Title/Name/Summary
Professional Plan Review, Inspection and Support Services on an As Needed Basis
History
The Development Services Department issues approximately 4,000 building permits and conducts nearly 12,000 building inspections annually across residential, multi-family residential, commercial and industrial projects. The Village benchmark to complete plan reviews is two (2) weeks for minor projects and three (3) weeks for major projects, as measured from the date of submittal (calendar days). With a significant recent uptick in permit activity, it has been difficult to keep up with demand for plan review and permit issuance. This has led to increase in the plan review and permit issuance response times and corresponding customer dissatisfaction.
As such, the Village issued an RFP for Professional Plan Review, Inspection and Support Services on and As Needed Basis. The intent is to establish a relationship with an outside vendor that would be able to supplement staff whenever needed as well as reduce overall permit review time and improve customer satisfaction. Periodically, the Village experiences increased project submittals and building inspection requests. These special circumstances may cause the need for additional plans examiners, building inspectors, a building official or permit technicians. Furthermore, having an established relationship with a vendor will allow seamless backup for all plan review and inspection positions in the event of an absence among Village staff.
The RFP required a minimum level of service to be provided by the selected vendor. The standard plan review time shall be ten (10) business days for initial review, and five (5) business days for re-checks. Expedited plan review for initial review and re-checks would be a turnaround time of not more than five (5) business days. Inspections must be completed within 24hrs notice and within a specified time window.
At the current time, the Village anticipates focusing the vendor’s efforts on plan review, as opposed to inspection. In the inspection function, the Village inspectors serve as a point of contact and the face of the Village with their interaction with local builders. It is important to maintain this relationship as we continue to provide services to residents and the business community. However, the vendor would also be available to assist with inspections, as needed. The Village received three responses to the RFP, Willdan Engineering, HR Green Inc. and Safebuilt.
Willdan does provide the requested services in nearby Indiana; however, they do not have any Chicagoland based clients at this time and their proposal lacked detail on their approach to fulfilling the Village need without sufficient local resources. The other two vendors offered a detailed and systematic approach, with a variety of options, and various examples of experience in the Chicagoland area. Furthermore, Willdan’s proposal pricing was at or near the top of the various proposals pricing.
HR Green Inc. offered initial plan review time of 5-7 business days and re-reviews from 3-5 business days with an expedited review option for initial reviews from 3-5 days and re-reviews from 2-5 days. The quicker plan review time is associated with smaller less complicated projects, while the longer plan review time is associated with larger more complicated projects. HR Green offers a fee structure that includes the first two plan reviews. New residential construction up to 5,000sf is $1,200. Residential additions and remodels are $960. Commercial construction up to 5,000sf are $2,400 and additions and remodels are $1,920. Industrial construction plan reviews are priced at $4,800 and additions are $3,480. HR Green does charge for additional reviews beyond the two; however, there is no additional fee for an expedited review.
Safebuilt offers plan review times from 7-10 business days for small and large residential projects and 7-15 days for small and large commercial projects, respectively. Fire related reviews have a 7 business day turnaround time. Safebuilt offers a range of flat fees based on the type of construction and square footage. Residential new construction plan review fees range from $370 - $693 covering square footages from 1,500sf - 3,500+sf. Commercial plan review fees range from $600 - $4,617 covering buildings form 1,500sf to 100,000sf. Additional fees were provided but the above range would be most applicable to Orland Park’s upcoming construction projects. Fire protection reviews range from $185 - $1,108 depending on the number of sprinkler heads proposed. The expedited rate for plan reviews is the proposed fee + 25%, still lower than base comparable HR Green fees. Staff clarified in writing with Safebuilt that the fees listed as flat fees include both the first and second re-review. After the first three submittals, additional re-reviews would be charged at the hourly rates as identified in their proposal.
Safebuilt offers plan review costs that are significantly lower based on the flat fee rate structure. Even if the additional 25% is added to the cost of plan reviews for expediting, the rates offered by Safebuilt will still be lower than those provided by HR Green. The range of cost savings varies based on the type of review; however, the proposal shows consistently lower pricing provided by Safebuilt.
In addition to the lower cost structure offered by Safebuilt. Their proposal indicated that they are currently utilizing Bluebeam Revu to complete plan reviews in a virtual setting. The Village currently has licenses for this software and will be implementing this review tool with the implementation of Tyler Energov. This digital plan review software allows plan reviewers and design professionals to collaborate in a virtual setting while viewing the same set of plans on their computer. Safebuilt’s experience with this software could serve as an additional benefit when selecting this vendor.
While the plan review times as listed show Safebuilt offering a range that is two days longer than those provided by HR Green, Safebuilt’s cost is significantly lower than HR Green and the plan review times still run ahead of industry average and ahead of the Village’s current turn-around time.
Staff contacted three communities currently utilizing Safebuilt for plan review and inspection services. All three reported a good working relationship and qualified staff used to fulfill the roles. Additionally, all three reported that Safebuilt was beating their agreed upon review timelines, typically returning plan reviews in 2 to 2.5 days; thereby neutralizing the only area where Safebuilt’s proposal was lacking as compared to HR Green.
Staff recommends Safebuilt as the selected vendor for As Needed Plan Review and Inspection Services.
Recommended Action/Motion
I move to approve entering into a Professional Services Contract with Safebuilt for Professional Plan Review, Inspection and Support Services on an As Needed Basis;
And,
To authorize the Village Manager to execute all related contracts, subject to Village Attorney review.