Project Information

Bid Title

On-Call Environmental Consulting Services for California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Compliance and Permitting

Issuing Agency

City of Santa Cruz

Location

California

Published Date

Mar 6, 2025

Closing Date

Apr 7, 2025

Government Level

State & Local

Status

Closed

Ref. #

RFP No. CM-0193

Original Source

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Bid Documents

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Project Description

Project ID: RFP No. CM-0193

Title: On-Call Environmental Consulting Services for California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Compliance and Permitting

Addenda: 0

Release Date: 3/5/2025

Due Date: 4/7/2025

Post Information

Posted At:Wed, Mar 5, 2025 4:50 PMSealed Bid Process:NoPrivate Bid:No

Overview

Summary

The City of Santa Cruz requests proposals from "qualified" proposers for o n- c all e nvironmental c onsulting services for California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) c ompliance and environmental p ermitting services on an on-call basis. Environmental review services will include reviewing the City’s public projects, such as, but not limited to, public infrastructure projects, policies, ordinances, zoning updates, long-range plans, and private development projects as they move through the City's planning and permitting processes. T he environmental review services will include preparing environmental review documents as may be required, such as, but not limited to, Categorical Exemptions, Initial Studies, Mitigated Negative Declarations, Draft Environmental Impact Reports, and Final Environmental Impact Reports in compliance with CEQA; and Categorical Exclusions, Environmental Assessments, Findings of No Significant Impact, and Environmental Impact Statements in compliance with NEPA. The environmental review services will also involve overseeing sub-consultants, ensuring the studies are in keeping with regulatory standards and best management practices, managing the process to keep each project on schedule, preparing environmental noticing lists and notices, presenting at public meetings or outreach events, maintaining appropriate documentation and record keeping, a nd providing training to staff and public bodies.

Additional services will involve environmental permitting, tracking, and compliance for select projects. Selected “qualified” proposers w ill evaluate the feasibility, schedule, and requirements of Project environmental permitting. The strategy will critically analyze specific projects to identify potential issues that may be encountered during environmental permitting. Project alternatives may be developed, analyzed, and documented as needed to assist in a permitting feasibility determination. Potential required permits, such as Section 404 Clean Water Act Permitting, Section 401 Clean Water Act Water Quality Certification, California Endangered Species Act Consistency Determination or Incidental Take Permit, Lake and Streambed Alteration Agreement, and Coastal Development Permitting, among others. Compliance with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Section 7 ESA Consultation/Biological Opinions from the USFWS and NMFS, and Section 106 may also be required for issuance of federal permits. It is expected that environmental permitting would be completed at the conclusion of the CEQA process; however, support during early consultation with permitting agencies may be necessary. The services may also include the timely development of environmental permitting submittals and approvals necessary for project implementation based upon the developed environmental permitting strategy. Technical resource support during agency consultations may be required.

The City is seeking multiple firms to provide environmental consulting services for a five-year period, with the possibility that the initial term may be extended upon City approval. The "qualified" proposer(s) will provide consulting services under a master agreement. Selected “qualified” proposers will be pre-qualified to provide a quote once a specific project has been identified. Future on-call service requests for specific scopes of work, costs, and timelines are to be negotiated for each specific project.

Background

The City of Santa Cruz was incorporated in 1866 and formed its current charter in 1948. It is governed under a Council/Manager form of government. A Mayor and six Council members set policy for the City and a City Manager serves as chief administrator of those policies. The City is located on the coast, 75 miles south of San Francisco on the northern edge of the Monterey Bay. It encompasses 15.8 square miles with cultural and ethnic diversity among its population of 65,000. Santa Cruz is part of the National Marine Sanctuary and is a popular tourist destination owing to its beaches, surf culture, and historical landmarks.

The City provides a full range of municipal services and facilities including a recreational wharf, public golf course, over thirteen hundred acres of open space, full beach services, refuse management, law enforcement, fire protection, and water and wastewater utilities. The City is also host to University of California Santa Cruz, the Santa Cruz Harbor, and the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk amusement park.

The City is seeking firms with knowledge and experience to perform CEQA, NEPA, and environmental permitting services on various project types and environments. Firms should have experience working on projects with very passionate and engaged communities. A successful proposer will be reputable, possess the technical knowledge and expertise to ensure complex projects meet regulatory standards and best management practices, are well-versed in case law and anticipate how it can affect future processes, communicate effectively, and have experience leading sub-consulting teams and the City through the numerous steps involved in environmental review processes. Successful firms must be capable of producing high-quality deliverables on time and per the professional standard.

Since FY2020, the City has allocated an average of $620,000 annually toward environmental review services.

Timeline

Release Project Date:

March 5, 2025

RFP Questions and Clarification Due Date:

March 17, 2025, 4:00pm

Tentative Response to Clarification Questions:

March 24, 2025

Proposal Submission Deadline:

April 7, 2025, 4:00pm

Commodity Codes

• NAICS 541620Environmental Consulting Services

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