Garden Grove City Hall was acquired by the City in 1993 from the Orange County Transportation Authority. Since then it has undergone a number of improvements including necessary structural repairs, a complete interior redesign, HVAC and telecommunication systems upgrades, and landscape improvements. As an administrative facility, the building is mainly comprised of general office spaces which include an open office plan, private offices, conference rooms, computer rooms, kitchen and lounge areas, and a reprographics lab. City Hall houses approximately 150 full-time and part-time employees on a daily basis. The first floor is comprised of multiple departments with a focus on daily public interaction that includes Community Services (Recreation), Finance (Utility Billing and Business Tax), Building Services and Code Enforcement, Planning Services, and Engineering Services. The second floor consists of Human Resources, Finance, City Clerk’s Office, Information Technology, and Reprographics/Mail Room services. The third floor of City Hall houses the City Council Offices and the City Manager’s Office that includes Community Relations. Community and Economic Development administrative staff including Neighborhood Improvement staff are also located on the third floor.

In July 2017, the City of Garden Grove enlisted the expertise of the Orange County Intelligence Assessment Center in order to conduct a Vulnerability Assessment of City Hall. The vulnerability assessment and subsequent mitigation report identified several areas of improvement, including a number of security deficiencies within the existing City Hall facility requiring attention. The report also included solutions for lowering the facility’s general risk level.

Based on the vulnerability assessment findings, the City of Garden Grove requested proposals from qualified architectural firms to secure conceptual designs for City Hall Security Enhancements. The selected consultant would be tasked with evaluating City Hall, taking into consideration the vulnerabilities and concerns identified in the Orange County Intelligence Assessment Center’s Vulnerability Assessment and Mitigation Report, in order to produce a design that addresses identified security deficiencies.

On November 1, 2019, staff formally issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for comprehensive City Hall Security Enhancement Design services, and a mandatory pre-proposal meeting and facilities site walk was done on November 19, 2019.  On December 9, 2019, staff received proposals from three firms. Staff from the City Manager’s Office, Police Department, Public Works Department, and Building Division reviewed each of the proposals, scoring them according to their experience and qualifications (60%), and work plan and ability to meet the City’s needs (40%). Upon conducting final interviews of all three firms, Dewberry Architects, Inc., was unanimously selected as the most qualified and experienced firm capable of meeting the City’s needs.

The cost of the contract is $219,925. Funds are budgeted in the FY 19-20 budget.

It is recommended that the City Council:

• Award a contract for professional consulting services to Dewberry Architects, Inc., in the amount of $219,925, for the purpose of providing the City with a comprehensive City Hall security enhancement design; and

• Authorize the City Manager or his designee to sign the contract and make minor modifications as needed on behalf of the City.