Bid Notice.pdf

MIDPENINSULA REGIONAL OPEN SPACE DISTRICT

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

September 9th, 2026

INVITATION

The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (District) is seeking qualifications for professional biological and environmental consulting services for various District projects.

Biological and associated environmental consulting services will be requested on an “as needed” basis and may include the services the following services: biological monitoring, biological surveys, biological research, hydrological services, Global Positioning System (GPS) mapping, Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping and analysis, California Environmental Quality

Act (CEQA) review and drafting of biological recommendations, plant and animal pathogen surveys, preparation of biological reports, and biotic assessments and other services. Consultants selected from this Request for Qualifications (RFQ) will be identified on a list of prequalified consultants (Prequalification List) to provide professional services for future projects. The

District also intends to award on-call contracts to the highest-ranked consultants responding to this RFQ. The Prequalification List and on-call contracts will be valid for a period of four years.

About the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District

The District is a public agency that owns and manages over 70,000 acres of land in 27 open space preserves. The District’s boundaries are identified in Attachment 1 and include portions of

San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz counties within the Santa Cruz Mountains. The District manages these areas to preserve a regional greenbelt, protect and restore the environment, and provide opportunities for ecologically sensitive public access and education. Public, low-intensity recreational use of the District land is primarily trail use by hikers, mountain bicyclists, equestrians, and dog walkers. Please visit http://www.openspace.org for more information about the District.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Project Objectives and Requirements

The District has ongoing work for which biological and environmental services are needed that require more staff time and/or expertise than are currently available internally. Through this

RFQ, the District seeks to prequalify and engage the services of consulting firms with the qualifications and expertise necessary to assist with these services. It is not necessary for an applying firm to be able to perform all of the requested services. Applicants may select to provide one or more of the services and one or more different species per biological survey service (details provided below).

On-Call Contracts

Following the evaluation of qualifications submittals, the District intends to award on-call contracts to one or more of the most qualified firms for a term up to four (4) years. The total http://www.openspace.org/ value each on-call contract is expected to be approximately $400,000. Work under an on-call contract will be authorized by task order on an as-needed basis. Task orders may be issued for smaller, discrete projects or for more extensive work in support of larger projects. The District will select consultants for task order work based on qualifications, availability and best overall fit for each particular project. If two or more firms are similarly qualified and available for an individual project, work may be offered on an alternating/rotating basis at the District’s discretion. The District’s intent is to provide opportunities for work to all on-call consultants over the course of the on-call contract term.

Prequalified List

Consultants that meet the District’s minimum qualifications requirements, whether or not awarded an on-call contract, will be included on a Prequalified List for future projects the

District solicits outside of on-call contracts. These projects will be solicited through a separate project-specific Request for Proposals (RFP) process.

The number of firms selected for on-call contracts and prequalification will depend on the quality and number of submittals received in response to this RFQ. Qualified firms will work primarily with one District Project Manager and/or one District Biologist, per work order, to accomplish projects similar to those listed below.

Location, Site Conditions, and Surroundings

Project locations are primarily remote, often difficult to access sites within San Mateo and Santa

Clara counties. Projects sites may include any existing District Open Space Preserves, or potential new property sites within the District’s boundaries (Attachment 1). Access to project sites often requires the use of a four-wheel drive vehicle, biologically trained driver, and hiking over rough, uneven terrain. Project hazards may include poison oak, stinging insects, venomous animals, weather extremes (rain, snow, sleet, heat, etc.) Driving access to the Preserves is over windy, narrow access roads that require significant time to travel, adding increased travel time to and from project sites. Some species- or site-specific surveys will require the use of specialized equipment and protocols, such as waders, dip nets, quadrants, tape measurers, clinometers, decontamination of gear, species specific methodologies and/or traps, rain gear, snake gaiters, etc.

Services Descriptions

A list of services for which consultants may propose to provide services is attached to this RFQ as Attachment 2 (Services Checklist). Each qualifications submittal must include a completed

Services Checklist and identify which of their staff members are to be considered as qualified for each service. Lists of qualified staff must be updated annually, or as requested by the District.

The following are non-exhaustive examples of what those services may entail.

Wildlife

List of Wildlife Acronyms

California red-legged frog CRLF

San Francisco garter-snake SFGS

Western pond turtle WPT

Wildlife services: species identification, species surveys (presence, population, protocol, etc.), habitat suitability analysis, biological assessments, trapping and relocation, GPS data collection, invasive species trapping and removal, bat exclusion, species tagging, banding, or marking, species handling and relocation as authorized by regulatory agencies, and other services to assist with species conservation or regulatory compliance.

• Surveys for the following species are the most common and/or anticipated: nesting birds

(including marbled murrelet), bats, rare plants, CRLF, SFGS, WPT, invertebrates

(bumblebees, butterflies), other listed species, and/or species of special concern.

Biological monitoring: biological awareness trainings, monitoring during construction, maintenance, remodeling and demolition of structures, such as bridges, puncheons, residences, offices, outbuildings, staging areas, restroom facilities, earthen dams/berms, roads, trails, natural resource facilities, and other structures as needed. Handling and relocation as authorized by regulatory agencies may be involved.

• Biological monitoring for the following species is the most common and/or anticipated:

CRLF, SFGS, WPT, nesting birds, bat species, rare plants, invertebrates (bumblebees, butterflies), other listed species, and/or species of special concern.

Capture and relocation or exclusion of protected species: associated with capital improvement projects where habitat is being permanently modified and as required by CEQA mitigation and/or a regulatory agency.

• Capture and relocation or exclusion of the following species is the most common: Bat species, CRLF, WPT.

Vegetation

Plant services: species identification, voucher collection, propagule collection, population size estimates, and species surveys, including pre-treatment surveys for invasive plants, GPS data collection, biological assessments (gross acres, habitat description, habitat type, estimated number of plants, absolute percent cover, distribution of population, and phenology), descriptions of the environmental factors to take into consideration during treatments (e.g., presence of special status species, water resources, evidence of disease, cultural resources, etc.), and protocol level surveys for vegetation and/or rare plants.

Certified rangeland management: management recommendations, developing conservation plans and management plans, and other activities associated with professional rangeland management.

A certified Rangeland Manager must be licensed by the State of California.

Revegetation and mitigation area monitoring: Plant survival counts, health, percent cover, and/or transect monitoring.

Riparian impact assessments: Assess impacts to riparian areas due to capital improvement projects. Recommend mitigation ratios and possible mitigation sites.

Hydrological

Jurisdictional delineations: Delineation of all aquatic features and Jurisdictional Waters in a study area, including identification of Waters of the United States subject to potential jurisdiction of the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Waters of the State under potential jurisdiction of

Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB), and features potentially subject to jurisdiction by California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), and features potentially subject to San

Mateo County regulations and Coastal Zone permitting.

Hydrological assessments: Conduct hydrologic assessments and modeling at watershed and site scales, including evaluation of surface water and groundwater conditions, drainage patterns, streamflow, water budgets, flooding, erosion, and sediment transport. Services may include deployment and maintenance of monitoring equipment, data analysis, hydrologic modeling, and development of recommendations.

Report Preparation and Review

GIS mapping and analysis

Literature review

Report writing: biological assessments, management plans, memo reports, etc.

CEQA review and mitigation: development of new, review, or augmentation of existing biological recommendations, species avoidance, minimization, and mitigation measures

Permitting

Permitting assistance: Identify required permits and propose appropriate regulatory pathways based on project type, prepare regulatory permit applications and associated documents (ex:

Biological Resources Assessment, wetland delineations) for submittal to CDFW, USFWS, RWQCB, and Corps. Respond to regulatory agency comments, recommend avoidance measures and design updates, develop and/or negotiate mitigations and monitoring requirements for potential impacts to CDFW, USACE, and RWQCB jurisdictional habitat and/or protected species.

Past Project Examples

The following list includes examples of past projects performed by biological on-call consultants along with the cost of the work. These past projects and costs are provided solely for reference;

future work will be similar, but not limited to, these types of projects.

1. Bat Surveys, Monitoring Support, and Exclusion Plan Development for re-roofing of three historic structures: $40,624.00

Provide pre-construction bat surveys and worker environmental awareness training, identify roost sites and species present, develop and implement an exclusion plan, and provide biological monitoring to avoid impacts to bats during structural maintenance activities.

2. Biological Services for Purple Martin Banding and Tagging, Sierra Azul OSP: $9, 985.00

Provide monitoring support for Purple Martin species at enhancement site through ground visual survey methods, and lead safe capture, banding, and tagging effort under necessary permits. Develop and implement remotely adjustable covers for cavity entrances to safely capture adult and nestling birds in nests, in addition to mist netting method for flying birds.

3. Biological monitoring for integrated pest management work (one task order): $23,082

Provide biological awareness training, pre-surveys, and biological monitoring to avoid species impacts during invasive species treatments (manual, mechanical, and herbicide) at one Preserve.

4. Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting (multiple task orders): $6,360

Compile and review existing information, spatial data and prepare maps for project sites at multiple Preserves. Conduct vegetation monitoring and photo monitoring at project sites and prepare a final monitoring report.

5. Wetland delineation (one task order): $11,500

Identify and map all aquatic features and potentially jurisdictional Waters of the U.S. and

Waters of the State, including wetlands, within a 10-acre property. Compile the field survey results into an Aquatic Features Delineation Report including a summary of existing conditions and detailed maps of all potential jurisdictional (RWQCB, USACE, CDFW, and potentially Coastal Zone) waters or wetlands consistent with USACE wetland mapping standards.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

The goal for each firm should be to prepare well-written qualifications that are comprehensive enough to address the requirements within the six (6) page limit not including resumes, the

Services Checklist, permits, and service example documents. The qualifications should describe how the proposing firm is specially qualified to perform the type of work cost effectively and at an acceptable scale for the setting.

Interested firms must submit the following as part of their qualifications submittal:

1) Services Checklist

The Services Checklist (Attachment 2) must be filled out and included with your qualifications for your submission to be considered. This checklist will not count towards the six (6) page maximum limit. This document indicates all services your firm would like to be considered qualified to perform. Each firm may select as few as one service to as many as all services, and as many species for which they wish to be considered. Selecting more, or fewer, services and/or species will have no impact on the District’s selection of on-call consultants.

2) Team Composition and Structure

Provide a description of the work team(s) for each service category elected by your firm in the

Services Checklist. Include all key project team members and explain their roles and responsibilities. Provide at least four (4) references who can speak to the firm’s performance as a unit and can speak to key individual staff members. Identify who is the primary contact for day-to-day correspondence with the District. This item should be no more than one page total.

3) Resumes

Provide a resume for each team member identified under Section 2 of your qualifications. Please limit each resume to one page. Resumes do not count toward the six (6) page limit. Resumes must identify the following.

a) Professional Qualifications

Any licenses, professional memberships, certifications, awards, offices held, etc., which make your firm uniquely qualified to be considered for projects requiring biological consulting services. All permits are to be attached per Requirement 7.

b) Educational Experience

Indicate degrees obtained and from what institutions.

c) Relevant Work Experience

• Please indicate previous employers, positions held, years at each position, prior projects, project locations, and project ownership. List target and encountered species and any role in identifying, handling, relocating, documenting, or reporting each species.

• All resumes should clearly indicate team members with a minimum of two or more seasons (years) of experience identifying and conducting surveys for each special status species for which the firm wants to be considered.

4.) Example of Project Administration (Please limit to two pages total)

Please provide an example project completed by your firm that includes one or more of the service categories and that also addresses all of the following:

• The project location, scope and services, goals, and timeline

• Strategies used to control costs and keep the project on track

• The project budget and explain if the project was completed within the budget

• Any tools utilized while executing the project, including software

• Deliverables

• References for this project

5.) Example of a GIS Map and Feature Class in Support of Relevant Work Experience

Please provide one (1) example of a professional GIS map and feature class created by your firm in support of a biological consulting project. This should clearly represent your firm’s ability to generate high quality maps and data that offer pertinent natural resource information in a manner that is easily interpretable. If your firm is submitting for the “GIS mapping and analysis” service, this example is what will be assessed.

6.) Services Example(s) Documents

If your firm would like to be considered for any of the following on-call services, please provide one example of work per service with your role in the work clearly indicated.

• Biological monitoring (Daily monitoring form and/or summary report)

• Certified rangeland management

• Wetland delineation

• Hydrological assessment

• Riparian impact assessment

• Literature review

• Report writing

• CEQA review and mitigation development

• Permitting assistance

7.) Regulatory Agency Permits

USFWS and CDFW permits are often required for surveying, handling, capturing, and relocating protected species. Please provide copies of all Federal and State of California permits and training certifications that are currently held by the firm or project individuals that qualify them to work with protected species. Clearly list all expiration dates and intent/ability to renew.

8.) Fee Schedule/Rate Sheet (Please limit to one page)

Provide a detailed rate sheet that would apply to the first year of services. The rate sheet must include the standard hourly rates for all individuals identified in the consultant’s qualifications submission and all typical reimbursable expenses as a separate line item. Rate sheets also must identify the standard hourly rates for other consultant employees that may be assigned to work.

The labor rates included in a submittal will be applicable for the contract term, subject to annual adjustments calculated using the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Cost Index (ECI) for Private Industry Workers in the Pacific Census Division (Table 9), Professional and Business

Services Occupational Group, 12-month percentage change ending March of each year, not to exceed five percent (5%) per year.

9.) Agreement Template

Provide a statement of the firm’s acceptance of the District’s agreement, including insurance and indemnification requirements. See attached the District’s Agreement for On-Call Professional

Services Template (Attachment 4) and Agreement for Professional Services Template

(Attachment 5). Please note that contractual terms and conditions submitted with qualifications will not be considered part of the District’s agreement.

SELECTION PROCESS

The District will select consultants based on the qualifications and responsiveness of the firm or individual to the RFQ and information contained in the qualifications. Criteria for selection will include the following:

• Firm’s experience and demonstrated success with providing on-call services and similar projects.

• Demonstrated successful working relationships with 1) regulatory agencies, 2) other consultants and/or contractors, 3) tenants and/or landowners, 4) on the ground agency/field staff (such as maintenance staff, project managers, etc.)

• Work in similar habitat settings

• Experience with specific species that occur/or are expected to occur on District Preserves

• The overall qualifications, specialized trainings and/or certifications, and regulatory permits of the specified personnel who will work on the projects.

• Quality of the provided GIS Map and feature class

• Responsiveness and availability

• Proven track record, the technical ability of the team to accomplish the District’s goals

• Firm indicates interest in one or more service category and one or more species and demonstrate ability to perform each indicated service and capable of performing work with species indicated

• Clear fee schedule and competitive rates

RFP and Contract Award Schedule

The following is a tentative schedule that is subject to change. The District will inform all firms of changes in the schedule via BidNet Direct.

September 9th RFQ Released

September 23rd by 5:00pm Deadline to receive questions regarding RFQ

September 30th by 5:00 pm Deadline for all answers to be released via addendum on BidNet

Direct

October 28th by 5:00pm Deadline to receive qualifications submittals

October 29th – November 30th Submittal review and interviews, if necessary

December 1st Selections made by committee

Interviews and Requests for Additional Information from the District

The District reserves the right to conduct interviews or require presentations of any or all proposers prior to the selection. The District reserves the right to request more detailed information from one or more consultants to provide for a reliable comparison between submittals.

Requests for Additional Information and Questions

Specific questions related to the RFQ must be addressed in writing to the District via BidNet

Direct. Answers will then be distributed to all teams. Additional and updated information will be provided to the firms via BidNet Direct.

SUBMITTAL DEADLINE

Final submittals must be received via email by October 28th at 5pm PST to Ariel Starr, Resource

Management Specialist, astarr@openspace.org. The District at its sole discretion may grant an extension to all candidates if circumstances require additional time. Responding teams should assume that the District may initiate discussions simultaneously with all respondents.

GENERAL STIPULATIONS

The District is not responsible for any expenses which proposers may incur in preparing their submittals. The District will not be liable for any costs incurred by the proposers that are related to the RFP process; this includes production of the submittal, interviews/presentations, travel and accommodations. The District reserves the right to request or negotiate modifications to the submittals that are deemed appropriate. All submittals received from proposers in response to this RFQ will become the property of the District and will not be returned to the proposers. In the event of contract award, all documentation produced as part of the contract will become the exclusive property of the District. The District reserves the right to reject any and all submittals and to waive minor irregularities. The District also reserves the right to seek new submittals or re-advertise if responses have not been satisfactory or for any other reason.

PUBLIC RECORDS AND PROPRIETARY INFORMATION, INDEMNIFICATION

The District recognizes that proposers will occasionally believe that all or portions of their submittals are confidential or proprietary. This can present problems in participating in a public agency RFP process. All submittals, strategies, supporting information, rate schedules and other information and documents are presumptively public records under the California Public

Records Act (Gov’t Code section 6250 et seq.), subject to prompt disclosure upon request by any member of the public.

The District is not soliciting, does not wish to receive, and will not treat any information received under this submittal as proprietary or confidential information, unless specifically called for or expressly accepted by the District General Counsel in writing, and will be accepted and considered only when, in the sole discretion of the District it is necessary to serve the public purpose of the project. If the inclusion of confidential or proprietary information is determined to be necessary to the submittal, proposers must identify each and every specific item and each and every page, and segregate the information into a separate envelope or electronic file labeled conspicuously as confidential, with a cover page describing the information and applicable law exempting the same from disclosure. Any material marked or claimed as confidential or proprietary may be returned to the proposer by the District or destroyed and may not be considered in the review of submittals if the claim does not appear justified or would inhibit the public purposes of the project proposed.

If the documents have been properly marked and expressly accepted as confidential and proprietary in writing by the District General Counsel, the District will make its best effort to advise the proposer of any Public Records Act request, should any be received, seeking documents claimed to be confidential or proprietary, to give the proposer an opportunity to take legal steps to protect such property from disclosure to third-party requester. The District expressly disclaims any duty and will not defend the confidentiality or proprietary nature of any information submitted. By submitting any confidential or proprietary information to the

District, the proposer agrees to holds harmless and indemnify and defend the District and its officers, employees, and agents for any and all costs, including attorneys fees, incurred by the District or awarded to a Public Records Act requester relating to a request for release of proposer’s data should the proposer ask the information to be handled as proprietary or confidential.

LIST OF ATTACHMENTS

1) Map of District preserves and boundary within which potential projects may occur

2) Services Checklist

3) District On-Call Professional Services Agreement Template