Project Information

Bid Title

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS PUBLIC TRANSIT OUTREACH AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAM

Issuing Agency

Ventura County Transportation Commission

Location

California

Published Date

Apr 3, 2026

Closing Date

Apr 10, 2026

Government Level

State & Local

Status

Closed

Original Source

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Project Description

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS PUBLIC TRANSIT OUTREACH AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAM

The Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC), Ventura County’s regional transportation planning agency, is seeking to engage a full-service consultant to lead its Public Transit Outreach and Community Outreach Program in coordination with VCTC staff. The program objective is to increase public awareness of the VCTC brand and services, to grow transit ridership and to support transit goals included in VCTC’s adopted strategic plan.

PROPOSAL RELEASE DATE: Friday, March 6, 2026
PROPOSALS DUE: Friday, April 10, 2026 @ 4:00 P.M. (PST)

Virtual Pre-Proposal Meeting (Optional): Wednesday, April 1 at 10 a.m. (PST) via Microsoft Teams
Meeting Information:

Microsoft Teams meeting
Join: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/25474753433870?p=Z9n5AAusyz6wovnIAQ
Meeting ID: 254 747 534 338 70

Passcode: kg2c9Em9

Dial in by phone
+1 469-676-9415,,533302390# United States, Northlake
Find a local number
Phone conference ID: 533 302 390#

QUESTIONS DUE TO VCTC:  Friday, April 3 @ 4:00 P.M. (PST)

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RESPONSE TO QUESTIONS

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REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)

PUBLIC TRANSIT OUTREACH AND COMMUNITY

OUTREACH PROGRAM

OBJECTIVE OF THIS REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)

The Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC), Ventura County’s regional

transportation planning agency, is seeking to engage a full-service consultant to lead its Public

Transit Outreach and Community Outreach Program in coordination with VCTC staff. The

program objective is to increase public awareness of the VCTC brand and services, to grow

transit ridership and to support transit goals included in VCTC’s adopted strategic plan. VCTC

provides intercity bus service, regional transit initiatives, services coordinated with local bus and

passenger rail operators, free-fare programs, Spanish-language transit outreach and general

information about all VCTC transit and transportation programs. The selected consultant will

help advance VCTC’s vision to keep Ventura County moving and mission to create a more

connected, resilient, equitable and user-friendly transportation system for Ventura County.

VCTC is an independent public agency governed by a 17-member Commission, including a

member from each of Ventura County’s 10 city councils, all five members of the Ventura County

Board of Supervisors, and two public members representing incorporated and unincorporated

areas. VCTC builds consensus, makes strategic plans, obtains and allocates resources,

contracts for transit services and provides information on a range of transportation and

infrastructure topics. VCTC’s adopted goals and five-year strategic plan provide direction and

guide the priorities of staff. VCTC’s transit team also works closely with Ventura County’s seven

other transit operators to coordinate services countywide.

VCTC has 24 staff members across five departments, each with a wide array of responsibilities.

The agency has limited staff members available for outreach activities. The consultant chosen

will serve under the direction of the Government and Community Relations program manager.

VCTC takes a team approach to outreach, however, and members of the Transit Operations

and Planning Department will provide regular input and direct oversight of specific projects and

initiatives. The selected consultant will work with several members of the Transit Operations and

Planning Department, as well as the Government and Community Relations program manager.

The selected consultant should bring significant transit and transportation experience, expertise,

and creativity across multiple outreach disciplines. The selected consultant should have at least

five years of experience providing outreach for and on behalf of public agencies. The outreach

program includes initiatives in five VCTC programs: Community Outreach, Intercity, Rideshare,

Regional Transit Technology and Regional Transit Planning. The selected consultant must

deliver impactful and effective strategies that help increase the visibility of VCTC transit services

in the community, retain current transit riders and increase ridership and promote the use of

multimodal transportation, including train, biking and walking. The selected consultant must be

able to demonstrate familiarity with current issues and trends affecting transit agencies and offer

effective solutions.

The initial agreement will be a three-year base agreement commencing July 1, 2026. VCTC will

review the program annually and reserves the right to terminate the program at any time. At the

end of the three-year base agreement period, VCTC reserves the right to extend the agreement

one time for two additional years. .

I. VCTC’S OUTREACH OBJECTIVES

• Increase public awareness of VCTC and its programs

• Retain existing VCTC Intercity riders

• Attract and retain new riders

• Serve as a source of information about public transit options in Ventura County

• Support countywide transit initiatives, including those led by VCTC, Ventura County’s

local bus operators and passenger rail operators

• Inform and engage the community on other ways to reduce single-occupancy trips,

including carpooling, bicycling and walking

II. EXISTING OUTREACH EFFORTS

VCTC will require services in the categories below to help attract and retain ridership and

provide information about various transit and transportation programs. The selected consultant

must be able to perform the services identified below. VCTC reserves the right to request

additional services to meet unexpected outreach needs as they arise and will work with the

selected consultant to support positive outcomes.

General Transit and Community Outreach

Social Media Management

The consultant will be responsible for managing VCTC’s social media accounts. The consultant

will create a monthly organic social media calendar, manage organic posts and monitor

comments and other engagement. VCTC’s accounts on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X

are used to disseminate time-sensitive transit information, promote new and ongoing transit and

transportation programs, and provide customer service. VCTC also occasionally utilizes TikTok

for selected campaigns. Consultant will create and manage boosted social media posts on

various platforms to increase reach and engagement. Consultant will work with VCTC staff to

determine the social media platforms that best support each campaign. Consultant will design

appropriate graphics when needed, draft text for VCTC staff review and manage VCTC’s photo

and video assets. Consultant will also plan and execute photo and video shoots as needed.

VCTC Website Maintenance and Management

The VCTC website, goventura.org, serves as the central source of information for all VCTC

programs and services. VCTC’s information technology program manager provides general

management of the website, troubleshoots problems as they arise and posts general program

content. The consultant will perform annual maintenance to: ensure the site meets or exceeds

best practices for accessibility, continually improve the user experience, update coding, and

ensure site stability. The consultant will also design and build landing pages for outreach

campaigns, as needed. This work will be performed in coordination with VCTC staff.

Community Events

Each year VCTC participates in numerous community events, including Earth Day celebrations,

bicycle rodeos and wellness fairs. VCTC sets up a booth and distributes transit program

information and promotional items to attendees. While VCTC prefers to use its own staff for

these events, the consultant may be called upon to provide bilingual staff, reserve booth space,

handle payments and design promotional and informational items. VCTC will provide a tent,

tables, chairs and other materials needed for successful participation. Consultant may be

required to transport items, including a tent, table and chairs. The consultant will identify major

community events that may be relevant to VCTC and suggest participation.

In 2025, VCTC participated in more than two dozen community events, including Earth Day

festivals in Santa Paula, Thousand Oaks, Ventura and Fillmore; wellness fairs in Simi Valley,

Santa Paula and Thousand Oaks; a bike rodeo in Oxnard; rail safety events in Camarillo,

Oxnard and Simi Valley; the Port of Hueneme Banana Festival; and Metrolink holiday train

event in Simi Valley. The selected consultant will be required to support a similar or expand

level of outreach in future years.

Youth Outreach

Expanding youth outreach is among the goals included in VCTC’s adopted strategic plan. For

seven years, VCTC has partnered with the county’s Boys & Girls clubs for an art contest that

results in winners’ artwork displayed on Intercity buses. The contest is based on a theme

provided by VCTC that encourages young artists to think about public transit and climate

awareness. VCTC staff also offers a Youth Roadshow, an interactive presentation designed to

make youths familiar with public transit and other ways to travel without a vehicle. VCTC intends

to continue growth of the youth outreach program. The consultant will be responsible for

development of new youth outreach programs and materials and supervision of projects to

promote VCTC to younger generations. The consultant will also be responsible for managing

the art contest.

Mobility Services Outreach

VCTC Intercity Transit Bus Service

VCTC Intercity transit service information consists of brochures (bus books), maps,

informational graphics, public notices, operations and fleet decals, online service information,

posters, fleet branding and design (livery). Consultant is responsible for graphic design and

production of all transit service information and collateral, both printed and online, including but

not limited to brochures, materials at bus stops, online promotion and social media, fleet

branding and livery, interior/exterior decals, and the goventura.org website transit pages.

Materials must be available in English and Spanish. Certain materials will also be produced in

Mandarin.

Regional Transit Technology

VCTC provides coordinated transit technologies that are utilized by all fixed-route bus operators

in Ventura County. In 2025, VCTC launched Tap2Ride, a contactless payment system that

allows riders to pay fares using contactless debit and credit cards on its Intercity bus fleet.

VCTC is expanding that technology to all of the county’s bus operators in 2026. VCTC also

utilizes VCbuspass, a contactless payment system that allows riders to pay via an app or

physical fare cards. VCTC also utilizes Computer Automated Dispatching and Automatic

Vehicle Location system (CAD/AVL) technology, which provides real-time passenger

information to the riding public at bus stop displays, online and the GoVCBus app. The

Consultant will provide graphic design, online and printed collateral, outreach, promotion and

branding services of VCTC’s Regional Transit Technology programs and services.

Regional Transit Promotion

VCTC coordinates efforts with local operators to promote all county transit services, which

includes highlighting operators’ service changes and programs on social media and providing

their materials at all outreach events. VCTC also coordinates free-fare programs offered by all

operators, including Youth Ride Free, College Ride and several free-fare days. In 2026, VCTC

will begin working with a task force of local transit operators to better coordinate distribution of

information about all available transit services in the county. Recommendations from the task

force may impact consultant responsibilities. The consultant must be knowledgeable of or must

commit to learning about all local transit operators and their respective services. . Consultant

will provide graphic design, online and printed collateral, outreach, and promotion of the

campaigns.

Rideshare Programs

The Rideshare Program provides information on all rideshare options, including biking, walking

and teleworking. Each year, VCTC participates in Bike Week and Rideshare Week to

encourage residents to consider using public transit and other rideshare options. Bike safety,

particularly e-bike safety, is a growing concern and VCTC anticipates additional outreach in this

area. The consultant must be knowledgeable about rideshare, biking and teleworking.

Consultant will provide graphic design, online and printed materials, outreach and promotion of

campaigns. VCTC contributes content for “On the Go,” a monthly newsletter published for

Southern California commuters. Consultant will work with VCTC staff and “On the Go” staff to

identify relevant content for the newsletter.

Ventura County Biking Guides

VCTC currently produces two biking guides. “Bikeways” is a countywide map to help bicyclists

identify options to travel easily through Ventura County. “Biking Ventura County” is a booklet

that provides bike safety information, biking tips and bike routes that are appropriate for

beginner and younger cyclists. VCTC distributes these guides through the goventura.org

website, at local bike shops and community events. VCTC staff will work with the consultant to

update the map and guide as needed. Consultant will be responsible for design and

coordinating printing services.

Rail Programs

While not a rail operator, VCTC is a member agency of the Southern California Regional Rail

Authority (SCRRA), known as Metrolink; and the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo Rail

Corridor Agency (LOSSAN), which provides Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner service. Through these

partnerships, VCTC helps to bring expanded rail service to the county. Consultant must be

knowledgable about rail service in Ventura County. Tasks will include highlighting service

changes, and social media campaigns organized either by VCTC or by Metrolink and LOSSAN.

The consultant will provide graphic design and online and printed materials, as needed, and will

work with Metrolink and LOSSAN to highlight their social media campaigns.

II. CONSULTANT SCOPE OF WORK

The selected consultant shall provide guidance, expertise and support to enhance all existing

outreach campaigns listed here as well as campaigns developed through the length of the

contract. The consultant will provide measurable creative and strategic input to develop and

facilitate implementation of countywide targeted outreach activities that will best achieve the

objectives of VCTC. At the end of each campaign, the consultant will provide VCTC with an

analysis of the campaign’s success, using metrics such as social media reach and website

traffic. The consultant will also provide a comprehensive report or presentation of all outreach

activities at the end of each fiscal year.

III. BUDGET

This is a blended contract that will utilize federal, state and local funding sources. The

consultant will be expected to provide separate invoices billed monthly for individual transit

programs.

IV. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION/SELECTIONPROCESS

Four (4) hard copies of the technical proposal and a thumb drive containing both the technical

proposal and the cost proposal are due no later than by 4 P.M. PST Friday, April 10, 2026 to:

Ventura County Transportation Commission

Attn: Darrin Peschka, Program Manager, Government and Community Relations

751 E. Daily Drive, Suite 420

Camarillo, CA 93010

The cost proposal should not be included in the hard copies. Proposals received later than 4

P.M. PST Friday, April 10, 2026, may be deemed non-responsive and returned to the proposer.

Any questions concerning this Request for Proposals should be directed to Darrin Peschka,

VCTC Government and Community Relations program manager, at dpeschka@goventura.org

no later than 4 P.M. PST, Friday, April 3, 2026. All consultants requesting information shall be

responded to directly and all questions and responses will be posted on the website as an

addendum to the RFP.

Commodity Codes

• NAICS 541611Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services
• NAICS 541820Public Relations Agencies
• NAICS 541990All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

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