbing
100 base +
N/A
N/A
N/A
Fixtures
$4 /opening
Notes:
1) Alternate 1: Includes a 15% reduction for excluding occupant load and egress
analysis from reviews (currently performed by Fire Dept).
2) Alternate 2: Includes a 25% reduction if work involves a tenant improvement.
3) TPI did not provide any discounts for the above in their proposals.
4) TPI adds additional fees for plumbing fixtures, B &F includes in their pricing.
Request for Proposals - Selection of TPI Building Code Consultants, Inc. for Building Inspection and Plan
Review Services
Page 7 of 7
Table 8. Expedited Commercial Plan Review Costs (Cost Per Review in Dollars)
Commercial
Review
B &F
B &F
TPI
B&F
(Expedited
- 3 Days)
Alt 1
Alt 2
Up to 2500 sq. ft.
$800
$800
$680
$600
2501 to 4000 sq. ft.
892
1100
935
825
a�
s
4001 to 6000 sq. ft.
1150
1400
1190
1050
c
6001 to 8000 sq. ft.
1300
1712
1455.20
1284
Q �'
8001 to 10,000 sq. ft.
1386
2190.8
1862.18
1643.10
10,001+ sq. ft.
1520
2503.8
2128.23
1877.85
each add 1,000 sq.ft.
30
8
6.80
6.00
Up to 2500 sq. ft.
1323
1000
850
750
2501 to 4000 sq. ft.
1617
1375
1168.75
1031.25
c r-
4001 to 6000 sq. ft.
1950
1750
1487.50
1312.50
o .2-
6001 to 8000 sq. ft.
2160
2140
1819
1605
CL
0
8001 to 10,000 sq. ft.
2468
2738.5
2327.73
2053.88
10,001+ sq. ft.
Bldg fee x2
3129.8
2660.30
2347.32
each add 1,000 sq.ft.
N/A
8
6.80
6
Additional Plumbing
200 base +
N/A
N/A
N/A
Fixtures
$8 /opening
Notes:
1) Alternate 1: Includes a 15% reduction for excluding occupant load and egress
analysis from reviews (currently performed by Fire Dept).
2) Alternate 2: Includes a 25% reduction if work involves a tenant improvement.
3) TPI did not provide any discounts for the above in their proposals.
4) TPI adds additional fees for plumbing fixtures, B &F includes in their pricing.